Something I've noticed...
Here in London, but also in larger cities like Vancouver and Victoria (and even Barcelona), there's a certain way groups of people move across crosswalks. It's consistent, with little variation (albeit some). I'm talking about a large-ish group of people standing at the side of the road, at a light-controlled crosswalk which is red. How people get across that street (and when) depends on various factors, but primarily it comes down to familiarity with the city; it's a matter of not being comfortable knowing which direction the cars are coming from. For some, though, I think there's a sense of doing what you're told, when you're told to do it (these are people who wait for the little green man to tell them they can walk, regardless of how long they stand at an empty and quiet street corner).
Generally, there are four waves:
Wave 1: The Locals
I would also include experienced travelers in this group, as they tend to absorb "localisms" quicker than your random vacationer. Locals are on the move, and efficient about it. They look both ways (or just the correct direction) six or seven steps before they even reach the crosswalk, so they can adjust their pace to skip through the oncoming traffic. They don't wait any longer than they absolutely have to.
Wave 2: The People Who Watch The Locals
These are the folks who are paying attention to everyone around them. They see the locals go for it, and wonder what the heck they are still doing standing there! These ones will take a quick look both ways, making sure it's STILL safe, then jet across just behind Wave 1.
Wave 3: The Partners
These ones pay MUCH less attention. They only go when they realize their companion(s) are already across the street. There's a startled look on their faces as they realize they've been left behind, then slight irritation passes over until they too run across the street. By this time, the light has changed anyway, and they look silly twice-over, because now they're running like it's red, and it's already changed to green.
Wave 4: The Tourists
There's always one final wave of tourists who stare in awe at the people who have gone before them (because most of the members of the first 3 waves arrived at the light AFTER this group). But rather than jump on the bandwagon, they've patiently stuck it out and waited for the light to turn green, because, after all, that's the RIGHT thing to do. It's the SAFE thing.
And really, does it matter? Do any of us really get anywhere that much quicker? Nope. But we feel more efficient about our travel when we walk like the locals. And we can smugly (because, after all, this is London) look down upon those who stand and wait like fools.
I wonder if there is any correlation between my theory and pedestrians getting hit by cars... Hmm...
Friday, May 27, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
The Royal Wedding
Five months ago, before I left Canada: "Nah, I don't think I'll go. I don't care much about the Royals, so why would I brave the crowds?"
Two months ago, once I'd started talking to locals about their plans: "Nope, I'm definitely not going. It's a thing all the tourists will do. Every English person I've met is doing all they can to avoid it, even leaving the country for the 4-day weekend."
Two weeks ago, when the hype was getting a little more exciting: "Well, maybe I should go. I mean, when will I ever get this close to a Royal Wedding again?"
Two days before the wedding: "Okay, let's go down to Central London, but watch it in a pub or something. I don't want to get crushed by the crowd."
The day before the wedding, after a teacher I'd met offered to lend me her fabulous hat for the weekend: "Heck YES I'm going! I'm going to do the whole thing: get up ridiculously early, head right into Central London, stand along the Royal Mall, see the Royals. Get the whole experience."
And now? I'm really glad we went. It really was a moment in history. A once-in-a-lifetime thing to see all of the Royal family in person, right there in front of me.
Plus, it's all anyone talked about for days afterward. That night, Joe, Rich and I, all exhausted from our own adventures that day, collapsed in our lounge comparing stories and photos. Even now, a week later, when I meet new people, one of the first questions I'm asked is "and what did you get up to for the Wedding?"
This is what I tell them:
My friend Anna crashed at my place the night before so we could get up and out efficiently, without having to find each other in a crowd. The alarm had been set for 5am (seriously, who gets up at 5am on a HOLIDAY, right?). We got up, dressed, made coffee and were out the door shortly thereafter. After a quick stop to grab some provisions for the day, we met up with some other friends of mine and headed over to the Royal Mall (the long road leading up to Buckingham Palace from Trafalgar Square). Unfortunately, it didn't really work to be in a group of 5 and we ended up separating from those girls a little later.
As soon as we got through the gate and found ourselves staring up at the massive flags waving all the way up the Mall, we were distracted by an approaching journalist. He represented the Associated Press and wanted to interview me. Me? Yes, ME! He asked where I was from, why I was joining the crowd for the wedding, and then got down to his REAL reason for stopping us: gesturing towards my head, he said, very red-carpet-esque, "and, uh, WHO are you wearing today?" Seriously? You think this hat, which I borrowed from someone I barely know and has a "Made in China" label is designer? Well all right then!
"Vera Wang."
Yeah, I went there. I figured he clearly didn't know any better, since he was the one asking the question. (And truthfully, she's the only designer's name I could come up with on the spot). So he wrote it down in his little reporter's notebook, took my photo and told me this would all be on Twitter within about 5minutes. If I had any idea at all (or even any interest in learning) about Twitter I could tell you whether or not this claim was substantiated.
In any case, Anna and I kept on moving. We scoped out a pretty good spot, right along the Mall, with only two rows of people in front of us. And then...
we waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
Given that we were there before 7am, and the first royal car to drive by was at 10:15...we were there a while. But we chatted with the English people around us (who were actually quite helpful when it came to identifying the random royalty that drove by later) and listed to the Royal marching band entertain us with tunes such as "Copacabana". Plus, we did some people watching and texted people we knew who were watching it in other locations. Somehow, we passed the time!
From 10:15 until 10:50 it got VERY exciting. Starting with William and Harry, followed by Charles and Camilla, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip and finally Kate herself, they passed right in front of us as they all made their way to Westminster Abbey. Every time a new vehicle was approaching there was a surge of excitement. Even I got caught up in it - and, as I mentioned earlier, I've never even been a particularly huge fan of the Royals!
I had assumed that from 11:00 onward it would be a bit boring as we all stood there waiting for them to come back. But oh, how wrong I was! The spot we picked turned out to be fabulous for another reason: there were speakers mounted just across the Mall from us, which broadcasted the whole wedding! That meant we could hear everything everyone said and sang. It was quite amazing, actually. As soon as the service started, the whole crowd was respectfully quiet - they wanted to hear it! And about two minutes in, when Kate said her first words, "I will," there was an absolute eruption of cheering from everyone around us. Being the cheeky smartalec my mother raised me to be, I just had to pipe in with, "wow, were you all really that surprised?"
The crowd continued to participate appropriately in the rest of the service too. We were quiet when we should have been and sang along with the hymns (they were published in programs). And then, when it was over and they were on their way back to Buckingham Palace, it all got very exciting again. This time the seating arrangements were a little different and Wills & Kate were first - and this time they were all in open-top carriages so we got a MUCH better look at them. They were waving and smiling to everyone! And we were all waving and smiling (and snapping photos) too!
When it was over, and we joined the throng towards the Palace to see the balcony bit (and the kiss!) I quickly realized that there was no way we were going to get close enough to see anything. So Anna and I ducked out of the crowd and made our way back to Trafalgar Square, where we knew giant screens had been set up. We got right into the thick of it over there, met back up with the girls we had separated from earlier, and watched the last part there. I'm really glad we did - we could see it perfectly, and the crowd there was just as excited to see it as we were (hence all of the waving flags obscuring the view!).
Once it was all over, I headed home to have a nap and then, as I mentioned, rehashed it all with my housemates. We all really felt we had participated in a "moment in history", and I don't think anyone would disagree. Years from now, when we are all watching their coronation, those of us who braved the crowds last week will be able to say, "I was there on their wedding day. I saw them moments before and after they took their vows. They were beautiful and they looked so happy."
But I also felt, beyond the grander "moment in history" feeling, a more intimate reaction to the event. The moment the service started, and everyone quieted down to hear them speak, it felt as though we all had been personally invited to the wedding. I mean, sure, we all had really crappy seats and couldn't see the bride and groom. But we were there. We were a part of it. I think that's what really struck me the most.
And finally, a note on Kate (or Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, as we're supposed to call her now). I'm actually quite impressed with her. Granted, I don't follow any news or gossip about her, so I only have my own impressions from the one day. But she seemed quite composed and happy for someone taking on so much responsibility. And she doesn't seem to expect the attention she receives, but rather seems to be surprised and appreciative about it. When she and William stepped out onto the Buckingham Palace balcony, and she looked around at the 2 million people who had come out to see them, the look on her face clearly read, "Wow...all of these people are here to see...ME?" And then she smiled naturally and waved and kissed her husband when she was told to and carried on responding to the crowd. So I have to say, well done, Kate! And good luck!
Two months ago, once I'd started talking to locals about their plans: "Nope, I'm definitely not going. It's a thing all the tourists will do. Every English person I've met is doing all they can to avoid it, even leaving the country for the 4-day weekend."
Two weeks ago, when the hype was getting a little more exciting: "Well, maybe I should go. I mean, when will I ever get this close to a Royal Wedding again?"
Two days before the wedding: "Okay, let's go down to Central London, but watch it in a pub or something. I don't want to get crushed by the crowd."
The day before the wedding, after a teacher I'd met offered to lend me her fabulous hat for the weekend: "Heck YES I'm going! I'm going to do the whole thing: get up ridiculously early, head right into Central London, stand along the Royal Mall, see the Royals. Get the whole experience."
And now? I'm really glad we went. It really was a moment in history. A once-in-a-lifetime thing to see all of the Royal family in person, right there in front of me.
Plus, it's all anyone talked about for days afterward. That night, Joe, Rich and I, all exhausted from our own adventures that day, collapsed in our lounge comparing stories and photos. Even now, a week later, when I meet new people, one of the first questions I'm asked is "and what did you get up to for the Wedding?"
This is what I tell them:
My friend Anna crashed at my place the night before so we could get up and out efficiently, without having to find each other in a crowd. The alarm had been set for 5am (seriously, who gets up at 5am on a HOLIDAY, right?). We got up, dressed, made coffee and were out the door shortly thereafter. After a quick stop to grab some provisions for the day, we met up with some other friends of mine and headed over to the Royal Mall (the long road leading up to Buckingham Palace from Trafalgar Square). Unfortunately, it didn't really work to be in a group of 5 and we ended up separating from those girls a little later.
As soon as we got through the gate and found ourselves staring up at the massive flags waving all the way up the Mall, we were distracted by an approaching journalist. He represented the Associated Press and wanted to interview me. Me? Yes, ME! He asked where I was from, why I was joining the crowd for the wedding, and then got down to his REAL reason for stopping us: gesturing towards my head, he said, very red-carpet-esque, "and, uh, WHO are you wearing today?" Seriously? You think this hat, which I borrowed from someone I barely know and has a "Made in China" label is designer? Well all right then!
"Vera Wang."
Yeah, I went there. I figured he clearly didn't know any better, since he was the one asking the question. (And truthfully, she's the only designer's name I could come up with on the spot). So he wrote it down in his little reporter's notebook, took my photo and told me this would all be on Twitter within about 5minutes. If I had any idea at all (or even any interest in learning) about Twitter I could tell you whether or not this claim was substantiated.
In any case, Anna and I kept on moving. We scoped out a pretty good spot, right along the Mall, with only two rows of people in front of us. And then...
we waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
Given that we were there before 7am, and the first royal car to drive by was at 10:15...we were there a while. But we chatted with the English people around us (who were actually quite helpful when it came to identifying the random royalty that drove by later) and listed to the Royal marching band entertain us with tunes such as "Copacabana". Plus, we did some people watching and texted people we knew who were watching it in other locations. Somehow, we passed the time!
From 10:15 until 10:50 it got VERY exciting. Starting with William and Harry, followed by Charles and Camilla, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip and finally Kate herself, they passed right in front of us as they all made their way to Westminster Abbey. Every time a new vehicle was approaching there was a surge of excitement. Even I got caught up in it - and, as I mentioned earlier, I've never even been a particularly huge fan of the Royals!
I had assumed that from 11:00 onward it would be a bit boring as we all stood there waiting for them to come back. But oh, how wrong I was! The spot we picked turned out to be fabulous for another reason: there were speakers mounted just across the Mall from us, which broadcasted the whole wedding! That meant we could hear everything everyone said and sang. It was quite amazing, actually. As soon as the service started, the whole crowd was respectfully quiet - they wanted to hear it! And about two minutes in, when Kate said her first words, "I will," there was an absolute eruption of cheering from everyone around us. Being the cheeky smartalec my mother raised me to be, I just had to pipe in with, "wow, were you all really that surprised?"
The crowd continued to participate appropriately in the rest of the service too. We were quiet when we should have been and sang along with the hymns (they were published in programs). And then, when it was over and they were on their way back to Buckingham Palace, it all got very exciting again. This time the seating arrangements were a little different and Wills & Kate were first - and this time they were all in open-top carriages so we got a MUCH better look at them. They were waving and smiling to everyone! And we were all waving and smiling (and snapping photos) too!
When it was over, and we joined the throng towards the Palace to see the balcony bit (and the kiss!) I quickly realized that there was no way we were going to get close enough to see anything. So Anna and I ducked out of the crowd and made our way back to Trafalgar Square, where we knew giant screens had been set up. We got right into the thick of it over there, met back up with the girls we had separated from earlier, and watched the last part there. I'm really glad we did - we could see it perfectly, and the crowd there was just as excited to see it as we were (hence all of the waving flags obscuring the view!).
Once it was all over, I headed home to have a nap and then, as I mentioned, rehashed it all with my housemates. We all really felt we had participated in a "moment in history", and I don't think anyone would disagree. Years from now, when we are all watching their coronation, those of us who braved the crowds last week will be able to say, "I was there on their wedding day. I saw them moments before and after they took their vows. They were beautiful and they looked so happy."
But I also felt, beyond the grander "moment in history" feeling, a more intimate reaction to the event. The moment the service started, and everyone quieted down to hear them speak, it felt as though we all had been personally invited to the wedding. I mean, sure, we all had really crappy seats and couldn't see the bride and groom. But we were there. We were a part of it. I think that's what really struck me the most.
And finally, a note on Kate (or Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, as we're supposed to call her now). I'm actually quite impressed with her. Granted, I don't follow any news or gossip about her, so I only have my own impressions from the one day. But she seemed quite composed and happy for someone taking on so much responsibility. And she doesn't seem to expect the attention she receives, but rather seems to be surprised and appreciative about it. When she and William stepped out onto the Buckingham Palace balcony, and she looked around at the 2 million people who had come out to see them, the look on her face clearly read, "Wow...all of these people are here to see...ME?" And then she smiled naturally and waved and kissed her husband when she was told to and carried on responding to the crowd. So I have to say, well done, Kate! And good luck!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Road Trip! ...Costa-Brava-style
On our last day in Spain, we rented a car and drove around exploring the Costa Brava area. To start off with, the day wasn't looking very promising. Basically, every single thing the guy told us when we reserved the car a few days earlier was wrong. The price was higher to add a second driver. We were going to have to drop off the car within working hours, which meant we had an unforeseen deadline on the day. Our hotel Room Number (the only contact information the company had for us) had been written down incorrectly. There were also a couple of things that COULD have been disastrous when we got started. The car was a Standard (which I can't drive... good bloody thing Anna can!). We couldn't figure out how to unlock the gas cap (and the fuel tank was empty when we picked up the car). But, in the end, we got it all sorted and were soon on our way!!
One of the biggest motivators for the road trip (for me, anyway) was the Salvador Dali museum in Figueres. I've always been a fan of his work, and I was excited to see the city he had lived and worked in. Plus, I had read that the museum was designed by him, and that it was called the Teatre-Museu Dali because he wanted it to feel like a theater, in which the audience is a part of the experience and everything is open to interpretation. That's also why there are very few titles or captions on the pieces. You're supposed to decide what it is and what it means. I like that :) I also really enjoyed seeing the vast (and I do mean enormous) range Dali had. He was most famous for his surrealist pieces, but his work includes statue, metalwork, and carving. There are pieces that can only be properly seen when viewed through a mirror, and others that require the translation of a metallic bottle. His pieces that address the human body are varied and stunning. Yep, I'm even MORE of a fan now that I've been there!
After the museum, we wandered around the city of Figueres a bit, and found the building Dali was born in and the hotel he frequented, then headed back to the Parkade to pick up our car. And oh, what an adventure we had there! When we had arrived at the Parkade, which was conveniently located just behind the museum, we thought it was going to be perfect. And the driver in the car ahead of us appeared to just push a button and have a ticket thrust out at him, so we thought it was going to be easy.
Not so much.
When WE got up to the ticket machine, Anna pushed the button...and nothing happened. Well, I should clarify: nothing happened in English. A bunch of Spanish and Catalonian words scrolled across the screen...not helpful. So Anna started jamming every type of payment we could come up with into the slot, to no avail. By this time there were several cars backed up behind us, and we were feeling more than a little stressed. Finally, between the teenaged girl in the car behind us and the parking attendant who came to investigate what the heck was taking us so long, and with the help of a lot of very broken English and a tiny bit of broken Spanish, we determined the problem: the carpark was full!! Good grief. Eventually a space opened up, Anna pushed the button again, and it WAS that easy...
Until later, when we tried to leave and the machine didn't take cash. After trying all of the cards we had between us that SHOULD have worked, we threw my "only works with a PIN" credit card (which thus SHOULDN'T have worked) in as a last-ditch effort...and it worked! Hooray! Off we go!
Our next (and even more disastrous) stop was Girona. Just thinking about trying to navigate through that city brings back feelings of frustration. After driving around for what felt like days trying to find what we wanted to see, and a parking space once we finally found the right area, we were both absolutely DONE with Girona. So we parked the car temporarily (in a handi spot...), got out to snap a few photos (I do have to admit that what we saw was beautiful) and got the heck out of dodge.
At that point, we'd pretty much seen all we wanted to, so as a bonus we drove out to Empuries, an ancient Greek trading post on the coast. It was beautiful! We went for a nice walk along the water, and ended up discovering an adorable little cluster of streets. Actually, one of my favourite parts of the trip were these moments - when Anna made me put my map away and we just wandered and discovered (having said that, I will be ever-grateful for my travel books and maps - we would have been lost without them on more than a few occasions, and we learned a lot of interesting tidbits from them too). I think the best thing Anna and I brought to each other and to the trip was our ability to balance each other in this way.
A few things I noticed about driving in another country:
- Road signs: there are a whole series of signs with black diagonal stripes across them. After 2 days of seeing these and trying to work out what they mean, we decided that they were permitting you to do something, maybe, if you felt like it. And then we saw one that was plain white (with the diagonal stripes). Pardon my language... but...wtf? Does this mean you can do whatever you want, maybe, if you feel like it? Yes, I think so.
- Directional signs: on highways, they give the name of the CITY you're headed towards, not the street or area. I think this is because the cities are so much smaller and quite spread out. So as long as you know the name of the town, you can probably find what you're looking for fairly easily (unless you're in Girona).
- Addresses: when they're written down, the street name is given before the number. Which is actually quite logical. The information appears in the order you'll need it!
- Scenery: it looks completely different when travelling in the opposite direction!! Well no, not really. But that's what our guide book told us, and we thought it was pretty funny!
All in all, Spain was a fabulous trip!! Thanks for coming with me, Anna!
One of the biggest motivators for the road trip (for me, anyway) was the Salvador Dali museum in Figueres. I've always been a fan of his work, and I was excited to see the city he had lived and worked in. Plus, I had read that the museum was designed by him, and that it was called the Teatre-Museu Dali because he wanted it to feel like a theater, in which the audience is a part of the experience and everything is open to interpretation. That's also why there are very few titles or captions on the pieces. You're supposed to decide what it is and what it means. I like that :) I also really enjoyed seeing the vast (and I do mean enormous) range Dali had. He was most famous for his surrealist pieces, but his work includes statue, metalwork, and carving. There are pieces that can only be properly seen when viewed through a mirror, and others that require the translation of a metallic bottle. His pieces that address the human body are varied and stunning. Yep, I'm even MORE of a fan now that I've been there!
After the museum, we wandered around the city of Figueres a bit, and found the building Dali was born in and the hotel he frequented, then headed back to the Parkade to pick up our car. And oh, what an adventure we had there! When we had arrived at the Parkade, which was conveniently located just behind the museum, we thought it was going to be perfect. And the driver in the car ahead of us appeared to just push a button and have a ticket thrust out at him, so we thought it was going to be easy.
Not so much.
When WE got up to the ticket machine, Anna pushed the button...and nothing happened. Well, I should clarify: nothing happened in English. A bunch of Spanish and Catalonian words scrolled across the screen...not helpful. So Anna started jamming every type of payment we could come up with into the slot, to no avail. By this time there were several cars backed up behind us, and we were feeling more than a little stressed. Finally, between the teenaged girl in the car behind us and the parking attendant who came to investigate what the heck was taking us so long, and with the help of a lot of very broken English and a tiny bit of broken Spanish, we determined the problem: the carpark was full!! Good grief. Eventually a space opened up, Anna pushed the button again, and it WAS that easy...
Until later, when we tried to leave and the machine didn't take cash. After trying all of the cards we had between us that SHOULD have worked, we threw my "only works with a PIN" credit card (which thus SHOULDN'T have worked) in as a last-ditch effort...and it worked! Hooray! Off we go!
Our next (and even more disastrous) stop was Girona. Just thinking about trying to navigate through that city brings back feelings of frustration. After driving around for what felt like days trying to find what we wanted to see, and a parking space once we finally found the right area, we were both absolutely DONE with Girona. So we parked the car temporarily (in a handi spot...), got out to snap a few photos (I do have to admit that what we saw was beautiful) and got the heck out of dodge.
At that point, we'd pretty much seen all we wanted to, so as a bonus we drove out to Empuries, an ancient Greek trading post on the coast. It was beautiful! We went for a nice walk along the water, and ended up discovering an adorable little cluster of streets. Actually, one of my favourite parts of the trip were these moments - when Anna made me put my map away and we just wandered and discovered (having said that, I will be ever-grateful for my travel books and maps - we would have been lost without them on more than a few occasions, and we learned a lot of interesting tidbits from them too). I think the best thing Anna and I brought to each other and to the trip was our ability to balance each other in this way.
A few things I noticed about driving in another country:
- Road signs: there are a whole series of signs with black diagonal stripes across them. After 2 days of seeing these and trying to work out what they mean, we decided that they were permitting you to do something, maybe, if you felt like it. And then we saw one that was plain white (with the diagonal stripes). Pardon my language... but...wtf? Does this mean you can do whatever you want, maybe, if you feel like it? Yes, I think so.
- Directional signs: on highways, they give the name of the CITY you're headed towards, not the street or area. I think this is because the cities are so much smaller and quite spread out. So as long as you know the name of the town, you can probably find what you're looking for fairly easily (unless you're in Girona).
- Addresses: when they're written down, the street name is given before the number. Which is actually quite logical. The information appears in the order you'll need it!
- Scenery: it looks completely different when travelling in the opposite direction!! Well no, not really. But that's what our guide book told us, and we thought it was pretty funny!
All in all, Spain was a fabulous trip!! Thanks for coming with me, Anna!
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