I woke up quite early yesterday morning and didn't fall back asleep. While I was lying there it struck me that it might be a good time to go to Abbey Road before it gets crowded. Turns out I was right. I got myself up, got on the train, and made it to the famous zebra crossing a little before 7:30 in the morning. There was only 1 group of people there when I arrived. The traffic wasn't too bad then either. Iconic as it may be, it's not like this crossing has had a museum built over it - it's just an intersection on a road. People are trying to go to work or the park or their homes, and have to dodge tourists taking too much time crossing the street or standing dangerously in it taking a photo from the right spot. At 7:30 am on a Saturday it was pretty light, so if you ever decide to make this music pilgrimage, I'd recommend going early - by 8, both tourist and traffic patterns were getting busier.
"No, no, back up, honey!" 😆
That first group of people that were there when I showed up were 3 Japanese women trying to get decent photos of each other crossing the road album-cover style. A short while later a middle-aged Japanese couple arrived with a similar mission, except he was clearly the Beatles fan, and she was the well-meaning photographer always standing in the wrong place. He had her re-try about a dozen times - she was clearly standing too close and just getting a picture of his smiling face. So that brings me to my next tip. If you have a non-Beatles fan in your party, show them a picture of the Abbey Road cover before you go so they know what you're trying to do. It was pretty hilarious to watch this drama, but I felt a bit bad for both of them by the time they left. Several other groups and individuals came and went in half-hour or so I was there - one other white dude and about 20 Japanese tourists. I found the ethnic leaning pretty interesting and I have 2 theories:
More Japanese tourists do their research and knew that earlier was better
Jet lag
I think it's probably a combo...
Not too bad on this one - one of the few people walking the right way too
The other bit you need to know if you're a non-English visitor is how zebra crossings work. There are different types of street crossings in England. At intersections with stoplights they do them like we do they in America - wait for the light and follow the "walk" and "don't walk" icons. Then there are zebra crossings - they have the wide stripes painted on the road and tall black and white poles on either side, usually with flashing lights on top. At zebra crossings, pedestrians always have the right -of-way. If you are in a car and someone is approaching a zebra crossing, it is your job as the driver to stop for them - they do not need to wait for you. So at Abbey Road there is this weird, reverse-game-of-chicken going on where the tourists are standing at the zebra crossing wanting the cars to go by so they can get their perfect cover-photo, and all the cars are stopping because there are pedestrians standing there. There are moments where they'll both stand there looking at each other thinking the other is an idiot before the driver finally angrily accelerates and continues on his way. One more reason to get there early and minimize the crossing confusion.
I've got to admit for all the amusing tourist spectating, it was a pretty spiritual experience to just sit there, listening to Abbey Road, and looking at the place where that masterpiece was created. I have only a modest appreciation for the kind of art that hangs in museums. I know what I like, and what I don't, but I don't go to art museums a lot. For me, looking at that street scene with the music in my ears was about as good a museum as there is. That is my kind of art.
Where the magic happened
Leaving my mark... wonder how often it's whitewashed
Well, I am 2 weeks into my stay as a UK resident. I've even got a Residence Permit that has replaced my driver's license in my wallet. I feel official.
In my official capacity here, I am learning what it means to be English. Mainly it means complaining a lot. Especially about the weather and about driving. I live in the western part of London and work just south-west of London, which you can see on this highly accurate map of the UK is populated with sad commuters.
My commute is 45-60 minutes each way, and let me tell you, they are stressful minutes. I am no stranger to driving in the UK. I have been doing it on work trips here for the better part of the last 15 years. Usually, I am driving fairly short distances from the hotel to the office or the train station, or longer distances through the countryside. Now that I am driving medium distances through semi-urban areas in crowded rush hour traffic, it's a whole different situation.
I have often told people that driving on the other side of the road/car is tricky at first, but you get used to it. The thing that is most difficult about driving here is the ridiculously narrow roads, which are made more perilous by cars parked wherever their drivers happened to want to get out, pedestrians, and cycles - both the motor and pedal varieties. Plus Now that I have to deal with all of those stressors for nearly 2 hours every day, it's taking a bit of a toll. I feel like a nap after I get home.
To give you a sense of what it's like, here's a video of the last mile and a half of my drive. Note that this mile and a half takes about 6 minutes to complete. This is part of the problem. My hour-long commute is a little under 18 miles. You do not move fast here. Some other things to note in the video:
Passing parked cars sticking well out into the lane
Passing oncoming traffic well into my lane
A double-decker bus about a foot from my door with a parked car about 6 inches away from the passenger side
Stopping for a good minute for no apparent reason
Jarring speed bumps every 50 yards or so
Pedestrians at zebra crossings requiring cars to stop
Bicycles zooming down the road
Good times had by no one
So towards the end of the day at work, it was raining and I was complaining about the rain and having to drive home in it and that it was slowing traffic down even further. My co-workers told me I sounded very British - well done! After a little while the sun came out and it was blazing through the window and I said, "Ugh! Now the sun will be in my eyes and I won't be able to see!" With that, my co-workers declared me fully local. Now all I need is an accent.
I have been in London for a little over 2 days now and settling in to my new surroundings. I've become so accustomed to traveling here over the past decade in many ways it feels like I'm just here for a regular old work trip. I am in a different place with a proper urban commute and in an apartment with a kitchen so I'm aware that I'm not in the usual hotel, but I'm still waiting for it to sink in that I live here now... albeit for a short while.
The neighborhood seems great. It's a short walk (< 1/2 mile) to the Ealing Broadway station, which has easy access to many parts of central London via the tube (District and Central lines) and National Rail (Great Western Rail). There are loads of buses around too, but I've never used the bus system here so have some working out to do there. There are a few Universities nearby, which I think helps make the area seem vibrant and safe. Between my flat and the station there are loads of restaurants and shops. There are also 2 very large parks a short walk away and nice green spaces all around. So far, I am pretty impressed with Ealing.
My flat is small by standards I am used to, which wasn't unexpected, but it has everything I need and is quite comfortable. It's technically a 1-bedroom, but it really works like a studio as the "bedroom" isn't big enough for a bed. It's got a desk, dresser, and wardrobe tucked in it and the bed is in a studio-type room with the kitchen and table. Here are some photos of the main room.
Looking into the main room from the entry hall
Looking back across the main room from the windows
And looking back towards the kitchen
The "bedroom" which is really a walk-in-closet with a desk
And the loo
So all in all a pretty nice place. My only real complaint is that there is no couch or comfy chair to sit on - it's just the bed. Which might get old. If that's my biggest problem, I'm in pretty good shape.
One more thing about my place. It's right next to Ealing Studios, which is a well-known tv and movie studio in London. The most recognizable thing I know that was mad there was Downton Abbey. All of the scenes in the servants quarters upstairs and kitchen areas downstairs were made right inside the studio buildings you can see out my window. There are people coming and going from the lot all the time, but I have no idea what's being filmed there now... If I see any celebrities walk by, I'll be sure to post a follow up! 😃 🎬
One of our stops on a train trip across Central Europe later this summer will be in Milan, where I am excited to see da Vinci's masterpiece, The Last Supper or Il Cenacolo in Italian. Many people don't know that this is not a painting hanging in a museum - at least the original is not. It is a mural on the wall of a church, the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, in Milan. It was painted there by Leonardo in the 1490s in the refectory, which is the dining hall where the monks would gather to share their meals. It's amazing to think about the simplicity of the idea to decorate a wall in the monk's cafeteria with a picture of the Bible's most famous meal. That wall is now a masterpiece and its image is one of the world's most recognizable works of art.
If you want to see the painting, you can't just show up at the church and hope for the best. It is very fragile and visitors are restricted to 30 visitors at a time who are allowed 15 minutes in the room. Tickets for this must be booked in advance and sell out quickly so if you want to see it, check the website for availability. The tickets are sold through what appears to be the Italian equivalent of Ticketmaster, called Viva Ticket. Here is a link directly to the Last Supper ticket page, which was a bit clumsy to find for this non-Italian speaker - https://cenacolovinciano.vivaticket.it/eng/event/cenacolo-vinciano/63954
On the site there is a "Buy" button that will show you an availability calendar, and some notes below it informing you of upcoming availability. We will be in Milan in early August and I've been checking the site for the last 6 weeks or so waiting for the dates to open up. when I first started checking the calendar only went through June - and every day was sold out. A few weeks ago a note appeared saying that on April 16th, reservations for July and August would be open. It didn't say at what time, but other sources online said that it opened at 9:30 am CET. So I set my alarm for 2:30 am US Central time to make sure I wouldn't miss my chance. I had no idea how quickly the door would slam shut. Well, it is now 6 am in Minnesota and our August date happens to still be available, but you can see here what July looks like just 3 1/2 hours after the tickets went on sale.
So if you will be in Milan and want to visit the Last Supper, check early and often! Here are a few other things to note:
You will need to create an account at Vivaticket to be able to book. I recommend setting that up right away rather than waiting until you book - it will save you some steps and some precious time when you are trying to reserve your time.
Time slots are limited - they do not run throughout the day. On the day we are there (a Tuesday in August) you can book for 8:45, 9:30, 1:45, and 4:00.
Certain time slots include a guided tour and some are in English and some in Italian. Check on the site to see which is which. We are going at 9:30 am for an English-language tour. The tour costs an extra €3.50 per person, but worth it for me to have an expert talk about the painting and its history.
The cost to visit is €12 for adults and there is a range of discounts for younger visitors, teachers, and others. Selecting the "free under 18" reservation option will cost you €2, which turns out to be an "advance sale" charge. This seems a little scammy to me as you need to book in advance to be able to see it - like I said, Italian equivalent of Ticketmaster! Here's the math for our family of 5:
€24 for 2 adults
€6 for 3 kids
€17.50 for the guided tour for the 5 of us
€47.50 total
In an effort to prevent tour operators and re-sellers from snatching up tickets, there is a limit of 5 tickets per order, and you need to present a valid ID that matches the order when you arrive.
Good luck booking your tickets if you want to see this 500-year-old masterpiece when you visit Milan! I hope this helped you figure things out.
My employer has given me a great opportunity to spend 6 months of 2019 working in the UK. I spend a lot of time in the UK for work already, and for my role on the project I'm in the middle of, there are a lot of advantages to being there full time for a spell. I've managed to work things out so that I will be there mid-April-May on my own, then from June-August my family will join me, and then I'll close the 6 months out on my own again through mid-October. So work gets the benefit of me being able to be more productive on the ground with the project team in the London office, and our family gets the benefit of living in London, baby! It's a big-time win-win.
We will be experiencing so much in a short time, I decided to create a blog to serve as our diary and travelogue as something more cohesive and permanent than the usual social media posts (which will be coming fast and furious as well!)
I leave in less than 5 days now and trying to figure out how to get ready to be separated from my family for 6 weeks. Carly is similarly trying to figure out how to manage a household with 3 active kiddos without the support and additional driver that comes in the form of her husband. (This arrangement will have some amazing benefits but not without its challenges!) Thankfully we have some great family, friends, neighbors, and a truly awesome community around us that has already offered a ton of support.
Here's to a summer of adventure just around the corner...
