CREPES!!!!! (French vs British)

Today after my interview etc. I decided to walk over to the Victoria and Albert Museum (which is within walking distance, which is awesome.) I loved it! It was so cool. First I saw some things from Iran and that area of the world which were beautiful, then I went into the fashion area where they had dresses and suits from the 1800's until 2000-ish, those were really cool too. Then I went upstairs to some of the British stuff including a bed that could fit 7 people. It's called "The Great Bed of Ware." Apparently it was built to promote tourism and it was passed around to a few hotels a long time ago. It became so popular that Shakespeare referenced it in his play Twelfth Night. It was cool and I'll post a picture of it here.

On my walk home from the museum, I pass through an area of London that has a French Lycee for French speaking children whose parents live in London so that area has a lot of bakeries etc. I found a CREPE PLACE and I was so excited. I've been a little Paris-sick and after eating this crepe, all is well. Mmmm it was so good. And with it came a knork... or a fife which is related to the spork but instead is a hybrid of a knife and a fork, which I found interesting but probably wasn't interesting enough to write on here. Maybe I'll post a picture of that, too just to round out this waste of time.

As I was walking the rest of the way home with my new best friend, my crepe, I was comparing French people to English people. First of all, London roads are TERRIFYING to cross. The cabs simply do not slow down, let alone stop, for a pedestrian. The whole 'drive on the left side of the road' thing is tricky enough (luckily there are "Look Left" and "Look Right" guides on the ground to help out pedestrians.) The drivers are really aggressive and when it's their turn to go, they're going to go. Paris is the same but here lies the difference... The British love their rules. I was standing on a corner of King's Road (a very busy road) today trying to cross (there wasn't a cross walk on my side of the intersection, but there was just to the right of me across the less busy street to the right.) I stood there forever until I finally was like, let's try the cross walk. So I walk the 5 steps across the smaller street to the cross walk. The traffic slams on their breaks and lets me cross. In America cross walks only serve a decorative purpose, really, but here they mean business. To sum up, UK= drive like maniacs until there's a rule to follow then follow the rule at all costs.

The French walk like they drive. French sidewalks are 10 times scarier than Chicago or New York sidewalks by far. When sharing a sidewalk with oncoming walking traffic, NO one will move to the side to let someone else walk by. I did not understand this when I was in Paris - If it were a showdown between a Parisian and an American (or other,) the Parisian would win and at the last second the American better step to the side or there WILL be a collision. But what happens when it was two French people? One of them would have to move, right? Or else they would crash? I never saw any collisions, but I still don't know how they helped it.

In London, when there is a person walking towards you (assuming they're not a tourist) they pick their side of the sidewalk at least a block until they're even with you (not always the left suprisingly). Now European blocks are significantly shorter than American blocks, but still, that's some hard-core organization.

The British love when things run smoothly (I'm completely at home) and I think that's where all of this stems from. They're so hardcore about it that there are signs on the escalators of the tube stations saying "stand on the right" so that walking traffic can move past you on the left. (Cause you know how annoying it is when you're in a rush and everyone's standing everywhere on the escalator and if they would all just move to one effing side you could walk through!??! well they fixed that here and it's wonderful.) It happens now and then in Chicago too I've noticed, but it's kind of half-assed and no one can get anywhere still. Here you IMMEDIATELY move to the right and if you don't, the next person trying to get through WILL (politely of course) ask you to move.

The French are 100% opposite of this. Not only are the bigger train stations a nightmare of crowds, but the signs are ridiculously bad (pointing in wrong or 'hard to tell which way they mean' directions) and staircases and escalators lead you up and then back down and over and back until you finally get to where you need to be. Here, I'm loving the 'signs on the floor.' The last thing you want to do when carrying luggage and trying to find a taxi or the way out is to have to crane your neck to see a sign. Instead, on my way here from the airport, I followed a line on the floor that said "taxi... taxi... taxi..." until I found a taxi. Geniuses.

Not to shit talk Paris... I LOVE Paris. I just love organization, too.