I keep it in my journal and it’s just some notes, but I feel very nerdy and proud about it.
Let me share some of my notes as an Italian living abroad in the United Kingdom:
1. Black Cabs’ licenses are hard to get
Nowadays, there are many types of cabs in London, but the most traditional ones are certainly the Black Cabs.
I have learnt that, in order to obtain the license to drive one, the drivers of Black Cabs must pass a rigorous test called The knowledge, which involves memorizing every single street in the capital. We are talking about 25,000 streets therefore it is considered one of the most difficult tests of this type in the world.
It is very odd if one thinks that in modern times we can easily use a navigator and find any address just by using the satellite but I guess this tradition will not easily die out here in London.
Black Cab
2. Swans as the Queen’s pets
Some other oddity I learnt once from reading a panel in Richmond Park is that English law requires that all unmarked and unclaimed swans belong to the Queen.
Back in the old times, in fact, eating swan meat was considered one of the highest privileges amongst the English people who had to pay a tax to the monarchy to do so.
The nobles who could afford this tax branded their swans on their beak.
The practice stopped towards the end of the 19th century when some animal rights activists protested and sanctioned its end.
Nevertheless, the ownership system is still in place: there is still a company that annually lists unbranded swans during the Swan Upping celebration.
During the census, the swans are counted, examined and finally released into the ponds.
Swans in Richmond Park
3. Marble Arch Mound, the attraction nobody likes
Between how it should have been and how it is, the difference is quite a lot.
That's why London's newest tourist attraction, Marble Arch Mound, has been disappointing both city dwellers and tourists alike.
This artificial mound, a temporary structure that wanted to draw attention to Oxford Street and send a message to fight car pollution, cost much money and to visit it you also have to pay an entrance ticket.
But, even if you climb to the top, the view of Hyde Park remains hidden, as the skyline of the city can only be imagined because the mound is too short.
But when Marble Arch Mound opened to the public, that wasn't exactly what the offer was and people were disappointed.
The wave of criticism obviously gained strength on social networks, where visitors complained about ticket prices and branded the structure with unrewarding adjectives.
4. Water, either freezing cold or scorching hot
In the English bathrooms there is no mixer for hot and cold water, in the sinks and in the tub there are two separate taps.
Cold water comes out frozen and hot water is scorching hot at times, so it really becomes a challenge to get washed with one or the other.
I have always wondered: what if you wish to have some lukewarm water?
I think it's a bit strange, but it is true that from the hot water tap, the water takes some time to heat up, so if you want some hot water, you can use it like that, but you can also plug the sink or tub so to mix the hot water with the cold one, so there are a few possibilities.
Hot and cold water taps in public bathrooms
