September 28th after a soggy day's meetings I decided to spend a weekend in London and fly back to Glasgow on the Sunday rather than Friday night. So what did I do to keep myself occupied?
Saturday Morning - Breakfast (well a very very late breakfast)
I found a small cafe run by an Italian family and I grabbed a baguette with bacon, avocado and just a touch of mayonnaise (it's safe now that I'm out of Scotland) and a coffee. Just a block away was the Thames and a lovely wall to perch on and enjoy the view and peace & quite as I ate.
With serenity restored and tummy fed I jumped on the tube to head into city centre. Didn't really have anything in mind other than explore the city with my camera.
I later hooked up with a friend from Vancouver that had also just moved to the UK a few months ago. She's not really someone I knew all that well but it was still nice to connect with a fellow Canadian and compare experiences on moving to a new country.
Then came the highlight of my trip, the whole reason for going. I have been waiting my whole life for this experience (OK that's probably stretching it a bit).
It's........
Yes I finally got to see the musical Spamalot. There is nothing more enjoyable then experiencing something where everyone else around you is of the same mind set. I think I can confidently say that the majority of people that purchase a ticket to see Spamalot are all Monty Python fans and consider The Holy Grail one of their favorite movies. Much of the dialogue was taken word for word from the movie. All the best characters were there, the Black Knight, the Taunting French Soldier, Killer Bunnies, and don't forget Dennis. Now some of the scenes were reworked a bit and an extra character was added along with a few new songs. And one particular song from another Python movie (I won't say which one) was even written into this - and everyone in the audience joined in by about the 3rd note. It was a great show, and will not disappoint any true Python fans. I left with a HUGE grin on my face.
Right, so that leaves me heading back to the burbs with a growling stomach. As I had met my friend earlier in the afternoon I wasn't really hungry for dinner before the show as I'd just had tea and a scone. Now it's quite late and I'm realizing the glass of red wine I had at the theatre was not substance enough. Once I'm off the tube I wander over to High Street and walk into a Kebab place that looks good. I get a grilled chicken shawarma that is just loaded with chicken, and tomatoes, cucumber, hot peppers, lettuce and lots of hot sauce and some yogurt. It's so loaded down with filling that I can't properly fold the pita its resting in to eat it like a wrap. It was soooooooo tasty, yum. I was too hungry to take the time out to take a picture, so you'll just need to use your imagination.
Sunday - I take the tube back into city centre again but to Victoria station to drop off my suitcase at the Left Luggage depot so I don't need to drag it around all afternoon as my flight doesn't leave until after 5PM. It's a beautiful sunny day and I wander over to Pret A Manger and grab a baguette, bag of crisps, some water and a little something for dessert.
How could you NOT enjoy something like that hmmmm? It was tasty.
I did the complete touristy thing in sitting on the steps in Trafalgar square & people watched for a while eating my lunch. The sun was nice and warm and there was not even the hint of wind. Once finished I then wandered over to the National Portrait Gallery as I'd never been in there before. If you ever get the chance, go. Lots of great historical paintings there. When I was a kid I remember my Mom having a set of books called 'The Life And Times Of" and then various historical pictures. I recognized many of these paintings from the book on Queen Elizabeth, it was very cool.
So all in all my trip to London was very low key and it was something I really needed because of all the busyness and chaos of the last few months of work. The weather cooperated and I got to take some pictures, see some theatre, walk around and get a little culture as well as some rest and relaxation.
Note to self, do this again - perhaps Paris next time.
4 comments:
I was wondering if you had dropped off the face of the earth. Welcome back!
I enjoyed reading your blog. Sounds like you had a rich time in London. I love the pictures you took.
Sounds like you had a great time! I loved the few days I spent in London.
I also had a nice tourist lunch on the steps in Trafalgar Square when I was there. Although, I never made it to the National Portrait Gallery, only the National Gallery.
My favourite gallery in the city was the Dali Universe. Really enjoyed that.
"There is nothing more enjoyable then experiencing something where everyone else around you is of the same mind set."
I agree. The last time I found myself participating in random mob action, I made a similar discovery. There I was: torch in one hand, pitchfork in the other...I wasn't even sure why we were headed up to the old castle. There really wasn't any proof of who killed the little girl. In fact, there wasn't a mark on her. But as I looked around and felt that sense of community and purpose I realized that I was having a very good time.
ps: glad you enjoyed Spamalot. That song you won't name got Chicago audiences singing along as well. Unfortunately, I did have a guy sitting behind me who was misquoting the movie the whole way through.
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