Today we said goodbye to York and continued our journey to London. Much of the day was spent on the bus, with a 45 minute stop for lunch along the way.
We arrive at our hotel about 2:00 PM – a little earlier than planned. The rest of our day is free so many have spent the time on the bus mapping out a game-plan for Tuesday. Our hotel is west of the city centre – so just about anything we want to do will involve a trip on a bus or the tube (London’s subway). About 18 of us decide to head straight for Leicester Square to get half price tickets for a show in the West End – London’s theatre district. We walk about 3 blocks to the Underground to buy a travel pass and catch the Tube into London. We make one transfer and arrive at the Leicester Square Station still in one group (pretty amazing!) Then it’s another 3 block walk or so to the ticket booth where most of us buy tickets for Mary Poppins. Others choose Spamalot, Billie Elliot and Cabaret.
It’s now 4:00 PM so we have some time to explore before finding our respective theatres so we head to Covent Garden to shop the market and grab some dinner. Covent Garden is an interesting combination of permanent shops and independent vendors in booths. You can find everything from the standard souvenirs to personalized crafts and paintings. In addition, there are variety of restaurants and pubs and street performers through out. A few of us 
settled in at the Crusted Pipe – a small café in a lower courtyard with a great wine list and simple menu. Entertainment in the courtyard is provided by students of the Royal Academy of Music. We heard a wonderful string quartet and a great soprano while we were there.
On to the theater – about a 6 block walk. Fourteen of us have tickets for the show and take over the back two rows of the orchestra level. It is a fantastic show – we are all laughing, clapping along to songs and standing at the end. A very entertaining production – imagine Bert the chimney sweep dancing upside down on the ceiling and Mary Poppins flying out over the audience and into the balcony. Amazing!
After the show, its back to the hotel on the tube (all together again – we’re very proud of ourselves!) and off to bed.
settled in at the Crusted Pipe – a small café in a lower courtyard with a great wine list and simple menu. Entertainment in the courtyard is provided by students of the Royal Academy of Music. We heard a wonderful string quartet and a great soprano while we were there.
On to the theater – about a 6 block walk. Fourteen of us have tickets for the show and take over the back two rows of the orchestra level. It is a fantastic show – we are all laughing, clapping along to songs and standing at the end. A very entertaining production – imagine Bert the chimney sweep dancing upside down on the ceiling and Mary Poppins flying out over the audience and into the balcony. Amazing!
After the show, its back to the hotel on the tube (all together again – we’re very proud of ourselves!) and off to bed.
1 comment:
2. I love London because you can do anything there....and get anything there. If you can't get it in London, it can't be got.
I love the randomness of London, like you could see a guy walk down the street dressed as Scooby Doo.....and who cares? I love that the seasons are so distinct in London....I love Richmond Park......I love Wimbledon village.......I love Covent Garden.......I love Oxford Street.......I love even huge Limo London vehicles..I love that in London, you are anonymous.......and can just wander your way about the streets taking it all in with no one to bother you. I especially love a ride home in a black cab along the embankment.......
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