The last few days have been fantastic, but I’m glad that I have a little bit of time left before I go back to work so I can recover!
Some of the tube stations we visited
The Bloke and I couldn’t afford to go abroad this summer, so we decided to have a short break in London – there were a few things that we didn’t get the opportunity to do last time we were there and it’s somewhere that we both love…
I have just about managed to figure out the tube system – it works brilliantly but for some reason all the lines we wanted to use were delayed so we had to be creative in the routes that we took to get to our different destinations!
Our first day was spent at the Victoria and Albert Museum where we toured the ‘David Bowie Is…’ Exhibition. We were lucky to get tickets – it was the last day of the exhibition and it had been sold out for a while, but MRH had bought us tickets when she’d visited a few weeks before. It was really interesting – we were given wireless headphones which linked to different songs and videos as we were walking round, adding an extra dimension to it. His costumes were highly unusual and creative (and it’s evident from the size of them that he’s a very short and slender man), but the highlight for me and The Bloke were his suit from the ‘Life On Mars’ video and some props from Labyrinth, a film that we adore. We then took the opportunity to explore the Japanese section – I love the samurai armour!
In the evening we ate the most beautiful food at the ‘Gilbert Scott’ restaurant at the newly refurbished St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel. My dessert in particular (chocolate mouse with marshmallow and toasted walnuts) was so fabulous I almost cried a little. I’ve never received service like it before – we were made to feel really special and it was such a wonderful experience.
The next day was the zoo. Both of us are animal mad, neither of us had been before and we were really excited. It’s situated near Camden, so we walked past the famous market and several Amy Winehouse tributes (her flat where she was found dead is in Camden) and arrived just as it opened. We were there for hours and only left when our feet and sore eardrums (from all the screaming kids) could take no more. I got back to the hotel and slept for several hours.
In the evening we went to see ‘Rock Of Ages’ at the Garrick Theatre. I’ve
seen the film a million times, but had never seen the musical that it was
based on, so I was looking forward to it. It turned out to be the best production I’ve ever seen. Fabulous is not the word. It was a small, incredibly talented cast who absolutely did justice to every element of the show. We left the theatre with a buzz, and I’ve had one of the songs in my head ever since.
seen the film a million times, but had never seen the musical that it was
based on, so I was looking forward to it. It turned out to be the best production I’ve ever seen. Fabulous is not the word. It was a small, incredibly talented cast who absolutely did justice to every element of the show. We left the theatre with a buzz, and I’ve had one of the songs in my head ever since.
The following day was spent being tourists in Covent Garden and down by the London Eye next to the Thames. I sat on a bench generally people watching (and resting my feet) and The Bloke went off with his camera for a while. It was windy but warm, I loved the calm and serene atmosphere and I had a really interesting time people watching. Bliss.
We returned to three sulky cats (my friend has been looking after them while we away and they always sulk at us for leaving them) and now The Bloke is asleep on the couch.
A wonderful few days… Time passed far too quickly!!
‘The Bloke’ LOL
haha, yes that’s his name – he just rolls his eyes…
Well, he’s famous now. He should be grateful 🙂
loved the pictures…..but hold up….the guy suspended in the air left me staring at the picture for a few minutes!! ok…more than a few minutes!! WHAT THE HECK?? 🙂
Me too – I think it’s the cane that is attached to a seat throuh his arm?
I would have sat across from him and watched him until he had to leave just so I knew what his trick was. hahaha…
OMG…I just did a mini double-take…I’ve seen that guy in London before (or some similar gold guy) and WOAH.
Suzie…???
It was next to Covent Garden where I saw him – there was a silver one too!
Sounds like it was fun. Congrats
It was – thanks!
Glad you had a great trip. It’s awesome having you back! A fantastic post right off the bat. A lot of very cool photos! The Japanese armor is wicked. I love that kind of stuff. Sounds like you guys got quite a bit done. Nice!
Thanks! I’ve just finished a book on samurai’s so it was awesome to actually see some of the stuff in person. I’ve got some pics of swords too which I might post later… Hope you’re ok and feeling better…
Oh cool, good timing! I’d be interested to see the sword pics!
I am fully recovered, thanks. Back in business causing havoc on the interwebs. Just like you! How long’s your break before you have to return to work?
I’ve got two and a half weeks left… not too bad! I’ll try and put the pics up later…
This is wonderful. Thank you for sharing. I feel like I was just in London now, ha! Your Movie guide post has become my go to for movie titles and I just realized how many of your posts I have missed. I have some catching up to do! Thanks Suzie, take care.
Thanks so much! Ooh, and thanks for Tumblr too!!
This trip looks amazing! Love the photos, especially the B&W of the Thames!
Thank you very much! Yes, it was lovely – bit gutted to be back so soon!
Envy ……
It’s a lovely place…
Thanks for the pics of London. I have yet to visit . I can use this post as a mini travel brochure. 😊 I can’t wait till I visit!
Thanks so much for reading!
Read about your dessert and I want to try it too as I really love marshmallow and chocolate. Two of my favorite sweets.
The guy in the air was amusing. How could he do it?
I think it was something to do with the cane?
Hi, I nominated you for a couple of awards – http://wp.me/p3uIV0-EQ. You may have them already, but I wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your blog.
London never fails to excite or inspire me. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for reading!
I had a chance to see Rock Of Ages in New York a few summers ago. A friend and I were visiting for a long weekend and stood in line for same-day tickets at half price. We weren’t sure what we wanted to see or what would be available. She suggested Rock Of Ages and boy am I glad we went. It was one of the best shows I have ever seen. Every once in a while, when I use the same purse from that night, I still find a piece of confetti tucked in on of the pouches and it makes me smile.
It’s fabulous isn’t it! Best show I’ve ever seen!
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