L-L-L-London

So, I just got back from our weekend trip to Scotland and the Highlands ... which was absolutely incredible. I will have to devote a lot of time to that blog entry, seeing as it's going to be a doozy!

Here's a little more catching up on London goings and doings, however!

Roommates + Tyler going to Wicked!

Roommates in the tube!

WICKED!

We <3 West End Shows

So, indeed, we saw Wicked. And it was spectacular ... The actors were spot-on, the singing was incredible, and I just love the show immensely! We also snuck in our own chocolate covered raisins and peanuts to be thrifty. See, Mom? I'm doing so good! :)

Another show we've seen recently ... BILLY ELLIOT! Incredible. Go search youtube for videos and clips, because the show was so moving. The American version trims out all of the political aspects and thus, it is just about a boy who wants to dance. The full-length version, playing in Britain, includes the story of Billy's family and their community strife caused by the UK miners' strike (1984–1985) in County Durham, Northern England. It's a truly touching musical and I was completely blown away by the talent displayed by all of the kids in the show!

Billy Elliot Theatre! - The Victoria Palace

Us at the Matinee performance!

Another fun thing that we attended was the Mayor Thames (pronounced Tems) Festival on the River Thames! It was very fun ... kind of what we anticipated the Notting Hill Festival to be but without the excessive amounts of drunk people and with the added bonus of fun little stalls and booths where people were selling their stuff! There were purses, jewelry, crafts, woodwork, quilts, and much more! There was also a lot of food. And that was cool, as well. :)

Crowded!

Awesome Tower Bridge pizza dough sculpture!

Delicious hazelnut crepes!

Very tall stilts woman

London Bridge is fallllling down ... except not

 Above is a video I took of a ship going through Tower Bridge! It only opens a couple times a week and you're lucky if you catch it... looks like we were lucky that day! 


Also, we took a trip out to see the Thames Festival fireworks and they were shot off from a boat in the middle of the Thames, so very close to us! It was fun ... except we climbed a wall to get a good seat and consequently were about 15 feet above water on one side and a cobblestone street on the other. Heights aren't my thing, so I was pretty terrified until the fireworks started and I got distracted. 

Kolby and Elise

FIREWORKS

Tilt your head to the side and this picture works

On trip 2 to the Globe the other day to see Henry IV, I slipped to the lavatory and saw this big gold wall with a bunch of signatures of people who have donated to the Globe. Guess who I found....

Stephen Sondheim

Judi Dench

Elizabeth Taylor

Yeah, it was pretty awesome.

Also -- we had a bit of fire alarm drama in our flat. Our fire/carbon monoxide (we're still not sure) alarm went off ... VERY LOUDLY in all of the flats and freaked everyone out sufficiently. We were evacuated to the street while 2 fire trucks were summoned. Oye. It was intense. Luckily, I saved my penne pasta and got to eat lunch in the rain while we waited for them to turn off the gas in our building and fix the alarm. They didn't seem too pleased that our flats have 6 people in each of them, or that the back doors to the bottom 2 flats are barred shut. Lllll, possibly we just got our landlords in some trouble. 

British Firemen. Excellent.

Angsting in the rain ... entertaining the neighbors ... setting off alarms. Just fulfilling the American stereotype in London, no biggie.

I will update on Scotland asap! Love you all! Cheers from London! It's getting chilly here...