I had a lovely time last weekend in London with Benji. I arrived about an hour before him but at an airport on the opposite end of the city. Typical RyanAir always has me landing at the most obscure little airports. I guess you get what you pay for, and my flight only cost 30 euros round trip so I am not complaining. I took a train from the airport to the center of downtown and then decided to walk from there, partially because I had time to kill but mostly because I didn't know what the currency was or if the busses would accept credit card. It was only a forty minute walk but I was carrying my bag (luckily it was light because RyanAir doesn't allow you to bring very much) and I was wearing a brand new pair of Italian Leather boots that I had bought from the boutique bellow my apartment in Rome and I hadn't quite broken them in yet. Even with aching shoulders and feet, the city was wonderful nonetheless. Honestly it wasn't too different from most American cities I had visited but it had an energy and aesthetic to it that made me feel young and energized. I sensed a lot of potential and possibilities for the weekend ahead of me. I checked into my hotel, The Bridge Hotel, only fifteen minuets or so before Benji. It was quaint little hotel walking distance from the London Bridge and it was exactly what Benji and I needed. I made us each a cup of tea with the little water heater and Tea bags provided, it was sunny in London but it was still very cold.
Our first night happened to be the same night as the annual Regent Street Christmas Light Switch On in London. Benji and I stopped for a quick bite of stew, fish and chips, and a Crème brûlée, a light snack before the festivities. We payed our tab then gathered in the street to listened to different performances as we awaited the countdown. The ceremony felt how I imagine being in Time Square for New Years would feel. We were packed shoulder to shoulder in a sea of strangers as we all shouted 5..4..3..2..1.. and then all of the lights in the shape of angles lit up above us and fireworks shot in the air. The air was filled with love and excitement. Everyone cheered and danced to the music that was echoing through the street. We walked around and explored for the rest of the night. London has thousands of little shops, restaurants and bars, we ducked in and out of which ever caught our eye, we were on the hunt for Baileys and hot chocolate.
The next morning we went up in the London Eye to get a view of the entire city. For anyone who has never been in the London Eye, it's kind of like a Farris wheel but you're in a little bubble and can walk around freely. It felt similar yet entirely different from the one Benji and I went on at the Oktoberfest. The Oktoberfest felt like a lifetime ago, I had done and experienced so much since then. Our time in Europe was moving so fast, I was moving so fast. A man in the bubble next to us purposed at the top of the wheel and we all cheered for the lovely couple. We could see Big Ben from the top but it was under construction. To be honest seeing Big Ben was really just a check the box kind of ordeal and I wasn't all that upset about it. We spent the whole rest of the day at Camden Market, and honestly I could have spent the rest of my life there. We had only planned to stop through and grab a quick lunch at the Cheese Bar, which we did. But one thing lead to another and next thing I knew we were iceskating in the middle of the market, and running in and out of shops trying on everything. We made a late night stop at the 9-3/4 platform from Harry Potter for a quick picture on our way back to the room.
The highlight of the trip had to be seeing Wicked at the Victorian Theater. Growing up my mother would always play the Wicked soundtrack in the car but I had never actually seen the play. I was supposed to go as a child but I caught the flu right before the show date and had to stay back. This time I was going and I fully planed to make it a whole big event. I wore a plaid patterned dress that I had bough specifically for the occasion. Benji and I split the fanciest bottle of champagne at the theater. The play was fantastic, I am not a theater junky and I haven't seen too many plays outside of the mediatory school plays I have attending, but I do believe that show was put on by some of the most talented people in the world. That night we had a little picnic at a park that faced the London Bridge. It was raining heavily, the cold kind of rain, but we didn't mind. We were just happy to be where we were.
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