Britain, Britain, Britain
As I sit in the local ‘Laundrette’, waiting for my clothes to finish washing after 4 days in London, I can’t believe how fast those 4 days went. Being in London is like chatting with an old friend but on a rollercoaster. The city is so comforting and quaint, familiar almost, yet there is so much to do and the efficiency of everything – from the public transport, food service and general way of life, it has left me bewildered and wanting more.
Walking Into The Semi-Fast Lane
London is busy, let’s not be unrealistic. However it does it with a charm not unlike the very stereotype of a British person itself.
On the plane (while flying over the Swiss Alps, which is quite breathtaking during the day and middle of summer – still snow on the peaks) I couldn’t help but hear the Narrator from Little Britain on repeat with the famous opening lines of “Britain, Britain, Britain…” followed by nonsensical phrases such as “it’s half past poppycock on the Isle of Twiddleshire”. I’m guessing I was just a bit giddy realising I was finally heading to London, a city I had been looking forward to since my youth.
On first impressions however, Heathrow Airport was less than I expected, as was the Tube. Both quite dated already for such a giant city (especially after Singapore). It took me 4 different luggage carts to realise that you push to brake, as opposed to push to go (which is a far more logical – what happens if the cart is on a hill, huh?!).
My banter with the Passport Control was warm relief after feeling like the black sheep (read: obvious white sheep in an Arab world) throughout the Arabic airports. Our conversation included the usual Poms/Convicts insults, talk about the Ashes and what my plans were throughout Europe.
And then, the Tube. After using it for 4 days, I’ve come to love and appreciate it (despite no Air conditioning and often busy lines). The sheer volume of trains on the network means you’re never waiting for more than 10 minutes (peak times far less than that) for the next service. The Oyster card, much like the transport card we have at home, is well worth obtaining.
Day 1 culminated in meeting up with a friend originally from Australia, who works in the Creative Department for a leading music channel, dinner and crashing on his couch (thanks Chad!).
And All That Jazz
You can’t come to London without seeing a show or two (or three or four or as many as I can). The top of my priority list was Wicked, however I found out they have day seats (see below) and by the time I woke up on Day 2, I had missed out on them. Thus I was forced (tough life hey?) to choose another one. Watching a bit of TV that morning, I happened to catch an interview with one of the new cast members of Hairspray, Brian Conley (playing the infamous Edna Turnblad). I took it as a sign and managed to snag a £25 ticket in the top level seating area (normally worth £60).
[As a solo traveler] …the benefits of being such a sought-after filling unit far outweighs any social insecurity you might have.
I think that’s the great thing about traveling by yourself – you’re the universal Tetris block, able to fit into any restaurant, show or public transport. Sometimes you have to sit with other people (in fact more often than not) but the benefits of being such a sought-after filling unit far outweighs any social insecurity you might have.
The Hairspray theatre is a block and half away from Tottenham Court Rd, the Tube station I had arrived at the day before. Aiming to kill a bit of time before curtains, a quick reference to the guide and I was off to Trafalgar square and continuing down to the River Thames.
It’s surreal seeing landmarks you’ve seen in everyone else’s photo galleries and on the TV/Cinema screen. The London Eye especially – in some ways a horrific blip compared to the wonderfully gothic architecture across the river; and in another a gigantic beast of a machine – a magnificent work of engineering. The town (not a ‘city’ as I learned on Day 3) is a superb example of old meets new, gothic steeples meets the sheen of modern architectural glass buildings.
Sharing One Wonderful, One Short Day (Literally)
I ventured out at 7am on Day 3 with a spring in my step. Today I would be seeing Wicked, one of (if not) the best scores written in the last decade. My ‘cheap’ accommodation had placed me quite close to the Apollo Theatre meaning I didn’t have to get up as early to queue for a Day Seat.
A Day Seat is an extremely cool initiative of the Theatre world. Everyday at 10am, the front row of a particular show (some shows do it, some don’t) sell the entire front row to those who are first in line. I heard they do this as to keep a row free for any important guests/friends of the show and sell to the public in case none are filled. Depending on what show and day it is, the line can stretch for hours. With that in mind, I decided to set aside 3 hours in hopes of securing one.
Trusty Macbook in tow (and a few seasons of Scrubs to watch), I grabbed a breakfast panini and juice and plonked myself proudly in front of the Ticket doors – the first in line. I soon realised, after about 45 minutes, that my eagerness was a bit zealous. At last, the next people showed up to queue, despite being clearly obsessed with the show and quoting and singing bits of the score (I later had to sit next to them in the show but thankfully, I didn’t have the show played out in stereo).
My day didn’t really consist of much else as the early wake had left me in dire need of an afternoon nap and I couldn’t be bothered doing much in the few hours before the show started. I eventually got dressed up and went and had a nice Italian dinner pre-show.
The seat was amazing. You’re right behind the conductor and anytime one of the cast looks for direction, you feel like they’re looking at you. The angle is a bit unfortunate – being so close means you miss anything that is flat on the floor (didn’t get to see Nessa’s legs once Dorothy arrived) but the towering Defying Gravity scene over your head far makes up for it.
For me, the first act was all about getting used to the fact that the voices I’m used to hearing weren’t in this production but by the second I stopped comparing and was really drawn into the storyline and emotions. Just a fantastic show overall, and if you haven’t seen it (in any of the countries), you really should.
the verdict
London is definitely a place I will be visiting again, hopefully sooner than later. I can see myself living quite comfortably there. Everything about the city is on a grand scale thanks to the amount of people that live there, but the atmosphere is scaled back because of the history and architecture of the buildings and city itself.
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