Day 1

Day 1 of London seems like a blur. I arrived at Heathrow around 10AM and jumped on the Tube to get to my hostel. I ended up at the Gloucester Road stop and could not for the life of me figure out why none of the roads had names on them... Then I realized that the road names were actually on buildings, so I was back in business.

Arriving at Gloucester Road

Outside of Gloucester Road Station

A few minutes later, I arrived at the very charming Astor Hyde Park hostel... Which I would not say if it wasn't true. I researched for a long time to find a hostel that seemed like a good fit and I was not disappointed. The hostel was located at Queen's Gate in South Kensington. It is the most charming little neighborhood. The staff were so helpful and charming British men with charming British accents offered to carry my bags... to the top floor of the hostel. Bless their hearts. I have never been more grateful for charming British men with charming British accents.

Entrance of Queen's Gate

I found these houses so beautiful and charming... South Kensington was beautiful.

15 hours, one plane ride and 4 trains later, I arrived at my hostel

At the top of Queen's Gate

I got ready, grabbed some lunch in the area and took the 9 bus (which runs along Hyde Park) into Picadilly Circus to pick up my ticket for that evening's performance of HAIR. After that, I walked through parts of China Town and headed to see Trafalgar Square and The National Gallery. While walking, I had a "pinch me" moment. All my life all I ever wanted to do was to go to London and Paris and I had a hard time believing I was finally there. I seriously had to try so hard not to cry every 5 seconds from just pure joy.

One of my favorite things was riding on the top of the double deckers in the front seats... They were hard to get!

Beautiful Trafalgar Square on a foggy day. This is the exact moment when it really hit me that I was in Europe. The architecture in London is stunning. 

The National Gallery. It's free to go. I was able to spend some time in the Dutch wing, which is a plus, since I have not had much exposure to Dutch paintings.

I decided to grab some dinner at this really popular place in London that all the locals love... I think it was called Pizza Hut. Others may call it a totally unacceptable dinner choice, but you can't have everything. It was close to the theater, I was EXHAUSTED and I just wanted to get to my show and feel enlightened and see a familiar face on stage.

A side note for you HAIR fans: There's something different about GC and it shows on stage. It is a lovely addition to an already amazing performance. He seemed more in love with life. I had such a great time at the show. Those who have seen it know what an amazing feeling you get when you listen to the beautiful words being sung and spoken.

Love this photo of Hannah Shankman. She looks like she is having so much fun.

Old production shot of GC

old production shot of the cast

After the show, I waited and waited and waited for Gav at the stage door. It was a happy reunion. It was good to see him in a good place. We chatted for a bit and then I headed back to the hostel so I could FINALLY sleep.

Good night, world. Those beds were tiny... I don't know how anyone taller than me slept in the comfortably. Also, my room was a 4 person room... This is just a shot from their website.