I slept surprisingly well the first night, and woke up early - which was good. I usually didn't have much energy at nights to deal with what had happened during the day, and since I often woke up early, I could take some time in the mornings to go through the day before and also to prepare myself for the day that was in front of me. Not bad at all! :-)
I went down to breakfast at about 7.50 a.m., it was nice that a continental breakfast was included in the price of the hotel room and I have to say, for a continental breakfast at a relatively cheap hotel, it was quite satisfactory - we got cereal and milk, juice, toast, ham & cheese, boiled eggs and coffee/tea. Quite nice and quite sufficient ... I'm not the kind of person that can cope with a "Full English Breakfast" at 7.30 in the morning!! :-)
I went back to my room to collect my things but was out and about at around 8.20 a.m.
I took a walk down to Bayswater Road and went into Hyde Park at the Victoria Gate - what a perfect way to start the first day in London! The weather was absolutely perfect, it was quite chilly (which I like!) but the sun was out and it was a beautiful clear blue sky! I took a long and quite calm walk through Hyde Park, down to the "end" of the Serpentine, ended up in an adorable little Rose Garden, where I actually made a friend! :-) There are lots and lots of cute little squirrels in the parks of London, and when I was about to walk out of the Rose Garden I spotted one next to a tree, quite close to the path I was on. I stopped, and then he rose up on his hind legs, looking SO cute! I grabbed the camera and took some photos, and then he decided to come closer (people feed them all the time, so they are not at all as shy and jittery as the squirrels we have here!) ... and closer ... and closer ... and ended up jumping up on a pole right in front of me!! So adorable!! I wish I had had something to give him ....
Since the weather was still good, and they had said it would be worse during the afternoon and the following day, I really felt I should try to go on London Eye - felt like it would be more fun to go if it was sunny than if it rained ... and then I just completely made a fool of myself - well, almost anyway.
I guess I can blame it on the fact that it's been a while since I been to London and this was my first day, or something - but I ended up thinking sooo wrong!
So, I was down at Hyde Park Corner, and needed to get to Parliament Square - by bus (still haven't mastered the underground, but I will hopefully get back to that in another entry!)! Felt like, no, probably no buses will take me straight there ... maybe I can catch a bus from Oxford Street. Yeah right, it's actually quite a bit to walk from Hyde Park Corner to Oxford Street ...
After having walked for a while I realized, I'm not sure that there are any buses going all the way from Oxford Street (technically Marble Arch) to Parliament Square ... but I do know that bus no. 12 stops at Parliament Square. One problem, it starts at Oxford Circus! Okay, maybe I can take a "short-cut", walk straight through and come out at Regent Street, and catch the no. 12 bus from there.
(Yes, no need to tell me, I just thought about it all the wrong way!!)
This is what I in the end actually did, which was madness. It was so far to go, and all the streets in London are like a giant big maze, nothing just cuts straight across. What I also hadn't thought of was that I'd be crossing right through Mayfair - which is this really posh area of central London where all the high-fashion boutiques are ... boy, did I feel out of place!!??!!
I finally ended up at Regent Street, but my feet were absolutely killing me at this point. Naturally, I went the wrong way on Regent Street and ended up having to walk all the way up to Oxford Circus, before I could finally get on a bus and rest my feet for a little while.
I got off the bus at Parliament Square, and I really really love that place, it's amazing!! I ended up taking quite a lot of photos there, then walked across Westminster Bridge and took even more photos! ;-)
I walked over to London Eye - and learned something else there! If you want to visit London Eye, no matter when, book a ticket in advance!!! There, lesson learned!
The queues were really long, although I have to say I am surprised that it didn't take longer time, at first I thought I'd be standing in line until late in the afternoon! Once I had gotten my ticket and got out of the ticket office, it turned out there was another queue to get on the actual wheel.
But, again, it went pretty smoothly and it didn't require as much waiting as I thought it would.
When we approached the wheel they had a full security check with body scanners and the whole nine yards - again, I realize the necessity and I think it is good, but it does still make me a bit uncomfortable!
I was also quite surprised about the fact that they don't stop the wheel for people to get on and off (had actually wondered about that before as well), they have this really long ramp and the put people in different lines and you basically have get on (or off) while the pod you are in is still moving! I mean, it's not moving fast or anything, and they can stop the wheel if it's needed, but I got a bit stressed about that, so it felt a bit scary to get on (but it worked out quite well).
The tour on London Eye was definitely one of the highlights of the trip, it was absolutely fantastic!! I took a ton of photos and, to my surprise, I didn't even feel uncomfortable about the hight!! I usually get dizzy if I have to climb a kitchen chair, I don't dare to walk the roof on our summerhouse, which is low and fairly flat, but riding this giant wheel, which is 135 meters (!), was quite all right! :-)
I won't go on and on about it, but the half hour it takes for the wheel to go around went way to quickly and I gladly would have stayed in there and gone one more time! :)
However, my feet were hurting before and after having stood still (well almost, you can move around in that pod, but not that much), both waiting in line and on the wheel, I really really needed a rest!
I took a short break, but for some reason I didn't feel like I could just sit still and do nothing ... so I started walking again! :-)
Went over Westminster Bridge, took more photos, went over by Westminster Abbey, and took photos and continued to walk along Victoria Street and tried to find New Scotland Yard, with the cool sign outside ... but no luck! According to the map I should have walked right passed it, but I didn't see it! :( Continued a bit along Victoria Street and turned at Buckingham Gate, and walked up to Buckingham Palace! It's really an impressive sight to see, that's for sure. Walked around there for a bit, and took some photos (duh! what else?! *lol*). The flag was raised so The Queen was apparently there!
From Buckingham Palace I went to St. James' Park, I really like the parks in London! :-) Walked there for a while, went over the bridge and finally found a bench to sit down (by this time, I thought my feet were about to fall off!!). Didn't sit long though, as a few benches over there was this extraordinary old man, feeding the squirrels and the pigeons and the other birds from his hands. It was the most amazing thing, the squirrels jumped up on his knee and ate from his hand!! Other people were taking pictures, and so of course I had to get up and do the same! :-)
And then I continued walking ... Apparently the path I was on was closed due to construction work, so I walked back, crossed the bridge again and continued toward Whitehall - and I met the Pelicans! *lol* They are totally cool!! :-)
Walked passed the Horse Guards and onto Whitehall, and further up to Trafalgar Square. At this point I also realized I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, and maybe a meal, and a place to sit down, and a bathroom, would be a good thing. But of course, once you start looking, you don't find it!!
I had in mind that there was a McDonald's low on Regent Street, near Piccadilly Circus, so I took a bus from Trafalgar Square - but of course I didn't find it!! By this time I wasn't feeling well at all, so I took another bus to Oxford Street and figured I'd have to be able to find a burger on Oxford Street ... yeah, well ... sort of ...
Found a sign for McDonald's at Bond Street Station, went in and found it eventually. It was really hectic and stressful but I placed my order, and saw that they had "seating downstairs". Okay, down some really horrible stairs (with my feet barely working and balancing a huge tray that was not easy) only to find like 7 tables, all totally crowded, and no restroom!!! Gahhhh!
I had to eat my burger standing up, still hadn't found a bathroom and it was hardly the relaxing break I had been hoping for, that's for sure!!!
It was still fairly early, but I really didn't know what to do ... my feet were not in a good shape, and I had eaten so fast I felt sick - but I still didn't want to just "go home". I ended up taking a bus out to Queensway and went there for a little while, headed over to Kensington Gardens, but it felt like the rain was going to start any minute, and I really really didn't feel like walking any more - I was seriously scared I would injure my feet to the point where I wouldn't be able to walk much at all for the rest of the trip, not good! - so even though it was rather early, I went back to the hotel and tried to relax a bit.
Sunday 30 September 2012
Photos - Day 1
I though I didn't have any photos from Day 1, but it turns out I did! :-)
Not many, but still ...
There's one of me upon arriving at the hotel, quite tired but still very happy to have managed the day and then a few of the hotel room!
Not many, but still ...
There's one of me upon arriving at the hotel, quite tired but still very happy to have managed the day and then a few of the hotel room!
Day 1 - September 24
I didn't have to leave home until about noon, as I had an afternoon flight to London, and that felt really good!
I wasn't in great shape as a lot had been happening just before the trip, and I didn't feel as prepared to go as I would have wanted, and so it was very nice not to be able to rush away at the crack of dawn.
I had everything packed and was on my way just before noon, took a bus to the railway station and a train to Lund. Had to wait there for about 40 minutes for the Airport transfer bus - I guess I could have taken a later train, but I felt I didn't want to take a chance in case that train was late.
Everything went well, I had bought my bus ticket (return ticket) online, and all I had to do was hold the printed code on my E-ticket against a reader in the bus and that was it.
The busride took about 40 minutes, and we arrived at Malmö Sturup almost exactly at 2 p.m. My flight was due to leave at 4.40, so I figured the check-in desks would open about 2.40. Still, I'd rather have the wait, as I was insecure on pretty much everything, than have to rush and feel totally stressed out.
I had some waiting to do, ended up sitting next to this woman who started chatting with me. At first it was rather nice, took some of the stress away from me, but as she went on and on and on, it became a bit annoying after a while. She didn't have any luggage to check in so right before 3 p.m. I went over to the check-in desks, basically the whole area was completely deserted, it felt almost spooky ... occasionally one or two people came, but I'm kind of used to airports being crowded ... Still, realizing there was no one in line (!) for the check-in, I made my way there and was through without a hitch!
After that came the security checks, and for some reason they always make me nervous ... I know I don't have anything dangerous with me and that it shouldn't be a problem, but I still get really stressed out! The lady before me "beeped" going through the scanner, and that of course made me even more nervous, but nothing happened to me, and I could just grab my bag and go - nice!
I had some waiting to do, but again it felt good to be on time, especially since it took me a great long while to actually find the gate! *lol* Apparently they had hidden away a number of gates for abroad travel behind the major passport controls, but it took me a few walks around the terminal to figure that out! :-)
The passport control was closed, but I didn't have to wait long before it opened, and from there we were sent directly to the gate for further checks on boarding cards/passports.
A bit more waiting there, but the way they organized the waiting areas with Priority Boarding and Other was very good. I have a bit of a regret here though ... I felt a bit nervous and stressed out over the whole travelling thing, since it was a long time ago since the last time and also, I pretty much have never done it on my own before - so as soon as people started lining up I joined in. However, our gate was at the very end of the terminal, and just a few meters from where we were waiting was this big room with great windows facing the runway - and there were a few planes taking off and landing as we waited. Had I kept my cool a bit I think I could have gotten some awesome photos ...
Boarding went very quickly, and I got a good seat at the window, and apparently the flight wasn't full, because nobody sat in the seat next to me - which was quite nice as the Ryanair planes are quite tight normally!
The flight went really well, though the weather in Malmö when we took off wasn't great, stormy and rainy ... it was a bit turbulent taking off and you didn't see much either as the clouds were really low. However, once we were above the clouds, the flight went well, and quick!! We landed at Stansted Airport (quite windy, though no rain) about half an hour early! Yikes!
I had actually almost forgotten how long it takes to walk from the gates at Stansted and into the mail building for the Passport control, it's quite a bit to walk, but I was quick off the plane and there weren't that many people in line for the Passport control ... and the guy there just scanned my Passport, said thank you and that was it! :-) Figured I had to wait a while for my luggage though, but after only a few minutes my flight was up on the monitors. Figured then that I probably had to wait a while for my bag ... well, bag number 3 or 4 that came was mine! Incredible!!
Took a short bathroom break before heading down to the Stansted Express platforms where I quickly found the ticket machines and was going to pick up my tickets. The first thing I had to do was put in my credit card (for verification purposes only, as I had already paid when I bought the tickets online. And the machine simply refused to take my card no matter how hard I tried. I figured that I had to try another machine before seeking assistance, and yes, the other machine happily accepted my credit card and my reference number and gave me my tickets! :-)
A train was standing on the platform, but I figured it was the 6 p.m.-train and it was basically 6 p.m. so I figured I'd take it easy and wait for the next train (they leave every 15 minutes), but all of a sudden there was this ticket controller-looking guy there, quickly checked my ticket and said that I should hurry, it was this train here and it was about to leave - so before I knew it I was on the 6 o'clock train toward London Liverpool Street!
Pretty amazing considering we were supposed to land at Stansted Airport at 5.30 (we landed about 5 though, but still...)!!
There were a lot of people on the train, I had to stand all the way to Tottenham Hale and I was quite tired, but the last stretch was kind of nice - it was nice to sit down (!) and the weather had cleared up so I watched a beautiful sunset as we were coming in toward London!
We arrived at Liverpool Street at 6.50 and I was really happy to already have my Travel Card, as all I had to do was make my way up to the buses, and within five minutes came a bus 23! The bus trip wasn't so great though ... a lot of people on the bus, it was getting really dark, and was a bit stressed out about my hotel. As you may have read here in a previous post, there was a bit of drama regarding my booking, and I felt that I really needed the hotel to work out as I was going to stay for so long ...
I managed to get off at the right bus stop (Sussex Gardens) and after a little bit of looking around it turned out that the hotel was only about 100 meters from the bus stop - amazing!!
Checking in went supersmooth, I just filled in a form, paid for the room and got my keycard, and that was it. Took the elevator to the second floor and found room 201 just around the corner from the elevator. And realized there was no slot to put your keycard in .... Panicked a little bit, until I realized that it was a touch-keycard, so all you had to do was hold the card against the lock on the handle of the door, a green light blinked and you were in! :-)
The room was really really small, which I was quite prepared for, but it was so nice and clean and fresh and had everything I needed! The view from the windows wasn't very exciting (lol!) - see photos for that - but hey, I didn't go to London to sit in my hotel room and look out the window, right?!
I was completely exhausted but it felt amazing and absolutely fantastic that the entire day had gone without a hitch! Marvellous!!
I wasn't in great shape as a lot had been happening just before the trip, and I didn't feel as prepared to go as I would have wanted, and so it was very nice not to be able to rush away at the crack of dawn.
I had everything packed and was on my way just before noon, took a bus to the railway station and a train to Lund. Had to wait there for about 40 minutes for the Airport transfer bus - I guess I could have taken a later train, but I felt I didn't want to take a chance in case that train was late.
Everything went well, I had bought my bus ticket (return ticket) online, and all I had to do was hold the printed code on my E-ticket against a reader in the bus and that was it.
The busride took about 40 minutes, and we arrived at Malmö Sturup almost exactly at 2 p.m. My flight was due to leave at 4.40, so I figured the check-in desks would open about 2.40. Still, I'd rather have the wait, as I was insecure on pretty much everything, than have to rush and feel totally stressed out.
I had some waiting to do, ended up sitting next to this woman who started chatting with me. At first it was rather nice, took some of the stress away from me, but as she went on and on and on, it became a bit annoying after a while. She didn't have any luggage to check in so right before 3 p.m. I went over to the check-in desks, basically the whole area was completely deserted, it felt almost spooky ... occasionally one or two people came, but I'm kind of used to airports being crowded ... Still, realizing there was no one in line (!) for the check-in, I made my way there and was through without a hitch!
After that came the security checks, and for some reason they always make me nervous ... I know I don't have anything dangerous with me and that it shouldn't be a problem, but I still get really stressed out! The lady before me "beeped" going through the scanner, and that of course made me even more nervous, but nothing happened to me, and I could just grab my bag and go - nice!
I had some waiting to do, but again it felt good to be on time, especially since it took me a great long while to actually find the gate! *lol* Apparently they had hidden away a number of gates for abroad travel behind the major passport controls, but it took me a few walks around the terminal to figure that out! :-)
The passport control was closed, but I didn't have to wait long before it opened, and from there we were sent directly to the gate for further checks on boarding cards/passports.
A bit more waiting there, but the way they organized the waiting areas with Priority Boarding and Other was very good. I have a bit of a regret here though ... I felt a bit nervous and stressed out over the whole travelling thing, since it was a long time ago since the last time and also, I pretty much have never done it on my own before - so as soon as people started lining up I joined in. However, our gate was at the very end of the terminal, and just a few meters from where we were waiting was this big room with great windows facing the runway - and there were a few planes taking off and landing as we waited. Had I kept my cool a bit I think I could have gotten some awesome photos ...
Boarding went very quickly, and I got a good seat at the window, and apparently the flight wasn't full, because nobody sat in the seat next to me - which was quite nice as the Ryanair planes are quite tight normally!
The flight went really well, though the weather in Malmö when we took off wasn't great, stormy and rainy ... it was a bit turbulent taking off and you didn't see much either as the clouds were really low. However, once we were above the clouds, the flight went well, and quick!! We landed at Stansted Airport (quite windy, though no rain) about half an hour early! Yikes!
I had actually almost forgotten how long it takes to walk from the gates at Stansted and into the mail building for the Passport control, it's quite a bit to walk, but I was quick off the plane and there weren't that many people in line for the Passport control ... and the guy there just scanned my Passport, said thank you and that was it! :-) Figured I had to wait a while for my luggage though, but after only a few minutes my flight was up on the monitors. Figured then that I probably had to wait a while for my bag ... well, bag number 3 or 4 that came was mine! Incredible!!
Took a short bathroom break before heading down to the Stansted Express platforms where I quickly found the ticket machines and was going to pick up my tickets. The first thing I had to do was put in my credit card (for verification purposes only, as I had already paid when I bought the tickets online. And the machine simply refused to take my card no matter how hard I tried. I figured that I had to try another machine before seeking assistance, and yes, the other machine happily accepted my credit card and my reference number and gave me my tickets! :-)
A train was standing on the platform, but I figured it was the 6 p.m.-train and it was basically 6 p.m. so I figured I'd take it easy and wait for the next train (they leave every 15 minutes), but all of a sudden there was this ticket controller-looking guy there, quickly checked my ticket and said that I should hurry, it was this train here and it was about to leave - so before I knew it I was on the 6 o'clock train toward London Liverpool Street!
Pretty amazing considering we were supposed to land at Stansted Airport at 5.30 (we landed about 5 though, but still...)!!
There were a lot of people on the train, I had to stand all the way to Tottenham Hale and I was quite tired, but the last stretch was kind of nice - it was nice to sit down (!) and the weather had cleared up so I watched a beautiful sunset as we were coming in toward London!
We arrived at Liverpool Street at 6.50 and I was really happy to already have my Travel Card, as all I had to do was make my way up to the buses, and within five minutes came a bus 23! The bus trip wasn't so great though ... a lot of people on the bus, it was getting really dark, and was a bit stressed out about my hotel. As you may have read here in a previous post, there was a bit of drama regarding my booking, and I felt that I really needed the hotel to work out as I was going to stay for so long ...
I managed to get off at the right bus stop (Sussex Gardens) and after a little bit of looking around it turned out that the hotel was only about 100 meters from the bus stop - amazing!!
Checking in went supersmooth, I just filled in a form, paid for the room and got my keycard, and that was it. Took the elevator to the second floor and found room 201 just around the corner from the elevator. And realized there was no slot to put your keycard in .... Panicked a little bit, until I realized that it was a touch-keycard, so all you had to do was hold the card against the lock on the handle of the door, a green light blinked and you were in! :-)
The room was really really small, which I was quite prepared for, but it was so nice and clean and fresh and had everything I needed! The view from the windows wasn't very exciting (lol!) - see photos for that - but hey, I didn't go to London to sit in my hotel room and look out the window, right?!
I was completely exhausted but it felt amazing and absolutely fantastic that the entire day had gone without a hitch! Marvellous!!
Photos
Okay - so first a little something about photos! :-)
At the very last minute I decided on not taking my zoom lens with me, although I had thought I would. But I still haven't found a decent case for it, so it's still in it's original package, and it is quite heavy ... and I still haven't managed to get used to switching lenses smoothly, it's quite a big deal for me to change them, I'm really afraid of getting dirt on the lenses or in the camera house, and it's basically all a mess. I don't regret not taking it actually, I think it would have been more of a bother than a benefit to carry it around with me all the time in London - though there were a few times when I kind of with I had it! :)
I have loads of photos to sort through now, will do that before I start updating the blog, so the next entry probably won't be for a little while yet.
I think the easiest way to share everything I have done is to make one post about what I did on a particular day, then a separate post with photos from that day ...
Also, there are no photos from Day 1 and Day 6, which was when I went to and from London, as I never had the camera out these days. However, I have to make one comment here - I really wish I'd gotten around to get my camera out during the flights! First of all, I just love the take-offs and landings (although around Malmö we had some rough weather, both taking off and landing), so it would be cool to photograph a bit then. But also during the flight, when you get above the clouds ... I love clouds and seeing them from "above", with the bright blue sky, it was just amazing!! Next time I fly, I'll definitely have my camera ready! :)
I hope you enjoy the coming entries, and the photos, and if you want me to add anything or tell you more about something, please let me know!! :)
At the very last minute I decided on not taking my zoom lens with me, although I had thought I would. But I still haven't found a decent case for it, so it's still in it's original package, and it is quite heavy ... and I still haven't managed to get used to switching lenses smoothly, it's quite a big deal for me to change them, I'm really afraid of getting dirt on the lenses or in the camera house, and it's basically all a mess. I don't regret not taking it actually, I think it would have been more of a bother than a benefit to carry it around with me all the time in London - though there were a few times when I kind of with I had it! :)
I have loads of photos to sort through now, will do that before I start updating the blog, so the next entry probably won't be for a little while yet.
I think the easiest way to share everything I have done is to make one post about what I did on a particular day, then a separate post with photos from that day ...
Also, there are no photos from Day 1 and Day 6, which was when I went to and from London, as I never had the camera out these days. However, I have to make one comment here - I really wish I'd gotten around to get my camera out during the flights! First of all, I just love the take-offs and landings (although around Malmö we had some rough weather, both taking off and landing), so it would be cool to photograph a bit then. But also during the flight, when you get above the clouds ... I love clouds and seeing them from "above", with the bright blue sky, it was just amazing!! Next time I fly, I'll definitely have my camera ready! :)
I hope you enjoy the coming entries, and the photos, and if you want me to add anything or tell you more about something, please let me know!! :)
London 2012: Initial Thoughts
Yes, I am home, safe and sound, after what has mostly been an absolutely fantastic trip!
I have lots and lots and lots and lots of things to share, so I'm hoping to be able to work at the blog quite a lot today, and maybe during the next few days as well.
I don't want to become too personal in the blog, and while, naturally, this trip has meant a lot of things for me, personally, I won't get into that too much in this blog - I will mostly just tell you what I did and share my experiences and my photos with you.
From a practical perspective, I think it was insane how well this trip actually went! I didn't think it was "allowed" for a trip to work this smoothly, there has been no problems to speak of whatsoever, and no one is more grateful for that than me!! I'm also quite happy that it was on this particular trip that things worked out so well, as this was a trip to, more than anything, test myself, my ability to cope and to actually do this - and it feels really great that it worked out so nicely.
I'm perfectly aware of the fact that not all trips will work out as well as this one, but since this one did I think I have strengthened my confidence in coping in situations when things doesn't always work out really well! :)
Keep an eye out in the blog, as I will try to update fairly regularly now! However, I will have to sort through all my photos first - and that will definitely take a while! :-)
I have lots and lots and lots and lots of things to share, so I'm hoping to be able to work at the blog quite a lot today, and maybe during the next few days as well.
I don't want to become too personal in the blog, and while, naturally, this trip has meant a lot of things for me, personally, I won't get into that too much in this blog - I will mostly just tell you what I did and share my experiences and my photos with you.
From a practical perspective, I think it was insane how well this trip actually went! I didn't think it was "allowed" for a trip to work this smoothly, there has been no problems to speak of whatsoever, and no one is more grateful for that than me!! I'm also quite happy that it was on this particular trip that things worked out so well, as this was a trip to, more than anything, test myself, my ability to cope and to actually do this - and it feels really great that it worked out so nicely.
I'm perfectly aware of the fact that not all trips will work out as well as this one, but since this one did I think I have strengthened my confidence in coping in situations when things doesn't always work out really well! :)
Keep an eye out in the blog, as I will try to update fairly regularly now! However, I will have to sort through all my photos first - and that will definitely take a while! :-)
Monday 24 September 2012
London, Here I Come!
Time for my final entry before leaving - I'll be off in a couple of hours! :)
I have SO many mixed feelings regarding the trip right now, and I'm going from happy, excited and proud, to a state of complete panic and almost a wish to cancel the whole thing ... I have a feeling this will be a very emotional day, to say the least.
I don't have the time nor the energy to write a lengthy blog entry here, I just wanted to let you know I'm off and that I will be back on Saturday night. Blog probably won't be updated until Sunday though (at the earliest), but I am hoping for long and detailed blog entries with lots and lots of photos!
Until then, take care! :)
I have SO many mixed feelings regarding the trip right now, and I'm going from happy, excited and proud, to a state of complete panic and almost a wish to cancel the whole thing ... I have a feeling this will be a very emotional day, to say the least.
I don't have the time nor the energy to write a lengthy blog entry here, I just wanted to let you know I'm off and that I will be back on Saturday night. Blog probably won't be updated until Sunday though (at the earliest), but I am hoping for long and detailed blog entries with lots and lots of photos!
Until then, take care! :)
Sunday 23 September 2012
London Pass
After lots of thinking and lots of checking I decided to order a 2 Day London Pass!
For detailed information, check out this website: The London Pass.
You basically pay for the pass, and get a cool guide-book as well, and you have free entry to a TON of cool attractions in London. I know this is sometimes not the best option, because you won't have time to fully use all the advantages of the pass, and so it won't be that expensive in the end anyway - but I think I have checked it out pretty thoroughly, and I think it's a great solution for me! :-)
Not sure I will have time to do everything I want to, but I will definitely try - and if I do, I save almost £30 on buying the pass, amazing!!
I will use the card on Thursday and Friday (took me a while to decide on what days to use it as well, but I think this is the best solution), and what I'll try to do during those two days (as well as a matinee show of Phantom of the Opera on Thursday!) is:
*totally looking forward to my trip!!!!*
For detailed information, check out this website: The London Pass.
You basically pay for the pass, and get a cool guide-book as well, and you have free entry to a TON of cool attractions in London. I know this is sometimes not the best option, because you won't have time to fully use all the advantages of the pass, and so it won't be that expensive in the end anyway - but I think I have checked it out pretty thoroughly, and I think it's a great solution for me! :-)
Not sure I will have time to do everything I want to, but I will definitely try - and if I do, I save almost £30 on buying the pass, amazing!!
I will use the card on Thursday and Friday (took me a while to decide on what days to use it as well, but I think this is the best solution), and what I'll try to do during those two days (as well as a matinee show of Phantom of the Opera on Thursday!) is:
- The Tower of London - been there twice, I know, but it's such an amazing place!
- Tower Bridge Exhibition - seems amazing, you actually get to go up onto Tower Bridge!
- St. Paul's Cathedral
- Westminster Abbey
- London Zoo
- Thames River Boat Cruise
- (And maybe The Monument, but not quite sure about that one, doesn't seem that important, so if I don't have time, this will be the first to go!)
*totally looking forward to my trip!!!!*
Other Plans!
Okay, so apart from the plans I have using the London Pass, I have some other things I'd like to do as well! :-)
After all, the London Pass covers two days - will be Thursday and Friday - and I have to do something on Tuesday and Wednesday as well! :-)
So, my short-list on things I'd like to go to, check out, see and photograph looks something like this (not at all sure I'll have time for all of them, but hey, better plan too much than finding yourself not knowing what to do, right?! *lol*):
But I am really really really looking forward to my trip! :)
After all, the London Pass covers two days - will be Thursday and Friday - and I have to do something on Tuesday and Wednesday as well! :-)
So, my short-list on things I'd like to go to, check out, see and photograph looks something like this (not at all sure I'll have time for all of them, but hey, better plan too much than finding yourself not knowing what to do, right?! *lol*):
- London Eye - really really want to do this, and take about a million photos! LOL!
- Westminster/Parliament Square - love this area! Want to check out Westminster Bridge as well, would also be cool to find New Scotland Yard, which isn't far!
- Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park - also a favourite!! Here the problem will be to decide which area to cover, as I very well can't do all of it ...
- Trafalgar Square - National Gallery - would be awesome!
- Regent Street - Oxford Street - need to do some shopping, right? :)
- Millennium Bridge - looks so cool! :)
- St. James' Park - Buckingham Palace
But I am really really really looking forward to my trip! :)
Hotel Drama!
It's been a bit of a drama regarding the hotel where I'm staying in London - I'm hoping it's all sorted out now.
I booked it quite a while ago, and there were some sort of "strange" things with the booking. I booked through Booking.com and found a special offer regarding this hotel. Usually when you book there you don't have to pay for the room straight away, you pay when you check in at the hotel. However, I found a special offer which was a lot cheaper but it meant they would charge me right away and if I had to cancel my trip I wouldn't be able to get my money back.They had only one room left so I went through and booked as fast as I could - however, they never charged me for the room!
I figured there had been a mix up and that they would charge me when I checked in, after all, I had all the booking confirmations and booking number and all that.
On Thursday night (or early Friday?) I emailed the hotel to verify their reception hours, as I will be checking in rather late tomorrow night (will probably reach the hotel around 9 p.m.).
Then I went for a short visit to my families, it was to be a nice visit but quite hectic and I was rather nervous about it. And when I am on my way and feeling stressed about most things, I get an email from the hotel saying they don't have a booking in my name, could I please check it and get back to them!!!!
WHAT?!?!?!?!
It totally freaked me out, mostly because I was in a rather stressful situation at the time, and also because I wasn't home, I didn't have access to all my booking information and while I absolutely LOVE my cell phone, sending complicated emails isn't that easy to do!!
There was nothing I could do at the time, as I was on a train - and once I got to where I was going, it was totally full steam ahead with a very full schedule!! Luckily I went to turn my cell phone off at one point and found out that I had another email - this one saying basically, forget the last email, everything is okay, reception is open 24h, check in any time!
Yikes!!
I sure hope this means it really IS okay, because it wouldn't be so great to arrive in London late at night and not have any place to stay! However, I feel that I do have all the confirmations and vouchers I need, so if the hotel has messed up, they'd better find a way to solve it as well!
I booked it quite a while ago, and there were some sort of "strange" things with the booking. I booked through Booking.com and found a special offer regarding this hotel. Usually when you book there you don't have to pay for the room straight away, you pay when you check in at the hotel. However, I found a special offer which was a lot cheaper but it meant they would charge me right away and if I had to cancel my trip I wouldn't be able to get my money back.They had only one room left so I went through and booked as fast as I could - however, they never charged me for the room!
I figured there had been a mix up and that they would charge me when I checked in, after all, I had all the booking confirmations and booking number and all that.
On Thursday night (or early Friday?) I emailed the hotel to verify their reception hours, as I will be checking in rather late tomorrow night (will probably reach the hotel around 9 p.m.).
Then I went for a short visit to my families, it was to be a nice visit but quite hectic and I was rather nervous about it. And when I am on my way and feeling stressed about most things, I get an email from the hotel saying they don't have a booking in my name, could I please check it and get back to them!!!!
WHAT?!?!?!?!
It totally freaked me out, mostly because I was in a rather stressful situation at the time, and also because I wasn't home, I didn't have access to all my booking information and while I absolutely LOVE my cell phone, sending complicated emails isn't that easy to do!!
There was nothing I could do at the time, as I was on a train - and once I got to where I was going, it was totally full steam ahead with a very full schedule!! Luckily I went to turn my cell phone off at one point and found out that I had another email - this one saying basically, forget the last email, everything is okay, reception is open 24h, check in any time!
Yikes!!
I sure hope this means it really IS okay, because it wouldn't be so great to arrive in London late at night and not have any place to stay! However, I feel that I do have all the confirmations and vouchers I need, so if the hotel has messed up, they'd better find a way to solve it as well!
The Lion King
I've been trying to decide on whether to watch The Lion King or not while in London.
I really really want to see it, I have a feeling it's an amazing musical, but when I first thought about it the tickets were totally expensive!
Then, I got an offer at reduced prices, which I was very happy about of course!!
However, the only way I would get to see it was an evening show, and the theatre is quite a distance from my hotel ... I've been debating this with myself ever since I got the offer in the mail.
Now I have made the decision not to see it.
I know I might regret it, but the fact is ... well, things haven't been working out very smoothly for me during the last week (or a couple of weeks), I've been stressing out a lot, and now I took this superquick visit to my old hometown to watch my Dad receive a prestigious award, which also was a bit stressful. The point is, I'm not quite harmonious and feel totally at ease about this trip, I am quite nervous and anxious and stressed out about a lot of things, and I feel like adding one more thing on top of that is quite unnecessary!
Had I gotten tickets to The Lion King, I think it would have been Thursday night, and I'm pretty sure I would have spent most of my trip thinking and worrying about that - and I have enough things to worry about right now.
I am of course hoping that this trip will work out okay, meaning I will hopefully be able to save money and go back to London fairly soon - and I'm hoping to be able to see The Lion King (and other musicals) then instead.
At least the decision is made now, so I don't have to think about it any more - and hopefully I won't regret it too much either! :)
I really really want to see it, I have a feeling it's an amazing musical, but when I first thought about it the tickets were totally expensive!
Then, I got an offer at reduced prices, which I was very happy about of course!!
However, the only way I would get to see it was an evening show, and the theatre is quite a distance from my hotel ... I've been debating this with myself ever since I got the offer in the mail.
Now I have made the decision not to see it.
I know I might regret it, but the fact is ... well, things haven't been working out very smoothly for me during the last week (or a couple of weeks), I've been stressing out a lot, and now I took this superquick visit to my old hometown to watch my Dad receive a prestigious award, which also was a bit stressful. The point is, I'm not quite harmonious and feel totally at ease about this trip, I am quite nervous and anxious and stressed out about a lot of things, and I feel like adding one more thing on top of that is quite unnecessary!
Had I gotten tickets to The Lion King, I think it would have been Thursday night, and I'm pretty sure I would have spent most of my trip thinking and worrying about that - and I have enough things to worry about right now.
I am of course hoping that this trip will work out okay, meaning I will hopefully be able to save money and go back to London fairly soon - and I'm hoping to be able to see The Lion King (and other musicals) then instead.
At least the decision is made now, so I don't have to think about it any more - and hopefully I won't regret it too much either! :)
Friday 21 September 2012
2004 Updates
Finally, reviews on my three London trips in 2004 are now available, with a few photos as well.
I think the "only" thing left to complete this site (apart from the on-going blog updates of course) are a few musical reviews - two of Les Miz in 2004, and Les Miz and Evita from 2006. Not at all sure if I'll be able to write them before my trip, but as I would like to make this site as complete as possible, I do hope I'll get around to writing them down when I get home! :-)
I think the "only" thing left to complete this site (apart from the on-going blog updates of course) are a few musical reviews - two of Les Miz in 2004, and Les Miz and Evita from 2006. Not at all sure if I'll be able to write them before my trip, but as I would like to make this site as complete as possible, I do hope I'll get around to writing them down when I get home! :-)
Aiport Transfers
Things are actually insanely hectic right now, so unfortunately I'm not quite sure what I'm doing regarding London - and I'm not updating much here either.
This entry to to say, though, that I now have booked all my airport transfer tickets. I'll go with Swedish "Flygbussarna" from Lund to Malmö Sturup, have a return ticket there, valid from September 19 and three months on - so no worries on that!
I have also booked Stansted Express tickets for my English Airport Transfer - return ticket, valid from September 24 and 30 days on. I need to collect the Stansted Express tickets upon arriving at Stansted Airport but that shouldn't be a problem, basically you enter in a booking number in a machine and it gives you your ticket ... so I'm hoping I won't have any problems there! :-)
Still have a few things to fix regarding the London trip, and now I'll be away for two days - so yes, things are pretty stressed out right now!!
This entry to to say, though, that I now have booked all my airport transfer tickets. I'll go with Swedish "Flygbussarna" from Lund to Malmö Sturup, have a return ticket there, valid from September 19 and three months on - so no worries on that!
I have also booked Stansted Express tickets for my English Airport Transfer - return ticket, valid from September 24 and 30 days on. I need to collect the Stansted Express tickets upon arriving at Stansted Airport but that shouldn't be a problem, basically you enter in a booking number in a machine and it gives you your ticket ... so I'm hoping I won't have any problems there! :-)
Still have a few things to fix regarding the London trip, and now I'll be away for two days - so yes, things are pretty stressed out right now!!
Tuesday 18 September 2012
Smartphone or Not?
Another decision I'm facing for my London trip is whether to bring my smartphone or not - well, I'll probably bring it, I'm just not sure if I'm going to use it! :)
I do have an old 'back-up-cellphone' which I will be using for the trip, but I just love my smartphone's camera and the photo apps I'm using and being able to update Facebook and Instagram ... Unfortunately it's so hideously expensive to connect to the internet on my cellphone now, and I'm not sure that it's going to be worth it.
I've been thinking along the lines of bringing the phone to take regular photos - no need to connect to the internet doing that, meaning that should not be so expensive ... and then I'll simply upload the photos when I get back home, and let Instagram and the other photo apps work their magic then. The only thing lost on that is I won't be able to upload the photos when I actually take them, and I won't be able to "check in" on Facebook or add the photos to my photo map in Instagram ... but I guess that's not the end of the world, right?! :-)
I think I'm going to do that - and at least that should keep me occupied when I travel from Mamlö Airport on Saturday September 29th, right?! :-) Being able to relive all the great moments from the trips by uploading photos isn't so bad! *lol*
I do have an old 'back-up-cellphone' which I will be using for the trip, but I just love my smartphone's camera and the photo apps I'm using and being able to update Facebook and Instagram ... Unfortunately it's so hideously expensive to connect to the internet on my cellphone now, and I'm not sure that it's going to be worth it.
I've been thinking along the lines of bringing the phone to take regular photos - no need to connect to the internet doing that, meaning that should not be so expensive ... and then I'll simply upload the photos when I get back home, and let Instagram and the other photo apps work their magic then. The only thing lost on that is I won't be able to upload the photos when I actually take them, and I won't be able to "check in" on Facebook or add the photos to my photo map in Instagram ... but I guess that's not the end of the world, right?! :-)
I think I'm going to do that - and at least that should keep me occupied when I travel from Mamlö Airport on Saturday September 29th, right?! :-) Being able to relive all the great moments from the trips by uploading photos isn't so bad! *lol*
Sunday 16 September 2012
Decisions, Decisions
Now facing a bit of a difficult decision!
Got an email with an offer to buy tickets for The Lion King at quite a reduced price! The major reason why I didn't buy tickets for that show in the first place was the fact that they were a lot more expensive then the other ones ... now with the reduction in price, there's basically no difference at all - and I really would like to see The Lion King, I have a feeling it's a great production.
However, I can't get tickets to a matinee show, meaning it has to be an evening show ... meaning it's going to end quite late at night. Also, Lyceum Theatre, where it's playing, is not exactly in the vicinity of my hotel!! If I'm reading the map correctly I should be able to take the same bus, but the maps aren't very detailed, so I won't know that for sure.
I had hoped to avoid evening musicals shows, as they do tend to end late, and I am by myself. A bit typical now in retrospect - I think I would have preferred to go to Les Miz or Phantom during the evening, as Her Majesty's and Queens Theatres are a lot closer to my hotel than Lyceum, but now I have already booked matinee tickets for Phantom and Les Miz ...
I still haven't decided what to do, I think the reduction in price will stay for a while, and since I don't have to worry about the tickets being sent home to me (I'm going to pick them up at the theatre on the day of the show) I don't have to book yet ... but it's not an easy decision.
I mean, I still have to be able to do things, even though I go to London by myself, right? ... And still, I don't want to be stupid and take unnecessary risks ...
Difficult decision!
Got an email with an offer to buy tickets for The Lion King at quite a reduced price! The major reason why I didn't buy tickets for that show in the first place was the fact that they were a lot more expensive then the other ones ... now with the reduction in price, there's basically no difference at all - and I really would like to see The Lion King, I have a feeling it's a great production.
However, I can't get tickets to a matinee show, meaning it has to be an evening show ... meaning it's going to end quite late at night. Also, Lyceum Theatre, where it's playing, is not exactly in the vicinity of my hotel!! If I'm reading the map correctly I should be able to take the same bus, but the maps aren't very detailed, so I won't know that for sure.
I had hoped to avoid evening musicals shows, as they do tend to end late, and I am by myself. A bit typical now in retrospect - I think I would have preferred to go to Les Miz or Phantom during the evening, as Her Majesty's and Queens Theatres are a lot closer to my hotel than Lyceum, but now I have already booked matinee tickets for Phantom and Les Miz ...
I still haven't decided what to do, I think the reduction in price will stay for a while, and since I don't have to worry about the tickets being sent home to me (I'm going to pick them up at the theatre on the day of the show) I don't have to book yet ... but it's not an easy decision.
I mean, I still have to be able to do things, even though I go to London by myself, right? ... And still, I don't want to be stupid and take unnecessary risks ...
Difficult decision!
Saturday 15 September 2012
Travel Card - Part II
Since I was a bit worried about what to do regarding my travelling in London, I thought it best to make an update here!
I ended up ordering an 7 Day Travel Card online, which I think is a really good option, but I was really worried I wouldn't get it in time for my trip. I also had no opportunity to choose an insured delivery option, as I wouldn't be able to be at home, waiting to sign for the delivery ... it was a bit of a chance, but I felt I had to take it.
I ordered the travel card early early on Thursday morning, and during Thursday afternoon I got an email saying the travel card had just been sent, and if it didn't arrive within five working days I shouldn't contact them.
I was surprised, to say the least, to find an envelope from Boxoffice among the rest of my mail yesterday afternoon (Friday) - with my Travel Card!! :)
Cool!
It feels SO good to actually have the card with me when I go, so I don't have to think about that the first thing I do when I arrive in London.
I do know, however, that I really should take the underground from Liverpool Street station when I arrive - it's a bit longer walk from Edgeware Road Underground station to my hotel than from the bus stop, but the trip takes like 20 minutes .... in comparison with the bus which will take an hour.
Don't think I'll decide on that right now either, it feels a bit adventurous to try on the underground system for the first time ever when I have just arrived in London, it's a bit late at night, and I need to check in to the hotel as soon as possible - but still, if it cuts my travel time in half, it's certainly worth thinking about ...
I ended up ordering an 7 Day Travel Card online, which I think is a really good option, but I was really worried I wouldn't get it in time for my trip. I also had no opportunity to choose an insured delivery option, as I wouldn't be able to be at home, waiting to sign for the delivery ... it was a bit of a chance, but I felt I had to take it.
I ordered the travel card early early on Thursday morning, and during Thursday afternoon I got an email saying the travel card had just been sent, and if it didn't arrive within five working days I shouldn't contact them.
I was surprised, to say the least, to find an envelope from Boxoffice among the rest of my mail yesterday afternoon (Friday) - with my Travel Card!! :)
Cool!
It feels SO good to actually have the card with me when I go, so I don't have to think about that the first thing I do when I arrive in London.
I do know, however, that I really should take the underground from Liverpool Street station when I arrive - it's a bit longer walk from Edgeware Road Underground station to my hotel than from the bus stop, but the trip takes like 20 minutes .... in comparison with the bus which will take an hour.
Don't think I'll decide on that right now either, it feels a bit adventurous to try on the underground system for the first time ever when I have just arrived in London, it's a bit late at night, and I need to check in to the hotel as soon as possible - but still, if it cuts my travel time in half, it's certainly worth thinking about ...
Updates!
Some updates to this site has been done today.
There are now photos available from the London 2009-trip I made with Annika - not that many perhaps, but I did have a hard time choosing what photos to include, as I have quite a few to choose from! :)
I have also added reviews from Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables from 2009 on the London Musicals page. These are basically taken from my old blog (just like the review of the 2009 trip) - but I hope you enjoy them anyway.
I'm hoping to update on the trips from 2004 and 2006 as well, maybe tonight and/or tomorrow!
Enjoy!
Oh yeah - if you have any comments, stuff you like, or don't like, stuff you want to see here etc., feel free to leave a comment and tell me! :)
There are now photos available from the London 2009-trip I made with Annika - not that many perhaps, but I did have a hard time choosing what photos to include, as I have quite a few to choose from! :)
I have also added reviews from Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables from 2009 on the London Musicals page. These are basically taken from my old blog (just like the review of the 2009 trip) - but I hope you enjoy them anyway.
I'm hoping to update on the trips from 2004 and 2006 as well, maybe tonight and/or tomorrow!
Enjoy!
Oh yeah - if you have any comments, stuff you like, or don't like, stuff you want to see here etc., feel free to leave a comment and tell me! :)
Thursday 13 September 2012
Musicals
I have rather mixed feelings about musicals right now.
I have booked two, and I'm looking forward to them enormously - but I kind of really wanted to see two others as well, which won't happen, so I'm a bit upset about that.
Let's deal with the 'bad' news first, shall we?
Okay, so I really want to see The Lion King in London!! I absolutely adore all three movies and I think they make a fantastic musical ... so I did some checking, and sure enough, I could get tickets to The Lion King. One tiny problem; they are almost twice as expensive as the other musicals I plan to see ... I mean, I know it is expensive, and for the most part I think it's worth it, but these tickets were about 1000 SEK (about £94, $150, 117 Euros)!! And I think that's a bit much ... Granted, had it been Philip Quast, I probably would have payed it - *lol* - but not for anyone else! :-)
So no The Lion King ...
I also really wanted to see Sweeny Tood! I have seen the movie, which I think takes things too far, but I was hoping that the stage version wouldn't be quite as intense as the movie. Also, starring Michael Ball!! Hello?!? A chance to see Michael Ball live ... wow!!! Yeah, I had my heart set on booking tickets and started checking out times and dates and the theatre - and found out it's playing until Saturday September 22nd!!! What a bummer!!! :(
So, no Sweeny Todd either!
Now for the good news! :-)
I have booked Phantom of the Opera, which is one of my favourite musicals ever!! It's truly amazing and creates the most extraordinary mood in the theatre. Unfortunately, since the whole London trip came on rather suddenly, I did not get a good seat at Her Majesty's Theatre. I tried and tried and tried, but I'm a bit anxious about watching the evening shows and finding my way back to the hotel on my own that late at night, so I really wanted to see if I could catch the matinee show. Needless to say, if I could have gotten a great seat on an evening show I would have taken it, but as it stands, I'll be sitting in the back of Stalls on Thursday the 27th (matinee show).
I also really would have loved to see Swedish musical artist Peter Jöback as the Phantom - I have heard him sing "Music of the Night" and he's outstanding! - but as soon as I heard he would only play through August, I knew I wouldn't be able to see him ... :/
More good news, as I have also - of course! - booked Les Misérables for the matinee show on Wednesday the 26th! Managed to get a much better seat there which I'm very happy about ... after all, Les Miz is my number one favourite and it always will be, nothing can ever come close to it!!!
I know David Shannon did a stint as Jean Valjean this spring, and yes, I would have loved to see him! He was Valjean when I saw it in 2009 and I finally - after having seen the show four times in London (I think), once in Sweden, and listened to numerous recordings - found my Jean Valjean. No such luck though, as he's not currently in the show.
When I tried checking out the cast I really didn't recognize anyone, so I'm thinking I'm in for a bit of a surprise, which might in fact be a good thing! However, I did learn that since September 10th, Linzi Hately is playing Mme Thénardier!!! Totally amazing!! She's played Eponine early on in Les Miz in London, she's on my favourite recording of The Secret Garden, and she played Florence in the Scandinavian Tour of Chess, which I was lucky enough to catch in Olso (and there I also got to see David Shannon as Anatoly!) - and she's absolutely outstanding!! I was so taken with her in Oslo, and while Florence is quite a serious part, I have no doubt at all that she will be fantastic as the comedic Mme Thénardier!! So all fingers crossed that she actually will be doing the matinee show on the 26th!
Yes, now I've rambled on and on and on about the musicals! :) Will definitely come back with detailed reviews after I've seen them!!
I have booked two, and I'm looking forward to them enormously - but I kind of really wanted to see two others as well, which won't happen, so I'm a bit upset about that.
Let's deal with the 'bad' news first, shall we?
Okay, so I really want to see The Lion King in London!! I absolutely adore all three movies and I think they make a fantastic musical ... so I did some checking, and sure enough, I could get tickets to The Lion King. One tiny problem; they are almost twice as expensive as the other musicals I plan to see ... I mean, I know it is expensive, and for the most part I think it's worth it, but these tickets were about 1000 SEK (about £94, $150, 117 Euros)!! And I think that's a bit much ... Granted, had it been Philip Quast, I probably would have payed it - *lol* - but not for anyone else! :-)
So no The Lion King ...
I also really wanted to see Sweeny Tood! I have seen the movie, which I think takes things too far, but I was hoping that the stage version wouldn't be quite as intense as the movie. Also, starring Michael Ball!! Hello?!? A chance to see Michael Ball live ... wow!!! Yeah, I had my heart set on booking tickets and started checking out times and dates and the theatre - and found out it's playing until Saturday September 22nd!!! What a bummer!!! :(
So, no Sweeny Todd either!
Now for the good news! :-)
I have booked Phantom of the Opera, which is one of my favourite musicals ever!! It's truly amazing and creates the most extraordinary mood in the theatre. Unfortunately, since the whole London trip came on rather suddenly, I did not get a good seat at Her Majesty's Theatre. I tried and tried and tried, but I'm a bit anxious about watching the evening shows and finding my way back to the hotel on my own that late at night, so I really wanted to see if I could catch the matinee show. Needless to say, if I could have gotten a great seat on an evening show I would have taken it, but as it stands, I'll be sitting in the back of Stalls on Thursday the 27th (matinee show).
I also really would have loved to see Swedish musical artist Peter Jöback as the Phantom - I have heard him sing "Music of the Night" and he's outstanding! - but as soon as I heard he would only play through August, I knew I wouldn't be able to see him ... :/
More good news, as I have also - of course! - booked Les Misérables for the matinee show on Wednesday the 26th! Managed to get a much better seat there which I'm very happy about ... after all, Les Miz is my number one favourite and it always will be, nothing can ever come close to it!!!
I know David Shannon did a stint as Jean Valjean this spring, and yes, I would have loved to see him! He was Valjean when I saw it in 2009 and I finally - after having seen the show four times in London (I think), once in Sweden, and listened to numerous recordings - found my Jean Valjean. No such luck though, as he's not currently in the show.
When I tried checking out the cast I really didn't recognize anyone, so I'm thinking I'm in for a bit of a surprise, which might in fact be a good thing! However, I did learn that since September 10th, Linzi Hately is playing Mme Thénardier!!! Totally amazing!! She's played Eponine early on in Les Miz in London, she's on my favourite recording of The Secret Garden, and she played Florence in the Scandinavian Tour of Chess, which I was lucky enough to catch in Olso (and there I also got to see David Shannon as Anatoly!) - and she's absolutely outstanding!! I was so taken with her in Oslo, and while Florence is quite a serious part, I have no doubt at all that she will be fantastic as the comedic Mme Thénardier!! So all fingers crossed that she actually will be doing the matinee show on the 26th!
Yes, now I've rambled on and on and on about the musicals! :) Will definitely come back with detailed reviews after I've seen them!!
From the Tenth Anniversary Concert (TAC), 1995
Philip Quast - Javert
Philip Quast - Javert
Colm Wilkinson - Jean Valjean
Travel Card
I've been thinking quite a bit about what to do regarding travelling in London. When I've been there before I have always gotten a "one day bus pass", as I'm not at all familiar with the underground in London (was a bit different when we were in New York, at least my Dad and I went on the subway all the time!) - but now that I tried to do some checking, I didn't find anything about a "bus pass", it was all Travel Cards or Oyster Cards.
Took me a while to try to familiarize myself with what was what and what I would need and what would be most economical, but in the end I decided a 7 Day Travel Card would probably be the best. It allows me to go on both buses and undergrounds, and it was cheaper to buy that than buy individual travel cards for each day.
Just one problem left. I don't get to London until rather late, the plane lands at Stanstead Airport at 5.30 p.m., meaning I won't be at Liverpool Street Station before say 7 p.m. - and I'll probably be both tired, suffering from my usual after-flight-headache (something about the pressure changes when flying always gives me a headache) and nervous about finding my way to the hotel, so I really don't want to have to start figuring out the London transport system there and then.
I found out (thanks Annika!!) that you could order a travel card online, and have them send it to you, which was great! I was however, a bit nervous that I'd be too late, that they wouldn't be able to get it to me before I leave! After careful reading it said you had to order 7 days before leaving, so that felt okay after all.
Next problem: choosing delivery.
They had one fairly cheap delivery, but without any guarantees if the package got lost in the mail, and one more expensive which was insured against basically anything. I felt that it would be worth going for the more expensive one, since it would be SO great to have my travel card when I arrive in London. But then I find out that if you choose the more expensive delivery you have to sign for the package when they deliver it, meaning basically you have sit at home and wait for them to arrive any time between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. - and they couldn't even give you a definitive day!!
I have so much going on right now, there's no way I can just stay at home waiting for a delivery ... so in the end I ordered the cheaper delivery, ordered early this morning, and now let's all pray and hope that my travel card arrives before I leave!! *fingers crossed - and toes too!*
Took me a while to try to familiarize myself with what was what and what I would need and what would be most economical, but in the end I decided a 7 Day Travel Card would probably be the best. It allows me to go on both buses and undergrounds, and it was cheaper to buy that than buy individual travel cards for each day.
Just one problem left. I don't get to London until rather late, the plane lands at Stanstead Airport at 5.30 p.m., meaning I won't be at Liverpool Street Station before say 7 p.m. - and I'll probably be both tired, suffering from my usual after-flight-headache (something about the pressure changes when flying always gives me a headache) and nervous about finding my way to the hotel, so I really don't want to have to start figuring out the London transport system there and then.
I found out (thanks Annika!!) that you could order a travel card online, and have them send it to you, which was great! I was however, a bit nervous that I'd be too late, that they wouldn't be able to get it to me before I leave! After careful reading it said you had to order 7 days before leaving, so that felt okay after all.
Next problem: choosing delivery.
They had one fairly cheap delivery, but without any guarantees if the package got lost in the mail, and one more expensive which was insured against basically anything. I felt that it would be worth going for the more expensive one, since it would be SO great to have my travel card when I arrive in London. But then I find out that if you choose the more expensive delivery you have to sign for the package when they deliver it, meaning basically you have sit at home and wait for them to arrive any time between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. - and they couldn't even give you a definitive day!!
I have so much going on right now, there's no way I can just stay at home waiting for a delivery ... so in the end I ordered the cheaper delivery, ordered early this morning, and now let's all pray and hope that my travel card arrives before I leave!! *fingers crossed - and toes too!*
London 2009
Well, I wanted this site up and running as soon as possible, but as you might have noticed, it's not much on it yet! :)
I do have a rather detailed travel resume from when Annika and I went to London in 2009 (check out the separate page), but unfortunately I haven't managed to add photos to that page yet.
Don't fret, photos will come - but right now I have a lot going on, so top priority is not on this site. I'll let you know in this blog when more updates are available.
Take care!
I do have a rather detailed travel resume from when Annika and I went to London in 2009 (check out the separate page), but unfortunately I haven't managed to add photos to that page yet.
Don't fret, photos will come - but right now I have a lot going on, so top priority is not on this site. I'll let you know in this blog when more updates are available.
Take care!
Wednesday 12 September 2012
A Quick Decision - Or Not?
I really have thought about going to London ever since Annika and I went there in 2009 - I very much wanted to go on my own and prove to myself that I really could cope with it in a good way (I went on a short London trip by myself in 2004, info on that will be available eventually, but that really wasn't a good trip, it was way too soon!) ... but somehow life in general got in the way of my plans.
During late spring and summer this year I did start to think about it a bit more, but it was still nothing like actually planning or checking out available flights or hotels, but still, I did think about it.
Then, about 1½ weeks ago, I had nothing much to do and started just checking flights and hotels in London - and before the day was gone, I had booked a trip! *yikes!!*
I really don't make decisions that quickly so it was a bit of a chock, I'm still not sure it has completely sunken in! Still, I think I got a lot for my money! :) I have a return flight with Ryanair and five nights at what seems to be a really nice hotel in Bayswater/Paddington for about 4500 SEK (about £430, $690, 530 Euros)!
There is a lot going on in my life right now, apart from this London trip, so I'm feeling quite stressed out and rather nervous about pretty much everything, but so far, I'm totally excited about London! Nervous too, of course, this will really be the first time I go anywhere truly on my own, but at the same time I'm really confident I actually CAN cope with this on my own, and do so in a good way.
I have compiled this blog/website to really try to make the most of this London trip - even though of course I will update my Swedish blog about London stuff as well (though for details I will refer my Swedish readers here as well) - to get in the spirit of the trip by remembering my previous trips! :)
The 2012 blog will of course be all about this trip - I will try to update as I plan my trip, and when I get home, you will get detailed entries about my trip as well as tons and tons of photos (I will check in one bag so I'm taking my both my cameras, and hopefully my zoom lens as well!).
On the other pages of this blog you will find entries and photos from my previous London trips as well as my musical experiences in London too ... these pages are currently under construction, and I will let you know as more and more stuff become available!
I hope you will enjoy this London focused blog/website - maybe almost as much I as I enjoy making it! :-)
Take care!
/Jessica
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