London Tour & Phantom - Day 3 - 6.23.12

We got to it early on Saturday, starting breakfast around 7 o’clock am. We had a delicious London breakfast of a croissant, ham, cheese, cereal, and coffee (tea was a choice as well of course). We left early and stayed going all day! We set off in our coach with an amazing tour guide and driver Sepp from Austria. We drove throughout all of London, seemingly on every street, to see the most famous shops, Picadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Parliament, Big Ben, and finally made our first stop to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, which was very cool to watch and experience. Many people do not know that the guards that March at Buckingham Palace in these types of ceremonies have other duties, but this is simply seen as a high honor - to be able to guard the royal crown. After experiencing this (with THOUSANDS of other tourists crammed in front of Buckingham Palace) we got back on the coach and headed to the Tower of London. However, we needed a bathroom break and luckily our tour guide knew where a free bathroom was. (It is quite common here to be rushing into a bathroom just to find that you actually need fifty pence before you can enter). On our way back to the coach from the bathroom, we happened upon something that we heard was very special and very cool that we got to see. The Blues and Royals cavalry regiment happened to be traveling down a sidewalk and we got to witness it extremely close because it was not a known tourist attraction! They just happened to be passing and we got to stand as they passed extremely close to us.

From here, we proceeded to the Tower of London. Although it is not extremely high by today’s standards, the Tower of London is called a tower because when it was created over a thousand years ago, its 110-some feet was an incredibly massive feat for architects then. The Tower not only holds some very cool museums as well as the crown jewels (including a 530 carat diamond, about as big as a strawberry!!), but it was very interesting and cool to see all of the different architecture. The central tower (the white tower) was the original piece, and as each piece of the tower such as the walls and apartments were added on, it is very easy to tell what time period they are from by looking at the architecture.

After viewing the Tower for a couple of hours, we all headed back onto the coach to head to the point at which we were to be dropped off to see the musicals! We were dropped off in a park that is actually the same park we will be performing in tomorrow, and we grouped by which musical we would be seeing which, for me, was Phantom. However, before the play, we had a chance to explore London near Picadilly Circus and find some dinner. So, I headed out with about five other people in the group to find some food. Wanting to try something different, we asked for a suggestion and many people who had traveled here before recommended going to Chinatown for dinner, just a few blocks away. After pushing through crowds and trying to read maps, we made it in Chinatown and found some delicious food! Armed with only chopsticks, I consumed some of the most delicious (and the perfect amount!) of Chinese food I have ever had. We headed back to Picadilly Circus (the Times Square of London) and waited for about 15 minutes as the rest of the Phantom-goers also found their way back into the square before heading off to see the play. A piece of advice: if you want to make money in London, paint yourself one color (preferably metallic) and stand perfectly still. You will make loads. We passed by many people who were dressed as metal or disguised as a statue who were very well appreciated with hoards of people around them just because they were standing perfectly still, and would change positions every couple of minutes.

Once our entire group found their way back together, we headed off to the play. Luckily, Her Majesty’s Theatre was only about 2 blocks away from Picadilly Circus, so we didn’t have far to go. I wish I had more to say about the play other than that it was INCREDIBLE. It was PHANTOM. Already possibly the best Broadway musical in existence, it was phenomenal to see it in London. Although we were not in the best of seats (very high up) it was still incredible, and an experience definitely to be remembered. As we exited the theatre, we were greeted by the pouring rain and an unfortunate LACK of taxis (which we had to take in small groups to get back to the hotel). However, after walking around Picadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square, we eventually found enough taxis to get us all back. 

So now, I am back in the hotel and enjoying some (not cheap) wifi. 10 pounds for 24 hours, which I thought was a better deal than 6 pounds for 90 minutes, because now I can use it tomorrow night as well (as long as the clock doesn’t run out!!). Signing off for now, and on to Westminster Abbey to see a church service (and the choir), perform ourselves, and enjoy the evening of free time as our last night in London.