Back in London again! Yes, as regular readers will be aware, when any opportunity to visit that great capital of the UK arises, I am sure to take it. Visiting is just too convenient - less than 50 minutes to King’s Cross from Cambridge. Having gone to the Garrick Theatre back in May to see Matt Forde, I was desperate to return to the West End at its full capacity. Well what a joy it was to do so. As a birthday surprise for my mother, I’d booked tickets to see ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ at the Duchess Theatre (more of which later).
The play didn’t begin until 7.30pm while our train into London arrived just after 11.30am. With eight hours to kill, there was ample time for plenty of exploring. I had suggested Notting Hill. It was a part of London I’d never properly been to before but was well aware of. There is the famous film with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. David Cameron and his chums were often referred to as the Notting Hill set. Just within Zone 1 of the Tube, it had an allure so enticing that it became impossible to ignore. Arriving out into the street having just descended into the darkest of Tubes is always an experience like no other. It’s a shame I will probably never properly recall my first experience of visiting London, though I do remember being afraid of the Tube. Exploring Notting Hill for the first time felt something like that. We mainly saw the general High Street, with posh, big houses (think Absolutely Fabulous) around every corner. It was a gentle, pleasant place with the usual hubbub of people. Well, any wealth in Notting Hill faded away into insignificance when walking down Kensington Palace Gardens. Apparently one of the richest streets in the UK, the gated entrances, majestic houses and expensive cars made me feel transported to a film set, which was entirely separate to reality. The embassies of Nepal, Russia, the Czech Republic and Israel were among those located on that most expensive of roads. And it’s not hard to see why. If the size of an embassy indicates the strength of the relationship between countries, peace between the UK and those nations looks set to remain. ****************************************************************************************************************** One thing that is never quite emphasised enough in London is the value of walking. Transport for London obviously have an incentive in making sure people use…the public transport. The cost cap of the Tube is repeated ad nauseum, the volume of buses is apparent to all and the Boris bikes remain a hit. What doesn’t receive enough attention is simply walking around London. In our entire day in the capital, we only caught the Tube twice (to get to Notting Hill and return to King’s Cross at the end of the day). This idea all began exploring Kensington Palace Gardens. Compared to the embassies, the palace is nothing special from the outside, with fairly ordinary brickwork. It is simply the size of the building which makes it a palace. The gardens are immensely beautiful as you would expect and clearly well maintained. Though London is so well known for its green spaces, to be among such a fine part of the natural world in amongst such an urban environment never fails to thrill. We also walked past Hyde Park Corner, by Green Park and into Piccadilly Circus. The roads were long, the traffic everywhere, the buzz of London ever so real. But it felt liberating not be walking up and down the stairs into the Tube. There is a buzz and adrenaline rush I continue to gain from using the Tube (mainly because it’s not my daily commute). But that is nothing as compared to walking through London itself: a city like no other. ****************************************************************************************************************** That’s not to say walking has no costs. In my older years, I aspire towards nothing more than the rambling life, walking from place to place with no care in the world. While spending half my day on twitter remains essential now, that will perhaps no longer be the case later on. However, this enjoyment and love I have for walking is negated by the need for food and the occasional sit down. Much as I love to support independent businesses where possible, all of us enjoy familiarity as much as the next person. There is something immensely comforting and reassuring about the knowledge that what you’re going to eat is of good quality and probably gone through numerous checks. Enter Pizza Hut, a location I’d not been to for many a year. The branch in Piccadilly Circus was a fine one, with excellent options and friendly staff. Is it Pizza Express? No. But there is something rather calming about the options of a buffet, delicious food and knowing that what you’re getting is of a suitable quality. ****************************************************************************************************************** After much time spent gallivanting around Covent Garden, including spending far too much at their local Waterstones, visiting the theatre had arrived. We joined the queue an hour before the play started and were swiftly let in following bag checks. Our seats were in the Upper Dress Circle and were the cheapest in the House. Remarkably, it didn’t feel like we had a restricted view and could see everything clearly. The play itself was immensely amusing. Everything that could have gone wrong did indeed go wrong. Forgotten lines, the wrong props, the set falling apart, doors not opening or shutting properly, utter chaos, the wrong music. It was a rollicking laugh from beginning to end. I could not tell you the plot, but a) I think that was the idea and b) I’m sure the plot was immensely coherent and could be followed were I to have been properly paying attention. What I admired about the cast was how their characters persevered and carried on, despite the endless mishaps. It was really a comedy of errors, one disaster to the next ensuring that a fantastic time was had. The cast at the end broke character to thank us for visiting the theatre once again. The real thank you should be to them, for it is their brilliant artistic performance that ensure audiences can still enjoy theatrical creations today.
5 Comments
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