Daily Details: August 3

Monday morning, Laura and I headed over to meet my best childhood friend, Ali Monjar who was coming to visit me for a day in London (she’s been doing a study abroad in Paris the same time I’ve been gone). It was SOOO joyful to see Ali! Laura and I served as tour guides, although not the greatest ones, I might add! We took Ali and her adorable roommate Brittany all around the London Bridge, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, and the Globe Theatre. Since we were right by the Tate, we decided to pop in there. Of course, Laura and I had already seen it, but even we saw things that we had missed the first time around. It was cool to see some of my favorite artwork again too.

Our next stop was to the Crown and Sceptre Pub, where they filmed the pub scene in the adorable movie, “Penelope”. I was glad Ali thought about going to the “Penelope pub” because it just took about 30 seconds of research and we were able to find the most amazing darn little place ever! In addition to being charming on the outside, the inside was absolutely magical! It was EXTREMELY eclectic, with all of the sofas, armchairs, tables, and chairs being different. Each chandelier that sat above the different groupings was drastically different as well. Quirky little objects were hanging on the walls here and there and an overall feeling of coziness was present. We all loved it the second we walked in but loved it even more after we saw the prices—it was SO affordable! After standing around for a bit looking like fools (we didn’t know if we should seat ourselves or order at the counter, etc…) we were waited on. I ordered the fish and chips since I loved what I had at the Eagle so much, although there were many other things on the menu that tantalized my appetite. Our food came quickly to our delight since all of us were starving. Laura had ordered the chicken club and when it arrived, it was one of the most beautiful sandwiches I have ever seen. It was served on this beautiful, whole-grain and nutty looking bread that had been lightly grilled and the chicken inside of it, instead of being sliced, was whole pieces of marinated chicken breast. It looked to DIE for! My food was good—the chips were out of this world, but the fish was not as great as the Eagles. Nonetheless, I walked out of there VERY happy. The pub was located just out of the Soho district and in addition to the area being out of the way and absolutely charming, the people there were SO helpful and friendly. They offered to take pictures for us, and on the way there, were eager to help us find the streets we were looking for and gave great directions. I loved my experience in Fitzrovia.
We all parted from each other for a few hours before we once again reunited at the Apollo Victoria theatre to see Wicked. Everyone has always been obsessed with that musical, and frankly, I didn’t get it. I decided to go after some of my roommates who have seen lots of Broadway shows said that Wicked was still their favorite. I also wanted to see it because my dear friend Megan made me a little card with the lyrics from one of the songs on it and the lyrics were absolutely beautiful. It worked out well because that is what Ali, Brittany and Laura all wanted to see the most too. As soon as I entered the theatre, I was pleasantly surprised at how great our seats were! We had gotten half-priced seats because they are considered restricted view. The only thing restricted about them was that we had to sit up straight to see over a low balcony wall. We were close to center and our seats were comfortable. Already I was loving my second Broadway experience more than the first. I looked at the set and was COMPLETELY blown away—heck, the show hadn’t even started yet! When the song “For Good” was sung, I started tearing up thinking of my two best friends. Seeing how this song fits into the musical brought a whole new perspective to the lyrics. I don’t want to babble for too long, but just know that the musical was the most fascinating and wonderful thing I’ve just about ever seen. The writing in it was ingenious, the music fantastic, and the costumes brilliant. It had a wonderfully happy ending and I walked away floating on air! What a great thing to do at the end of my trip!

We said goodbye to Ali and Brittany at the tube station--I was so overjoyed to have been able to see Ali and make a new friend in Brittany. I came home to my flat and found that my sweet roommate, Whitney, had made all of our beds in preparation for our other two roommates coming home from Scotland. Whitney and I chatted for a bit and I had a great time talking to her. That night when Beccah and Malory came home, I listened to their Scottish adventures as I fell asleep.