Once upon London

I am so far behind on blog posts...in fact, this post is back from when I was a year younger.  I'm writing this as a much wiser woman, albeit, just over a month more wise.

My birthday fell on Mother's Day, which is the worst.  Of course it doesn't happen every year, but the years that it does is just awful.  So I decided to lessen the blow and spend it in London, doing all of the things that a thirty something should do in London.

On Saturday, I went for the best French toast and hot chocolate London and a stroll through St James Park:

That's all that was left to take a picture of from the hot chocolate - The Wolseley has the best breakfast in London...and if you get there early, a newspaper of your choice, which makes for a very fine Saturday morning.

After that, I headed to the tkts booth to pick up a ticket for a show.  I was choosing between "The Pajama Games" or "Once" and made the last minute decision to go with Once.  I'm so glad I did.  It was a really cool show - all acoustic instruments, which I'm a sucker for and a very "cute-meet" love story.  I laughed, I cried, I almost bought the soundtrack, but instead, I'm posting the most famous song for you below:

The theatre was really neat - they had a bar on stage beforehand, intermission and following the show, making you feel like you were part of the show.  I got tickets in the Orchestra (it was my birthday!) and I'm so glad I did.  It was one of those perfect moments when you accidentally get right what you should be doing with your time.

After the show, I went on a very long walk back to the hotel, stopping to shop at Liberty (Mother's day and sister's birthday)...and me :)  I love that store.

On my actual birthday, I wandered through the National Gallery that I rushed through my first time in London.  It's surprisingly calm and peaceful on a Sunday morning.  After that, I got a half price ticket to "The Commitments", another musical (film in the link).  It's pretty much the Irish Jersey Boys with some girls in the soul group.  It's got the same troublemaker singers in the band, the committed manager and the strange band mate.  Great music - Mustang Sally was the highlight. 

I also played a game over the weekend to find the best place to blow my money in London when I move there.  Mission accomplished....I thought it would be Liberty or the tkts booth for half price tickets....but no my friends, it's Foyles bookstore on Charing Cross.  Can. not. get. enough.

I made a mad rush back to the airport and barely made my flight - but I've learned that barely is just right as it means you stretched out whatever you were seeing.  On to Venice!