London and Dublin

After saying goodbye to Austria for a while, I headed into London on Tuesday 7th November. The traveling itself was longer than I really thought it would be, with a train from Laengenfeld to Munich and then the flight to London with all of the airport messing around – a very long day.

Also, I’m really not sure what I’ve ever done to Munich, but that town really hates me – trying to store luggage in the Hauptbahnhof was a near impossible task – they had the facilities but just wanted to make it difficult (and expensive) – oh and my British Airways flight to London was cancelled. Luckily they just put me on a Lufthansa flight that left a little before my original flight.

My first experience on the London tube from Heathrow was a train that stopped for 30 minutes for no apparent reason – a great introduction, but one that would prove fairly typical. Eventually I got to Fi and Pete’s place and had enough time to dump my bags and head into town to meet up with them to see Billy Elliot.

Billy Elliot is such a great story and was fantastically performed – especially the boy playing Billy Elliot. Unfortunately the music is eminently forgettable. I’m really not convinced that it needed to be a musical at all – a theatre show with lots of dance would have worked just as well. Still, it was moving and funny and everything that you want from a night at the theatre.

The next day I headed to Dublin flying with the incredibly cheap RyanAir... now that’s an experience… no assigned seating and so it’s a general bungfight to get onto the plane… kinda like Virgin Blue without what little service they provide. But the fact that my return flight was only 5 pounds makes it all worth it I guess.

Dublin itself didn’t impress me much. As a city, it’s in definite need of some more facilities and services - like taxis that actually stop to pick passengers up (especially at cab ranks), or a public transport system that’s vaguely effective, or even just some street signs. Crossing roads is terrifying as pedestrian lights really don’t seem to apply to pedestrians or drivers. And I really didn’t encounter the alleged Irish friendliness… I’m guessing that Dublin is the exception rather than the norm though.

Not that much sightseeing in Dublin (and I didn’t take any photos at all!) – I had a wander through Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells which was pretty cool. I also did a walking tour through the city from the Lonely Planet guide, but it felt like I was walking through the industrial part of Collingwood most of the time – not the most scenic walking tour I’ve ever done. Things are expensive, too – each cathedral charged 5 Euro entry fee, which I refused to pay, and the Book of Kells was 8 Euro and only really took 40 minutes…

Aside from the actual city, though, I had an awesome time catching up with my friends Paul and Anna. They took me to their choir rehearsal on our first night which was so nice to sing some real music again. Their conductor was great too – she kept apologizing for being so cranky with the choir that night (apparently it wasn’t their best rehearsal ever) and yet she had stayed so calm with them – I was very impressed – definitely no tantrums… There was obligatory drinking after choir and we also went for dinner the next night and hit the town. After 7 months away from home, just hanging out with people that know me well was amazing. Thanks so much, guys!

Back to London on Friday and off to more shows (of course!). Even though I had already seen Wicked in New York, I was really excited to see it in London again because Idina Menzel (who was in the original broadway cast, won a tony award and was also in Rent on stage and in the movie) was playing Elphaba. Except on the night I went. Apparently it was her first night off in the run… Grrr… Even though the replacement was really very good, I was in a bad mood because Idina wasn’t on, so I really didn’t enjoy it at all. I think the replacement (who takes over from Idina in January apparently) will be better than Eden Espinosa (who is playing the role on Broadway) but the other 2 leads were really bad (in my opinion). Decidedly average singing (not always in tune and nasty tone) and horrific acting (almost like watching bad amateur Gilbert and Sullivan). My worst night of theatre in a while (still deciding whether it was worse than Spamalot and the Wedding Singer – but they were both matinees, so I can say it was my worst night…)

Saturday I caught up with Richard and Sarah John and their kids Owen and Emma for lunch and dinner. This was another case of feeling so good just from hanging out with people I know well. I felt so comfortable in their house and it gave me a really happy warm feeling (sounds all a bit hippy, but it is difficult to describe). Thanks for your hospitality guys – so great to see you all!

Saturday afternoon was Evita – an awesome production with Phillip Quast and Elena Roger (the first Argentinian actress to play Eva in London). Both were fantastic in their roles, and the guy playing Che was also awesome (Matt Rawle). Brilliantly staged, with lots of really interesting dancing and a great set. Very glad I decided to see this.

Saturday night was Avenue Q and it is hilarious. Even though I had heard the soundtrack several times before seeing the show, I was laughing through the whole performance. I was a little late to the theatre (another train hold up) and 5 minutes into the show, the audience were already really into it – very impressive. The puppets are great to watch and I can’t believe how huge the roles of Princeton and Kate Monster are – those guys are singing all night as several different characters.

Sunday was another hanging out day – this time with Fi and Pete. Fi and I headed to Hampton Court Palace where we did some great tours of the palace led by court musicians who played us a few tunes on authentic court instruments as we went around the castle (look in the pic for the trumpeter up on the roof). That night, all of us went for a great curry on Sunday night. Thanks again for letting me stay with you guys and it was so great to see you both. I can’t wait for the wedding in January!

Monday was my sightseeing day. Trafalgar Square, the London Eye, the National Portrait Gallery and the Tate Modern. Exhausting, but amazing to see all of the big icons of London. The Tate Modern really is an amazing museum – I just wish I had more time to take it all in. London wasn’t my favourite city – nice to visit and take in the lifestyle, but I really don’t feel the overwhelming desire to go and live and work there for a while. I will definitely enjoy going back for more visits though.

Monday night was Mary Poppins the musical. Another Disney spectacular with lots of amazing stage effects. It makes the Lion King seem pretty straightforward. It was an enjoyable show, but wasn’t life-changing theatre – it all felt a little too cold and calculated – not much heart for some reason.

And so ends the London experience and I’m ready for my Contiki experience. I’m sure there will be lots of stories to tell from that!