A shot of what I'm sure is to become my favorite of the Tube lines, since it dumps your right out on Picadilly Circus, home to the West End:
We first started out a Japanese restaurant called Wagamama. Suprisingly for a relatively big chain, it was hidden down several side streets; I certainly wouldn't have found it if I didn't know what I was looking for.
Dinner was chicken katsu curry and dessert was chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream. And I even semi-successfully used chopsticks!
Then of course, it was time for The 39 Steps!
The show was quite amusing; perhaps even more incredible was the dexterity of the cast of four, who together played over 100 roles on stage. Costumes were whipped on and off, props thrown from person to person, in a very energetic performance. While not a side-splitting show, it was a lot of fun, especially for those who've seen the Hitchcock film upon which it is based, and know how closely the source material is being used.
Below are shots of the theatre, taken surreptitiously with the flash off, as I didn't know what the photo policy was.
As you possibly can tell, we were on the ground level of the theatre (orchestra in America, stalls in England), seven rows back. Given, it is a small theatre to begin with, but I fully expected to be stuck in the rafters somewhere, so this was an amazing surprise.
Afterwards, we were turned loose on London to make our own way back as we pleased, so some of us went exploring around Picadilly and Leicester Square.
As you can see, some things don't change no matter what continent you are on.....
...and some things do. This is a typical theatre marquee in central London:
We found ourselves at Trafalgar square, where once again, a fountain was frozen over, though this time it appeared to be a solid block of ice.
Behind the fountain is the National Portrait Gallery:
Hope you enjoy the photos! Tonight is the boat trip on the Thames, which I am leaving for shortly!
Cheers!
Wow, Caitlin, I had trouble picturing you in a Japanese restaurant, but it looks like you made out just fine! Loved the pictures of the iced-over fountain in Trafalgar Square!
ReplyDeleteLove you.
Wow, orchestra seats!! The picture of you in front of the Criterion is beautiful. And that cake!! Love all of these. So glad you had a good chance to explore part of this amazing city. You are having a great first week.
ReplyDeleteLove
Mom
Thanks for taking us along on your night on the town. I have really enjoyed the architecure and the hidden restaurant. Maybe someday a concert to better understand THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH? Looking forward to the boat trip.
ReplyDeleteI get a kick out of the sign that says "You are just 39 steps away...." Hitchcock base his movie "The 39 Steps," on the book, "The Thirty-Nine Steps" by John Buchan. In the book, unlike the movie, the thirty-steps actually refer to 39 physical steps. I wonder if the people that put up the sign knew that, or if they were playing off the title without knowing the book?
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
The Program I bought actually had a section all about the different versions of "The 39 Steps" and what the codephrase has referred to in each one.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds fun. I'd like to see something like that. The book differs from Hitchcock's movie in many ways; however, several of the scenes are straight from the book. I downloaded Buchan's book from Project Gutenberg to read it.
ReplyDelete