Oh, What a Night (in London)!

Coucou ! C'est Aurélie, et je suis allée à Londres avec mes parents. 

London isn't far from Lille if you take the Eurostar "Chunnel" train, so I've been several times to see ballets, plays, musicals, or just to do touristy things. This time, we went to see Jersey Boys, which was recommended to me by Sabine by her American friend, Liz. Liz's mom is from England, and Liz is obsessed with oldies music ranging from the '60s to the '80s, though the '80s is her favorite. I'm sure she's seen the Michael Jackson show that's playing in the West End. I'm going to be honest; I wasn't too thrilled about seeing Jersey Boys. Liz kind-of got Sabine hooked on the movie version, so I've seen it several times. It's a good story, but I'm just a little burnt out. Anybody who knows Sabine as well as I do knows that she kind-of gets hooked on movies that involve everyday people becoming famous singers. Because of Sabine, I've seen La Môme (La Vie en Rose) several times, too. She wants to relate to these films and be that "ordinary girl" who becomes a famous singer. Sabine dreams of becoming a famous singer, but she knows it'll never happen. We've kind-of created our own inside joke musical, Ordinary Girl: La vie rêvée de Sabine Bouchard (named after a Hannah Montana song and a movie, respectively) based on Sabine's hypothetical rise to fame. 

Before the show, we did some obligatory sightseeing. Here I am near Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster...aka the Houses of Parliament.

Situated on the Middlesex bank of the River Thames, the Palace of Westminster dates back to the Middle Ages, but it burned once in the 1500s and burned further in the mid-1800s. The Palace you see today was built from 1840-1870. Of course, Big Ben, the world's most famous four-faced clock steals all of the attention. Nobody is quite sure where the nickname of Big Ben originates from, but it's official name is the Elizabeth Tower, named after the Queen herself. 

Across the street from the Houses of Parliament, you will find Westminster Abbey, which dates back to the 10th century. The church, built in the Gothic style, reminds me of Notre Dame de Paris.

From this area, you can see the London Eye on the Thames' South Bank. It is one of the biggest Ferris wheels in the world as well as the biggest Ferris wheel in Europe. It was constructed in 1999, just in time for the new millennium.

I also saw Buckingham Palace for what seems like the thousandth time. It is home to Queen Elizabeth II (William and Kate live in Kensington Palace). Queen Victoria was the first monarch to live there.

Aren't the gates gorgeous?

Here's one of the guards in the famous attire. I didn't try to make him laugh; I'm as quiet as he is!

The Palace:

This street reminds me of Paris's Champs-Elysées:

Isn't the fountain beautiful?

In the late afternoon and early evening, we stayed near the theater and explored Piccadilly, Coventry Street, and Leicester Square.

How neat is this tavern?

My favorite part of London: the Royal Opera House! I've seen several ballets there.

Finally, the whole reason behind this trip to London...

We had amazing seats! Musicals are always more fun the closer to the stage you are. 

It was actually a fantastic show, and I'm glad my parents let me come with them. Liz is going to be so happy once I have Sabine tell her that I enjoyed it. Granted, there were several pop culture and Space Race references that I didn't quite "get". Either that has to do with my age or me being French!

"Oh, what a night" it was. London just isn't London without a West End musical (or in my case, a ballet...).

Do you like musicals? What's your favorite? Have you seen Jersey Boys?

I hope you enjoyed my adventures in London.

Bisous,

Aurélie