Lions in London

This was the first Tuesday we had no class or work this semester, so it was an odd but nice change to have been able to sleep in this morning!  After our extra long rests (the Sun was actually up when our eyes opened!), Lauren and I took our time getting up, relaxing on our laptops before showering and getting ready for the rest of the day.
We decided yesterday that we needed to make one more stop at Hummus Bros before our Saturday departure, so it was settled that today would be the day.  We hopped on our beloved Piccadilly line to Piccadilly Circus, and from there strolled over to Soho, the location of one of the chain's three restaurants.  We arrived around 12:45 pm, and were surprised to see a rather small line as this is usually considered the London lunch hour.  We ended up getting there right in time: after we sat down with our meals (Lauren had hummus with chickpeas while I had vegetables with a falafel salad...delicious!) the line (or queue I should say) began to snake nearly out the door.  Luckily, we finished before it got too crazy inside, but we were glad to have had one last lunch at one of our favorite discoveries!
After lunch, I made my way to Covent Garden while Lauren returned to Courtfield Gardens.  As Lauren was scheduled to go out with her coworkers from JP Morgan, Ashley, Maggie and I decided we would go to dinner tonight and then we would all see different West End shows.  I had chosen The Lion King, as that was the one last show on my wish list.  I popped into the Lyceum Theatre, the home of the show, to try to snag a ticket.  Luckily, I was able to get a Dress Circle (First Mezzanine) seat for only 20 pounds!  Ticket in hand, I got back on the tube and met Lauren back at home.  The rest of the afternoon was spent avoiding packing, enjoying "Gossip Girl" and even doing 15 minutes of research for my final on Thursday!  So productive, I know.
At 5:15, I met Maggie, Ashley and Allie in their room before we headed back to Gloucester Station to go to dinner.  Unfortunately, Lauren's dinner plans fell through, but she decided to stay home and be productive (which she definitely was...a lot more packed than I am right now!).  Our dinner spot was Carluccio's, an Italian restaurant in between Covent Garden and Leicester Square.  We enjoyed a lovely dinner together before we all parted ways to go to our respective theatres; Ashley was headed to "Phantom," Maggie to "Love Never Dies," and Allie "Jersey Boys" (jealous!).  I made a quick pit stop at Ben's Cookies before walking to the Lyceum, where I quietly took my seat.  I've never been to a show by myself before, but it was actually really nice, it gave me a chance to really look around and take in my surroundings.  The show was amazing; it truly is a visual masterpiece - there were points I found myself getting teary because the scenery was just so beautiful.  The only thing I had to get used to was the accents; I think I'm too used to Jonathan Taylor Thomas' Simba voice - lions with British accents are just a little off for me.  Other than that, though, I loved it.  Knowing the Disney person I am, everyone has been shocked when I tell them I have not seen The Lion King yet, but now I can personally attest to how wonderful it is...hopefully I can go see it with the fam soon in New York!
After the show got out at 10 pm, I decided to bypass the nearby Covent Garden tube stop and meander through the streets of "Theatreland" to Piccadilly.  The weather wasn't horribly cold, so I thought why not?  I love nothing more than walking through London at night; the architecture, the lights, and the people everywhere make it a truly magical place.  It's hard to believe we only have three more days here...we're just going to have to make the absolute most of it!
     xo Carolyn