Shopping and Covent Garden

Pictures: 1) Wicked stage before it started (that is the map of Oz with the Emerald City in the middle), 2) Some of us in the lobby at Wicked

This week 2 of the flatmate's had friends staying with us, so while everyone else had class yesterday, I took Jake and Amanda to Covent Garden for some shopping. Of course we stopped by the thrift store and I found a Ralph Lauren red dancing skirt for 2 pounds! Later we went to H&M and I bought a pretty shirt for 5 pounds - they have wonderful deals there! After browsing some other stores we stopped by a cupcake shop and a cookie store in the heart of Covent Garden on the way home. They got this huge, beautiful double chocolate cupcake, and I bought 2 cookies: milk chocolate orange and oatmeal raisin. Mmmm.

I felt a bit dizzy when I got home (probably too much sugar before eating a proper lunch) so I made a ham sandwich and read some Antony and Cleopatra. Most of the flatmates had gone to buy Wicked tickets in the morning while I was still sleeping, but as I wanted to go, I decided to go before the show started and buy a 60 pound ticket for 25 pounds (which you can do with a student ID). I ended up sitting 14 rows from the stage right in the middle which was just fabulous! And OMG - the show was AMAZING!! I really want the soundtrack now! I also thought it would be a sad ending and it wasn't so that made me happy. :) All the lighting in the lobby of the theater (Apollo Victoria) was green. Quite neat!

The people sitting next to me were an Irish couple and very nice. They talked to me for a while, and boy did I have to listen because their accents were so thick! They had flown in for 2 days in order to see Wicked and We Will Rock You. The woman had read the book and said it was okay, but afterward she said she thought the show was much, much better. Before we'd even spoken the man offered his wife some candy (similar to malted milk balls) that he bought at concession, then he turned to me and offered me some. lol Of course I didn't accept, but once we started talking I asked him what they were exactly, and then he insisted I try one.

love meeting strangers and talking to them. Like the people I met last time at Billy Elliot. To me, these random encounters (making snowmen in the park, talking to people on the tube or in a show) really make this a wonderful experience. I am so much braver than I used to be and so much more confident. Last time I was here I'm fairly certain I would never do such things.

Oh, and also, someone was caught filming the show and they took his camera away. My guess is they'll delete the footage and the Irish woman said they'd probably fine him. Of course, the way she pronounced "fine" ("feen"), it took her repeating it three times for me to figure out what she was saying.

Now, time for me to get back to homework. Class today at three.