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Thursday
Christmas Holidays had started and we headed into London for a couple of days to see the lights and take in a show.
We had given Callum free-choice of what to see … and his first choice was the Agatha Christie play, The Mouse Trap. Unfortunately, there was no matinee scheduled for the Thursday (Callum’s priority was a nice meal out in the evening!) so that got changed to the Abba Musical, Mamma Mia. Callum enjoys listening to the music and he loved the film that was released a few years back.
We caught the train into London, dropped our bags off at the hotel and headed over to Covent Garden in the hope they would have their German Christmas Market … but no sign of it this year.
In the end, we grabbed a light bite at one of the outside restaurants: Le Pain Quotidien. The open sandwiches were pretty large and very tasty although pretty expensive (this is London!). The mulled wine was lovely – and Jon commented the cider was good as well.
From here, we wandered over to the Novello Theatre for Mamma Mia. Nothing much to look at from the outside, but it’s an oldie-worldie theatre on the inside – a bit of a maze (trying the find the loos was a challenge!) but the theatre itself was beautifully decorated.
The production is now on a smaller stage than when Jon and I had first seen it (birthday treat for David’s 29th!!) but it was just as good and the female leads in particular, gave stand-out performances. Callum loved it (as did several of the men sat around us as they were singing along all the way through!). Everyone was up on their feet at the end and the curtain came down after a couple of encores!
We headed back to our hotel for the evening – Novotel Tower Bridge – so we could check in properly and freshen up before heading over the bridge for dinner this evening. The hotel was very conveniently situated a stones throw away from Tower Hill Tube Station. It was opposite the Double Tree Hotel that Jon and I had previously stayed in. No real view from the window but the room was a good size and immaculate condition. The bathroom was a bit bizarre as you had a frosted panel which backed into the main room. You couldn’t see anything!!
We had booked a table at Gaucho – an Argentinian Steak House for that evening. We decided to walk so headed past the Tower of London and the giant ice rink that had been set up in the moat, and across Tower Bridge. On the opposite side is More London – home to numerous offices and the Mayor of London’s offices. Along the river side, there were a hundred or so log cabins with people plying their wares. Lots of food options (Callum was hungry but he had to wait!) and lots of Christmas crafts and small craft stall holders.
Heading back towards the restaurant, you could see the large Christmas Tree just outside the restaurant area. It looked fab.
The meal in Gaucho was fab – great steak (expensive!) but Jon had real trouble deciding on a wine. Everything bar the sparkling wine was Argentinean … and whilst we had settled on a bottle of Malbec, there were 4-5 pages of Malbec to choose from!!
Friday
We had one more special treat in store for Callum today. Breakfast with a view. With the Duck and Waffle fully booked (somewhere Jon and I have tried a couple of times to get into!), we decided to go back to Aquashard – on the 32nd Floor of The Shard. Our first glimpse of The Shard this morning was looking good – half was hidden by cloud! We walked along Embankment on the North Bank of the Thames and headed across London Bridge.
Our brunch reservation wasn’t until 10.45 so had a little time on our hands before. It was raining (that was not on the plan … or forecast!) so we grabbed a coffee in Pret a Manger just around the corner.
We got to The Shard band on time, and had to go through airport style security before being whisked up to the 32nd floor. We opted for the set breakfast menu which included juice, coffee or tea, a pastry and a Full English or Eggs Benedict for £28.50. A cheaper option than paying just to go up to the top for the views (albeit you will be a little higher).
Callum was very impressed by the View from the Loo!!
Breakfast/Brunch finished and Callum had one request – could we PLEASE go on the Waterloo & City line. This is the only tube line Callum hadn’t been on yet and it doesn’t run at the weekend. This was the first opportunity he had to go on it. It’s a two stop tube and just runs between Bank and Waterloo. We were going midday so it was really quiet – it’s totally rammed at rush hour.
We decided to head back home after this – this was the Friday before Christmas and if we left it too late, the trains will be extra busy with people heading home for the holidays. Paddington was also closing for a couple of days over Christmas, so people would be heading out early. Time for a quick stop at Trafalgar Square to see the Christmas Tree … although this year’s was looking a little tall and spindly compared to other years. The statue on the 4th Plinth was quite cool though!
