Tracy and her boyfriend, Cotton, arrived in London on Wednesday. They were en route for a backpacking trip around Sweden and Norway, but flying through London. As such, they stayed at the flat for a few nights while they got their plans sorted and recovered from jetlag. It was so nice to have company!

They did some sightseeing on Thursday and we met up in the evening at Leicester Square to see what the half-price last-minute theatre tickets booth had to offer. We were quite excited to get 14th row seats to Fiddler on the Roof. We had just enough time to grab fish and chips at the Rock and Sole near Convent Garden before walking down to the Savoy theatre.

The show was fantastic. Although, I enjoyed Mary Poppins and Wicked, there just seemed to be a little more passion in the actors at Fiddler. The theatre was quite a bit smaller, which made for a more intimate setting - fitting for the story. As one of my classmates who had done some acting commented, ‘you should forget you are in the theatre.’ Such was the case at Fiddler. Tracy, Cotton, and I grinned and hummed the tunes all the way home. Of course, having great seats helps too. I will for sure take advantage of the last minute deals again!

Friday was a proper rainy day and, as such, a perfect day for partaking of a proper English breakfast at Tracy’s request. We headed to Pellicci’s on Bethnal Green road, just around the corner from the flat. This small café has been around for about 100 years, run by the same family, and was a favorite hangout of the Kray twins gangsters of the 1960’s. It did not disappoint. I’d been holding out from going, as Shane knows the owners and has threatened to take me there, but he wasn’t around and so, I’ll just have to go again sometime for lunch or dinner!

We cooked in for dinner and then headed out for a late evening walk to see Tower Bridge all lit up. I have done very little exploring at night, as I’m usually alone, so it was nice to have company and be able to wander the streets. We meandered through Katherine Docks, a posh marina area and then strolled across Tower Bridge in time to see the bridge go up and down for a few party boats passing along the Thames. We walked around the perimeter of the Tower of London as well, before heading back to the East End via the tube. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to actually have a late night drink with company, we stopped the Carpenter’s Arms, a pub around the corner from the flat on the way home. This is a very cozy pub with dark wood, beautiful cut flowers, and a varied offering of beers. We three enjoyed trying beer from Estonia, Barcelona, and a Belgium frambozen that was dessert in a pint glass. I was happy to discover this little gem so close to home and would even feel quite comfortable stopping by alone some other time, even! Tracy and Cotton headed to Sweden on Saturday while I took a day trip with the program to Oxford and Blenheim Palace. I hope to see them on their way back through London and hear about their exploits in the North.

--- Tracy and Cotton on Tower Bridge, south Thames walk and City Hall building in background ---

--- Tower Bridge goes up for passing boats, even at low tide ---

--- view from Tower Bridge looking northwest up the river at Tower of London and lit-up Gerken building ---

--- Tower of London at night, even more ominous than usual! ---