Harry Potter & The Cursed Child

 Warning, this post does NOT contain any spoilers what so ever, I'm all over that #keepthesecrets business as I have a snazzy badge which tells me to do so. (Plus I wouldn't want to upset J.K Rowling, she's a feisty bird!)

*Skip to paragraph four to avoid the ramblings* Throwback to the end of October, where I was in the height of unemployment and priority booking for the eighth Harry Potter story opened, meaning I had nothing better to do then fight other avid Potter fans for tickets. It's safe to say my laptop got a bit of a shouting at, but we got through it and I ended up with four tickets to the West End performance #BossedIt 

When booking I didn't really take into account dates, and ended up travelling home for the third weekend in a row, but who doesn't love a good road trip in Dudley when you forget about the fact that you can't feel your bottom anymore, and the battle between opening the window for fresh air or keeping it shut to stop getting blown away because you're avoiding turning on the air con to save fuel. 

Fast-forward to Sunday just gone and we were on the train heading to the Palace Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue via the box office to pick up our tickets. Before joining in the queue we decided to take a short stroll, bad decision. Ever wondered what happens when a Chinese restaurant catches fire and your in close proximity to it? It spreads pretty damn quickly and visibility is minus one-hundred. But what better way to take your mind off the fact that your lungs are filled with smoke and you're sitting in the Balcony of a very hot theatre, then by Part One starting. 

The creators behind the show did an amazing job at bringing the magic of the wizarding world to life, along with the composers and choreographers- it continually amazes me how a certain tune or dance (not that it was dancey) can reflect the scene so perfectly. The first half whizzed by, with an ice-cream interval of course, and before you know it part one is over leaving it on the biggest cliffhanger- for those of you who watch Pretty Little Liars, it felt like one of the series finales. 

A two hour break before watching part two meant time to feed the grumbling tummy. We opted for Maxwells in Covent Garden after hearing my parents rave about it, and I opted for a classic BBQ chicken, chips and apple coleslaw. It's probably most famous for it's Instagram-worthy freakshakes, but if I had one of them I would have definitely been in a food coma for the second performance and so not in the right state of mind to concentrate. 

Part Two commenced and although it was like 100 degrees inside and I could feel the sweat dripping down my face (slight exaggeration) I enjoyed every moment of it. The actors were amazing at keeping the energy alive, and the atmosphere in the theatre was incredible- you were literally surrounded by crazy Harry Potter fans who cheered when the most annoying character was defeated and laughed at every pun. 

If you can still get tickets I would 1000% recommend purchasing them as you won't be disappointed! I also realise that this is a bit of a long post, however we're currently having a Harry Potter marathon and it's taken me far too long to write this for me to go back and change it all. (Yes, we probably should have done this before seeing the play, but we like to be unconventional) 

P.S. If you can spot yourself a wizard amongst the muggles in one of these pictures then you're a true Potter fan. 

Saturday in the City

I'm currently sitting on the sofa, catching up on Gogglebox, surrounded by snotty tissues and have been in my pajamas since 4 o'clock. TMI? Maybe, but it's a sign that I had a fabulous day in London yesterday. My day started by leaving the house at 7:20 in the morning, I know, no-one should be out of the house at that time on a Saturday morning unless you're going on holiday. I then hopped onto a train and spent the following two hours snoozing, browsing the web and completing Sudoku's, yes I am a nerd, no I don't care. 

On arrival I headed over to Platform 9 and 3/4 to meet up with two of my uni girlfriends, Ellie and Gaby, who I hadn't seen since the end of may, far too long if you ask me! Our first destination was Leicester Square to scout out some cheap West End tickets and we did just that. £27 later and we had seats to the matinee performance of Wicked, bargain right! (They may have been right at the back in the corner, but that didn't hinder the enjoyment and it meant we got to use those cute red binoculars). The £27 also got us a free drink and a cake in the company's cafe on Shaftesbury Avenue which was a lovely added extra, and a nice way to catch up. If you're wondering I opted for a hot chocolate (of course) and a raspberry and white chocolate muffin. 

After we'd warmed up and filled our tummies, we went for a wander and became tourists, ambling round M&M world, roaming round Covent Garden and sitting and watching the street performers. Two o'clock soon came around, so we grabbed some lunch at EAT and made our way over to Victoria. If any of you haven't seen Wicked then I couldn't recommend that you see it more! The performer's voices are incredible and the story couldn't be more gripping. (And when you can get seats for £27 why wouldn't you want to!)

Once the show had finished, our three man band was down to two as Gaby had a train to catch, so me and Ellie headed over to Embankment to find somewhere to go for dinner, it was a good food day. We sat down for cocktails at Las Iguanas, then ventured over to Wahaca for some grub, an unusual but yummy restaurant. We did the usual and ordered too much, so decided to go for a romantic walk along the Thames, admiring the pretty sights and lights. Big Ben chimed 8, and it was time to go our separate ways, but fear not we shall be reunited in just over a months time for Graduation and I cannot wait. I had a lovely day and can't wait to do it again in the future!