When it came to finding something to get my mum for Christmas, I didn't just want it to be something she'd expect. I didn't want her to look at the shape of the present and think 'It's that top I saw in New Look the other week'. So, when I came up with the idea to go to London for the day, I knew it was what had to be done. I booked our trains in early November, and as a little extra treat, I also booked for us both to go and see Jersey Boys. It's a musical that we've both wanted to see for so long, so I was very very excited, to say the least. Then it was the wait until Christmas day.
I handed my mum the train tickets and the theatre tickets in a little red envelope on Christmas day, and it's very safe to say she was shocked. I think she really liked the fact that she didn't expect the whole thing. And the best part was, that when she got the tickets, we were only three days away from going! We've been listening to the Jersey Boys soundtrack since.
Last week, at 5am, we woke up and headed to the train station to catch our train to London. We were both very very excited. I hadn't been to London in just over two years so was very much looking forward to going back and taking in the beautiful surroundings of the city. I fell asleep on the train there, but let me just tell you how much I love Virgin Trains. They are like a plane that doesn't fly. I wish all trains were like Virgin Trains.
Anyway, after a two hour train journey, or in my case, a two hour sleep, we arrived in a very quiet London. It was 9am so I'm not very surprised. Then, Mum and I had the challenge of actually trying to find the theatre where we would be watching Jersey Boys. Mum refused to let me use the sat-nav on my phone, and instead told me that she knew the way; she didn't. We were up and down little back streets, and what should have been a half an hour journey took us about an hour, but we got to see where Great Ormond Street was, which was the only perk of the walk. Soon enough, we found the theatre, and my excitement started to flutter around in my tummy.
By this time, it was about 10am, and as the show only started at 3pm, we had some time to kill. We decided to head to Oxford Street and do some shopping. The minute I saw the beautiful blue screens of Hollister, I dragged mum straight inside. It was three floors, THREE FLOORS! And let me tell you, it smelt absolutely beautiful. I also got a very nice bargain in the sale, I'm starting my summer wardrobe early.
We then headed further down the street, and I came across a little alleyway that was decorated with lights. It said 'Carnaby Street'. Being a girl who is constantly on Instagram, I'd seen this a couple of times but I didn't really understand the hype about it. but let me tell you now, it is the cutest little street ever. I didn't even feel like I was in London. Mum explained to me a little bit of history about the street, I took some pretty photos, and then we headed back into Oxford Street. We started to walk down, and had a browse in places such as Topshop, New Look and Miss Selfridge, but I found it very hard to shop. I hate shopping in sales when everything is jumbled, it's the worst. We then took a little break and went for a coffee. I'd never been to Oxford Street, and from what I'd seen so far, I really wasn't impressed. I just didn't understand what everyone loved about it.
We all know that Disney is my life, and I'd heard a lot of things about the Disney Store on Oxford Street so I was on the hunt to find that. The further we walked, the more Oxford Street became pretty. The beautiful street decorations glistened in the sunlight, and the lights on the Christmas Trees sparkled. It was perfect. Then, I found the Disney Store. It was beautiful. Two floors of pure Disney-ness, Cinderella's Carriage and a talking Storm Trooper. It's safe to say I didn't want to leave. We had a wander around for a little while and then continued on our journey back down Oxford Street.
Now, this is the Oxford Street I wanted to see. The Oxford Street I loved. We passed House of Fraser and then we came across Selfridges. Mum and I are massive fans of the show Mr Selfridge, so we let out a little squeal and headed through the doors of the most famous shop in London. Mum started to sing the theme tune of the show, and then said 'Good Morning Mr Selfirdge' to every single male employee she saw. I honestly can't take her anywhere. But Oh My, Selfridges is amazing! It's like another world, so many gorgeous things. And the escalators, they're flat and then all of sudden they just rise. Everyone needs to up their game if they want to be anything like Selfridges.
When we'd finished walking around the many many floors, and looking at things that we definitely couldn't afford, we decided to take a stroll back to the theatre. In the build up to watching Jersey Boys, the album had been on repeat, and I knew the words to 60% of the songs. We were a little early to the theatre, so we took our place and waited for the show to begin. I sang and danced in my chair the whole way through. We were sat in the Grand Circle, and I was a bit apprehensive at first, because after reading reviews online, they had said that you couldn't see much. I just didn't want the day to be ruined for Mum. Honestly, we saw everything that went on. It was well worth the price. I'm not going to spoil anything, but Jersey Boys will make you laugh, smile and cry. It's my favourite musical...EVER!
We emerged from the theatre, just wanting to dance and sing down the street which was lit by the beautiful Christmas Lights. We then decided to head down to Trafalgar Square. I'm very scared of pigeons, so we thought it'd be best to visit it at night time when they've all gone to bed. It was beautiful. We sat by the fountains for a little while, watching them change colour and it was so peaceful. We then went to see Buckingham Palace, Leicester Square and many different theatres such as the Palladium, Her Majesty's Theatre and the Apollo Theatre. The day was coming to an end, and we ended it the only way we knew how; in McDonalds. We couldn't get into cafés anywhere so it was the only place we could find, and we were very very hungry.
We got back to Euston Station, and had a short wait until our train was called. We then hoped back onto the train and headed for home, eating our sandwiches and falling asleep straight away Very tired, we stumbled back into Wigan Station after the most wonderful day in London.
Here are some photos I managed to take of the day!
Lots of Love,
Meg
xox
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