HOME!!!

Hey all!
Yes, we did make it back safe and sound. Lol...London was fabulous!! I can't even tell you everything we saw in one post I don't think. We basically burned both ends of the sticks with early mornings and late nights. But, hey! It was sooooooo worth it!

Highlights:
- Going into Buckingham Palace. Gorgeous! It was SO hard to believe that someone(s) actually live there!
- Windsor Castle and Hampton Court. Yes, we saw lots of palaces, castles, and courts, oh my! Which leads me into my next point and probably one (lol!) of the best things we did....!
- Theater!!!! We had pre-bought tickets to Phantom of the Opera. Very close to the front, it was amazing! BUT....we saw Wicked on our first night there! It was right around the corner from the hotel, literally. So we didn't think we'd have a better chance. Balcony seats, not great, but you could see, hear, and experience the whole thing. However....I read on the back of the brochure that they sell 24 front row (YES you heard me right!) seats the morning of the show for 25 pounds (which is 5 pounds cheaper than what we pay/seat in the balcony!). Sooooooo...we went and got front row seats!! Crazy amazing, still can't believe it! We tried very hard to get Lion King tickets because my aunt really wanted to see it, but the cheapest available seats were over 100 pounds/seat and were like the nosebleed seats! Needless to say we didn't go for that! So, guess what else was playing around the corner? Billy Elliot!!!! We decided to try our luck walking over, the concierge had gotten balcony seats for 90 pounds and we passed. Walked in 2 hours before the show, they had 4 front row seats available! So we did it!!! LOL! Buuuuuuutttt...the 2nd time we went to Wicked, we found out that the actors come out the stage door after and sign autographs and take pictures! Rachel Tucker, plays Elphaba, came out, but couldn't stay. It was the only night she hadn't been able to stay. So of course, we had to go back! We were first in line to get front row tickets and went again the last night we were there. We got all the leads autographs: Elphaba, G(a)linda, Boq, Nessarose, Madame Morrible, the Wizard, and Doctor Dillamond!!!! The only person who didn't sign was Fiyero, disappointing.

So tell me, do you guys know these musicals? Have you seen any of them? Tell me your stories because I'm definitely having Wicked Withdrawal Syndrome right now! I feel incredibly lucky and grateful to have seen them, but I can't help but want to be there more. These people are purely talented, there's no way around it. I am SO lucky!

In honor of my Wicked cravings, I am rereading Wicked now since I finished The Lovely Bones.

This isn't all we did, but I've been keeping the theater info a secret from my friends here until I see them, so I HAD to tell you guys!!! Sadly I can't tell you in person *tear* But SURPRISE anyway! Lol....

I will for sure tell you guys more about our week in the future. I don't have to work tomorrow or Saturday (they gave us the weekend off!), so I should be around.

It's great to be back! I MISSED you all!! How was your week? Hope it was great too!
Talk to you soon, I hope!
Hannah

P.S. I will try and post a post this weekend with pictures and more stories!