New Years Eve

This is going to be a really short entry because honestly, there isn't much different from what I am used to at New Years Eve. I went into Central London with an au pair friend of mine and went home when it was over.

First of all, remember to BUY TICKETS!
Very important if you want to go into Central London and have a good view of the fireworks around London Eye. This started last year apparently and is meant to regulate the number of people to prevent riots, hysteria and people camping outside to get a good spot. It's not expensive, only 10 pound, and the money goes to UNICEF, so you are even doing something good!

The City Centre is divided into different zones, each of them has a limited number of tickets. Because we didn't know that early enough we didn't get into the zones that were sold first, but we got tickets for the pink area - which means Waterloo Bridge.
It was really well organized, it didn't get long to get inside, there was a quick bag check (to sort out glas bottles and private firecracker) and then we were finished. Only three hours to wait....
Honestly, it was ok. Sure it was cold, but we moved a bit, there was music to dance to and the Nero at the end of the street was open to provide is with hot drinks and food as the food stands were way too expensive. Also, you had a lot of space, so don't worry about getting a good spot.

The countdown was projected onto a large building and the shouting started in the last ten seconds. The firework itself was amazing, different shapes and colours, some of which looked like they were exploding in slow motion. The smoke went with the wind so you had a more or less good view of the spectacle and the London Eye all the time.

After that we went to the nearest tub station (Charing Cross was closed so we went to Embarkment) which took some time obviously but nobody was too drunk or pushed. Also, we went into a direction that wasn't very crowded, others were less lucky. A nice bonus was that all public transport was free between midnight and 6am.

And that was it. Like I mentioned, nothing too interesting. I'm sure you can find a cool, edgy party somewhere and have a crazy night, but we just wanted to see the firework and get back into our beds.

Theatre

Trying to get tickets for Hamlet in the Barbican Centre is like climbing an active volcano; everyone thinks it's cool, only a few do it and it may result in death.

Therefore, I decided to turn up as early as possible without camping outside. Difficulties getting there included my alarm being set but only from Monday to Friday, me leaving the bus a stop too early and being tired of course. At least I got one more hour of sleep than planned, which means waking up at 3:30am. I actually got there at 5am. Waiting outside wasn't really bad as it cold but not freezing. I also had breakfast from McDonalds and a lukewarm cup of coffee to keep me awake and going. The girl that came after me actually offered me one of her newspapers to sit on and after a while we started talking about ourselves as well as the differences between Germany and Singapore.

When they let us in into the warmth I tried to take a nap, but as usual it was hopeless. Instead I allowed myself a hot chocolate, of course exactly at the moment when they started to get up and moving.
This was possible one of the worst moments so far. Not knowing if you get a ticket, let along two. Not knowing how many the others in front of you want. There were about forty-ish people and most of them only got one apparently, but you never know for sure.
When I got called to the desk it felt like the weight of the world got lifted off my shoulders. I wasn't the last one. Two tickets, ten pound each, for Shakespeare's Hamlet at 1:30pm. I was finally going to see my first Shakespeare play, and I was going to see Benedict Cumberbatch live.

After a bit of trouble meeting up with my friend we headed to the Museum of London for a really rushed tour. It was still nice, especially because it is a really interactive museum that also shows the culture from the 20th century, a period of time often left out or not shown a lot about.

Speedwalking back to the Barbican Centre to find our seats, B47 and B48 on the highest level, we didn't have time to sit down and eat calmly, but what were we suppost to do.
The play itself was breathtaking. The stageart and scenery was impressive and a mix of old and new just like the costumes. A mix of Nike shoes, band T-Shirts and official uniforms showed exactly who belonged on which side of the conflict. The actors themselves were realistic and obviously deep in character, though I'm no expert on this matter. The change from the first to the second part was so significant, you can only admire everyone who works behind the scenes and has to do this twice every day. Benedict Cumberbatch himself have a little speech about the refugee crisis after their bows which deserves our respect - not everyone would use their fame for such a matter, at least not at the end of a stage play.

Of course we waited outside the stage door after the performance, but as a member of staff told us Benedict himself wouldn't come out as he needed to rest. a lot of people left after this, but we waited for about twenty minutes for some of the other actors who would gladly sign our tickets.

Our plan was to go south to St. Paul's Cathedral after that, but we walked straight past the street we intended on using and instead made a little detour. Not that we complained about it, because on our way we saw a little wedding party leaving a church. Wanting to see the bride and the dresses of the guests we slowed down to a halt and watched when suddenly, a person caught my eye that looked fairly familiar.
Tom Hiddleston.
Tom Hiddleston, sporting an elegant suit, glasses and blonde short hair left the building. At first I couldn't believe it, I mean what are the chances?! But it was obviously him.
After a bit of awkward standing and sneeking obvious glances, obvious because he looked over several times, he made it clear with a headshake he wouldn't take pictures. Ready to walk away I was surprised when he came over really quickly to shake our hands, tell us that he wouldn't take pictures as it is a private wedding and that he was sorry. Which is understandable, so we assured him hastily that it is ok, said goodbye and turned around to go our way. he actually wished us a good day in the end. Now this sounds really nice and normal, but I'm pretty sure I looked like a crazy fangirl that stalked him or something. But well, at least I got a handshake and a little talk out of embarassing myself. It's not like he's gonna remember me.

Still a bit shaken (at least me, my friend didn't even know him!) we finally found St. Paul's and went inside. Little tip: go during a mess to get in for free. It looks amazing, you get to see the priest and hear the choir.
To get us warmed up we got a drink at Starbucks and then went down to the Thames to make a few night pictures. I'm still getting used to my camera, but I think the modus "night without tripod" makes the cloudy nightsky look really cool.

And again, that was about it. by now I wouldn't even be surprised if we ran into the Queen at Tesco considering everything that happened the last few days. And maybe I will learn to hold a conversation at some point!

(24. October 2015)