Wales: Day 39 Best Day Of My Life - Part 2

I left you when Anna, Anders and Zoe took off to get food and meet everyone else for Wicked. They asked me about a hundred times if I would be ok by myself, if I knew where I was going, how to get there, not to talk to strangers, etc. etc. I'll admit, I was a little nervous. London is really big, and if I got lost and missed Phantom I'd have to throw myself in front of a tube train, so maybe it was best for me to just go sit outside the theatre until it started. But no. I was feeling independent and adventurous, and wanted to see Leicester Gardens and Piccadilly Circus on my own time.

I bid them farewell, plugged in my headphones and set about looking for something to catch my interest. There is so much to see that it really isn't hard to get completely wrapped up in a matter of seconds. I checked out touristy little shops (I got a pair of London Underground boxers, suckas!), used book stores, little art galleries and any other stores or attractions that caught my eye. I loved it. I was in a huge city, on my own, 20 years old and completely confident in my ability to function and enjoy myself.



Around 6:15 I walked down to Her Majesty's Theatre to pick up my ticket. I couldn't be risking anything here. You guys know how important this is to me. Once I had it in hand, I realized how hungry I was, and walked down to Piccadilly Circus to hit the Tesco Metro. I got a Diet Coke and some dried mangoes, because nothing else looked good. I honestly think I was giving myself crazy anticipation anxiety about Phantom. I was so jittery. I think I checked my bag for my ticket every 30 seconds. Once I had my food I went and hung out in the square on the steps of the Statue of Eros. Legend has it that if you stay at the fountain for at least 1 hour you are guaranteed to see someone you know. We also heard that since Eros is the god of love, throwing coins in the fountain would bring you true love or something cliched and gay like that. Anyways. I hung out here people watching and getting progressively pumped up for Phantom for half an hour or so.



Around 7 I headed back to the theatre to try to catch Talia & Kelsey, or Kayla and her mom who were all going to be in the same showing as me. By 7:15 I hadn't seen them, so I headed in. I HEADED IN. Finally. To be seated. To see Phantom. The only thing I've ever really wanted to do before I died. It was surreal. I bought a program and a shirt (completely unashamed of my nerdiness at this point) and by the time I made it to my seat I was STRAIGHT TRIPPIN.

Seriously, I can't remember ever feeling like that. Who knows if I'll ever feel it again? I was jumpy and fidgety, which is not like me at all. My entire being seemed oriented towards the the stage, every cell in my body was yearning to hear the first notes of the overture. My seat was actually really good. I paid a little more for it, but obviously it's worth it to me. I had a seat just off center on the first balcony, and my view was great. (The last photo is dark but you can barely see the stage and the chandelier covered in a canvas.)


The lights went dim. Instantly my heart started to pound. I felt the adrenaline dump in my system and my heart battered away at my rib cage, to the point that I almost couldn't sit any longer. As the first notes rose out of the pit, I honestly felt my heart and soul kind of seize up. I really was losing control of my body. The first scene, the auction, is very quiet, but when the chandelier lights up and the orchestra starts blaring the theme I completely fell to pieces. I was CRYING. Crying you guys. I could barely breathe. I have never been so emotionally moved in my life. I highly doubt the ability of anything else to ever do that for me again. This really nice lady sitting next to me I'm sure thought I was crazy. Before it started we'd been chatting (she's a Kiwi - a person from New Zealand), and I communicated to her how much Phantom meant to me and how crazy I was about it. So maybe she got it. I don't know.


Phantom was amazing. I mean, the music speaks (sings?) for itself. One thing the movie can never duplicate though is the fantastic use of props and scenery. The decor for the underground lair, the boats and candles, was breathtaking. I often felt like I didn't know where to look because there was just so much that I wanted to drink in.


My heart didn't stop pounding the entire time. Masquerade and Music of the Night were way better Broadway-style. Each person was perfect for their role. The orchestra sounded fantastic. The props, as mentioned, were elaborate and fascinating. The entire experience filled me, lifted me, raised the dead in me. It was honestly one of the high points of my life. As I walked out of the theatre, elated, I had a sad moment of wonder.

Will I ever top this? What else do I have to live for? I guess that remains to be seen.


I quickly jogged down to the tube station, hopped on the train to Paddington Station (again, by myself. Loving it.), and caught the train with minutes to spare. I was delirious. Everything I've ever wanted came true that day. Anyone who knew me in 9th grade has a very good perception of what it meant to me. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. Even the anxiety of late night tube riding by myself, with the risk of missing the train back to Cardiff couldn't keep the bounce out of my step. I was exhausted on the train ride home, dozing in and out of Phantom dreams. Unfortunately we had to walk home at 1 in the morning, with plenty of "hen parties" and gross drunk Cardiff men downtown, but when I crashed into bed around 2 am in my Phantom t-shirt, I was content knowing that Phantom had exceeded my expectations and breathed new life into me.

Wales: Day 39 Best Day of My Life - Part 1

The big day finally came. Wednesday, August 11, I woke up bright and early at 6 am, already crazy excited. We walked to Cathays station (about 20 minutes away, and in a quite ghetto part of Cardiff. Which is saying something.), and caught the 7:15ish train to Cardiff Central. A quick breakfast and then we boarded the 8:25 train to LONDON!!!! I love train rides. They're so smooth, quiet and comfortable compared with cars and especially huge packed vans. Gillian and I listened to some Dane Cook standup, which was delightfully entertaining to our tired and excited minds. Then we slept for the rest of the ride. That's really why train rides are the best - sleep.

We arrived in London around 10:30, got our tube passes and then ventured out into the city! Our group of about 8 or 9 went to Leicester (the theater district. All of the big Broadway signs line the building facades) so most people could get their Wicked tickets (I already bought my ticket to Phantom. I was too excited to wait or chance it.) then we grabbed some pizza from a little street vendor. Probably the weirdest pizza I've ever had, but I was starving and it was decent. Anna, Anders & Zoe were interested in seeing Les Miserables, so clearly I jumped on that bandwagon. We walked down to that theater and got tickets for the matinee. I was straight trippin' at this point. Two legit world-renown musicals. In London. One Day. Couldn't have been more excited.




We had about an hour until showtime, so Jessica, Gill, Sam and I walked around Leicester and Piccadilly Circus (kind of the downtown of London) in search of sights and a delicious treat. Come on. We get ice cream in every city as a tradition. Piccadilly Circus is my favorite area of London. I just ate it up. We walked down to Trafalgar Square which is one of the coolest areas of London without being too touristy. The architecture there is fantastic. We grabbed some chocolate ice cream outside the National Gallery and hung out people-watching for a while.



I love that people just hang out in the square. Such a cool vibe. I wish we did that here.



Jess, Gill and Sam went into the National Gallery, but I had to be back for Les Mis, so I bid farewell to them and headed to the Queen's Theatre. I was slightly nervous about walking back to Leicester from Trafalgar by myself, but I was happy to see that I knew where I was and where I was going, and hopefully I didn't look like too much of a tourist! haha.

Les Miserables was INCREDIBLE. I loved it. I'd heard the music before, but never read the book or seen the musical anywhere. I fell in love with it. I was completely captivated. The actors were so talented, stage effects and props were awesome, and it was all-around amazing. I'm so glad I finally got to see it, and in London, no less.


After Les Mis, we walked through Leicester Gardens (seriously this is the coolest area of London. People who focus on Big Ben, Parliament and all the touristy stuff don't know what they're missing out on), saw some pretty good break-dancing street performers, Anna got hit on, and then Anders, Anna and Zoe headed off to get food and go to Wicked.



You may be thinking, "Wow. That day sounds awesome. Borderline perfect." And you're absolutely right. It was. But it got even better. From this point (approximately 4 pm) onward, this day was 100% perfect for Danica Budge. Everything I could want or need. I knew that I would have a lot to say about my evening, and that Phantom deserved a much more thorough treatment, so stay tuned for another epic, emotional, exciting chapter in the London adventure.

Wales: Day 11 (Part 2) Paddington Insomnia

When I left you last, we'd just enjoyed a lovely performance of Henry IV, Pt. II in The Globe during our London excursion. Everything was going according to plan and we were greatly enjoying our visit. Here's where the story really gets interesting. It's long. I know. Oh, don't I know. But worth it. I promise.

We meandered out of the theatre at about 10:40 and began to regroup. Tom had been hoping we could be out and on our way by 10:30 so we could walk along the Thames and see the Houses of Parliament and all that jazz at night, which I'm sure is beautiful. Our train was leaving Paddington for Cardiff by 11:30 and we decided we wouldn't have time. Instead, we walked across the Millenium Bridge.

Let me rephrase that. We SPRINTED across the bridge, yelling "The Death Eaters! The Death Eaters!" or "Avada Kedavra!" over and over, and generally having a great time. By the time we reached the end of the bridge we were breathless and laughing too hard to stand up straight. We continued walking straight to the foot of St. Paul's, which is absolutely beautiful, day or night.

Our original intention was to jump onto the St. Paul's Underground station and ride that around to Paddington. Theoretically, that should have worked beautifully. Effectively, it failed miserably. We apparently missed the turn to get to the station, so we found another station. This station was closed, due to the late hour.

A good thing to keep in mind throughout my telling of this story is that rarely during the entire episode did any of us have all of this information. There are about 30 of us total, walking in a double-to-triple file line along dark London streets. Tom and our adult leaders are in the front, and I was somewhere near the middle of the group, just following like everyone else. So I have no idea why we were walking so far. We're in great spirits though, walking and singing and talking in accents like we do about 50% of the time.

All of a sudden, the gap between me and the feet of the girls in front of me widens considerably. They're running! And shrieking! What the?! So of course my natural instinct is to sprint along after them. This chain reaction is absolutely frantic. We begin sprinting, some of us holding bags, souvenirs, food, and are completely confused as to where we are going or what we are doing. Sometimes we'd turn a corner super fast or slide quickly to the side to avoid fellow pedestrians. At one point I clearly remember the faces of two pedestrians pressed up against the nearest building, looking at us with expressions of absolute terror and confusion.

Can you imagine? A group of 20+ coed girls, running frantically, laughing and screaming through the streets of London in the middle of the night, following a white-haired man at the head of the group. I'm sure it was absolutely ludicrous to them.

After sprinting for a few minutes or so, or after coming up to a street crossing with a light, we'd all stop, crashing into one another, laughing, panting, straightening our hair and clothes. We later found that the first time the spontaneous sprinting broke out, it was because Tom was being goofy (as per his normal interactions with us) and began skipping. The lack of communication and distance between him and the tail end of the group translated to chaos only a few people behind him.

Successive sprints were a result of our unfortunate timing. By this time it was after 11, and we couldn't find an Underground station. The train leaving from Paddington was the last one for the night, and we had no other way to get back to Cardiff. Some real panic set in with our frenzied laughter. Some girls at the back of the group or who weren't physically up to our interval speedwalking and sprinting were pretty far behind us, so confusion was further heightened.

Finally, we find a suitable Underground station. It was approximately 11:22 as we came barreling through the ticket-stands and along the escalators and stairs, once again frightening everyone in our path. I jumped down the last few stairs onto the platform just to see the train doors shut 6 feet in front of me with about 1/2 our group on it. The rest of my half came stumbling down the stairs, red-faced and panting, laughing at how ridiculous we looked watching the train speed away. We thankfully had 2 minutes to sit before our train came, and the rest was welcome.

Our train arrives at about 11:26. We jump on and begin to ride. We had to switch from the Central Line to the Circle Line in order to get to Paddington, so we all prepared to alight from the train and find the nearest portal. We spilled out onto the platform, sprinted up escalators and stairs, across the station and onto a platform, then onto the correct platform, just in time to jump on the correct line. Tom and another student got on another line entirely which might get there before us so he could try to delay the train. Once we were on the Circle Line en route to the station, it was 11:29. I'm sure we looked so ridiculous. Jumping onto the train, sweating, panting, laughing, disheveled and with the nervous tick of constantly checking our watches.

Finally reaching Paddington, we sprinted up a flight of stairs (OW), through the ticket turnstiles and up a ramp, just in time to run up and see Tom standing there, defeated, and no train in the station.

Yeah. We missed it.

Somehow we beat the previous group who got on the subway before us, so they came running up seconds later and we all stood there, sucking air and blinking, as Tom relayed our options.

1. Wait for the 5:30 am train to Cardiff, so spend the night in Paddington Station, arriving in Cardiff at about 7:30 am.
2. Take a train leaving in an hour or so to Oxford, then take one from there to Cardiff so we'd be warm and comfortable during the night, but get home later on Thursday morning

We opted to spend the night in the station, so we'd get home quicker and it'd just be easier than getting on and off trains all night. I was really proud of our entire group, because no one complained or got faint of heart. We literally just stood and laughed in amazement at our situation.

The warm interior portion was closing soon (it was 11:50 ish) so we had to chill (literally) on the platform. In an act of defiance, about 15 of us laid on the platform floor, right in the middle, in a circle. Soon Tom joined us and I suggested that we go around and each tell our worst date stories. Everyone heartily consented, and we were off. Everyone was quite giggly and in good spirits, so it was a fantastic discussion. Other travelers walked by with amused and quizzical looks on their faces, and a crazy homeless man took to sitting behind us and mimicking our gestures. At one point, a drunk ginger came and laid down by us and joined the circle. We were laughing so hard, and then when it came to be his turn he began relating his worst date story. As he progressed, I began to anticipate the trajectory this story was taking, and tried to stop him.

SIDEBAR - For those of you who know me well, you will be stunned that I

1. Knew what he was talking about
2. Anticipated it in advance and
3. 3. that I was the one who stepped in to protect the delicate ears of my peers. Ridiculous.

I suggested that his story would be inappropriate for this group, but he blurted out another phrase which was crude and awful, but I don't think everyone understood it, thank goodness. Tom at this point somewhat abruptly told him we were a church group and that he was probably in the wrong place. He left very quickly and failed to hide his embarrassment. Hahahaha

After sharing and bonding, we moved to the metal benches. By this point, it's getting quite cold. The station is more of a shelter and less of a building, and the cold tile floors and metal benches were not kind. Tom ripped up some cardboard boxes to sit on for insulation and cushion. girls wrapped in the scarves they'd bought in the markets that day, and 80% of the group clustered together on the floor to fall asleep around 3 am. Some girls cut up a poncho and used it as a blanket, others wore multiple jackets and pulled the hoods up. We looked straight up HOBO. It was so hilarious.

As for me, I was loving it. We were staying the night in Paddington Station after a crazy, crazy day in London! This was the best story EVER. Who has stories like this? Danica Budge. It was fantastic. I literally did not have a negative thought enter my mind the entire night. I didn't really feel too tired until about 5 am, and didn't try to sleep. I was pretty chipper and social most of the night and I am really glad because I got to talk and get to know everyone much better. My voice was a little worst the next day for it (as you can see in this photo I'm chatting it up instead of sleeping), but it was worth it. While some of the group slept, I talked with Tom, Anna and Zoe about life experiences, books, and movies. It was great!

Around 5 am, we waited anxiously for the sign to show that our train was on time and ready to board. The restaurants started opening so a bunch of us grabbed hot chocolate and breakfast stuff, just in time to finally board our train home! We looked so disheveled and ridiculous, but everyone was positive and happy, so we had a great time. Everyone was quite exhausted and totally crashed on the way home. My friends here were lucky to get a table seat, I had to curl up against a window and woke up even more sore. Sore from walking all day, standing during the entire play, sprinting through London's streets, rapidly climbing staircase after staircase and escalator after escalator, then huddling in the cold, hard train station, it really didn't make too much of a difference to sleep for 2 hours in an awful position against a ledge and window.

Long story short? No. BEST. STORY. EVER.

Wales: Day 10 & 11 Londinium

Tuesday was spent watching another history movie and then planning our London excursions, so nothing need be said concerning that. On to more interesting things.....

LONDON! I have honestly been dying to go to London since I was like 10. I am not sure what it is, but I'm just fascinated with it. I've been looking forward to this day since we got our schedule and saw that we had a full day in London. Fantastic. Here we go.

We woke up bright and early. Our house, Penny Lane, is about a 20 minute walk to our director's and fellow student's houses which serve as our headquarters. We had to leave our apartment at about 6:15 so we'd be there in plenty of time to leave headquarters by 6:40 to walk to the train station for a 7:00 train. This train took us to Cardiff Central, where we caught the 7:30 train to London. It was a slightly cold and rainy morning, but we were all so excited that it didn't really matter. We arrived in Paddington Station at about 9:45, ready to rock.

First we visited the Museum of London as a group. Tons and tons of cool stuff. Lots of artifacts, great exhibits, and enlightening historical models. I particularly loved all the Medieval and Victorian-era fashions, like this dress. It's over 6 feet wide! Crazy, right? I sometimes wish we still dressed like that.

After the Museum of London, about 11:15 am, we were released. On our own. Like adults. I know. Ridiculous. We had all-day metro passes and heads full of excitement as we separated from our director and peers to catch the nearest tube line. I LOVE riding the tube. It was so great. I think I would love doing that every day. So easy to get around, quick, fun, efficient. It was great. We went to Kensington Gardens to begin our adventure. Here is our group, the members of which, besides myself, are fondly referred to as "The Irish" because they traveled in Ireland previous to the program. I usually hang with them, but I am friends with everyone and glad we all get along.

Kensington Gardens are really beautiful. And huge! The fountains are so pretty. I think I would kick it here a lot if I lived in London.


We got to see the Peter Pan statue, and Jessica shared with us the "legend" of Peter Pan and Bird Island, which is signified by the location of the statue.

My favorite part of the park, and, arguably, the entire day, was the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. We almost didn't go see it. I really wanted to because I loved Princess Diana. Mostly because my mom did, but still. Who didn't? We decided to check it out and I'm so glad that we did. It's this big, circular, low procession of water through rock, with varying levels and stream directions. The signs said wading was encouraged, so we kicked our shoes right off and jumped in. The cool water felt fantastic on our always-sore feet.



We were trying to take a cute group photo, but we couldn't get a good shot or someone to take it. Finally I saw a cute older gentleman passing by and asked him if he'd take our picture for us. He acted like it was a huge pain and didn't want to, but was just joking.

I said "Oh, please?!!!!"

Old Gentleman (Imagine this in an Italian [I think?] accent) - "Well, what will I get from you young ladies?"

Me - "Ummmm.... Oh! I'll give you a kiss on the cheek?"

Him - "Well! That'll be just fine. You are beautiful young ladies so I am just a lucky old man to get to help you, yes?"

So he takes the picture for us, and then as he's walking away he turns back and is like "Ok so where-a is my kiss??" And he gave me this big smile and his wife was just laughing so hard and then pulled on his arm before I could respond and he finally sighed "Oh yes. I am much too old." Haha. He was adorable.

After Kensington Gardens, we headed for the famed Portabello Road markets. The street is lined with antique and crafty little shops, and street vendors set up on the sidewalks and shoulders of the road. We browsed through little shops of handmade jewelery, antique watches and clocks, mini tea sets, cashmere sweaters, and the typical London tourist souvenir stands. It was really cool, and I found some good stuff, including the ever-appealing "I heart London" shirt. Couldn't resist.

We jumped back on the tube, this time to Harry Potter's King Cross Station to visit Platform 9 3/4. Yeah. We went out of our way to see it. Worth it! I love this picture. It looks like I'm disappearing into the wall, right? Would I ditch all you guys if I could disappear into it and get on the Hogwarts Express? You bet your owl I would.

We then walked to the British Library, which was INCREDIBLE. Ok, I'm a library geek, I know that. But seriously. This library was fantastic. I don't know how anyone could leave unimpressed. In the "Treasures" room, I literally saw things I never even dreamed of seeing. We got in trouble for trying to take pictures, so I wrote down everything so I wouldn't forget. The amazing things we saw stunned me, including but not limited to

• The Gutenberg Bible
• The Magna Carta
• The original Beowulf manuscript
• Original composition manuscripts from Handel, Mozart, Haydn and others
• Beethoven's tuning fork
• The Beatles lyrics on manuscripts including envelopes and napkins - crazy!
• Illuminated manuscripts from China, Japan, Turkey, Persia, and elsewhere
• Da Vinci's Codex Arundel
• Codex Sinaiticus - the earliest manuscript of the complete New Testament, in Greek
• And tons more.

You guys know I'm rarely found wanting words for my mouth to say. I was almost completely silent for the duration of our time in the library. I couldn't even breathe when I saw the Gutenberg Bible. It was almost moving me to tears. I felt like such an idiot, but it really was that incredible. I can't believe I'm lucky enough to do this stuff.

After the Library, we decided to check out the British Museum. This museum is much larger and way cooler. The building itself was just phenomenal.



We didn't have much time, so I really hope we get to go back on our free day in London after our final (August 11). Still, the 30 minutes we spent there were well-used. We got to see the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian sphinxes and sarcophagi (Cleopatra's!!!), Victorian jewelery, Michelangelo's sketches and much more.



One goal we had for the day was to get some legit fish and chips in London. I love fish and chips and I've been dying to get some the whole time we've been here. Unfortunately we took so long in the museum and finding our way to our next destination that we didn't have time. But it's ok. I was able to grab a hummus sandwich, which was delicious. I am loving these sandwiches on baguettes. So delicious.

Our final stop was to meet up with everyone at the Globe for a performance of Henry IV, Pt. II. We finally found the theater, ate, and queued to get good spots. We had groundling tickets. They are the standing seats right in front of the stage. They're the cheapest, but also the most fun and the best experience. It was worth standing for a few hours to feel that close and involved. The performance was really fun and we had a blast because we were literally right up against the stage. I was resting my arms and chin on the edge of the stage. Some girls in our group got fake puke on them! Awesome.


Now. The plan was to head to the tube following the play and catch a line back to Paddington station to catch our 11:30 train back to Cardiff. Suffice it to say for now that that didn't happen. It was a night the likes of which have never been seen before by my eyes, and probably won't be seen again. Absolutely fantastic. The best story ever. But it's too much for this blog post. It deserves its own blog post, and will be following shortly.

Stay tuned to hear about my midnight adventures in London.