After a month without the likes of young Schmoo, the OH & myself decided that it would be a good time to do something exciting and different. We booked it all a couple of weeks back and have certainly been looking forward to our little day trip to London with the intention of seeing a superb show to boot.
The show in question was Stephen Fry's first ever performance in which he was pretty much answering questions as asked from his fan's via twitter - name of the game was #FryRAH for those of you whom may "twitter"
The venue was the Royal Albert Hall, Kensington London and here is pretty much how the two days off work panned out.
After arriving early to catch the train from Norwich to Liverpool St London (a theme of the day it seems this early lark) We managed to find our reserved seats, of which we had booked a table seat facing forward in the quiet carriage. We arrived into our designated seats, Granted facing forward but no table in sight and in a carriage with various gobby twats on their mobiles all shouting, pretty much not needing their phones as all and sundry could certainly hear every crap part of the pointless conversations.
Not to worry, settled in for the two hour slog with the usual "tosser's" muttered under ones breath.
Arrived, hopped on the tube to South Kensington and headed for the "hotel" I had booked when ordering the tickets weeks before. I would like to point out the word "hotel" is used incredibly loosely in this sentence!
Ok I certainly dont deny that on searching for the hotel for the one night the theory was:
Cheap, cheerful, clean and secure. Simple really. It was just going to be a place to sleep to be honest.
So imagine our utter delight when on arrival the first thing you see is not one, or two but THREE printed off signs stating
"The hotel takes no responsibility for the loss of anything within the hotel"
I'm sorry? Surely that's illegal? (For the sake of those who don't know, it is.)
Ok so we booked a double room via a "booking" website The room was cheap, granted but what we saw when we did go up into the bowels (and I mean that literally) we were if nothing else a little taken back.
The room was 4m x 6m, A TV with 2 channels & no remote, Nothing to make a cuppa of any shape or form,The bed was probably big enough for OH but I would never have fit in as well, carpets my dead Grand-parents would have been proud to have in their living room (and the fact they looked like they hadn't been hoovered since they died either, the door didn't lock properly (which explained all the signs) There was just a sink in the room and the "communal" shower room initially looked like it was painted a weird dark grey/blue colour. I was so thrilled when I realised it was actually mould.
After going back down to reception saying were were not going to stay, they did offer us another room. I looked in the door. That was enough thank you.
It was at that point I met up with OH who had gone down via the stairs where so much construction work was taking place there were cables hanging out of walls, extension leads & tool trailed and strewn all up the stairs (this being the fire escape also). I think we can safely say it certainly didn't install enough confidence for us to stay. We left oddly enough.
Don't get me wrong, both myself & OH have worked for an events company and believe you me we have stayed in some bloody humdinger of a crap hotel before but the pair of us were both astounded that this place could actually be allowed to open to paying customers! It was a bloody death trap!
So wandering up the road, now knowing we would have to find another hotel costing yet more pretty damn sharpish, we went into the Holiday Inn, South Kensington.
Now granted, we had to pay for the privilege and seeing as it was some sort of "Fashion week" apparently there were very few rooms left - we still managed to scrape into a yummy double room, en-suite, fresh towels, TV with many channels that worked (with a remote) , tea & coffee stuff, HUGE comfy bed, towelling robe, slippers, wonderfully hot shower, doors that locked, quiet hmmm I could go on but I think you can get the way I am going with this.
£230 lighter I might have been but worth every penny and that is what credit cards are for after all.
We sorted out our stuff for the evening and toddled off to get some food before getting our arses over to the RAH.
Lovely yummy meal in a local restaurant, stuffed me good and proper, then started to wander off to the venue to have a gander.
Two bloody hours before they opened the doors we arrive *sigh* so we sat for a bit, wandered for a bit then sat a bit more until we saw people starting to mill into the venue and toddled off to our "in the roof" seats.
The Royal Albert Hall as a venue it utterly spectacular, but what an optical illusion! It really does strike you as being huge when you see televised shows. Now allowing for the fact we were so high up I am sure there was a slight whiff of altitude sickness from many an audience member but you have expect that in the pauper area :)
The show was truly superb. It was different, which is what made it so special I guess. I swear to god I could just sit and listen to him waffle on for hours. The man is so witty, funny & genuine it's very refreshing to find some honesty even if as a celebrity he does have to be guarded for obvious reasons.
It was incredibly thought provoking, utterly hilarious and well worth the jaunt and the climb up what seemed to be 48000 stairs to our seats.
On that note I would like to say that I really do hope the second show he is doing tonight goes as well and is just as successful & funny.
So after all that excitement, retiring to a stonkingly superb hotel room was utterly bliss and I certainly slept like a brick! (hmm ok I normally do I know but.... y'know :D)
So after choo choo - ing it back home again all relaxed, loved my two day adventure and will at some point remove the mental block I have installed ref the credit card bill!!!
