Tucker in London! (and also The Underground)

It is fair to say that the beginning of our trip defied expectations. After a tragic split in our party, I ended up being in a group of seven who made it onto a plane departing from Texas. We flew out Monday night, crossed the sea, and arrived on Tuesday, around 2 PM, at the home of fish & chips, Monty Python, and Benedict Cumberbatch: England.

More specifically, London. The first few hours were a blur of gates, hallways, baggage, and customs that eventually led us to meeting up with the eighth member of the “The First Londoners”. With her help we headed for the area that is the main subject of this post.

“Way down under the ground”

My first ride on the Tube was really quite uneventful. We entered first from Heathrow station. The simplicity of the station was somewhat of a marvel. My only other experiences with long distance rapid transit railway systems were from trips to New York City. Though my memories with it are hazier, The New York City Subway seems to have given my family and I a few more headaches than London’s Underground have thus far. There’s still time I suppose.

The train rides I’ve had thus far have gone without incident. My first journey from the airport to our hotel was a long one, but also a quiet one. Along the way, we passed above ground a few times outside of the metropolitan area. A specific moment I recall is passing by an array of vaguely suburban houses. With this surely ordinary neighborhood, the first thing that came to mind was that it was just so distinctly British. Shocking, I know. But to me, it was truly the first sign that I was quite a ways away from home.

The rest of the ride was quite incident free. And outside of an unfortunate trek up a staircase with wheeled baggage, our group was able to leave the station without any real trouble at all. That description could largely be used to fit every journey on the Tube I’ve had since then: an easy ride from station to station with the unfortunate addition of stairs by the few foolish architects without the proper wit to have chosen to be born in the age of escalators. Additionally, we received oyster cards which allow us to tap in and out at any stations within our zones with ease. Honestly, the Tube has been just about the easiest and simplest part of the Theatre in London trip thus far.

Speaking of, of my freaking gosh, we’re in London! With the tube as our main mode of travel, our group has had quite the introduction to this city. The First Londoners’ experience was a slow and easy one, having dinner at the hotel, then going our separate little ways until finally we were able to reunite with the rest of our group. With our full group, we hit the ground running, eating at Seven Dials market and watching The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the world. The play was wonderfully funny, dramatic, and immersive and the twist was delightful. The production was perfect and with it, I felt like I truly got a taste in full of what West End theatre can look like.

The next day we took our first true tour of the city, being introduced by Shawn to the many wonderful pieces of architecture, history, and culture that the city is so full of. Eventually we split off into our little groups. Me and the crew I had the pleasure of joining drank boba, returned to Seven Dials, and ended our evening by seeing Les Misérables. I cried a lot. Seeing a favorite play of mine done to such a fantastic degree truly has made me so excited for what the rest of this trip will bring.

Closing out my first blog post, I just feel so thankful and excited. Thankful for the people that pushed me to make sure I could come here and so excited to grow as a member of the theatre community. But before I go, I have to introduce my partner in crime on this trip.

This is Squirt Asteroid-Destroyer. 

Like me, Squirt holds a deep affection for art and adventure. His previous caretaker gifted him to me to guard my harmonica case back home, but now, we guard each other on our righteous grand quest. Throughout my trip, I will continue to update you all on his journey throughout London as it mirrors my own. Also, he is very cute and gives me an excuse to take pictures! Here’s some now: