For once (on this trip), I’m writing (well, starting) a new post for a day during that day! I was hoping to get it all written tonight, but I doubt I will. Still, it won’t matter to you, dear reader, because you won’t see it until it’s all done anyway!

I had another day of pretty decent weather, with rain holding out until the early evening (slightly heavier than yesterday’s sprinkles, but still pretty light and definitely intermittent). The sun situation was pretty similar – it was kind of there, but mostly not really. Still, the temperature was nice and I had a fun day, starting with a walk to the Leicester Square Christmas Market after breakfast. This is the market I mentioned in this trip’s first post, but it wasn’t yet open that day, so since I had a little time to kill before Matt’s arrival, I decided to check it out. It was pretty busy, with lots of people walking around, shopping the stalls and buying food and drink, but nothing really caught my eye. Still, I love the Christmas season, so I was happy to just soak things in! With Trafalgar Square being so close, I hoofed it over there to check out their market and it proved to be very similar. Still, the walk over there gave me the chance to pop into St Martin-in-the-Fields (which I’ve only been into once or twice before), including a stop into their crypt cafe and their small chapel in the lower level, both of which I’d never visited before. I always think about eating in the cafe, but as I never even managed to visit it before today, I haven’t done that yet. Maybe this will be the trip! I don’t think they’re known for their food, but it just seems like a neat location to enjoy a meal.

Knowing Matt would be arriving soon, I decided to head back to Leicester Square to wait for him. I enjoyed a nice Rekorderlig cider while I waited (they have a stall in the Christmas market and their cider is super tasty), people-watching all the while. He soon arrived and we decided on a quick lunch at Prezzo before our matinee. Prezzo is an Italian restaurant chain and I think I’d eaten there in Brighton once – the food was perfectly good! Nothing outstanding, but knowing we only had a short window to work with, they seemed like the closest and safest bet. Try the lasagna the next time you’re there!

Our meal finished, it was time for our show, which was…9 to 5: The Musical! Perhaps that’s anticlimactic, since I was being cagey about the show until this post, but I just wanted to build up a little suspense. 😀 Although I’m not a devotee of the 1980s film the musical is based on, it looked like a fun show and it happens to feature Doctor Who actress (among many other roles) Bonnie Langford, so we decided to check it out. And the tickets I got from TKTS on Thursday were a steal – only £28/$35 each for seats in the stalls. Admittedly, they were sold as “partially obstructed” because our seats were at the back of the stalls and there’s an overhang above them, which obscures the very top part of the stage. Although I had asked the guy at TKTS what we might miss, he wasn’t sure as he hadn’t seen the show himself, but knowing these tickets were half the price of tickets with non-obstructed views, we decided to risk it. I’m really glad we did because we didn’t miss anything being in those seats! And the show was a ton of fun – lots of laughs and great voices from the three leads (with two being particularly good). And Bonnie’s role of Roz (the boss’s administrative assistant) was a lot of fun and got an especially hilarious solo. Lots of laughs all around! Though I wouldn’t pay a huge amount of money for tickets, I would highly recommend this show as a great way to spend an afternoon (or evening!).

It was after the show that we had to deal with rain, so we scrapped our plans to see if any of the stars (well, mostly Bonnie) would pop out of the stage door to say hello and instead went straight to Retro Bar for a post-show drink(s). Although I would love to have met Bonnie (she’s one of the very few big Who stars I’ve never met), it seemed unlikely she (or anyone else) would come out in the rain, especially because they probably had to start getting ready for their evening performance just after the matinee finished. So Retro Bar was the better choice. 🙂 It was a little less crowded there this time and we were even able to snag a table, which was great! One of Matt’s friends met us there and we stayed for a couple of hours, enjoying beverages and chatting. We had a fabulous time!

Right, finally time for photos!

A street performer outside Leicester Square.

The glockenspiel outside Leicester Square.

Walking through the Christmas market.

I really liked the look of this tree. Lots of trees still have (some) green leaves on them here (not true at home).

Looking festive in the market.

The market in Trafalgar Square.

I don’t normally get a photo of St Martin-in-the-Fields from this angle.

The small chapel in St Martin-in-the-Fields, which is on the lower level where the cafe is.

Lots of poppies out for Remembrance Day, which is 11 Nov.

Me with my cider after I returned to Leicester Square to wait for Matt.

Outside the Savoy Theatre, the home of 9 to 5. Fun facts – the theatre opened in 1881 and was the first public building in the world to be lit entirely by electricity.

Selfie time!

Matt and I were discussing how smart it is to have this on the stage before the show starts. Of course, you can’t take photos during the show, but knowing lots of people will take photos of the stage before the show starts, it makes sense to have something like this on it that people can share on social media.

I was happy to get the chance to see some of the holiday lights at night on my walk home.

Walking by the Christmas market on my way back to the hotel (the rain had stopped by this point!).

I was happy to have a bit of an earlier night last night – home a little after 9p! Although I didn’t end up getting this post done (spoiler alert – it’s Sunday morning now), I got a good start and also got another decent night’s sleep, so I’m a happy camper. Today, I’m off to a Hidden London tour of Piccadilly Circus, which I’m really looking forward to! Check back to read all about it. 🙂