Since I finished school, I’ve had plenty of spare time on my hands. While I was in school I’d already heard of some of the amazing plans many of my classmates had. I wanted to get out of my house - away from the FRIENDS box sets - and actually, do something. I started to get serious FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). I mean you’ve just got to look at some of my Pinterest boards to realise that I pine after places that are still unknown to me.
As part of my efforts to GOMO (Go Out More Often, a campaign started by Eventbrite to end FOMO) this summer, my nan and I took a 3 day trip to London this week.
We arrived on Monday morning. After dropping off our bags at the hotel, we went to Garfunkel’s for an early lunch. Their breakfast menu was still just about running, so I had some of their pancakes which were marvellous! We then headed to Foyles bookshop - one of my absolute favourite places! We spent hours in there and in the end I bought 3 books and for me, that shows a lot of self-control. Using my London Pass I also received a free book, which is never a bad thing!
That night, we had tickets booked for Kenneth Branagh's production of Romeo and Juliet, however, as there was no one to play Romeo as both the lead and understudy were injured, the showing was cancelled. Nonetheless, we sought out another show to see instead. Mamma Mia! was on and we managed to get some of the last tickets to see it. It was such an incredible show! I’ve been singing ABBA songs constantly ever since.
On Tuesday, we got up early and then headed over to Shakespeare’s Globe via a tour bus. It’s safe to say that I completely nerded out. As a general literary geek, you can imagine my excitement. We were taken on a guided tour of the Globe, which was fascinating! The atmosphere in the theatre was amazing, I can imagine that seeing a play there would be just spectacular.
After a quick lunch, we took the bus to Westminster Abbey. We took an audio tour and it was so interesting. I saw the tomb of Elizabeth I, Mary I and Mary Queen of Scots which I loved! I love their stories and that whole era, so it was great to see them. The tombs of Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots were opposite each other and equally grand, which I thought was hilarious. Poet’s Corner was also really cool - they had so many people there that I’d read or been recommended, including a plaque to my beloved Jane Austen.
In the afternoon we headed over to the Royal Albert Hall. Again, we went on a tour and it was fascinating. It’s an amazing building and we were able to hear some of the rehearsals for that night’s prom, meaning that we heard parts of a new piece before its official premiere! We had a lovely meal in one of the hall’s restaurants and decided to try and get tickets for that night’s Prom! We managed to get tickets off to the side but still had a great view - particularly of the soloist Ray Chen, who performed the violin concerto No.1 in G minor by Bruch incredibly. I was actually mesmerised. The audience gave him a huge round of applause and then he returned and performed another piece, this time on his own. It’s fair to say that my first prom was unforgettable.
Wednesday, we went to Hampton Court Palace. Again, as a History nerd, this was like heaven for me. We didn’t get to go everywhere as we didn’t have enough time. It was fantastic seeing the places that I had read about for years and finding out new facts about the stories I already knew so much about.
On Monday we had rearranged our Romeo and Juliet tickets to the performance on Wednesday but weren’t hopeful that we would be seeing it. The Wednesday show was still on, to our surprise, and we saw a brilliant performance. I actually got chills at the end. I laughed more than I had expected to (I mean, it’s Romeo and Juliet, there “never was a story of more woe”.) I have to say that one of the standout performances was Derek Jacobi’s Mercutio. Absolutely brilliant.
London is full of so many events and I’ve had such a great few days exploring the city and finding out more about what it has to offer.
To learn more about Eventbrite’s campaign to end FOMO, to plan your own event and track RSVPs online or to find out about events near you, click here and make sure to tell me about your plans to GOMO this summer!
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