Back in July my bestie, Helen (otherwise known as H) decided to have a jaunt down to the big smoke.

She had seen an advert for Agatha Christies ‘Witness for the Prosecution’ at London County Hall and wondered if I would be interested.

Would I?  Hell yes!

So, we booked a couple of tickets, a hotel in Paddington and trains on Saturday morning to get us there in good time.

The plan was to go to the show, then hit the hotel, unpack and relax and then go into the city on Saturday night for a few drinks and a bit of a laugh.

H arrived at my house around 8am and we had a taxi booked for 0920am. We had a cuppa whilst I finished packing and getting ready.

I wasn’t able to pack the night before as hubby had gone to sleep early, but I had made my list of things needed and I started off getting the important things like phone chargers, medication and ankle supports ready.

I knew what clothing I wanted to wear so it didn’t take too long to get all the items ready. Then however came the problem. My case was massive and half empty but all my other cases were up in the attic.

H said this was no problem, she would go and get one. Then she saw the rickety stepladder and confessed to a fear of heights.

Thankfully this was when little chick came to the rescue, got in the attic, grabbed a case and I happily repacked.

Eventually the taxi came, took us to the station and we awaited the train.

And what a nightmare that was!

The platform was heaving and everyone piled on. Sadly our seats were at the other end of the carriage and the aisle was packed with people trying to go each way. We eventually made it to our reserved seats and someone else was sitting in them.

Thankfully they happily got up and we finally settled in. I felt like I had already walked a marathon and was exhausted with a throbbing leg. I was lucky to have an hours rest and settled in to enjoy the journey.

Chicks on Trains

Sadly it wasn’t that peaceful, but it was lovely. H and I were sat opposite an elderly lady who was going to London for a school reunion. She was a very Chatty Cathy but was a wonderful travelling companion. We shared stories and had a bit of a giggle and the hour flew by.

Saying goodbye, we headed for the tube and went straight to Paddington. We knew we wouldn’t be able to get into our rooms yet, but they had told us we could leave our luggage there.

Our lodgings

It was a five minute walk from the tube and we saw a lot of places we could eat or drink at. Including a stunning looking pub two minutes walk from our hotel; The Pride of Paddington.

The Pride of Paddington

Hitting the hotel we left our luggage, walked back to the tube and headed over to the Southbank early.

The show started at 230pm, and we needed to have a spot of lunch. Jumping on the tube we couldn’t decide whether to get off at the Embankment or Waterloo.

The Embankment

In my wisdom I decided we could get off at the Embankment and see a few of the sites whilst walking across the river. Big Mistake!

I had forgotten that there was a massive set of steps from the road up to the bridge. No other way to get across. I steeled myself and set off up the steps taking them very, very slowly.

Eventually hitting the bridge I was in absolute agony with my ankle and knee, so much so that I very nearly vomited. I told H that I needed to try and catch my breath when in reality I was trying hard to focus on something other than the prospect of vomiting over the side of a packed pedestrian bridge!

What a sight!

Eventually I pulled myself together, walked across the bridge and down onto the Southbank. There were several restaurants that we could eat at and there was a Las Iguanas that looked pretty good to us.

We got a table for two and the waiter advised it was 2-4-1 on cocktails. Whoohoo!

Lunch Time

Knowing we wouldn’t be eating till much later, I decided on the 3 plate tapas and a Long Island Ice Tea cocktail. H went for Duck Tacos and a Berry Collins to drink.

H and a Berry Collins

The food arrived swiftly and was amazing. So did our cocktails and we dived in.

Long Island Babe

I had gone for Halloumi Skewers; Halloumi with oregano and sweet chilli sauce, Pork Anticuchos which were skewers of belly pork with an achiote and tamarind glaze, topped with pineapple salsa and chicharrones. For my final plate I went with Nachos knowing that H and I could share in them.

Halloumi Skewers

All of my dishes were amazing. The pork was so soft yet tangy and the halloumi lovely and salty but with a sweet sauce. The nachos were outstanding and such a  huge portion. We shared them and drank our cocktail whilst debating desserts.

Pork Anticuchos

At the end of the meal we were both so stuffed that dessert was not on the cards; we decided to walk along the Southbank to get rid of some of the food we had consumed.

Nachostastic!

There was still an hour before the show started but needed to be early as once the performance starts, that’s it. Locked doors!

Done!

We knew it was in County Hall which is where the London Eye is based. We wandered around and could not see the entrance at all. Heading into one of the ticket booths we enquired as to where we had to go. Being advised that we needed to head to the rear of the building.

County Hall

Finding where we needed to go we entered into a most stately of environments. Marble everywhere, gilded lists of councillors and leather seating.

Very posh!

We grabbed a drink to take into the performance and went into the auditorium.

It was spectacular.

Elegant surroundings

Seats in the round, with a small wooden stage set in the middle; a spotlight shining on a simple wooden stool in the middle. A huge ‘throne’ at the top of the room and two rows of seats to the left hand side.

The Stage; The Stool

We took our seats at the front which were very roomy and comfortable. There were old fashioned speakers draped over the back of our seats. The room had been used for many years during council business and this was the original layout. It was perfect.

Eventually the lights dimmed, the doors shut and the performance started.

We watched as a jury of ticket-holders were sworn in and that was it, I was gripped by the story. It was electric and I was drawn in to working out if the accused was guilty or not.

Half time came and H and I were buzzing. It was such a great play and we were totally left guessing. Having our half time drinks we discussed the play and our thoughts.  We couldn’t wait for the second half to start.

The stage is set

The second half was even better and we thought we had sussed out the killer, motive and were feeling a bit smug.

Of course, with Agatha Christie it never ends the way you expected!

What a view!

We left County Hall and decided to head back to the hotel to rest, freshen up and then go out for some dinner. Arriving at the hotel to check in, we were shocked to find that the hotel doors were locked and people were waiting outside AND stuck inside. There was a note on the desk stating that someone would be back in 5 minutes.

The Terrible Two!

Twenty minutes later and the receptionist finally arrived. We felt quite sorry for her as she was literally in the building on her own and had been dealing with someone who had a problem in his room.

We got our key, bags and went up to our room. We didn’t expect the Ritz given the price which was pretty good at £130 but it was a bit bijou!

Selfie Time!

The room was pretty snug however it was snug, comfortable and very clean. We had tea and coffee, a good size tv and storage space. There was a frosted glass door into the bathroom and we should have guessed from the fact that it opened outwards that it was a little small.

To be fair, it was one of the first times I forgot to take pictures of the room and facilities. I was that shocked.

The bathroom was about the size of a large closet. The sink was so close to the toilet that you had to sit on it sideways. The was absolutely NO chance that I could fit my fat body in the shower as there was about a foot wide walkway past the sink to get into it!

Round two!

However, we literally had just booked the hotel as somewhere to lay our heads at the end of the night. We got on the bed to chill out for an hour and rest my leg and I was hooked. The bed was one of the most comfortable I have ever slept in, in my life. It was worth every penny just for the comfort.

First Aid needed!

We sat/lie around for about 90 minutes before freshening up, getting our posh frocks on before heading out. We had discussed going back into the City and having cocktails and trying out a new adventure. However, we were both pretty shattered after having a long day.

What a beautiful building

As we had seen the Pride of Paddington at the end of the street and it looked pretty good. We had a slow walk down, found a table outside and grabbed a menu. We were pretty hungry and opted for a mixed grill for two and some cocktails. What a meal it was too. The mixed grill was epic; so much flavour and choice. We split it up and tucked in.

Huge Mixed Grill

After finishing our food, we decided whether to go out in the City, sit at the pub for a bit or do something else.  We knew there was a small supermarket around the corner so decided to go and get a couple of bottles of wine and hit the hotel and a bit of Saturday night TV.

Cocktail time again….

Getting back to the room we realised there wasn’t any glasses in the room so had to plump for Prosecco in teacups!

Tea for Two

A bit of Britain’s Got Talent before realising that Kill Bill was due to start.

H was saying how much she loved the film and I had to admit that I had never seen it. Well, that set us up for the rest of the night.

We were lying in bed, prosecco on tap and a good film.

And then I woke up the next morning……

Find out what we spent our Sunday doing in the next installment.

Until then,

SPSG xxx