"Oh, how Wicked!"

Photo courtesy of Soeren Holm-Nielsen

Wicked can mean evil, but in slang, it can also mean excellent. So while this post covers the West End musical of that name, it mostly refers to an excellent time--when our Danish friends joined us in London.

When we told our Danish friends that we could not come and visit them during our time here*, they emailed us that they would come to London to see us. We were delighted! 

Marianne and Soeren arrived late on a Thursday night at Liverpool Street station, the terminus of the Stansted Express train from Stansted Airport. That was just the beginning of our adventure.

Liverpool Street, still busy late at night.

With such a late arrival, we slept in, but after breakfast the next morning, we took a stroll along the Thames.

Photo from Marianne and Soeren.

It was misty, and scaffolding obscured parts of the tower of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, but when the wind died down, it wasn't terribly cold. We stopped occasionally to observe people and river traffic and to have coffee, and it was just the leisurely day we wanted. We had booked tickets to see "Wicked" that night.

We had good seats, and we enjoyed the play with its outstanding singers telling the back story of the witches in the Wizard of Oz in an entertaining way--though the orchestra was a tad loud in some scenes, and I had a minor criticism of the story. (I felt the writer should not portray the dream of someone in a wheelchair as only to stand and walk, because I felt it played into old stereotypes.) 

A selfie that I asked Kevin to take because he has long arms!

Kevin and I had no idea that the highlight of the evening was not going to be the performance.  As we were exiting the theater and about to enter the Tube at Victoria Station, across the street, Marianne's mobile phone rang. She had her gloves on and cleverly said, "Oh, I can't swipe this phone with my gloves on. Could you please answer it?"

I took the phone from her hand and answered. I could see by the display that it was her sister-in-law, Elsebeth, who is also a good friend of ours. We have traded visits to Denmark and the U.S., and she and her friend, Christina, visited us when we were in Paris in 2014. 
"Hello, Elsebeth," I said.
"Who's this?," she asked.
"It's Rachel," I said.
After some pleasantries, she asked where we were.
"Oh, we just got out of the theater." 
"How would you like to have a drink before bed?," she asked.
"Wha-a-t? Are you in London?!" 
"Christina and I are on the Gatwick Express train, and we'll be at Victoria Station in about 20 minutes," she replied!

Kevin and I were in shock, but quite delighted. Marianne and Soeren are good at keeping secrets, and was that ever a surprise! 
Look at  my expression, the moment I learn Elsebeth and Christina were on their way:

Photo courtesy of Soeren.

Of course, we waited at Victoria for the two of them to appear and escorted them to their hotel. Then we all gathered in the hotel bar to toast their arrival and our friendship. Do you know what it's like to have friends you don't see for a long time, but as soon as you're together, it's as though no time has passed? That's our experience exactly!

We all slept in the next morning, and we hosted breakfast at our friend's flat. We hadn't told Shirley that we were going to entertain six people (though we knew she wouldn't mind). 

Elsebeth and Christina had only one full day in London, and they wanted to shop. It was a good opportunity for us to re-visit Harrods, which we had not done for several years. We started in the toy department and made our way down to the food halls.

We enjoyed the displays, but we all agreed that designer clothes for babies and toddlers are ridiculous! I'm sure that Versace outfit will look good with baby-urp on it.

But we all savored the chocolate section with free samples, and "crayons" made of chocolate, an ideal gift for an artist.

Brother and sister shared a moment too.

Then it was on to Oxford street by the classic London double-decker bus, where Elsebeth, Christina, and Soeren sat on top, where they could get a good view. My knee insisted that I sit below.

Photo courtesy of Soeren.

Elsebeth and Christina cleaned up on the sales on Oxford Street. Later that night we had a "fashion show." But sadly, I neglected to get photos.

We had lunch at The Crypt at St. Martin-in-the-Fields near Trafalgar Square. (See previous entry "Tales from the Crypt.") It's difficult to get good photos in the shadowy interior.

How quickly that day passed! We finished well with a beer and a meal of fish 'n chips at the Pembroke pub on Old Brompton Street.

We said a reluctant goodbye to Elsebeth and Christina, but counted ourselves very lucky to have such a surprise and good times with our friends. Were they wicked? Oh, yes, but only with the meaning of excellent.

More with Marianne and Soren next...

*Our friend Shirley said we could take a few days and travel while we are here. But we know we would feel terrible if we went away and something happened that damaged her flat or car. We feel very lucky just to be in London, to explore places we've not had time for in the past, and to take day trips. Also, we do expect to visit our friends in Denmark and Italy at another time. They mean a great deal to us, and our days of traveling are not over yet.