My Glam Nation Tour travels, the last part: London - a picture post
The London show was my last and, according to Adam, the last concert of the Glam Nation Tour at all; the two shows in LA are not considered "Tour", they are his home shows.
I'm sad that it ended, somehow it was too early and although this was my 7th show already, I could have easily done 7 more. Every show was different and I think I'd never get tired watching Adam doing what he does best - entertaining his audience, creating an illusion, a world of fantasy where he invites us all in.
But everything has to come to an end eventually. So, here is my last GNT concert post.
London/United Kingdom
The train ride from Manchester to London took me 2 hours 15 minutes and I thought it would be a nice chance to get to see a bit of the English country. But apparently my body had other plans and I fell asleep o the train. Not for the whole time, but long enough to miss a good part of the journey. I was still travelling light, because I still hadn't heard from the airline about my luggage.
I arrived in London Euston railway station in the very early afternoon and while I was still standing in front of a big tube map an older woman approached me and asked, if I plan on using the tube that day. When I told her yes, I was, she offered her daytime ticket to me, said, she only used it half of the day and didn't want it to go to waste, so she wanted it to give away to someone, who could still use it the rest of the day. I thanked her and asked how much she wanted for that (because, I mean, she could have asked for at least half the ticket prize, right?), but she said she didn't want anything for it. That was nice. With my free ticket in hand I went downstairs to the underground station, not knowing what to expect. But as it turned out, using the underground in London is not really that different from using it in Berlin, so I got to our hotel without any problems.
I checked into the hotel and got a room in the basement. Let's just say, it wasn't the best hotel there is, but it was warm, it was not that expensive and it was really close to the venue. It looked nice from the outside, though.
Since I had my all day tube ticket and nothing to do but kill time and the weather was nice, I decided to go sight seeing a bit until it got dark. I got a map at the front desk and with that and a tub map I was appropriately armed for my first trip to the London city center. My first way led me to the venue, that wasn't even a 5 minutes walk. It looked very peaceful, 24 hours later there would be already people standing in line.
The first thing I could think of was "Big Ben", so I went to Westminster station. And there he was:
The "Houses of Parliament":
The "London Eye" and the "Sea Life London Aquarium":
"Westminster Abbey":
Unfortunately I couldn't get in. It was a Sunday afternoon and so they were getting ready for Sunday mass. No lurking visitors welcome, which I can understand. It was getting dark pretty fast, but I didn't want to leave yet. I figured if I was already in the area, I had to go to Trafalgar Square.
On my way I saw the "Westminster Central Hall":
The "Cenotaph", that commemorates specifically the victims of the First World War, but is used to commemorate all of the dead in all wars in which British servicemen have fought:
The "London Eye" lighted in blue by now:
And then I walked up to "Trafalger Square" with the "Nelson Column":
the "National Galery":
and the "Admiralty Arch":
By that time my fingers were frozen and I chose a nearby McDonalds to have an early dinner and grab a hot chocolate. I went back to my hotel and waited for my Finnish friend to arrive. I was in desperate need of an adapter for the power outlets in the UK, because the one I brought from Germany wasn't the right one. But finally she arrived and I could go online and catch up on everything I had missed during the day.
I decided to spend the day of the concert inside. It was freezing cold and the workers of the London tube decided to pick this beautiful Monday to strike and I knew I had the whole Tuesday for sight seeing. So, I went on a hunt for a blow dryer, which didn't take me long, because I got one at the front desk. You can say what you want about this hotel, but the water was warm and they handed out a blow dryer for free. I thought that was nice. :)
I got to the venue 2,5 hours before doors were supposed to open. I had a ticket for the balcony, level 1, and the line for that wasn't as long yet. But I didn't really have anything to eat the whole day and I figured that I wouldn't make it without any food until the end of the show. So I asked the two girls standing behind me, if they could hold my place and went to KFC. Full and happy I got back in line, armed with a cup of hot chocolate that hold me warm for the next 30 minutes.
When the doors finally opened, I went up and looked for a good seat on the balcony. There was one empty seat, right in the middle of the balcony in the second row. I asked the guy, if it was available and he said yes, so it was mine! It was awesome. Because it was in the middle and right beside the aisle, there was no seat in front of me, just an awesome view of the stage! Turned out the guy next to me came from Saudi-Arabia, but not just for the concert. He was studying English in London. We had a short nice conversation. I took some time to admire the beautiful venue, that is the 1903 built "Shepherds Bush Empire", an old theater, that used to be the BBC Television Theater:
And then the last show was starting. As cliché as it sounds, my heart still started pounding faster when the first beats of Voodoo echoed through the hall. And with his voice he once again captured me and took me into this fantastic world.
And one of my favorite shots:
And I also took a couple of videos:
The concert was over and not only the concert, the Glam Nation Tour was over. I went outside and met with my friend who was on the floor in the standing only section during the concret. We we're standing outside in the cold, the alley where the stage door was was appropriatly locked with iron barriers. I saw Taylor and Brooke smoking outside, Sutan and Sasha joined them later.
Finally Adam came out, wearing a long black coat, the black hat and the grey skull shirt that he wore for the SONY event in Munich. I hope he had a fabulous night out in London!
When we went back to our hotel we got a surprise - the heating didn't work! I felt strangely reminded of my hotel room in Manchester, where we also only had one warm night in our hotel. I thought, maybe it is kind of a typical UK thing to do: book two nights in a hotel room, get only one of them with the heating on. :)
Anyway, we survived the night and it was Tuesday and I was looking forward to a full day of sight seeing, because my flight wasn't leaving until 6.45pm. Looking out the window on the other hand made me regret that I booked such a late flight - it was snowing. And not the nice slow-falling snow, but the wet kind. I put all my clothes on and thought if I get too cold I'll just go somehwere inside.
Well, that really was nothing compared to the problems my Finnish friend had: the flight crews of the Blue1 Airline were striking and her flight in the evening got cancelled. Fortunately there were many Finnish fans in our hotel, who had the exact same problem. When I knew she didn't have to go to all the trouble alone, I was sure I could leave her and go my way. (Turned out, she had to take a flight the next morning, but the airline provided them with a really nice hotel, dinner and bus tickets for free)
Again, I was kinda glad that my luggage got lost along the way. All I had to take with me and take care of was my backpack and that was very comfortable. I bought another "all-day" ticket for the underground and went to the city to see all the usual things London tourists should see. And when I stepped out of the underground at "South Kensington" station, it had stopped snowing for the time being. But that wouldn't last long, it was an on and off with the snowing all day long.
The "Natural History Museum" with a skating rink:
The "Royal Albert Hall". I really want to go to a concert there on day:
The "Albert Memorial":
The "Royal College of Music" (alumnis include Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, James Horner and Vanessa-Mae):
The famous department store "Harrods" (I didn't go inside):
The "Wellington Arc" at "Hyde Park Corner":
I walked through "Green Park" to get to "Buckingham Palace":
The "Queen Victoria Memorial":
Then I walked through "St. James's Park"
and reached "West End" with its theaters, pubs and musical theaters. That reminded me once again how much I want to see a play there some time. I really have to come back to London, maybe in spring or summer, when it's not snowing. Here are some impression of London's West End near Piccadilly Circus:
I then took the underground and went to "Victoria" station, to see the theaters of the two shows, that I really wanna see:
And "Little Ben":
It was getting dark already, but I had one more destination. I wanted to see the Tower Bridge. So I hopped on the underground again. I left at "Monument" station and there it was, "The Monument", that marks the point, where the great fire of London started in 1666:
And "The Gherkin":
Then I reached the "Tower of London":
and the "Tower Bridge":
There ended my sight seeing day in London and my last Glam Nation Tour journey. I took the underground to Heathrow Airport to catch my flight home.
Thanks and hugs go to luv4al and thrace_adams for being my sisters in crime and travelmates through these crazy, exciting, wonderful weeks! Without them it would have been only half the fun!
I still don't like flying very much, but I would do it all again if it would mean, that I could see Adam live in concert. I hope his second album will be a huge success and I hope he'll continue doing what he loves and does best - performing on stage and entertaining people. And I hope one day he'll come back to Europe and I'll get the chance to see him again!
I'm sad that it ended, somehow it was too early and although this was my 7th show already, I could have easily done 7 more. Every show was different and I think I'd never get tired watching Adam doing what he does best - entertaining his audience, creating an illusion, a world of fantasy where he invites us all in.
But everything has to come to an end eventually. So, here is my last GNT concert post.
London/United Kingdom
The train ride from Manchester to London took me 2 hours 15 minutes and I thought it would be a nice chance to get to see a bit of the English country. But apparently my body had other plans and I fell asleep o the train. Not for the whole time, but long enough to miss a good part of the journey. I was still travelling light, because I still hadn't heard from the airline about my luggage.
I arrived in London Euston railway station in the very early afternoon and while I was still standing in front of a big tube map an older woman approached me and asked, if I plan on using the tube that day. When I told her yes, I was, she offered her daytime ticket to me, said, she only used it half of the day and didn't want it to go to waste, so she wanted it to give away to someone, who could still use it the rest of the day. I thanked her and asked how much she wanted for that (because, I mean, she could have asked for at least half the ticket prize, right?), but she said she didn't want anything for it. That was nice. With my free ticket in hand I went downstairs to the underground station, not knowing what to expect. But as it turned out, using the underground in London is not really that different from using it in Berlin, so I got to our hotel without any problems.
I checked into the hotel and got a room in the basement. Let's just say, it wasn't the best hotel there is, but it was warm, it was not that expensive and it was really close to the venue. It looked nice from the outside, though.
Since I had my all day tube ticket and nothing to do but kill time and the weather was nice, I decided to go sight seeing a bit until it got dark. I got a map at the front desk and with that and a tub map I was appropriately armed for my first trip to the London city center. My first way led me to the venue, that wasn't even a 5 minutes walk. It looked very peaceful, 24 hours later there would be already people standing in line.
The first thing I could think of was "Big Ben", so I went to Westminster station. And there he was:
The "Houses of Parliament":
The "London Eye" and the "Sea Life London Aquarium":
"Westminster Abbey":
Unfortunately I couldn't get in. It was a Sunday afternoon and so they were getting ready for Sunday mass. No lurking visitors welcome, which I can understand. It was getting dark pretty fast, but I didn't want to leave yet. I figured if I was already in the area, I had to go to Trafalgar Square.
On my way I saw the "Westminster Central Hall":
The "Cenotaph", that commemorates specifically the victims of the First World War, but is used to commemorate all of the dead in all wars in which British servicemen have fought:
The "London Eye" lighted in blue by now:
And then I walked up to "Trafalger Square" with the "Nelson Column":
the "National Galery":
and the "Admiralty Arch":
By that time my fingers were frozen and I chose a nearby McDonalds to have an early dinner and grab a hot chocolate. I went back to my hotel and waited for my Finnish friend to arrive. I was in desperate need of an adapter for the power outlets in the UK, because the one I brought from Germany wasn't the right one. But finally she arrived and I could go online and catch up on everything I had missed during the day.
I decided to spend the day of the concert inside. It was freezing cold and the workers of the London tube decided to pick this beautiful Monday to strike and I knew I had the whole Tuesday for sight seeing. So, I went on a hunt for a blow dryer, which didn't take me long, because I got one at the front desk. You can say what you want about this hotel, but the water was warm and they handed out a blow dryer for free. I thought that was nice. :)
I got to the venue 2,5 hours before doors were supposed to open. I had a ticket for the balcony, level 1, and the line for that wasn't as long yet. But I didn't really have anything to eat the whole day and I figured that I wouldn't make it without any food until the end of the show. So I asked the two girls standing behind me, if they could hold my place and went to KFC. Full and happy I got back in line, armed with a cup of hot chocolate that hold me warm for the next 30 minutes.
When the doors finally opened, I went up and looked for a good seat on the balcony. There was one empty seat, right in the middle of the balcony in the second row. I asked the guy, if it was available and he said yes, so it was mine! It was awesome. Because it was in the middle and right beside the aisle, there was no seat in front of me, just an awesome view of the stage! Turned out the guy next to me came from Saudi-Arabia, but not just for the concert. He was studying English in London. We had a short nice conversation. I took some time to admire the beautiful venue, that is the 1903 built "Shepherds Bush Empire", an old theater, that used to be the BBC Television Theater:
And then the last show was starting. As cliché as it sounds, my heart still started pounding faster when the first beats of Voodoo echoed through the hall. And with his voice he once again captured me and took me into this fantastic world.
And one of my favorite shots:
And I also took a couple of videos:
Click to viewThe concert was over and not only the concert, the Glam Nation Tour was over. I went outside and met with my friend who was on the floor in the standing only section during the concret. We we're standing outside in the cold, the alley where the stage door was was appropriatly locked with iron barriers. I saw Taylor and Brooke smoking outside, Sutan and Sasha joined them later.
Finally Adam came out, wearing a long black coat, the black hat and the grey skull shirt that he wore for the SONY event in Munich. I hope he had a fabulous night out in London!
When we went back to our hotel we got a surprise - the heating didn't work! I felt strangely reminded of my hotel room in Manchester, where we also only had one warm night in our hotel. I thought, maybe it is kind of a typical UK thing to do: book two nights in a hotel room, get only one of them with the heating on. :)
Anyway, we survived the night and it was Tuesday and I was looking forward to a full day of sight seeing, because my flight wasn't leaving until 6.45pm. Looking out the window on the other hand made me regret that I booked such a late flight - it was snowing. And not the nice slow-falling snow, but the wet kind. I put all my clothes on and thought if I get too cold I'll just go somehwere inside.
Well, that really was nothing compared to the problems my Finnish friend had: the flight crews of the Blue1 Airline were striking and her flight in the evening got cancelled. Fortunately there were many Finnish fans in our hotel, who had the exact same problem. When I knew she didn't have to go to all the trouble alone, I was sure I could leave her and go my way. (Turned out, she had to take a flight the next morning, but the airline provided them with a really nice hotel, dinner and bus tickets for free)
Again, I was kinda glad that my luggage got lost along the way. All I had to take with me and take care of was my backpack and that was very comfortable. I bought another "all-day" ticket for the underground and went to the city to see all the usual things London tourists should see. And when I stepped out of the underground at "South Kensington" station, it had stopped snowing for the time being. But that wouldn't last long, it was an on and off with the snowing all day long.
The "Natural History Museum" with a skating rink:
The "Royal Albert Hall". I really want to go to a concert there on day:
The "Albert Memorial":
The "Royal College of Music" (alumnis include Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, James Horner and Vanessa-Mae):
The famous department store "Harrods" (I didn't go inside):
The "Wellington Arc" at "Hyde Park Corner":
I walked through "Green Park" to get to "Buckingham Palace":
The "Queen Victoria Memorial":
Then I walked through "St. James's Park"
and reached "West End" with its theaters, pubs and musical theaters. That reminded me once again how much I want to see a play there some time. I really have to come back to London, maybe in spring or summer, when it's not snowing. Here are some impression of London's West End near Piccadilly Circus:
I then took the underground and went to "Victoria" station, to see the theaters of the two shows, that I really wanna see:
And "Little Ben":
It was getting dark already, but I had one more destination. I wanted to see the Tower Bridge. So I hopped on the underground again. I left at "Monument" station and there it was, "The Monument", that marks the point, where the great fire of London started in 1666:
And "The Gherkin":
Then I reached the "Tower of London":
and the "Tower Bridge":
There ended my sight seeing day in London and my last Glam Nation Tour journey. I took the underground to Heathrow Airport to catch my flight home.
Thanks and hugs go to luv4al and thrace_adams for being my sisters in crime and travelmates through these crazy, exciting, wonderful weeks! Without them it would have been only half the fun!
I still don't like flying very much, but I would do it all again if it would mean, that I could see Adam live in concert. I hope his second album will be a huge success and I hope he'll continue doing what he loves and does best - performing on stage and entertaining people. And I hope one day he'll come back to Europe and I'll get the chance to see him again!