Hadestown in London

Friday July 18, 2025 

I was completely surprised today when I woke up and Steve told me it was 11:00. I can not recall the last time I slept that late! This is not a good thing. I’m still trying to get myself on to local time.

Today we took a scenic boat ride along the Thames to go to Greenwich village. 

The last time we were in London, I bought my favourite scarf at Greenwich Market, and I wanted to see if I could get another one. Spoiler alert: I got two! They aren’t  as good as my first one, but they are still excellent!

We enjoyed a nice lunch in Greenwich and shopped the market for awhile. I got new scarves… and Steve got new boots. He couldn’t resist them because they are so beautiful and unique!

He wore them that very night when we went to see Hadestown!

Next, we took a sunny boat ride back down the Thames to Westminster. 

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

I always enjoy looking at the city from the river (this is true for most cities!) and they tend to have interesting commentary and anecdotes on the boats. It seems like I often forget what they’ve said, because when they told us that Wharf stands for “WareHouse At River Front”, I turned to Steve and said “Well there you go, I learned something new today.” And he replied, “No you didn’t they told us that last time.” I guess we have more evidence as to why I need to write things down!

After the boat docked at Westminster Bridge, we walked back through Trafalgar Square to our hotel and then got ready for our show of the evening which was Hadestown. 

Sidenote: On our walk to the Lyric Theatre to see Hadestown we walked through Chinatown, which looked very beautiful with all the lanterns hung between the buildings. I need to remember to check this place out later!

I was quite looking forward to Hadestown, an award-winning musical, because I had read very good things about it. I was not disappointed. I would give this show a 20/10! The music was incredible, the acting and singing were spectacular and the story was gripping. I mean edge of your seat gripping. I was crying so much at the end of the second half that I was having to concentrate on not making loud ugly crying noises. I was not alone, there were many tears being wiped away around me and audible sniffles. I had become so involved in the story that I was still crying for 20 minutes after the show as we walked home, and anytime that evening that I tried to talk to Steve about it, I couldn’t because I was still so emotionally involved in it. All I can say is this, if you have the chance, you have to see it. It has taken the place at the top of my list as my all time favourite musical.

Hadestown set at the Lyric Theatre in London

As we were walking back to our hotel for the night, Steve decided he needed some food. We should have stopped somewhere by the theatre… but didn’t, because I was crying too much… By the time we got back to Covent Garden, everything was closed (well you could get drinks, but no food) so Steve subsisted on the protein bars and nuts we had bought for snacks for the room. 

All in all another very enjoyable day in London!