Hen weekend: Not the Jack the Ripper Tour!

For my hen weekend, I had planned a trip to London with some friends, my sister and mum to see the Jack the Ripper Tour. So, Nat, Fin and I met Mum and Paula after their bridesmaid dress shopping (the online company I originally ordered my sister's dress from never delivered; despite taking the money - a claim is in progress!) we took the tube to the hotel. That's when things started to go wrong... for reasons unknown, two tube stations were closed so everyone was booted off the train and we had to walk the distance (we could possibly have worked out an alternative tube route but don't know the tubes that well!). By the time we got to the hotel, the tour was due to start in 10mins. After checking in, we ordered a taxi at reception, then dumped our stuff in our rooms with no time for changing, makeup or even brushing our hair! When we met the taxi we found the receptionist had only ordered a taxi for four, despite there being five of us - we had some choice words about her! Rather than abandoning some of our number, we phoned the tour and asked if we could meet them somewhere, so we were back on the tubes (after paying a cancellation fee for the taxi!)

Missing the start of the tour.

Pod, Mum, Fin and Nat

We ended up missing the meeting point - tubes again! So phoned the tour and asked if there was anywhere else we could meet. Long story short, we missed that point too, but the tour had kindly left our tickets for the boat ride part of the tour with the staff at the quay. Once we realised that we were not going to make the tour at all, we were all able to relax and thoroughly enjoyed the evening - in some ways it was a better evening than if we had made the tour as everyone got to chat properly and get to know one another (paula had never met Fin or Nat before).

Paula, me and Mum

Fin, me and Nat

More things we didn't see;

the invisible man

Later that evening, we went out for a meal (I had mushroom lasagne which was fantastic!). We headed back to the hotel and were asleep before 10:30pm with no influence of alcohol - not the typical hen weekend!

In the morning, Mum, Paula and I (Nat had to leave early) met Fin in Oxford Street where we all settled in Borders - THE bookshop! - before heading off our separate ways. It was great seeing everyone again, especially as I hadn't seen my sister and Mum in about a year, and don't see Fin often since she moved to London.

P.s. Nat and I worked out we used most methods of travel during this weekend; planes, buses, trains, boats and cars!