Even though I still have many trips to cover, I'm going to jump out of order here and talk about our recent trip to London. We visited for the first time -- well, my first time (B has been there a few times for work) -- a month prior, but I'll lead off with this trip because a lot of our time was spent at Christmas markets (my new obsession!). As Christmas is a week from today, these holiday posts have a diminishing shelf life!
If you're wondering, the reason we took 2 trips to London 4 weeks apart was to see friends. My old boss from the States was traveling there for a wedding and we planned to meet up. Also, London is just a fabulous city and it's a quick flight for us, so it's easy to do a weekend trip!
We left on a Saturday and returned on Monday morning and had plenty of time. Sightseeing was out of the way from the previous visit, so we could slow down and enjoy the city, holiday festivities, and company of good friends.
Hyde Park |
On Saturday afternoon, we missed a matinee showing of Wicked that we had planned on attending, but that simply meant we had more time to enjoy the afternoon before an early sunset. These hours were devoted to strolling through Hyde Park and sipping on Glühwein (German mulled wine) at the Winter Wonderland Festival.
Let me say, London knows how to do holiday decorations! The "Winter Wonderland" was like a typical carnival, times 10! There were lights everywhere, endless coasters/rides/funhouses, diverse food huts, drink stands and full fledged bars/clubs, live bands, etc. A favorite discovery of ours was a "Merry-go-Round for adults": an open-air bar, with a rotating carousel in the middle (with a bar in the middle of it too!). Brilliant.
After our wondrous winter adventure, we met up with my friend and his wife for some drinks and quality catch-up time. I was so happy to see a friendly face from Chicago, in London of all places! The next morning, we reconvened and, with coffee and croissant in hand, walked around the beautifully decorated neighborhood of Covent Garden.
When our friends departed for the rest of their European excursion, we Tubed it over to Xmas market #2, the Cologne Market at the Southbank Centre. It's situated along the Thames, so market-goers can simultaneously devour their bratwurst and spiked hot chocolate, browse artisan "whosits and whatsits galore," and enjoy views of the London Eye and Big Ben across the river. So pretty at night!
Between friends and festivities, the weekend definitely put me in a great mood. Being in London, I kept singing the lyrics from the Love Actually song: "I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes... Christmas is all around me, and so the feeling grows!" As I close this post, I'm listening to it yet again...
"So if you really love Christ-mas... C'mon and let it snow!"
That last picture is gorgeous!
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