Last year I posted about my trip to Winter Wonderland and how much fun it was going on the rides and drinking baileys and hot chocolates. This year Winter Wonderland was set up again in Hyde Park and I couldn't wait to get back to some festive fun. So much so I actually went twice.
The first time was for a Christmas dinner with my cousins who also live in London as we wouldn't be seeing each other at Christmas. They hadn't been before so it was fun walking around with them, looking at the markets, buying gingerbread hearts and buying some mulled wine (which I actually could manage to drink this year). Instead of trying some tasty market food from many many vendors we booked a table in a pop-up Bavarian restaurant. There was a great two for one offer on a three course meal so we splurged out and got a delicious meal. Chicken wings, followed by burger (or roast) followed by ice cream or chocolate fondue was the perfect meal to a fun night. While we were eating we listened to an acapella girl group who started out by singing some great Christmas carols. Their music then turned strange with renditions of Radiohead's "Creep" and Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl". From there we had a bit of a wander through the rest of the wonderland before calling it a night! Even though it was only late November it was a great way to get into the Christmas Spirit.
The second time I went this year was with a group of friends who had recently moved over from Australia. They hadn't been before either and as they were all adjusting to their first winter abroad it was nice to do something Christmassy to get us into the spirit. We met up after work and the first stop was at a pop up bar for a some beer and mulled wine. We sat upstairs in a cosy little bar and its hard to believe that it wasn't there all year round with the amount of decorations and detail that went into it.
From there we started to get hungry so we found a stall selling some food. Some of the best part of Winter Wonderland is often all the stores are German or Austrian so their food is delicious. You can get German sausages, Frittes and pork rolls but my favourite is fried potatoes with onion and bacon. Droooool! After we had lined our stomachs we were ready to continue on. This time we made more of an effort to look at the markets and wander through the wonderland. Stopping every now and then for Dan to play a side show and lose his money. I got really excited when I found a fairy floss stall and Lauren and I shared a traditional serve on a stick. It went everywhere! We found the ice rink and watched people skating (and falling over) for awhile before winding our way back to the beginning.
Both nights (just like the one last year) were so much fun. Wandering through somewhere all decorated and themed like Christmas with carols playing and people in the festive mood. The only thing that could top it off was if it snowed!
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