London is giving Paris 'The city of lights' a run for its money as many places now have their Christmas lights up and decorations in the windows. People have even put their trees up in their windows so I can see them on my walk home from work. Even the cold weather doesn't seem so bad. This week just gone there was snow forecast (but it never did much to my disappointment) and the highest temperature has been 4 degrees. It has taken a bit of getting used to and I learnt the hard way that you always, always, always need your coat, scarf, beanie, gloves and warm socks. But the benefit of wearing 700 layers and having frozen toes is that Christmas is on its way and this time its going to be white.
Friday was Sammy's birthday so we headed into the Winter Wonderland that had been set up in Hyde Park. We met at a bar in Mayfair which is true to its Monopoly form of being very very expensive and actually a bit of a pain in the arse if you land yourself there. Turns out the bar we met in is owned by Guy Richie and it was absolutely swamped with people which made it hard to get a drink. Luckily we had scored ourselves a table so we were out of the way for most of the jostling at the bar. After a quick drink there we headed off into the cold and wandered across to the park. As soon as I saw the twinkly lights I was hooked. This place WAS a wonderland (for those of us that get excited by shiny things).
First thing on our list of things to do was get something to eat and a mulled wine. About five minutes into the night I lost everyone which could have been a nightmare but luckily I soon found them and got stuck into a bratwurst. Lance had the task of getting us all a mulled wine and I was pretty keen to get into it as I had heard people rave about it before. Turns out its just hot sangria and we all know that I no longer drink sangria due to an overdose in Pamplona. I tried my hardest but after two sips had to give it away (which wasn't hard really) and instead go for a hot chocolate with baileys and whipped cream. I know what your thinking and yes it did taste like a little bit of heaven. It also did a fine job of warming me up just a little.
After a very brief look at the Christmas markets we headed over to where the rides were and stocked up on tokens. Siobhan was planning on being our 'Mum' who stood outside and held all the bags but we convinced her to come on a roller coaster with us. It was a great roller coaster as it was inside and pitch black so you had no idea what was going on. Siobhan didn't seem to like it much and pretty much spent the whole time screaming which was hilarious for us as you can imagine. Next on the rides was a Penguin ride that is similar to the teapcup ride at Disneyland. Basically you just spin the capsule around yourself while it goes around in a bigger circle (possibly the worst description ever but hopefully you get what I mean). Siobhan thought it would be fun because the cute chubby penguins you sat in didn't seem so scary and it was a bit of a kids ride. Well Lance made sure that it was no leisurely spin round the park and spent the whole time turning the penguin so fast we spent another few minutes listening to Siobhan scream.
There were a few more rides including a massive Giant Drop type thing and another crazy spinny ride which Sam, Lance and Fran all attempted but me and Siobhan sat out. We had started to get a bit chilly (ok I was mainly getting chilly) so we ended up calling it a day after that. It turned out it was nearly closing time and we had spent about three hours wandering around enjoying ourselves - time does fly when you are having fun! As we were heading to the yummy looking pizza stall for a quick fix of something warm and tasty I ran into Ness and Arron who were ice skating. It still surprises me that I can run into people I know in the middle of London. Unluckily the yummy looking pizza stall was closed so we grabbed another Baileys hot chocolate (totally on my Christmas food 'must have' list) we headed home. To a heated house and a warm bed.
It was such a good night and yet another great thing going on in this amazing city. It got me so excited about my upcoming white Christmas in Salzburg, Austria. Myself and the Topdeck family and a few of their friends and family have all hired a house in Salzburg where we can spend our time checking out the Christmas markets (I don't think I will ever get sick of them), cosing up next to a fireplace, making snowmen and doing the 'Sound of Music' tour. I can't wait! I'm...dreaming...of a whiiiiiiiiite...christmaaaaaaaaaassssss <3
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