This Sunday evening was well spent at Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland. An outing definitely worth making a trip into town for, Winter Wonderland runs from mid-November through to early January. It's the perfect way to experience a Christmas market London style, and get into the Christmas cheer. Combining stalls of Christmas trinkets, bratwurst sausage, and traditional German beers, with as many rides and carnival games as a theme park, Winter Wonderland offers something for everyone.
A word of warning...don't show up to Winter Wonderland with a bottle of wine, as we did. Not that we were at all expecting to drink the wine inside (we were both in fact very much excited by the thought of good beer), but it was a gift which was going to be given later in the evening. Low and behold, our bags got checked, and there we were, looking like idiots with our Morrison's 5p plastic bag packed with a bottle of Merlot, a quarter of a bag of Doritos, and some gluten-free bread... "Is there somewhere you can put it, until we come out? It's a gift!" I asked in hope. "No." the security lady answered, looking at me suspiciously. Just as we were turning away, disappointed and slightly broken, we heard the lady call out to us... "...but, I guess you could hide it." Turning back around, we gave her a wink, and casually walked across the muddied grass to a line of trees, bare and exposed from winter. We found a winner, one in the middle, off the path and not exposed to the world walking by. Now me, being short, was crafting up a plan on how to dig some kind of hole to hide the wine in, and was quietly losing confidence quickly. Luke on the other hand, being well over 6 foot tall, was scouring the high branches for a suitable place to rest the bottle safely. With the bottle perfectly balanced between two branches, but camouflaged into the trunk on the tree, we casually walked away, like we'd seen or done nothing. Whilst we were pretty proud of ourselves, we also agreed that if the wine were to go walkabouts, we wouldn't let it dampen the night. Arriving back at the entrance gate, we proceeded to have our bags checked again, gave the lady the thumbs up to hint that the bottle had been hidden, and headed inside the enjoy the markets with our bag of gluten-free bread, and almost finished Doritos. Amazingly, the wine survived to meet it's intended receiver, and we went home, full of German beer, currywurst, and feeling pretty clever.
0 Comments
Lights, trees, presents, markets, Santa. By far, the best time of the year to be in Europe. Oxford Street, London (Nov, 2015) Christmas Trees in Riga, Latvia (Dec, 2015) Christmas Markets, Latvia (Dec, 2015) Chrismukkah with Emily (Dec, 2015) The Feast - Norwegian Christmas Festival
Thanksgiving. By far, the biggest and most celebrated tradition of the year on any American's calendar. Whilst I cannot claim to be American, I can tell the basics of the Thanksgiving story, and think this is reason enough for me to celebrate this yearly tradition. Granted, my close friend is also trying very hard to turn me into an American...Halloween, Thanksgiving, new slang everyday! At the end of the day, the tradition of Thanksgiving these days is one that resinates with me. The coming together of family, problems aside for one day, the devouring of a huge meal together, and the enjoyment of a glass (or 5) of red wine together, makes this a celebration that I will be bringing back to Australia with me - get excited family! In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I've been thinking a lot about all that I am grateful for in my life. Gratitude is a funny thing that is always there, but in everyday life, can sometimes be lost with the stresses, worries, and general craziness of life. Being grateful is a choice. So I'm taking this time to slow down, to think and reflect about my gratitude list.
This weekend was one of indulgence, to say the least. If you know only one thing about me, you would know that cheese is basically my most favourite thing in the world. I live cheese, I breathe cheese, I dream cheese. It just so happened that this weekend, I may have indulged a little bit too much...but who can actually resist a baked camembert? Or two...
Clearly not me. The first was baked by my housemate, sprinkled with some rosemary and garnished with some M&S baguette. It left me feeling full to the brim, and in serious need of a nap on the sofa. The second (a treat from a pub in Hampton Wick) garnished with rosemary, and a double serving of toasty bread, which was promptly followed by a huge roast lamb. Diet schmiet. You only live once. Sweet dreams certainly are made of cheese. A chilly start to a November Saturday morning in Wimbledon. Sorry for the sideways video...tilt the head! It isn't everyday that you turn 29, so why shouldn't the celebrations last well over a week! First up, was a weekend away with some lovely girlfriends in sleepy Wiltshire. We stayed in a hobbit house, made our bellies ache from mac cheese, sang our hearts out to 90s tunes, and made friends with a stoned sheep. Ah, the country life! Next, it was love at first sight at Homeslice - wine by the gallon, wood fired pizza, and a Zac Effron look alike. What wasn't to love? A London MUST! Keep in mind, we waited 2.5 hours for this...I have no regrets. To fight off that pizza carb coma, we headed to Scarlets Bar in Covent Garden for a solid night on the dance floor. Think 80s classics meets 90s hip hop...needless to say, we were in heaven. Arrive before 10:30pm for free entry.
Richmond Park - beautiful one day, perfect the next. Especially in Autumn! Lovely escape from the buzz of London, where you can breathe in the fresh Surrey air, wonder aimlessly, and hang out with new friends, Rudolph and Bambi. Nothing quite brings the inner child out, like Autumn leaves. |
A peek into the life of me |