Results tagged “Christmas”

On Tuesday, I was invited along to a Christmas carols concert at Southwark Cathedral. This was sponsored by 'Feed the Minds' charity who support education for disadvantaged people so that they can better their lives and the lives of others. The service included a stop off at Bread Ahead Bakery in Borough Market, next door to the cathedral, for mulled wine and mince pies.

On our walk across London Bridge, I noticed that the Shard was lit up for the holiday season. It would transform from solid white to solid green to solid red and then to white, red, and green at once.

The first stop off was Bread Ahead bakery, a favourite of Borough Market. We had mulled wine and mince pies while we waited for the carols.

The service was packed, so we had to get one of the seats on the transcept for a side-on view, which meant that I could not take any photographs during the service as there was not anything that interesting to photograph, and the carollers formed a semi-circle and had their backs to the transcepts. 

The carollers sang some songs on their own, and we were also encouraged to sing other songs. The songs included a mix of Christmas hymns from other countries as well as religious and traditional favourites such as "We Three Kings", "O Come All Ye Faithfull", "The Holly and the Ivy", and "Hard the Herald Angels Sing" before we finished with the favourite and catchy tune of "Jingle Bells".

At the end, we were each presented with a beautiful ornament hand-made by South Indian women that had been supported by the 'Feed the Minds' charity. The ornaments were made with palm leaves and came in different shapes and sizes and colours. They reminded me of bows.

I have never been to a Christmas carol service in London before, but it is a fun way to celebrate the Christmas season and see the cathedral decorated for Christmas. Many charity carol events and carol-singing in general can be enjoyed at several cathedrals across London over the Christmas season.

This post focuses on a walk around west London in order to see Christmas lights, windows, and decorations. Many of the displays and decorations change each year, so it's always worth a walk around to see the new decorations. The walk that I normally follow is described in this post, and the walk can be completed in an afternoon. The best time is to plan to be around Oxford or Regent Street at 3:30-4:00 as London starts to get dark at about 3:30.

Factor in a little extra time for doing a little bit of Christmas shopping or grabbing a hot chocolate and mince pie. This walk assumes that you start at Covent Garden and finishes around Green Park. I've captured a map from Google and plotted the route using red lines.

I started just before 2:00 in the afternoon at Covent Garden, although you could start at Waterloo train station and go to the Christmas shops along the Thames before walking across Hungerford foot bridge to Covent Garden. Each year, South Bank on the southern bank of the Thames (above Waterloo Station) hosts a small Christmas market and food market. There are also amusement rides and entertainment in the evenings.

Back to Covent Garden. I recommend seeing Covent Garden when it's still light as many of the decorations are outside. The interior of the hall does contain decorations as well, but it's dark enough to still see any lights. Covent Garden is easy to access from a number of tube stations; we walked from Holborn (Central and Piccadilly lines), but I've typically used Charing Cross station (Northern line) before we moved. There's also Covent Garden station (Piccadilly line).

Covent Garden (stop 1) has many decorations to see. Look out for the large Christmas tree, the decorations inside the covered market hall, the annual Lego sculpture, a giant reindeer decoration, and real reindeer. The real reindeer are only available to see at certain times.

An optional diversion is to walk north of the market into the area known as Seven Dials (stop 2). To get there, start at Covent Garden north and go from James Street to Neal Street. There are a lot of smaller shops along here, including a nice shop selling teas and shops selling make-up and skincare products. At the top of the street is London's largest science fiction/fantasy/board game shop, Forbidden Planet. Then head back down Monmouth Street to the roundabout where the seven streets meet, giving the area its name. The area always has its own Christmas lights. 

When you have returned to the top of Covent Garden, turn right to King's Street. At the end, turn right up Garrick Street. You'll notice a shop selling sweets from America and other countries across the road and a small alleyway with the pub "Lamb and Flag" at the end and virtually across from it. Follow this road to the end, then wait to cross on Cranbourn Street. (You'll see a statue here dedicated to Agatha Christie). In front of you is Leicester Square underground station. 

Continue walking past the station and into Leicester Square (stop 3) where the cinemas are located. You will also see the square itself, and a Christmas market with a few games is normally set up inside along with a ferris wheel. Some decorations are normally hung from the trees here.

From Leicester Square, make your way through the square to the far side and down the small alley known as St. Martin's Road, which leads to Trafalgar Square (stop 4). Trafalgar Square is the location of London's largest Christmas tree. Each year since 1947 as a recognition of support during the second World War, Norway present England with a Norwegian Spruce Christmas tree. Trafalgar Square is home to the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery. The church in the square, known as St. Martin-in-the-Fields, is charming and does have Christmas carol singing on select evenings. After seeing the Christmas tree, head back to Leicester Square.

From Leicester Square, walk to Piccadilly Circus (stop 5). The directions are to turn left and walk past the Swiss glockenspiel (clock), which chimes and plays at certain times in the day. Keep walking past the large fountain featuring raising horses, which is known as the Four Bronze Horses of Helios. On the opposite side of the road is the large building Trocadero which was a fabulous multi-floor gaming building in its glory days but was shut a couple of years ago and is now virtually empty. There are lights along this small stretch of road as well, and they are giant snowflakes (at the time of writing this).

Straight ahead is Piccadilly Circus and the statue in the middle, known as Eros (cupid). You will also see the radiant glow from the advertising board next to it. Typically, the statue of Eros features decorations. In a previous year, it was a snow globe. Last year, it was a pile of gifts. This year, I did not notice any decorations, but they may not be up yet.

Once you have seen all that you want to see in Piccadilly Circus, the next stop is to locate Piccadilly Street (stop 6), which is one of the streets from the Piccadilly Circus roundabout. Regent Street is the busy street with the golden-coloured rows of buildings that curve around to the right. Piccadilly Street is the street immediately to the left. Cross the road to head down this street.

Piccadilly Street has several nice shops and cafes along it. The first stop is St. James Piccadilly Church (stop 7) where many market stalls are set up. Feel free to have a quick browse here for Christmas gifts. You will then pass the BAFTA (British Academy of Film & Television) building, Princes Arcade (a small covered street for botique shops), and an excellent book store known as Hatchards. Next to the bookstore is Fortnum & Mason (stop 8) department store. Look at the window displays, which are always amazing during Christmas. Also, feel free to step inside to the food hall and other areas for gifts. The Parlour on the first floor is excellent if you wish to take refreshments, ice cream, or afternoon tea. (You can read my review of their afternoon tea here.)

If you are lucky to arrive at the right time, you may see the giant clock display on the fascade of Fortnum & Mason. The chimes play and the figures move on the hour. After leaving the department store, cross the road to the other side. In front of you is the Royal Academy of Arts. Next to it is Burlington Arcade (stop 9), and it is worth a view as it is decorated for the holidays. Feel free to buy macaroons at Laudree, which is at the entrance of Burlington Arcade. When you're done, turn around and head back the way you came but do not cross the road.

Once you have returned to Piccadilly Circus, turn to the left without crossing the road. Regent Street (stop 10) is in front of you. This is a busy street with large buildings that curve to the right. Excellent photographs can be taken down the street from near where the underground entrance is located. This street always has pleasant lights, and there are new lights this year.

Walk down Regent Street to stop in some of the shops. In my view, the right-hand side of the road is probably the best bet, but both sides of the road offer good views and shops. Hamley's Toy store, Molton Brown, Ferrari, and a large range of clothing stores are available. Hamley's Toy Store (stop 10) is located on the right-hand side of the road and is always popular at this time of year with visitors and its window displays. 

Keep your eye open for a small road on the right, just past Hamley's, known as Foubert's Place. Turn onto this road and walk down a couple of blocks to Carnaby Street (stop 11). This is a street not to miss. The Christmas lights will be instantly noticeable, and I love Carnaby Street's Christmas lights. They are different every year; this year's are giant pink party disco balls. Carnaby Street is worth a look around with some nice shops and restaurants in Kingly Court, which is a right turn onto Carnaby Street.

If you have been to Kingly Court, turn left and walk up Carnaby Street. Another gem is Choccywoccydoodah (stop 12). To get there, turn right on Foubert's Place (opposite the direction of Regent Street) and about two blocks and on the corner is Choccywoccydoodah. The chocolate shop is normally popular, but the gift shop at the front has many amazing chocolate sculptures and cakes. This may be a good idea for gifts. They also have a small cafe upstairs, but there's always been a queue when I've walked past.

Once you have visited Choccywoccydoodah, walk back the way you came to Carnaby Street. Turn right, which is actually Great Marlborough Street. Here you will find the back of Liberty department store (stop 13) and its chocolate shop. It's worth a visit to the department store, but the store is a little difficult to navigate. Before entering the store, turn your back to it and take some photographs of the Carnaby Christmas lights. This is my favouirte angle to view the lights.

Make sure you view the front of Liberty department store in order to see the window displays and the decorations on the front of the timber-framed building. They normally have Christmas trees and lights. The best view is to cross the road onto Argyll Street.

When you've finished at Liberty, head up Argyll Street until you come to Oxford Street (stop 14). You can turn to the right and walk up Oxford Street to look in shops if you wish, but the tour continues with turning left toward the underground station. This is probably London's busiest area, so head past Oxford Circus underground and cross the road. You should be at the section of Regent Street and Oxford Street now, and this area on the south side of Oxford Street and right-hand side of Regent Street (looking south) is good for photographs.

Oxford Street does have different lights some years, but the past couple of years have seen fold and pale blue orb lights. Continue to walk down the street and also check out the lights on Debenham's, John Lewis, Boots, House of Fraser, and other shops. Oxford Street has so much to offer in terms of shopping. The windows are worth checking out too.

Before going too far up Oxford Street, make sure you do not miss St. Christopher's Place (stop 15). This little alley is hard to see if you do not know it is there. It's located next to The Body Shop, and look out for the angel with wings holding an orb high up (pictured below). This fellow is always in place, and the alley is so small that only one person can enter or leave at a time. Don't worry, though, as the street does open up once you enter from Oxford Street. Glance down the street and you will see Christmas decorations and a small parade of shops.

After you have looked around, head back to Oxford Street and turn right. Soon, you will come to Selfridges department store (stop 16). Have a look at the window displays along the front of the building. The largest and most-featured display is the last window on the corner of the building. Marks & Spencer's across the road and next to Selfridges also has nice Christmas lights. Make sure that you cross the road to get some photographs as the Christmas lights and decorations are above eye level upon Selfridge's. Make sure that you have a look inside and stop in the food hall if you wish.

Once you've looked in Selfridge's, cross the road to be on the opposite side on Oxford Street and walk up to Bond Street station. Walk just past the station to find South Molton Street (stop 17), which is covered with Christmas lights and contains a pedestrianised shopping street. Continue walking down this street to the end where you come to Brook Street. Turn left and then turn right onto New Bond Street (stop 18). 

You are now heading into Mayfair (stop 19), and the shops and window displays with high fashion brands are beautiful along here. The street is also covered in Christmas lights. Stella McCartney's shop normally had a lot of lights, and feel free to walk around around this area. For Berkeley Square, turn left onto Bruton Place.  

Continue walking south on New Bond Street where it eventually joins Piccadilly Street. You will be near the Ritz and Green Park station if you cross the road and turn right. 

This covers my Christmas lights and decorations tour of west London, but I have not covered everything. Winter Wonderland, Harrods and Knightsbridge also have nice lights and displays.

If you do not mind the walk, continue past Green Park station until you come to Hyde Park Corner Station, right after Green Park on the left hand side. Cross over the road to the entrance to the station and you will soon see lights and the Christmas market for Hyde Park Winter Wonderland. This is always busy, especially at the weekends, and you can spend almost a day here on its own. There's a Christmas Market, food and drink stalls, rides, ice skating, and many other attractions. Last year, I went to the Ice Sculptures and Ice Bar.

To see Harrods (for the windows), continue walking past Hyde Park station, but make sure you cross the road as the road forks here and you'll need to turn off at Brompton Road after Knightsbridge station. 

Harrods and Winter Wonderland are both on the Piccadilly line if you prefer to get the tube from Green Park station.

Let me know what you thought of the London Christmas lights this year.

The day after Thanksgiving, I headed out early to drive to Bath to go to the Christmas market and to have lunch at The Pump Rooms. Each year for a couple of weeks from the end of November, the Christmas Market comes to Bath. I lived in Bath for over two years and I remembered that I enjoyed walking through the market on my way back to my flat. This was ten years ago now, and in those days, it was not quite as busy as it is today. There are a few more stalls compared to previous years, and I used to make a visit each year after I moved away from Bath. However, I had not been for the past two years and the last time I visited the market was in 2011. 

The market was busy, of course, but this was not the busiest I've seen it. Saturdays are too busy, and I remember how difficult it was to navigate the markets close to ten years ago on the weekends. For those planning to go, remember to visit during the week and note that the market is quieter in the morning.

I used to park in Royal Victoria Park, which used to be free and behind where my flat was. Now, they charge for parking there, so I use the parking next to the park and the mini golf. This year was the first year that I have also noticed an ice rink come to Bath. (It's located in Royal Victoria Park opposite the Royal Crescent in case you're curious.)

We started at the lower part of the markets and walked our way up, trying free samples of cheeses, chutneys, jams, brownies, and alcohol. I bought some marshmallow Vodka, cheese, brownies, fudge, and macaroons. I always end up buying cheeses from the company (pictured below), and they make a good mature cheddar.

A nice fudge shop is located just outside the cathedral, and Bath is also famous for its 'Bath buns'. (Despite living in Bath for over two years, I've actually never tried one!) 

Sally Lunn's is a cafe that serves the traditional bun, and it's very much a touristy attraction, but I've never been there. I keep telling myself to visit next time I go to Bath, but I have not got around to it yet.

This year, they were also selling mulled wine or hot apple drink at the market. Had I not eaten before, I would have bought some of it.

For the first time, we also noticed the chocolate tools and other chocolate items for sale at a Christmas Market in the UK. The first time that I saw these was in Germany last year when we went to Nuremburg Christms Market, which I covered here. These are very much a novelty item. In Nuremburg, I bought a chocolate wrench, but it ended up breaking in my luggage on the way back to England.

We also bought a wreath, but it was a Christmas wreath we bought and not one of the pretty ones pictured below, but these were so tempting to buy as well.

Every so often, a group of carol-singers would sing outside Bath Abbey.

We had lunch in The Pump Rooms. I'd reserved a table for us as this venue was another venue I had never visited despite living in Bath for over two years. The Pump Rooms were mentioned in Jane Austen's books as she was a frequent visitor to them when she visited Bath. Also, they are next to the Roman Baths attraction, which I have visited a couple of times. The waters are meant to contain healing properties and made this spa town famous with Victorians and also with people seeking treatment in its hospitals that used the water.

To start, I ordered one of the Christmas cocktails, a Christmas martini. It was meant to come with a mini mince pie, but it did not.

We had the set Christmas menu, which we could have as a two or a three-course option. To start, I had the leek and potato soup which came with a cheddar and thyme muffin and croutons. 

The bloke had game pâté which was served with grilled sourdough and chutney.

I had free range turkey, served with cranberry sauce and a Bath sausage while the bloke had the braised brisket of beef with mushrooms and bacon.

Our mains were served with carrots, cabbage, and roast potato. I admit that after having turkey the day before for Thanksgiving, I was a little 'turkied' out! It's not my favourite meat as it can be a little bit dry and not have that much of a taste.

The bloke skipped dessert, but I tried the chocolate bread and butter pudding.

The meal was finished off with tea of coffee, and we should have had a mini mince pie again, but these were not provided for some reason. I cannot complain about the food at The Pump Rooms because it was good, but the service was non-existent. Staff were friendly, but we were just 'left' and didn't get to order other items, plus some of the items were forgotten. Staff should be more attentive to detail and attentive to guests. I do understand that The Pump Rooms are popular, and when we visited, there was a queue of people waiting to get a table as some of the guests are "walk-in". A lot of people were having afternoon tea when we visited at lunch (we had a 13:00 booking), but others were also having lunch.

After our meal, we continued to look around the shops and I noted what had changed between my last visit in 2011. I noticed that a lot of the shops that I loved that were toward the top of the town had moved down at the bottom, closer to the train station, which used to be the 'cheap' end until it was re-developed. And the cafe in Milsom Place where I would sometimes have a nice breakfast was closed and being built on while a couple of new chain restaurants were now located next door and around the corner.

After we were done browsing around, we went to Bristol to stay the night. Bath Christmas Market is my favourite market in England because the stalls are unique and sell many items that cannot be bought elsewhere. Some items are made locally, and there are over 170 stalls to look at. The market really does have something for everyone and it's unique items unlike some Christmas markets where they tend to all sell the same type of item. The Christmas market is only running until Sunday the 13th of December, so be quick. Otherwise, you can always plan ahead and visit next year.

Carnaby Street's Christmas lights have always been my favourite Christmas lights in London because they are creative and they change to a new theme each year. In the past, they have been robins, Santa, and Rolling Stones (rock and roll). This year's theme is "Christmas Party" and transforms Carnaby Street into a giant dance floor complete with massive pink disco balls and stars. Early each November, Carnaby Street hosts its own shopping party with discounts at the businesses in the area, and this coincides with its Christmas lights switch-on. These lights should not be missed.

Head over to Carnaby Street to see the Christmas lights before they are taken down in early January.

This year, Covent Garden market in London have new Christmas lights. They have replaced the red orbs/ornaments (giant 'baubles' to my UK readers or 'bulbs' to my USA readers) that have been in use for the past few years and put up beautiful white orbs that look like mistletoe and mistletoe berries. I prefer these lights to their last ones, and the lights are already popular with visitors and social media. Giant silver orbs complete the Christmas theme.

In addition to the main halls of the covered markets covered in mistletoe, the exterior of the market hall has been covered with more Christmas decorations this year in the form of mistletoe. More photographs of the lights and decorations are below.

The interior walkways of the covered market retain the imitation pine branches and white- blue twinkling lights. This remains the same as it has been over the past few years.

Window-shopping at Covent Garden during the holidays reveals beautiful decorations, winter clothes, and other gifts in the windows.

Covent Garden also has its very own Christmas tree, wrapped in a large red bow. The gift tag on the Christmas tree is different this year.

The metallic reindeer has also returned to Covent Garden this year. Of course, there's also the Lego sculpture that makes an appearance every Christmas. This year is Santa's Express steam train and you can read more about it here.

Real reindeer also make their way to Covent Garden each year to entertain smaller guests, and they can usually be seen on the weekends. Viewing Covent Garden in the daylight is preferable to waiting until late in order to see what it has to offer, and it does not need to be dark in order to see the decorations on display inside the covered market hall. In addition, there's plenty of shops and restaurants or cafes in this area to make the most of your visit.

Each year for the past few years, Lego have created sculptures made out of its famous plastic bricks for the holidays and have placed the sculptures at Covent Garden. Last year's Lego sculpture featured Santa and his reindeer in a sleigh. Visitors could sit inside the sleigh and have their photographs taken and were encouraged to use social media to upload them.

This year's Lego sculpture is similar and also encourages visitors to get their photographs to upload to social media. The sculpture features a train pulling a Christmas tree and other various gifts. Visitors can sit in the front of the train and upload their photographs using #LEGOSantaExpress. This year's sculpture took three months and 500,000 plastic bricks to build.

Previous years of Christmas-themed sculptures built using Lego in Covent Garden included a large snowglobe filled with London monuments made from Lego that visitors could walk through and a large Lego advent calendar which was opened daily to reveal a new surprise.  

The Lego Santa Express is on display in Covent Garden until 29 December, so check it out while you can.

Halloween had not arrived before most shops have put out their Christmas items, and I felt that it was too early to post about Christmas until November. I went to Lush at the beginning of October and had a wander around to see what was on offer in the Christmas products this year. To see Lush's Christmas offerings from last year, view my post here. I saw that some items from last year have returned, and there's a few new items. Overall, there seems to be more items on offer this year. I didn't buy anything this year because I don't have access to a bath in the new house and this has to wait until I can afford to get some work done to install one.

Above is the Peeping Santa Bubble Bar and Lord of Misrule shower gel. Okay, Lord of Misrule is actually from their Halloween range, but the bright green colour looks Christmasy next to the bubble bar. 

The purple Bah Humbug Bubble Bar and Yog Nog bath bomb are also on offer. The Golden Wonder bath bomb (shaped like a golden gift) includes two bath bombs inside it, which changes colour in the bath. 

The Experimenter is the multi-faceted bath bomb on the right, and it was inspired by films. Above is a pink flamingo bubble bar stick, and the last item is the Butter Bear bath bomb. Butter bear was a favourite last year with a lot of people. 

One of my favourites from last year was the Holly Golightly bubble bar, which is silver with holly leaves. In addition, the peppermint-smelling Candy Mountain bubble bar can be purchased. The 'So White' bath bomb in the background has appeared for the past few years and smells like crisp apple to me and is one of my favourites.

A new bath bomb for the season is known as 'Frozen', and the colours remind me of the animated film of the same name and the dress that one of the main characters wears. Next to it is the Halloween offering, the Sparkly Pumpkin bubble bar, which I did try last year.

The Father Christmas bath bomb is back as well as Luxury Lush Pud, which is the multi-coloured bath bomb at the front. One of my favourites is the melting angel bath bomb, which appeared last year and is back this year. Star Dust is another bath bomb, on the other side, and this is new for this year. 

The Magic of Christmas is a stirrable bubble-bar which contains spices and an extra bit of sparkle. I wish that I could try this as it's a new one this year.

Another new offering this year is the gold shimmery 'Five Gold Rings', which are bubble bars on strings.

This year, the new Christmas soap is known as 'Old Father Time' and looks like a clock. The inside of the soap is colourful. 

Two soaps from last year also returned. Reindeer Rock soap returned, but it was designed a little differently this year. Yog Nog also returned. Fret not if you're also a fan of Snow Cake or Baked Alaska. These are my favourites, and I use Snow Cake all year around as I love the scent. These soaps were also for sale.

In addition, the peppermint-smelling soap pictured as the pink and green soap above (May Pole) could also pass as a Christmas product.

In addition to these products, there were also some Christmas jelly soaps that I did not get to photograph. I am really looking forward to getting a new bathroom and bath in place so I can start to enjoy using bath products again.

I received the "Enchanted Spells" Selfridges Beauty Advent calendar last year, and Selfridge's have a new one this year with similar products. I wanted to review all of the products before posting as I did not have time to try each new product each day, and I had to open up the first few days all at once after I had returned from holiday. Each window contains a secret "spell" as to what the item is, and I typically guessed correctly on each day what the type of product would be. The packaging for the advent calendar looks like a large book.

1. Yves Saint Laurent Opium perfume: This perfume is described as having a spicy Oriental scent, and it is a blend of various spices (clove, bay leaf, coriander, pepper), floral (jasmine, rose), and wood tones (sandalwood, cedar, myrrh). This perfume is not something that I would typically wear as I do not tend to use spicer tones, but it is nice and is a strong scent.

2. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser: This facial cleanser claims to clean make-up off skin and provide deep cleaning without drying out the skin or stripping the skin of its natural oils.

3. Lancôme's Rénergie Multi-Lift cream: This anti-aging cream promises to create a youthful complexion. It absorbs into the skin and does not feel greasy. I like the product when compared with other similar products.

4. Lancôme Galatéis Douceur: This is a facial cleanser and make-up remover. The product has a nice scent, and it left my face feeling soft and clean. It isn't too harsh, and I used it to remove my eye makeup without it stinging my eyes.

5. Shu Uemura Skin Purifier: This skin purifier promises to clean and moisturise skin while supporting collagen production.

6. Lancôme's La Vie Est Belle perfume: This is a sweet and powdery scent, and it's not too over-powering. 

7. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream: This facial cream promises to moisturise the skin. 

8. YSL Forever Youth Liberator: This is an anti-aging serum that helps the skin appear younger and firmer. The product has quite a lot of good reviews and it is costly. This felt cool on my skin, but I need to use it more to see if it does what it claims.

9. Armani Code perfume: This is a light and powdery, slightly floral scent and described as being an Oriental scent. It is made from orange, vanilla, and jasmine. This is a floral but sophisticated scent and would be good for office or going out for a nice dinner. I loved this and would purchase the full size.

10. Lancôme L'Absolu Rouge 6 lipstick: This is a pale pink lipstick which would look good on most skin tones. I liked the product and did not find it to be too lumpy in texture.

11. Lancôme Mascara: This mascara is not too clumpy, and it has a subtle result. The brush is quite a good one, which is important for mascara, in that it separates the lashes before coating them.

12. Armani Diamonds perfume: This is a floral scent with rose, lychee and raspberry notes. Although categorised as floral, it is a grown-up scent and a scent that I'd wear to the office or on a night out.

13. Kiehl's Midnight Recovery: This is an anti-aging product designed to work while you sleep. I've not yet managed to test the product, but Kiehl's products get a lot of praise, so I expect that it does the trick.

14. Lancôme Hypnose Drama Mascara: This is the brand's best-selling mascara and covers the lashes without too much effort with an angled brush.

15. Yves Saint Laurent eye liner: This is a black liner, which is easy to apply and is waterproof. I like the product.

16. Lancôme Genifique Yeux Light Pearl: This product has a metal 'pearl' applicator that is dipped into the cream and massaged onto the eye area. The applicator feels cool to the skin, which refreshes the eye area. I found that the application was slighly difficult and clumps of the cream ended up in my lashes. 

17. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion: Primer helps maintain the colour of eyeshadow before it's applied, and this product delivers.

18. Lancôme Visionnaire: This product promises to smooth the skin and make pores and wrinkles appear smaller in size. I've not had the chance to try the product yet.

19. Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb perfume: This is a very flowery and powdery scent that contains jasmine, orchid, fressia and rose. The scent is a delicate one and not over-powering. I felt that it did not have the longevity as other similar floral perfumes. I'm not overly impressed with this.

20. Lancôme Bi-Fical: This product is a remover for eye make-up. This product worked really well at clearing off mascara and eye shadow, and I loved that it did not sting my eyes. For me, it's a better product than the Galatéis Douceur product that I reviewed above because it seems to do a better job at removing eye make-up. I may have to purchase this when I run out.

21. Lancôme Lip Lover gloss (in 'bright berry-pink'): This lip gloss is a pink shade, but it's not overly-bright. This seems like a colour that may work well for most skin tones. It is not a sticky gloss and seems to wear well, but it just isn't for me.

22. Lancôme Advanced Genifique: This product promises to make skin appear younger. It's another anti-aging product that I have not yet tried.

23.  Lancôme Lip Lover gloss (in 'framboise etoile'): This is another lip gloss similar to the one behind the #21 window. This is a bright reddish shade of lip gloss. I found that it was too bright for me, and I did not care for it.

24. Kiehl's Creme de Corps: This body cream promises soft skin if used for ten days. I used this on my hands, and it did seem to make a difference, but I was a bit underwhelmed with the product. 

Well, it is now November and almost time for the dreaded C-word. Last year, I purchased the "You Beauty Discovery" Beauty Advent Calendar. Beauty advent calendars are currently on offer for this year now, and I wanted to give you a peek at what last year's was like. It also gave me enough time to try all nearly all of the products. I would recommend this beauty advent calendar because I found a few gems.

1: Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser and Muslin Cloth: This cleanser is gentle on skin, and people who do have problem skin can probably use this without any issues. The product made my skin feel clean, and I love the fact it comes with a facial cloth. I would purchase this again.

2: Laura Mercier Foundation Primer: I received this primer in a beauty box previously, and I like the product. It smooths the skin and makes the foundation easier to blend and provides a more 'finished' look to my make-up. This is a product that I would continue to use and purchase again.

3: Molton Brown Orange and Bergamot Body Wash: I enjoy Molton Brown products and have used this scent of body wash previously. Although it is not my favourite scent from the brand, the orange scent in this product possibly makes it one of their most festive scents.

4: Essie nail polish in "lots of lux": Each calendar had a random colour from the Essie 'Encrusted Treasures' range, and I got the colour "lots of lux", which is a shimmery bright blue colour. You can see this in the photograph above. I like the colour. I've only used Essie polishes once at a nail salon, and I was greatly disappointed as the polish flaked right off my nails, so I previously disregarded this brand. 

5: Caudalie body lotion: This brand uses grape seed extract and other natural ingredients to make skincare products and supports charities to help the environment. I have tried a few of their products and I am just not keen on them. Body lotion is also not something I am excited about. 

6: Sisley Radiant Glow Express Mask: This facial mask contains red clay, which is good at cleansing the skin and making it appear more radiant. This also made my skin feel firmer, and I enjoyed using it. I would purchase this product and really liked the results. 

7: Aromatherapy Associates: This aromatherapy candle promises to aid in relaxation, and I did feel more relaxed after I had this candle lit for awhile. It was very soothing, and it made me want to fall asleep! I would be interested in looking into more relaxation and non-candle products from this company. 

8: Philip Kingsley Elasticizer: I've used this product previously but was not keen on the results. It promises to add volume to hair. The first time I used it, it seemed to make my hair go limp. The second time I used it, it did as promised. I'm still not won over by this product.

9: Teeez Desert Metals Mascara: This black mascara claims to be smudge-proof and long-lasting. This is a good product and did as it claimed. I did not have any issues with it.

10: Burt's Bees Almond and Milk Hand Cream: I loved the smell of this hand cream and the cute packaging. The cream is very thick, and a little goes a long way.

11: Vita Liberata Luxury Tan: I am not a big fan of using tanning products, so I have not yet tried this. However, it is billed as a non-toxic and organic product that gets decent ratings.

12: GlamGlow exfoliant mask: This facial mask tightens the skin shortly after application, and it is meant to be left on for ten minutes. The product was developed for the entertainment industry to get the face ready to be photographed without drying it out. Unfortunately, the sample size was awkward as there was not quite enough for two trials but too much for one. I ended up applying it all at once, even though only a thin layer is needed. I really liked the results, and the product has a nice smell. I am tempted to purchase this.

13: Sally Hansen Nail Rehab: This product can be used as a base coat to protect damaged nails. I needed a product like this as my nails had some damage and discolouration due to some glitter polish that I had been using. I liked this product and I would purchase it in the future. 

14: John Freida Volume Blow Dry: This product promises to add volume to the hair when it's blow-dried. I have not managed to try it yet, but I do use John Freida products and always found them to be good products that deliver.

15: Roger & Gallet Fleur de Figuier perfume: This scent is inspired by the fig. This is a fruity scent, and I really like this. I may be tempted to purchase this once I run out of the sample.

16: Eyeko Lash Curler: This product seems like a gimmick to me. I'm not sure I really need these as my lashes are already quite long. I tried it, and I did not see any results. I am not keen on it.

17: Rodial lip balm: I was not keen on the branding product use of the word 'stemcell' and I did not want to use the product as it sounded dodgey. However, the stemcell refers to cells of a specific Alp plant and its renewing properties. I have yet to try it as I am using up other products.

18: John Masters Organics (shampoo and conditioner): This separate bottle of shampoo and separate bottle of conditioner detangle and clean hair. I found that these products made my hair feel soft and untangly.

19: Benefit Porefessional: I've previously used this product and like it. It makes skin look fresher and minimises large pores.

20: James Read Sleep Mask Tan: This sleep mask gives the skin a tanner complexion. I tried this for a few nights, and it was only after a few nights that I noticed a result. The product left my skin looking blotchy as the tan was uneven. This was one of my least favourite products in the advent calendar, and despite the claim the product is unscented, I actually did smell a 'tanning lotion' smell.

21: BioEffect EGF Serum: This serum promises to improve complexion and remove wrinkles. I am never sure about this type of product as it would take time to monitor it the effectiveness.

22: Rituals Fortune Body Scrub: This product smells delicious, and the beauty advent calendar smelled like this product every time I went to open a new window each day. 

23: Maddi Alexander Rose Bath Oil: A few drops of this rose-scented bath oil in the bath will make skin smell like roses. I've been using up other bath products and am currently without a bath in the new house, so this will have to wait.

24: Sleep Plus+ Pillow Spray: This was one product that I was keen to try because I do struggle with my sleep, and I've tried a couple of products that did not work for me. This product uses lavender and other aromas and is meant to be clinically proven to improve sleep. I have tried this product, but similar to the other products I used previously, the scent does not linger.

Did you try this advent calendar last year or any others that you recommend?

Before Christmas, I visited the town of Rothenburg ob der Tabeur in Bavaria, Germany. The town is a well-preserved medieval town with the majority of its city walls intact. The town is located about the river Tabeur, and there are stunning views. Cobble-stoned streets lead off to picturesque buildings and towers. 

I had a day trip here from Nuremberg, and we parked at one of the western entrances and walked into the city walls and into town.

We came to the market square and went into several shops as the Christmas Market stalls were not yet open.

I admired the beautiful architecture.

We walked down the hill from the main street and popped into a few of the shops.

The following photograph shows one of the most beautiful locations from Rothenburg ob der Tabeur, at Kobolzeller Steige and Spitalgasse. I had to take several photographs. This was in the morning, but the area was still busy. I visited Rothenburg on a Monday, but I have been told that the town can get extremely crowded, and weekends may be one of the busy days. The town is particularly busy with Japanese tourists, and it is twinned with one town in Japan.

I loved the hidden areas of this town. Walk down any street, and there was always a surprise waiting for us.

The Christmas Market opens from 11:00 in the morning, so we headed up to the market square, taking in the beautiful buildings. This town was lucky to have not been destroyed during World War II. It survived for a number of reasons, but one reason we read was that an American soldier or commander was familiar with it as his mother had a picture of it, so he knew it was important to keep it from being destroyed.

Nativity scenes are quite common in Germany, and the Christmas Market area in Rothenburg had their own display.

We visited the Kathe Wolfahrt shop, which is one of the largest in the world. Kathe Wolfahrt sells Christmas decorations. This one has a Christmas museum inside it, so we popped in here to have a look before the Christmas market opened. We learned about the history of Christmas decorations.

Photographs were not allowed inside the museum or the Kathe Wolfahrt shop, unfortunately.

We had lunch at one of the hotels in Rothenburg and ended up being the only diners. The food was nice, and I had chicken in mushroom sauce with another item that the Germans call "noodles", which may have been potato and batter/flour.

After the meal, we browsed around the Christmas market.

I had a mulled punch (non-alcoholic punch can be bought, and it's really meant for children). This came with a biscuit.

After the browse around the market, we went into the City Hall in the market square. For a small fee, one can climb up the tower to have a good view over the picturesque town.

Rothenburg ob der Tabeur is well-known for its festive fried and battered treat, the snowball (schneeball). Traditionally, this is covered in powdered sugar, but other varieties can also be purchased, such as chocolate. The dessert does not taste that great as it's just pastry crust and does not have much flavour.

I loved the little details on all of the buildings.

There are so many beautiful areas to this town. 

In the afternoon and after we browsed the Christmas Market, we had a walk around the city walls. This takes the majority of the time, and half a day is needed to just walk the city walls. I'll be covering this in a later post. 

Rothenburg was one of the most beautiful towns that I've visited, and it reminded me of several of the small towns that I have visited in Alsace-Lorraine.

This year and last year, I admired the Christmas wreaths hung on the doors of the traditional silk weaver houses in Spitalfields. The silk weavers were Protestant immigrants from France who moved to London due to religious persecution, as France was a Catholic country. The king of England at the time (Charles II) allowed these French Huguenots to come to England as he knew that they were skilled workers, and the availability of silk changes fashion and changed the east end of London dramatically.

When they moved to London, they built these tall townhouses and the upstairs had a lot of natural light with large windows, so they used to weave the silk upstairs. The French influence can be seen in the shutter designs, and the buildings are beautiful with large doorways with some interesting door knockers.

 These photographs in this post are from this year and last year.

I hope that everyone had a good holiday.

Happy Christmas to all of my readers. On this day, I am celebrating my 1000th post on Jenikya.com! I first started my blog as my portfolio website with updates in 2001. I originally started it to provide updates and new pieces of work, and then included inspiration on topics such as technology, visual design, user experience, web development, photography and art. The blog has grown to cover a bit more based upon my interests in the subjects already mentioned.

Snowman cupcake

Happy holidays and New Year. I hope that you have enjoyed following me.

London looks pretty during the Christmas season. I enjoy looking at London's Christmas lights every year, and this This year had a mixture of new lights and lights used in previous years. I had a walk around west London on various days to get some photographs. 

Oxford Street used the same lights as the previous year. These are silvery-white orbs that go all the way down the street. They are simple yet very pretty.

The usual shops were lit up, such as Boots and John Lewis and Marks and Spencers. I recognised them from last year. However, I think Debenham's lights on Oxford Street this year are new.

Selfridges used its "Destination Christmas" sign with mushrooms on top on the main entrance.

New Bond Street has new Christmas lights which remind me of peacock feathers and diamonds. South Molton Street have used the same archway lights as they did last year.

Stella McCarney's shop in Mayfair was decorated with several lights. 

Carnaby Street's Christmas lights are always one of my favourites, and they always do a unique set of lights every Christmas. In the past, we had robins and Rolling Stones lips. This year, to celebrate the Christmas and 1960s music and fashion street, we had headphones and sunglasses and mustaches. When examined at a certain angle, these separate shapes form a Santa-like figure wearing sunglasses and headphones.

I was in this area during the Christmas light switch-on for Regent Street. I watched some fireworks get launched and brighten up the sky on Carnaby Street.

Regent Street's lights have been the same for a few years now. They simply replace the plaque in the middle of the lights. This year, their Christmas lights are sponsored by the film "Night at the Museum".

Here's some photographs of these lights lit up after the light switch-on ceremony.

Each year, the statue of Eros at Piccadilly Circus becomes the centrepiece for something festive. Last year, it was a snowglobe. This year, Eros is surrounded by a pile of gifts that light up in different colours.

I did not get photographs, but I did see Seven Dials' new lights this year, which I feel are an improvement on the strands of lights that they have had for the past couple of years. Covent Garden retains its large red baubles and Christmas tree, although they do have a new reindeer, which I previously posted about here.

The Christmas lights are more prominent in west London, but the City of London and east London also have Christmas lights. The displays are not as large, though. Broadgate, near Liverpool Street, has its own ice rink. Outside is a giant lit-up reinderr.

I have included some posts from previous years:

2012 Christmas lights and window displays

2012 Marmite Oxford Street lights

2013 Christmas lights and Eros snowglobe

2013 Christmas lights

After Thanksgiving, the bloke and I jetted off to Germany to spend a few days visiting Nuremberg and its famous Christmas market (Nürnberger Christkindlesmarkt). We arrived on Friday evening, the opening day of the Christmas market. We headed into the city's main square (Hauptmarkt) after dropping off our luggage at the hotel. As it was the opening day, the market was exceptionally busy.

On the way to the main square, we walked through Ludwig Platz where we saw a living nativity with donkeys, goats, an alpaca, and a camel. The Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus were not living, of course. We saw the animals here almost every day that we walked past the nativity, though they do take them away at night.

The Christmas Market in Nuremberg consists of the main market, a children's market, and a sister city market. The sister city market is based on Nuremberg's twinned (sister) cities, and each has its own market stall that specialises in its country's products off of the main square. For example, shortbread and whisky were available to buy in the Glasgow stall. American sweets were available from the Atlanta, Georgia stall.

The Christmas market is huge, and it took us about half of a day to go through it and see everything. We did visit it a few times over the few days that we were there, but we had a proper look around all of the stalls on one of the weekday mornings when the market was quieter.

The market gets incredibly busy as the day goes on, and dusk is the busiest time to visit the market. At times, such as the weekend and the opening night, it was too busy to browse. I do not enjoy browsing busy places as it is impossible to have a proper look.

The fountain in the Hauptmarkt is called Schöner Brunnen, and during the Christmas market, all but one side is surrounded by stalls. A gold ring is located on the railing of the fountain, and turning this three times will make wishes come true. The fountain was always surrounded by tour groups during our visits to the market.

Upon entering the square, visitors will see a large gold tinsel angel. This is one of the symbols of Nuremberg. The golden tinsel angel is made of thin metal and is made to be a tree topper. It is a symbol of the Christkind, translated Christ Child. The Christ Child is a Nuremberg tradition. She is a giver of gifts and became a tradition for the market in the early 1930s.

Every year, young women between the ages of 16 and 19 can enter the competition to be the Christmas Market's symbol, Christkind. In this tradition, they open the Christmas Market each year with a speech and also visit the market nearly every afternoon. The ChristKind is popular with children, and every child and some adults wanted their photograph taken with her.

Another area of the square, in front of the Church of Our Lady, is sectioned off and contains the antique nativity scene.

One of the most popular items for sale are Christmas ornaments and Christmas craft items. Some of these are so beautiful but also so fragile as they are made of delicate glass. I loved looking at them, but I am put off buying them because I am afraid that they would not make the journey back in one piece, and if they did, I would be worried that they would break in storage or fall off the Christmas tree.

One tradition is the pickle tree ornament. Each year, the pickle is hidden on the tree. When the child discovers it, he/she will receive a special prize. The size of the pickle varies. For younger children, the pickle is larger so that it is easier for them to find. As the children get older, the pickle becomes smaller and more difficult to find.

The market stalls were covered in ornaments. It was impossible to see all of them. There were so many that I loved.

In addition to the traditional glass ornaments, visitors could buy ornaments that were cookies baked and then painted into Christmas designs. I remember making these types of ornaments when I was younger. 

Food is also popular at the Christmas market. Sausages, candy apples, chocolate, gingerbread, and Christmas cake were all popular. Nuremberg is most known for its special Nuremberg sausage and gingerbread. I had some gingerbread, and it was nice, but it was not the type of gingerbread that I am familiar with. A mulled wine drink is also popular, and this goes well with the gingerbread. Gingerbread, known as lebkuchen, dates from medieval times.

One of the most interesting stalls sold chocolate items that were shaped like tools and other everyday items. At first, I thought that these were antique items because they did look real. However, all items were made from chocolate with a dusting of cocao powder to make them look 'worn' and slightly rusty. Scissors, wrenches, faucets, bottle caps, horseshoes, clothes pegs, cameras, locks, keys, and scissors were some of the items. 

I also had a wander to the Christmas Children's Market, which was extremely popular with school groups of children. A small ferris wheel, carousel, and other games and crafts were available for the children. Children could make their own candles or ice and decorate their own gingerbread. Between the two markets is also a nativity trail with some nativity scenes. A large model train set with a few running trains was also at the far end of the Children's Christmas Market. Each of the market stalls in the Children's Christmas Market had a decoration on top of it. These varied from a family of bears making treats, a family sitting in a Christmas room, snowmen, Santa and reindeer, and a group of bakers.

Snowglobes were a popular item in the Christmas markets.

A couple of stalls also sold a large range of dollhouse items.

The best architectual structure (and oldest) was Frauenkirche, Church of Our Lady. Visitors could listen to church services here, and they had special advent services. Visitors could also climb up part of the way to the balcony to have an elevated view of the Christmas market, and this is the balcony that the Christkind stands on for the opening ceremony of the Christmas Market every year. At noon each day, the clock on Frauenkirche moves and little figures move around the clockface.

I took a few photographs from the balcony of Frauenkirche. The market was not the busiest at this time but the crowds were growing.

Another traditional item to buy at the Nuremberg Christmas Market at the prune men (Zwetschgenmännle). These little men and women are made from prunes and have a walnut head. A few stalls around the Christmas Market were selling these novelty items.

There are many different designs for the prune men, and a few of my photographs are below. They are said to bring happiness and luck.

Springerle is another Nuremberg traditional food. It is an embossed white biscuit design, and it is translated to "little knights". This cookie is from Renaissance times, and it is made with egg white and anise. Some of the deisgns have been coloured, otherwise they are simply embossed. I did try these, and they are a wafer-like biscuit with a slight anise taste. A few of the different designs can be seen below.

Nutcrackers were amongst the popular Christmas crafts.

Around the Christmas area (though not inside the actual market square itself) and main streets were a couple of different buskers dressed as Santa with small, cute dogs. 

Last but not least, a twenty-minute dash around the Christmas Market and streets of Nuremberg is possible in the German post (Deutsche Post) stagecoach. The men driving the horse would blow a horn to signal the approach of the carriage as we were taken around the market, and everyone would stop to look. I felt like a celebrity for those twenty minutes.

Also, if you love postcards and stamps like I do, do not forget to visit the special Christmas market stall for German Post. This is located across the road from the fountain. Tickets for the stagecoach rides mentioned above can be purchased here as well as stamps and postcards. Even if you have written your postcards, stamped or not, you can take your postcards here to receive one of two special Nuremberg German postmark stamps. I went back to this stall several times to receive the special postmarks.

Last but not least, I have put together a list of tips for visiting the Nuremberg Christmas Market. The list below mentions good points and what to avoid.

Tips for Nuremberg Christmas Market:

• Some of the stallholders are dishonest and rude. I gave money for a glass of mulled punch across from the horse stagecoaches, and the stallholder tried to deny I had given her money even after I kept insisting, and she and her boss were extremely rude to me. I eventually got my money, but I had to make a scene by arguing. Make sure that the stallholder has your full and undivided attention throughout the transaction and force them to make eye contact with you.
• Prices vary greatly for the same item and change as the market gets busier. Again, some of the stallholders are dishonest and will charge more. Look around first and note the price. If the price is not on display, ask and then continue to look for the best price. Prices can vary greatly fort he exact same item. Also, as I did visit the market several times, I noticed that the stalls changed their prices during busier times. I saw one stall sell one particular item for 2.50, and this price was raised to 3.50 as the day progressed and market got busier.
• Watch your money and possessions as there are pickpockets. I did not have any trouble, but this was advice given to me.
• Visit in the morning when it's quiet. The evenings and dusk gets extremely busy, and it's not possible to browse when it's too busy. The market opens at 10:00am, but some stalls open a little later, and the market is relatively quiet then.  
• Try new things. Sausage, mulled wine, and gingerbread are a few items to try.
• Get a map of the Christmas Market. A map of all stalls in the main Christmas Market, the Children's Christmas Market, and the International Christmas Market is available in the Tourist Information building on the market square. This is located near the church.
• Look for prune men. The map available from the Tourist Information centre includes locations of the stalls for the prune men separately. 
• Get your special stamps and postmarks. For those sending postcards, visit this stall opposite the fountain and receive a special postmark. Postcards and stamps can also be purchased here.
• See Christkind. She makes an appearance daily at approximately 3:00 in the afternoon on most days. The brochure in the Tourist Information can provide more information as the timing and availability is subject to change.
• Have fun!

Every year, I enjoy browsing the various Christmas window displays around London. I have only included a selection of window displays from the larger department stores: Harrods, Selfridges, Hamley's, John Lewis, and this year I even stopped at Choccywoccydoodah to view their Christmas chocolate display. 

Harrods department store is the probably the most famous and one that springs to mind for those who do not live in London. Their window displays are always fascinating, and their windows had various Christmas themes featuring woodlands. One popular window featured a carousel with unicorns. The most popular window was one featuring Santa in his sleigh with a team of reindeer. This window was extremely popular with children and adults, so it was impossible to get a good photograph of it without someone in the picture and window reflections of people. Check it out if you're in the Knightsbridge area.

Harrods

Selfridges department store on Oxford Street is always one of my favourites to visit. This year, they had a variety of Christmas themes. In one, mannequins modelled lingere and dresses with white paper wolves in a woodland scene. Another showed a golden goose with eggs surrounded by food and wine. Another was a gingerbread house. The largest window on the corner featured jars of marmalade, a golden Hackney cab, and a Paddington statue from the Paddington Trail, which I will be posting photographs of later this month. The Paddington film is out, and Selfridges has a shop dedicated to the bear.

Selfridges

I had a quick browse at the windows at Hamleys toy store on Regent Street, which is always busy and gathers crowds outside. One of the windows was decorated to look like the interior of a house decorated for Christmas with several stuffed toys and a Santa inside. Hamleys is always popular.

Hamleys

John Lewis, who had a popular Christmas advertisement last year with their touching 'Hare and Bear' commercial featuring the song 'Somewhere Only We Know' by Lily Allen (originally by Keane), had a similar response to their Christmas advertisement this year. This year, the commercial featured a little boy and his penguin friend, Monty. The 'Monty the Penguin' commerical was highly anticipated, and after it was broadcast in November, it gave everyone the opportunity to start to think about the holidays. Tom Odell sang 'Real Love', a song that John Lennon had written in the 1970s, and this song is still in the charts. Consequentally, the shop windows of John Lewis feature cute penguins amongst the merchandise. The photographs taken below are of the Peter Jones shop in Sloane Square. The John Lewis on Oxford Street has the same displays.

Peter Jones / John Lewis

John Lewis' 2013 'Hare and Bear'

John Lewis' 2014 'Monty the Penguin'

Choccywoccydoodah is a chocolate shop. It has a shop in Brighton and one in London; the London shop is located off Carnaby Street. The popular chocolate shop also has its own reality television show. The shop always features wonderful chocolate creations, such as the Christmas creations below.

Choccywoccydoodah

I hope that everyone is managing to have a nice holiday season. So far, it has been extremely busy for me and I have struggled to fit in everything that I would like to do before the big day. 

Below are window displays from the past years:

2011 Selfridges

2012 London Christmas lights and window displays

2013 London Christmas window displays

After enjoying our time in the Magical Ice Kingdom at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland this year (read about it here), we headed over to the Bar Ice, where I had a reservation. I think Bar Ice is the same company who run ICE BAR off of Regent's Street, which I went to a couple of summers ago (Nights Out: London ICE BAR). The reservation is for fourty minutes to spend enjoying (and freezing at) the bar. Bar Ice uses the same building as the Magical Ice Kingdom, but I think Bar Ice may have been a little colder.

Visitors are given jackets and gloves before they head into Bar Ice. This keeps us a little bit warm, and you do need the gloves as the free cocktail comes in a glass made completely from ice.

The room's walls, tables, seats, and the bar are made completely out of ice. There are a couple of ice sculptures in the room, such as detailing around the wall. This was not as impressive as the ICE BAR off Regent's Street, particularly as we had just come from seeing the Magical Ice Kingdom with its beautiful ice sculptures. We were a little spoiled.

The cocktails (alcholic and non-alcoholic) had a festive winter theme. I opted for "Cinnamon Sparkler", which contained Eristoff, Goldschlager (cinnamon schnapps with gold flakes), Cosmopolitan mixer, cranberries, limes, and orange. I liked it.

My partner had either the "Berry Blizzard" or "Jack Frost", but I cannot remember which one. Both of these contained strawberry. His came with a Twizzler straw. 

Unlike ICE BAR, the ice benches did not have matts to sit on, and I was wearing my dress. I was not about to sit directly onto an ice cold ice bench and freeze. 

We did not stay long at Bar Ice as my partner was feeling cold. I could have stayed longer and had another festive cocktail, but we decided to leave to beat the rush hour. We also needed to pack and get everything ready for going away on holiday to Germany the next day.

This year, I finally managed to book the "Magical Ice Kingdom" at Winter Wonderland. I tried the previous two years, but all of the spaces were taken as I had tried to arrange it too late. This year I arranged it early and decided that this would be something that we could do on Thanksgiving after our Thanksgiving lunch (Thanksgiving at Christopher's Bar and Grill), so we made our way across to Winter Wonderland for our time slot. The tickets were also discounted as Winter Wonderland had only been open for a couple of days and this first week is not as busy as the holiday season progresses.

This year's theme for the Magical Ice Kingdom was King Arthur's Kingdom. We walked around the trail and admired the woodland creatures (wolves, owls, squirrels, bears) made out of ice and large columns or stalagmites of ice rising from the floor. Pine trees seculded each area so that we could be surprised before we approached the next sculptures.

As we walked further along, we came upon the sword in the stone (or ice), a wizard (Merlin), a Celtic cross, and a large ice knight standing guard. The first larger sculpture that we came across was two jousting knights on horseback. Most of the ice used was clear, but the knights and their horses were snowy white.

After seeing the knights, we walked a few more steps to discover a fairy and a tree with a face. Merlin (pictured in one of the photographs above) was in this setting.

We walked further around, and we came to the castle with sculptures and a throne room. A photographer was taking photographs of the visitors who wanted to sit down in the thrones. Many people did do this, and they could purchae their photograph at the exit.

The lighting ranged from violet to blue in the throne room. Behind the throne room, visitors could walk up to go onto the slide. I decided to do this, wearing a cotton dress, which was not clever because obviously my legs stuck to the slide and the slide was extremely cold. This would have worked if that had provided a matt to give us to slide down on. (Wearing jeans would have worked as the material is stronger.)

After the slide fiasco, I continued to walk the trail. The next stop was a frozen fountain that people had thrown coins into.

This was followed by a sculpture of the Lady of the Lake holding King Arthur's sword while standing in the lake with two unicorns on the embankment. I thought that this one with the water was cleverly-created.

Further along the trail was the largest sculpture featuring soldiers and an archer in ice chain mail attacking a large snowy white ice dragon with glowing yellow eyes. This was impressive.

A little further along was a bar made out of ice barrels. Alcoholic of hot drinks could be purchased here. I was not able to get photographs because a large group turned up just afterwards and decided to buy some drinks and hang around the bar, but this looked awesome.

The final sculpture was a round table made of ice with a sword and chalice in the middle of the ice table. This was situated inside a stone (ice) circle of ice boulders.

I did not particularly want to leave, but we were getting a little cold by then as the temperature in the Magical Ice Kingdom was around -10 degrees Celsius so that the sculptures would not melt. When we did leave to go back outside, the outside weather felt almost tropical, and the outside weather was chilly before we entered the Magical Ice Kingdom.

I also had booked Bar Ice, Winter Wonderland's very own Ice Bar. The Ice Bar is new to Winter Wonderland this year, and it is actually a part of the same building as the Magical Ice Kingdom. We had to wait about an hour before our time slot came up, so we wandered around Winter Wonderland. Ice Bar London has a permanent location off Regent Street that changes its theme every few months, and I went the summer before last with friends and covered this in Nights Out: ICE BAR. My next post will feature my experience at Bar Ice Winter Wonderland.

Every Christmas, the area of Hyde Park near Hyde Park Corner tube station is transformed into Winter Wonderland. This tripled in size three years ago to contain new areas, such as a Magical Ice Kingdom and more games and food stalls. Each year, it gets busier and more popular, and I did not go at all last year because I was put off from the crowds the year previously. This year, I decided to go back because it was a few days after the opening of Winter Wonderland for the year and I expected it to be quiet and not popular with crowds of people. I actually went on Thanksgiving, after visiting Christopher's Grill in Covent Garden (Thanksgiving at Christopher's Restaurant in London).

When arriving at Winter Wonderland from Hyde Park Corner tube station, the first area that one passes through is the Christmas Market. 

The usual rides are at Winter Wonderland along with new ones, and the ice skating is also available. There are plenty of games and rides to enjoy, and this year there is the Magical Ice Kingdom (featuring ice sculptures) and a special winter/Christmas edition of Ice Bar.

Food and drink, such as mulled wine, can also be enjoyed.

These are all available in wooden chalets.

There are also plenty of photo opportunities with animal sculptures, but there are not quite as many as previous years when people could pose with snowmen and penquins.

As usual, Winter Wonderland will be popular again this year. To avoid crowds, try to get there early or go during the week. Saturday and Sunday during the day are extremely busy. Transport for London also encourages visitors in peak times to use an alternative tube station as Hyde Park Corner gets congested. Knightsbridge is a short walk away as is Marble Arch.

This year, the large green red-nosed reindeer statue that has graced Covent Garden at Christmas time over the past several years has been replaced by a new fesitve giant redineer. This one is silver and is mounted on a green sleigh. The reindeer has small holes over its body, and it lights a pale blue colour at dark.

While in Covent Garden, you may also see and pet some real reindeer and visit the LEGO Santa and his team of LEGO reindeer a few yards away (Santa and Lego Reindeer for Christmas in Covent Garden).

What do you think of Covent Garden's new reindeer?

Yesterday I started to get into the Christmas spirit at last. We only returned from holiday on Wednesday night, and I was not feeling my best for the couple of days afterwards. Thankfully, I was feeling a bit better yesterday (even though I still feel like hibernating). I managed to write some Christmas cards and go out for my pre-booked Christmas afternoon tea at Emmeline's Lounge in Conrad St. James.

Emmeline's Lounge was decorated for the holidays with a large decorated tree as a centrepiece in the room. As we started to look at the afternoon tea menu, a small group of carollers entered the room and started to sing Christmas carols. We were sat next to the decorated tree. We sipped our unlimited champagne and listened to the carols.

The savouries were brought out to us onto three tiers. The top tier included brussel sprout salad, served in shot glasses. This was a puree with a cream cheese and brussel sprout taste, and it had quite a strong flavour. The plate also included turkey ballotine (turkey meat formed around stuffing) with cranberry on the side and venison parcels in pastry.

The next tier included the sandwiches: smoked salmon and lemon creme fraiche, beetroot and spinach, and gammon with mustard.

The third tier included four scones wrapped in a fabric napkin. The two scone flavours were orange and cranberry and Christmas spice. These were served with the traditional clotted cream and strawberry jams, but an additional preserve of blackberry curd was included. The scones tasted lovely and fresh.

I cannot forget to mention the tea. I had the Darjeeling tea, which is an easy-going black tea. This was served loose-leaf (the only way one should have tea, in my opinion), and came with a strainer.

After we had finished the savouries and got seconds of some of it, we were finally rewarded with our winter dessert scene. This was carried over to us in a frosted window display over a sheet of slate that contained the edible winterscape. I took quite a few photographs.

When the frosted 'window' was removed, we could take a glimpse at the edible cakes and pastries. They included meringue snowmen, winter berry Christmas tree, white forest yule logs, snowflake ginger macaroons, chocolate and orange battenberg presents, and Christmas postcard marshmallows.

The Christmas tree was my favourite. It was made of berry sorbet and had the richest chocolate 'brownie' base that I've had in a long time. This was delicious. The marshmallows and macaroons were lovely too. I almost forgot to mention this, but the snow that the pastries are sat in and around was also edible and formed of meringue and silver and gold chocolate pieces.

We had a lovely time at Emmeline's Lounge at Conrad St. James, and the Christmas carols and everything made us feel really special. This is one of the best afternoon tea experiences that I have had yet, and it put us in a Christmas mood.