Christmas in London!

The Christmas lights in London went on the weekend I arrived (9th of November) and the festive season proves the distraction that the locals and tourists need from the ever darkening days and plummeting temperatures. It is Christmas here and you can feel the cheerfulness everywhere as people don their Christmas jumpers and head to the many markets and festivities that abound in London. Or maybe that is just me!

MERRY CHRISTMAS     

My favourite Christmas Markets in London:
Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park - It is a Christmas carnival meets traditional markets. It has something for everyone including a giant ferris wheel, carnival rides, ice skating rink all set in picturesque Hyde Park.
Southbank Christmas Markets - set along the waterfront it is the perfect place to grab a mulled wine and explore.
Somerset House - This is THE place to go ice skating in London (but be warned, bookings sell out quickly!)

Streets to Visit for Christmas Lights:
Regent St
Oxford St
Carnaby St
Covent Garden
Trafalgar Square

Lille!

On a whim we decided to head across the Channel into France and onwards to Lille.  It took us around 3.5 hrs to drive there including 30mins on the Channel crossing. I am all about weekends away when it is so easy to be in another country. This is a luxury that Britons take for granted!

Lille is a quaint city in the North of France and our main reason for visiting was the Christmas Markets. The whole city puts on an amazing display, which feels slightly more authentic than London, with a festive ferris wheel (which I managed to convince everyone to go on!), somewhat traditional german markets (full of useless trinkets and mulled wine) and lights on every corner. Feeling festive, I donned my Christmas jumper and pranced around the town.