NYE 2018

I don't usually do much for NYE, perhaps dinner out somewhere but then it is usually back home for pyjamas and tea in front of the fireworks on the tv. One year we did go to Somerset house and watch the London fireworks from there, which was a great experience but it involved a lot of waiting around in the cold (easily three hours) trying to secure a good spot for the display. 

However this year I noticed just a few days before NYE that the Natural History Museum still had tickets left for their 'champagne on ice" New Years Eve skate session and as it would just be my boyfriend and I celebrating this year, it seemed like it could be fun. 

We turned up about 10.15 to enjoy the champagne included in our ticket and were one of the first customers there, yet they had already run out of champagne and were serving prosecco instead, which I did think was a little poor. Apart from this however we did have a good time and mused how sensible it was to be getting on the ice after the champagne as we strapped on our skates. 

The DJ played music until the New Year countdown began and we stopped skating to ring in the new year. It was a pleasant and joyful atmosphere at the rink and although it did get a little crowded at times, after midnight people starting leaving and it got much quieter as we skated for the last half an hour of the session. 

It was a fun way to celebrate the new year and by the time we got back I couldn't wait to go to sleep as I was so tired from skating!

Wreath making at Seven Dials

Last Thursday evening I took my mum to the Christmas event at Seven Dials, near Covent Garden. We arrived a short while before it officially started so we had a walk around the area.

The cobbled streets looked festive with decorations strung up and Christmas lights waiting to be switched on. 

We stopped for a cup of tea in a cute little ice cream cafe called Udderlicious. They had so many flavours of ice cream that all looked so good, I'd love to go back and try them when it's a little warmer.

Our next stop was the free wreath making workshop. We arrived early to secure our spots and within ten minutes the benches had all filled up. 

We were each given a moss wreath, spool of wire and a selection of foliage.

The florist explained how to attach a piece of foliage at an angle and wrap the wire around the wreath to fix it in place. It was a lot of fun putting together the wreath and arranging it to look just right and half an hour later this was my finished wreath:

After we'd finished making our wreaths we went to the Monmouth Kitchen pop up bar for a complimentary cocktail called a Monmouth Fizz, which was delicious! They even added edible violas as decoration to the glasses which looked so pretty.

We had such a nice time; the atmosphere was festive and fun, with Christmas music playing and all of the local shops getting involved. There was lots to see and do, as well as wreath making there was ice curling and make up demos and most of the shops had 20% off. It was a lovely event to start the festive season with and I would love to go again next year. 

My wreath hung up on the front door!

Yoga at the shard

For Christmas my boyfriend gifted me a voucher for a yoga class at the shard. I got in to yoga last year, albeit only using online videos, but I'd really found it beneficial. Having been to only one class quite a few years ago (my one and only prior attempt at yoga classes) I was a bit apprehensive, but it turned out to be quite fun. 

I got there early so I was able to get a spot at the front with amazing views of London, which made the experience even better, especially as it was daylight when the class started and dusk was beginning to fall and the city was lighting up as it ended.

Summer Food Markets

Over the summer I've caught a few of the weekend food markets across London. The first one I went to at the South Bank Centre had quite a buzz and a good variety of stalls, my favourite being a fresh coconut stall where you could quench your thirst with the water from a freshly sliced coconut and after you could get the coconut chopped open to eat. 

The second food market I went to was at Alexandra Palace. I was looking forward to this as it was advertised as a large food market with entertainment, but I was ultimately a little disappointed as it was smaller than I expected with less variety and it was overcrowded. That said, I did enjoy the food I ordered a lot, I had a burrito for lunch and a chocolate banana waffle. Sitting on Muswell Hill eating lunch and taking in the sights of the city definitely made the trek across London worth it. 

Most recently I went to the Victoria Park market. Again this market was not that big, but I found the variety of different food and the mix of food to eat there and products to take home good. I enjoyed a cheese and onion jam toastie with a refreshing berry juice drink and I purchased a couple of sweet treats from a stand called a pie party to take home. There was also a lady selling garden plants and as she was going on holiday the following week they were only £1.50, so I picked up a pretty Busy Lizzie bush plant for the balcony which I'm hoping to be able to overwinter. 

I'm keeping an eye out for any more food markets I can explore before the summer months are over.

December London weekend and Brussels Christmas Market trip

I don't know where December has gone, it has passed by so quickly much like the rest of the year. That said, we did have a couple of festive days out and a quick trip to Brussels for the Christmas Markets. 

On the first weekend in December my mum and I went to a local castle that was holding a Christmas fair. We went last year too and the place is decked out with greenery and lights so it looks very pretty. We did a little Christmas shopping but our favourite part is stopping for a mulled wine and mince pies in the cafe - they have the best mince pies! 

The following day my mum and I met my dad in London. Whilst he was working my mum and I did a little Christmas shopping on Kensington high street and we discovered Whole Foods! Whilst we were in there my mum entered a competition at a soup tasting and a few days later received a case of fresh soups! That evening we met my dad and went to pizza express for dinner. I indulged in my favourite dessert, their snowball dough balls. 

The following day I met my boyfriend bright and early at St Pancras for our trip to the Brussels Christmas Markets. We grabbed a coffee and croissant before boarding our train and a couple of hours later we arrived. 

As we arrived at lunch time and it was freezing cold, our first stop was a Belgian frites shop for authentic and tasty frites! Once we were full and warm we were on our way and first stop was a beautiful arcade mainly full of chocolate shops. We spent some time browsing the lovely displays and picking some nice chocolates to take home. 

One of the chocolate shops had a moving 'ski lift' display which was fun.

Next we went to the main square which had beautiful architecture and a lovely Christmas tree which we stopped to take a few pictures by, before picking up a hot chocolate from another chocolate shop to keep us warm. 

After a little more walking we reached the Christmas markets. We browsed the stalls which were mostly clothing or food related and after a while we stopped for gluhwein. We found a stall selling intricate laser cut cards and picked up our Christmas cards. 

The afternoon flew by so after a little more browsing we heading back to catch our train, stopping en route for waffles (we ate a lot that day!).

On our way back we had standard premier tickets as they were only £10 more than standard class, so we had a light dinner on the train and snoozed for much of the journey back.

We arrived back in to St Pancras station around 8pm and had both enjoyed our day in Brussels.

I've heard the Christmas markets in Germany are very good so I would like to visit those too. 

August Bank Holiday Weekend in London

Last weekend we went to London for the bank holiday weekend. We stayed at the holiday inn in Kensington which I quite like as it is close to all of the museums and some good shopping spots.

We travelled up to London on Sunday and went shopping in the afternoon, ending up in Harrods. I love going in Harrods, especially at Christmas when it is all festive, but this time I was really keen to visit the Godiva chocolate cafe. There were lots of sweet treats on the menu, crepes, cakes and shakes included, but as we were going out for dinner I opted just for a classic hot chocolate. It was so good!

We also found Christmas World in Harrods! I'm not sure if this is up all year round or if it had just opened but it looked so pretty!

Later that evening we went to St Catherine's dock for dinner. There is a nice ambience with lots of restaurants all around the dock  and the lights add a sweet glow to the night sky.

After dinner we went for a walk along the Thames and then drove back across London to our hotel.

On Sunday morning we went for a lovely breakfast at a cafe around the corner from our hotel. It had good reviews on trip advisor and the hotel breakfast was expensive so went to find it. We had vegetarian breakfasts with fresh orange juice for £6 which we thought was great value for money and all hot drinks came with a free croissant so we were so full by the time we finished!

After breakfast we went to the Victoria and Albert museum which was just one stop away on the tube. We had a look round the exhibitions and then sat out in the garden with fresh lemonade, enjoying the sunshine. It's such a lovey spot to sit down and relax for a little while.

We ended up doing a little window shopping in the afternoon before returning home.