The plan was to take a leisurely stroll through the markets of Hyde Park, South Bank and opposite the Tower of London. A visit to Oxford Street to see the lights was also on the todo list, as was a possible visit to some of the big department stores.
Arriving at Hyde Park Corner, we noticed straight away that something was happening. The tube was a lot more full than usual, and as we came out to ground level, we saw the mass of people before us. However, looks could be deceiving, as at a slightly slower walking pace you could actually get to where you wanted without having to push past many people (a far cry from the (Mainz Christmas Market).
In Hyde Park, they have erected many stalls selling Christmas gifts, handicrafts, food and drink. There was a German village area with German beer, sausages, music and Gluehwein; there was a helter-skelter, lots of other amusements, as well as an ice rink.
Walking around this wonderland really did impress us. Not only did it take two and a half hours to return to the beginning again (this place is huge!), but the selection of food was great (Christmas Dinner in a bap anyone?), the glow juice was also very tasty, and you didn't feel cramped, sticky or dirty (adjectives that I would often use when in the Mainz Christmas Market).
After enjoying all Hyde Park had to offer (ok, we didn't try something from every stall...) and looking at what time it was, we decided to give the other markets a miss, and instead head off to Harrods.
Looking around this huge store, with all the festive lighting and decorations was definitely a good choice. Amongst the noteworthy things seen was a throne for a dog, a Christmas pudding cat bag, and a leg of ham costing 1500 pounds (they didn't give us a tester of this though)...
Next up was Oxford Street, where, to our surprise, all traffic was blocked, and the streets were taken over by pedestrians. This really made a difference to getting down this road that would normally be packed and difficult to maneuver. Whilst consuming a belgian waffle, we were delighted to see that a firework was just beginning, which we watched from the middle of the road.
Once the light display was over, we moved down to the Liberty store, which was also nicely done up for the Christmas period. From here it was time to head back to Paddington to get the train back to Oxford.
A very nice Christmas trip to London to finish off 2011.
More pictures can be seen here.
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