Canterbury Christmas
Dec. 11th, 2019 05:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crystalcazzieMy Christmassy weekend started with us going to Canterbury. It's been years since I've been there, I think the last time I visited was not long after I graduated. It's always weird going back to a place you used to know so well but haven't been to in ages, everything was so familiar but different at the same time.
As well as looking around the city centre and the (slightly disappointing) Christmas Market there, we ventured up to my old alma mater to say hello. That was where the weird feeling was strongest cos there are so many new buildings and extensions that the place in my memories doesn't really exist any more.
But one thing that I'm happy to say does still exist is the Keynes duck pond:
Good old ducks.
Keynes was also home to this brilliantly positioned Christmas tree:
That's my college for you.
We returned to London that evening for the Muppet Christmas Carol singalong, which was brilliant as always.
Still telling the same jokes to get us in the mood, but always fun.
We then wandered around London and I took pictures of some of the pretty lights:
The next morning saw us riding this:
The Mail Rail! That was a fun little jaunt. Very cramped, but then those trains weren't designed for people!
After that we went to Somerset House for the Museum of Architecture's Gingerbread City. That was amazing and I took so many photos I'm going to make a separate post about it.
Somerset House also had an ice rink and large Christmas tree, which we sat beside with a drink.
So arty.
Paul then had to head off to have hockey balls hit at him, so I decided to be crazy and venture to Winter Wonderland. I stayed there until it got dark and too crowded.
It is very pretty in the dark though.
On the way back I passed Fortnum and Mason and had to take a picture of their amazing Advent Calendar window display:
I love it.
And I met up with Paul back at Somerset House, where I also took a picture of the ice rink now all lit up for the evening:
The next day we went to Kingston, which was also a bit disappointing market-wise. I'm wondering if the Christmas Market has had its heyday and is in decline.
It was a very good weekend though, and I still managed to buy too much but I was pleased not to overload myself like I have done in previous years.
As well as looking around the city centre and the (slightly disappointing) Christmas Market there, we ventured up to my old alma mater to say hello. That was where the weird feeling was strongest cos there are so many new buildings and extensions that the place in my memories doesn't really exist any more.
But one thing that I'm happy to say does still exist is the Keynes duck pond:
Good old ducks.
Keynes was also home to this brilliantly positioned Christmas tree:
That's my college for you.
We returned to London that evening for the Muppet Christmas Carol singalong, which was brilliant as always.
Still telling the same jokes to get us in the mood, but always fun.
We then wandered around London and I took pictures of some of the pretty lights:
The next morning saw us riding this:
The Mail Rail! That was a fun little jaunt. Very cramped, but then those trains weren't designed for people!
After that we went to Somerset House for the Museum of Architecture's Gingerbread City. That was amazing and I took so many photos I'm going to make a separate post about it.
Somerset House also had an ice rink and large Christmas tree, which we sat beside with a drink.
So arty.
Paul then had to head off to have hockey balls hit at him, so I decided to be crazy and venture to Winter Wonderland. I stayed there until it got dark and too crowded.
It is very pretty in the dark though.
On the way back I passed Fortnum and Mason and had to take a picture of their amazing Advent Calendar window display:
I love it.
And I met up with Paul back at Somerset House, where I also took a picture of the ice rink now all lit up for the evening:
The next day we went to Kingston, which was also a bit disappointing market-wise. I'm wondering if the Christmas Market has had its heyday and is in decline.
It was a very good weekend though, and I still managed to buy too much but I was pleased not to overload myself like I have done in previous years.
