Walking in a Winter Wonderland… in London?

Three days and counting to Christmas Day! After hearing good reviews from family and friends, my twin brother and I decided to go to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, London. It was a great idea but as we had left it until the last minute to book tickets for some of the attractions (like the ice rink or Bar Ice) we were disappointed to find out that many were all sold out. This didn’t perturb us from going and we made our way to London to visit the Christmas Market and an evening show called Cirque Berserk.

First off, if you are thinking of going to this ‘Wonderland’ too, can I suggest taking plenty of money? The fairground rides and food stalls are really expensive (i.e. not a particularly suitable place for a broke student at the end of her first Uni term!). Cost aside, the Wonderland lived up to its name. It was really Christmassy and very atmospheric…. beautifully laid out (the many maps making it easy to find your way around) with lots to see. My brother is not (usually) the ideal shopping companion but he too enjoyed walking around the Christmas Market. There are loads of stalls selling their Christmas wares – which was really useful for getting my last minute gifts. As my images show, it was really busy and this added to the excitement of the day. In the evening we watched Cirque Berserk. I love the circus! It wasn’t in the same league as my beloved Cirque du Soleil but nevertheless it was really enjoyable – motor bikes riding round in a big ball of metal, with impossible angles and tricks being performed before your very own eyes…

All in all we had a great day out and I thoroughly recommend a visit to this event and will hopefully be going next year. I wonder what the ‘real’ traditional German Christmas markets are like? I have just completed a major assignment on documentary photography and this would have made a great subject to capture. This BA Photography course is certainly making me aware of the possible shooting opportunities I can explore going around my everyday life and it is sort of becoming an obsession… I think this is a good thing?