London and a dash of Christmas spirit

Oxford Street

Oxford Street

I grew up in Nottingham and spent my adult life moving around many of England’s provinces, but until recently never lived near to London. I often saw the lights of the London at Christmas on the TV and wondered what I was missing. So earlier this week we took the chance to see the lights of Oxford Street and the Christmas market in Hyde Park.

Regent Street

Regent Street

It’s strange walking through London in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday. With very few children around and workers generally locked up in their offices, Oxford Street is busy but it’s still possible to move along the pavement; something that is beyond difficult on a Saturday at this time of the year. Most of the voices you hear are not English; visitors from around the world speaking in many languages and peering through the windows of Selfridges, Hamley’s and the other large stores, no doubt enticed here by our weak pound.

Oxford Street Lights

Oxford Street Lights

We walked down the length of Oxford Street, checking out the famous Christmas window displays at Selfridge’s and eventually reaching Marble Arch and the start of Hyde Park. By this time it was dark and the lights of the big wheel in the Christmas market were visible from a long distance. The ambient light in London is so strong that we could even walk along the paved paths of Hyde Park away from the traffic of Park Lane, and have no trouble seeing our way ahead.

Christmas Market, Hyde Park

Christmas Market, Hyde Park

The Christmas market in Hyde Park, known by the politically correct term of Winter Wonderland, is basically a giant travelling fair. Rather than being staffed by UK ‘travellers’ as most fairs are, the smiles and greetings are all German. Sausages, fries, mulled wine, pizza, crepes, chocolate, you name an unhealthy food and it’s there, twice. We arrived hungry and soon polished off most of the above. Going on one of the rides is probably not the best option after eating, and fortunately the prices of the rides meant that we were never tempted (£6 each for many of the rides is a bit steep).

Christmas Market, Hyde Park

Christmas Market, Hyde Park

The market is unashamedly tacky, predictable and very much geared around parting you from your cash. But if you choose to visit the market at the right time of the day (5pm on a weekday was not very busy) it is a little slice of London that does reinforce the arrival of Christmas. And you won’t want to eat again for days!

Christmas Market, Hyde Park

Christmas Market, Hyde Park

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3 Responses to “London and a dash of Christmas spirit”

  1. Hi Andy!

    Nice post – I love the lights around Oxford Circus this year although I could do without the blatant “Christmas Carol” branding. I didn’t know about the Hyde Park market but will definitely go check it out! Thanks for the tip.

    Cheers,
    Kathryn

    December 3, 2009 at 12:40 pm Reply
  2. Thanks Kathryn. It’s worth a look and the big wheel does apparently give great views of Hyde Park and beyond. Be warned thought, that nothing there is cheap even by London standards.

    December 3, 2009 at 1:25 pm Reply
  3. Loved this post. Reminded me of when I did the same thing in New York City over our Thanksgiving holiday a few years ago. The displays in the store windows were nothing short of spectacular – and I’d love to see the Christmas Market in Hyde Park, just to compare.

    December 4, 2009 at 9:46 pm Reply

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