The snow out the window is beautiful as we train it across England towards Scotland. The flight over was really easy thanks to being so damn tired and sleeping for about 16 hours. Arriving into London it was a chilly 2 degrees but twinkling with the Christmas lights. We stayed in a really comfortable hotel near the London Wall. It was a few minutes to Liverpool Street Station so getting around London was really easy. We walked for miles after arriving; down along the Thames, past the Tate and to Big Ben. We fell into bed totally exhausted before 8pm.
After sleeping solidly from 8pm I was awake at 3am. I snuck up so I wouldn’t wake Lyd and decided I would read in the bathroom. Was quite pleasant sitting on the heated floor. Craving a cup of tea I grabbed the rail to climb up cause my feet had gone to sleep. Well I thought the rail was attached but it was a drop down rail so after banging myself on the head, seeing stars and swearing loudly I decided Lyd had slept long enough.
Our hotel was in London’s financial district so incredibly quiet. We spent a great day walking 35,000 steps around London. The changing of the guard at Buck Palace was quite different to the summer with the guards swaddled in huge grey overcoats. The Christmas market in Hyde Park was full of roasted chestnuts, woodcarving and mulled wine. We walked through the park and down through Kensington and a stroll through Harrod’s.
We staggered back to the hotel with our fitbits telling us we had walked almost 30km. A short sleep, and then rugged up in coats, gloves, hats and scarves we caught the tube to Waterloo to the gorgeous Christmas market on Southbank. Sitting just beneath the London Eye all lit up in blue, the trees twinkling with thousands of fairy lights, Mariah and Buble crooning everywhere we walk, and the freezing cold being warded off with mulled cider in the cedar chalet – it definitely feels like Christmas.
Sleeping under the stars 