Winter Wonderland, Six the Musical and Highest Restaurant!

We spent a few days in London and jam-packed it full of Christmas events, special treats and incredible shows! 

Click here to watch the vlog or see below. 


I'd spent the first part of my annual leave at my mum's and got to meet the latest addition to the family, our new puppy Floki. Meanwhile, Luke was down in London at a work training conference. On Wednesday morning I headed down on the train to meet him. We went straight to the hotel only 30 minutes before check in and were told the rooms weren't ready. I was really quite shocked but nevertheless, we dropped the bags off and headed out on our way. 


We explored a new-to-me part of London. We stayed at Tower Hill, walked around the Tower of London, across Tower Bridge and then to the mini Christmas Market, “Christmas at the River”. 

The little Christmas market had a woodland theme, but I loved the signs, the location, the cost and the emptiness. I think I prefer it to Winter Wonderland! It's much more intimate but still has the same types of stalls and vibe. 
Of course, we had to visit the Queen on the way to Winter Wonderland too. This year, Winter Wonderland was charging and ticketing the event. We ended up getting to Green Park about an hour before so we had some time to kill. The Queen was home, there were a lot of vehicles coming and going, but I loved the minimalist look of the Christmas trees, and the soft yellow lighting. 
Then we went to Winter Wonderland. The annual Christmas tradition returns! We walked through the markets, the rides and then went to the German food area to eat. It was nice to sit down under the lights and listen to music. Usually, I eat before so it made a nice change. We also went to the ice ring which I always find so peaceful. It was absolutely freezing, especially whilst eating and listening to live music. Luckily, I’d booked tickets to Cirque Berserk too, so we warmed up inside and got scared by all the near-death experiences the entertainers performed. Luke loved the motorbikes especially!
The next morning, we went to our pre-booked breakfast. It was the most expensive place I'd ever been to for breakfast, at a minimum of £20 per person, but so worth it. I will be full on dreaming of the breakfast and view at the Duck and Waffle for years to come. Truly epic. It's the highest restaurant in London, with gorgeous views and fresh food served politely and efficiently. 

After, we headed to Harrods and Hamley's. I bought a yummy brownie and then a present for my oldest niece. Covent Garden is always a favourite of mine: the decorations, the buskers and the atmosphere. We saw a couple of jugglers and then a couple of acoustic singers which were lovely. One of them had tens of kids dancing in the middle of the audience which was so fun to watch. They were all dressed as mini Disney Princess' so I assume they must have been at a party! 
From there, we went to a local pizzeria to grab tea. It was an interesting experience for sure and one I will not be eager to do again. I felt so cold the whole meal, the waiters and managers were rude, and we were right next to the kitchen, watching the chefs cook and prep everything. Not once if the entire 90 minutes we were there, did they wash there hands and wear gloves. Nothing! After that, we headed to Oxford Street, Trafalgar Square and then walked to the theatre. 
The last place of the night was Six the Musical. It had been on my bucket list for the last two years. I didn’t quite know what to expect, and it wasn’t the story I anticipated, but it was amazing. The vocals of the cast were just phenomenal. I don’t say this often, but I would love to see it again; the soundtrack has been on repeat ever since! You can read my full review here
For the final day, we had a later start to the day. We'd done so much walking around that I was knackered and I barely slept the first night. Luckily, I slept so well and was ready for another exciting but slightly easier day. We'd booked tickets to St Paul's Cathedral. I'd wanted to go for a while, but it is quite expensive. Luckily, they're currently letting NHS staff go for free so instead of almost £40, it was just £17 for the two of us, which I thought was reasonable. On the way we called at Pret for breakfast and then walked down towards the cathedral. As we approached, it was beautiful! 
Despite the stunning exterior, I couldn’t not share some of the internal designs. I was very impressed with the audible tour guide available free of charge. They also had guided walking tours, but I loved being able to take it at my own pace and pick aspects that interested me. Despite the history, I loved the modernisation concepts, from multimedia art, to sculptures and even a Covid-19 memorial. Serene, peaceful and beautiful. 
The architecture is stunning but I was blown away by the views from the galleries. Sadly, one was closed, but we still climbed the stairs all the way to the top with over 500 steps along 3 different staircases. Whilst there, we learnt Luke is definitely afraid of heights which I found hilarious. He was so cute and shaky...I kind of love that he has at least one weakness in life. 
Finally, we left St Paul's after over 4 hours. I'd only planned 2 there so it was defintely something I loved. We walked to a Christmas market just outside and then had tea at a lovely London chain restaurant. Again, the staff were lovely, food was yummy and service was quick. It was a little on the louder side to begin with as there were a couple of Christmas parties, but after they left, it settled down. 

Sadly, it was then time to leave. We were going to head to Little Venice but because it was already starting to get dark, we ended up heading back to the hotel and taking it easy for 30 minutes, before going to the station and going back out separate ways. What a jam-packed fun trip!

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