England : Archives - BLAH BLOB LOG: laundry waits; life does not

London’s Christmas market

Christmas market season is here! A good list of European Christmas markets is available here.

Of all the Christmas markets we’ve been to, my favorite has to be London.

We visited two years ago on the “preview” night before the Christmas market officially opened the next day. (If the kids look small, that’s why; they were.) It was the last night of our first trip to London. This was the most grand of all the Christmas markets I’d seen—there were elaborate set ups, crazy-big carnival rides and vendor booths that stretched over and along the bank of the Thames. After a week of hotel beds and lugging a stroller up and down tube steps, we were beat. So we stayed in the park had a pint on cask, cotton candy and gummies. Jacob desperately wanted and was so happy to get a Sponge Bob balloon. I thought we’d deflate it and take it home the next day, but he let it go when we got back to the hotel.

M O R E P H O T O S
From London Christmas Market. Shot Nov 19, 2010 in London, England

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London: A week in pictures

We spent a week in London in March. It was Matt’s fifth trip, my second (first without kids). Some day I’ll get all the pics from this and our first trip sorted and posted, but until that day, here are some of my favorites from the week.

I guess I got few decent shots, but still feel like nothing I shot was any good. Maybe it was a bad week. Maybe it’s because nothing’s as bright and shiny-new the second time around. Everything is the BEST EVER with fresh (or freshly jet-lagged) eyes. Make no mistake, I love London, but maybe some of the novelty has worn off. (In spite of feeling that way, the pictures I do somewhat like feel very standard tourist.)

I always wonder about people who live or work in amazing places. When you’re surrounded by so much beauty how quickly does the magnificent become commonplace? Do you slowly slip into a downward apathetic spiral until you just don’t care? The more we look at something, do the less we see?

I wonder if other travelers feel the same way the second time around.

London calling

Super excited—we’re taking a last minute trip to London! The real exciting news is this: kiddos are staying home with Grandma (poor Grandma).

This will be Matt’s fifth trip and my second. He’ll be working while there so I have all day to do the things we didn’t get to last time. And all the things that aren’t very enjoyable with children. (Jacob HATED the Tate Britain. Constant: “Can we go yet?!” “Can we leave yet?!” ugh.) And all the things that are impossible with children. Good luck pushing your way thru the crowd to see the changing of the guard with a stroller.

So yea! I’m starting to make a list of everything to do. So far it’s just the Borough Market on Sat, Columbia Road Flower Market on Sunday, Saatchi Gallery and, of course, shopping at Liberty of London. I’ll do “all the girly stuff during the day” (according to Matt), then hit some pubs when he’s done.

The above picture was taken on our first trip to London (first for me and the kids; third for Matt). One day I will get all those pictures done.

London preview

It’s been a week and a half and I still haven’t done anything with the London photos. So my pledge to keep up with this is going well.

This is a preview of what Jacob and Nicholas thought. Taken the second to last night we were there. Nicholas is passed out on the front of the stroller, Jacob on the back. At one point, Jacob actually fell off onto the sidewalk. He was fine. Got back on, went back to sleep.