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A festive day out at Bath Christmas Market

A festive day out at Bath Christmas Market
The best part of the festive season, for me, is Christmas Markets. With the smell of mulled spices and caramelised nuts in the air, and stalls adorned with unique Christmas decorations, there’s nothing that captures the spirit of Christmas better for me. My first experience of a ‘proper’ European Christmas market was when I was 12, and I can still remember the feeling of enchantment on my first evening. I get a similar feeling when I go to markets now, although I usually have a better idea of what to expect. Although I have a list of European markets a mile long that I’d like to visit, this year we stuck closer to home and decided to check out what festive delights Bath has to offer. View Post

Christmas Markets: How to plan the perfect winter break

Christmas Markets: How to plan the perfect winter break
Christmas markets have fast become my favourite way to prepare for Christmas. The food, the stalls, the decorations, the gifts… there’s nothing quite like a Christmas market to put me in the mood for 25 December. For the past few years I have tried my hardest to go to one (last year I even went to one in Brisbane!) as I know it helps break up that long slog between the summer and a break at Christmas. A Christmas market can be a really good excuse to explore somewhere new and it’s also a really good way to get unique gifts for your family and friends. View Post

One Night in Brisbane

One Night in Brisbane
When you’re away, the last thing you want to think about is coming home. But slowly and surely the end of our big trip began to creep up on us and before we knew it we were facing our final night (excluding the plane flight). I was dreading it. I knew I’d had such a good time but still had so many places I wanted to see I just wasn’t ready to stop. But I also didn’t want to spoil the last night be being upset about leaving. Luckily we ended up staying the night in Brisbane for ease of access to the airport the next day, and Brisbane was somewhere we were yet to explore. Suddenly our final night was more about discovery than saying goodbye. View Post

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…
In fact, it’s less than a week until Christmas and I’m beginning to wonder where the year has gone. Whilst there is still time to reflect on the whole year, I’ve actually been thinking recently about what I’ve been doing over the last few weeks. Whilst the shops may start preparing for Christmas from September (which is far too soon), this year I’ve actually managed to have a whole host of Christmassy activities lined up in the lead up to the day itself. Even discounting a magical trip to Cologne Christmas markets, there’s plenty I’ve done which has made the whole season feel festive, rather than just one day. View Post

Cologne Christmas Markets

Cologne Christmas Markets
If you follow my blog, you’ll already know about my love for Christmas markets. This time last week I was in my element as I was visiting the Cologne Christmas markets which were every bit as magical as I had hoped. It was busy, in fact it was incredibly busy, but for very good reason. The markets were stunning, particularly at night, and it was a great experience to be able to absorb the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas. With a week to go until Christmas, I couldn’t be more in the mood. View Post