Travel: Edinburgh at Christmas

A couple of weeks ago I got on a National Express coach for the nine hour journey up to Scotland's capital, arriving at 7:30am. As with my other two trips to Edinburgh, the plan was to spend the day in Edinburgh with Amy and then go back to her house in Berwick for a couple of days before another epic coach journey back to Birmingham.

I absolutely love Edinburgh anyway for the brilliant architecture, history and atmosphere but at Christmas time, it's just magical! During the day, we went round the market and went on a couple of rides as Amy had got Little Miss with her so it was an excuse to go on the kids Santa train and the carousel. We then went for lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe which was amazing. I went for the most delicious shredded chicken sandwich with jalepenos and monterey jack cheese. Mmm.. I could eat it all again!

I didn't take many photos on that day, I waited until I returned a couple of days later as I wanted to practice shooting in the dark. I'd done a bit of research as my last lot of photos of Edinburgh at night from March weren't that great and I'm really pleased with the way these came out. I also treated myself to a ride on the big wheel which was expensive at £9 but worth doing!

Travel: Winchester at Christmas

If you know me, you'll know that I have a soft spot for Winchester. I spent three years down there doing my degree and I fell in love with the place. I'm dying to move back and I can't wait until the day I finally get a job there. I still have a couple of friends down there and I went down at the end of November to see them.
While I was there, I stayed with my friend Alex and we spent the Saturday morning getting piercings (her nose and my daith) before having a wander around the Christmas market. Winchester's Christmas market is on a lot smaller scale than the one in Birmingham and is a mixture of European and local stall holders. The market is on for a total of four weeks but after the first two, they switch the stalls over.
Visiting the market really got me in the Christmas spirit! Although I didn't buy anything, it was nice just to have a look around and take in the sights and smells of Christmas. It was also so lovely to see my favourite city lit up.

Travel: Christmas Markets

This year, I've decided to visit as many Christmas markets as I can. Christmas is my favourite time of the year and there's nothing like visiting a Christmas market to get you into the festive spirit. The photos above were taken when I briefly visited Birmingham's Frankfurt Market over the weekend. I'm planning to go back a couple of times to really take in the atmosphere, eat the fantastic food and try one of their famous hot chocolates.
I'm off to Winchester this weekend to stay with a friend and visit their European Christmas market. I always looked forward to this when I lived down there and I haven't been for two years so I'm quite excited. I'm also going to London for a couple of days next week, so I will be venturing to Hyde Park to check out Winter Wonderland which I've heard so much about. I will also be going up to Edinburgh in three weeks to visit Amy and am looking forward to experiencing Scotland's capital city during December. I'd like to pop up to Manchester for a day and visit their market but I'm not sure if I will have time.
Are you planning on visiting any Christmas markets this year? Which ones are your favourites?