Winter Wonderland 2014

No pressie for guessing where we spent one of our December’s Saturday nights. The time of the year when the grounds of Hyde Park are covered with mothballed wooden planks from the previous years. And on that raft, you find a festive lot of Christmas stalls, ice rink, rides, carnival games and made up après-ski bars.

It’s like an annual jamboree. Christmas songs, good glugs of beer, freezing cold weather, banking on mulled wine to warm the already frozen hands, man who won his girlfriend a man-size Toblerone, man who didn’t win his girlfriend a man-size Toblerone, petulant child staring longingly at the giant stuffed toys, all the spinning and twisting around on rides, steam spiralling from the bratwurst stalls – everything is overcrowded, overpriced and overrated, but go anyway – you are familiar with the nuances.

Churros, crêpe and candy floss; carousel, cliffhanger and caterpillar. Faces turned ashy white while legs dangled stiffly over the edges, you couldn’t help but wonder if it’s because of the close-to-zero temperature or the thrill on those pulsating rides. And cold as the night might be, the air in Winter Wonderland was heavy with inviolable jolly holiday spirits.

We made our way there after dinner. Walked around but mostly catching up and trying to take an all-inclusive selfie. Started from jam-packed Marble Arch and ended at the slightly less congested Hyde Park Corner, then made our way to Mayfair and wriggled into an English bar. More mulled wine and more beer.