Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park

One of the highlights of my recent London trip was visiting the Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park with my family.


Wandering through the sprawling grounds of the carnival and soaking in the festive atmosphere was a great way to chase away the winter blues. It's very spacious so even though it was crowded, it never got to the crazily squashed-like-sardines type of situation common at shrines in Japan on New Year's Eve.

The variety of rides was pretty impressive. There were also plenty of stalls selling crafts, accessories and food.

Spinning tea cups - haven't seen those in a while!

A charming merry-go-round.


A mind-boggling array of wooden ties.


Marzipan treats, anyone?

A honey stall with an amazing variety of candles.

A traditional German pub under a lovely canopy of lights.


At a stall selling vintage-style posters, the one saying "PMS - Be Afraid! Be Very Afraid!" made me laugh.



This chap didn't quite manage to hold on to all his balloons with one floating merrily away.

This reminded me of the Ents from Lord of the Rings.

Winter Wonderland runs in Hyde Park until 6 January. It's well worth visiting if you are in the area.