Last night after school my two daughters, boyfriend and best friend clambered on a bus and went in search of my annual festive attraction, Winter Wonderland. It's by no means on a scale like the one in London but erected outside City Hall and Cardiff Museum it's always lit up perfectly with German food and ale on offer, a few thrill rides, an open air ice rink and sweet treats in abundance. So after a quick trip to Starbucks and Primark for a last minute coffee and snood run we walked through the huge shopping centre, St Davids 2 marvelling at the rather tasteful decorations before we stopped in the girls' favourite shop, Hamleys. How adorable are the ceiling decorations and this marvellous employee who had Amelia amused with his balloon balancing technique?
A ten minute walk later and we were greeted with the scent of delicious food being cooked inside little wooden huts, a mass of people queuing for rides and skating and the overwhelming urge to take far more photos than I should ever publish in one blog post. It was slightly different to previous years with no Santa in sight but in his place came a huge 60 meter sky swing that I wasn't brave enough to venture onto that has views overlooking the entire city. Have you been on it? How was it? Right now I'm thankful for my feet on land.
Bundled up in a mass of black and faux fur it was dreamy. The weather was the perfect kind of dry and cold combination that stops just before your hands start to lose all sensation. After wandering, oohing and aching, participating in a little reindeer ride with the girls and allowing them to indulge in chocolate covered waffles on sticks past their bed time it was time to wrap up on the bus home. I always wish I could stay longer than I ever do despite knowing I'd be bored and broke after an hour there but I guess that's the beauty of fleeting festive attractions and the main rule for most men in their late teens and twenties that is often extremely badly executed...
Ooh, this looks so gorgeous! I wish we had stuff like that over here, but no! The most festive celebrations we seem to have are Carols by Candlelight which always manage to bore me to tears at some point after the first half hour. xx
ReplyDeleteTell me more. The German markets are my favourite thing. One day I'll make the markets IN Germany.
Deleteyour girls are too cute!!! they look all snuggly bundled up all cozy. everything looks so festive here, and that last picture is leaving me very hungry :) sprinkles makes everything better!
ReplyDeleterachel x
blush&brunch
I took a bite and oh, my - delicious! I love seeing them just peeping out beneath layers. I want to feel as snuggly!
DeleteSuch lovely photos and you're little family is just so beautiful! I wish something like this was closer. Whatever the chocolate sprinkly thing of goodness is, I want it x
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos. I should be going here on Saturday and can't wait! I can confirm that I will most definitely not be going on that big tall sky ride! x
ReplyDeleteLeanne - A Slice of My Life