Long gone are the summer days, gloomy overcast grey clouds have returned like a friend I have not seen in a decade. Darkness is upon London before the afternoon has even turned into evening. In a bid to cheer myself up and forget the about the chill that is slowly undressing the trees bare, Mr Awesome and I were looking through pictures of the trip to Egypt and comparing the unforgiving heat to the hibernation inducing cold in London. Looking through the sun-kissed beaches of Sharm El Sheik was enough to make me miss the scary but thrilling dives in the red sea.
We decided to give up on self-deprecating talk over our failure to import the Egyptian heat over to the queen's island and decided to embark on one of my usual walks to Southbank. "Yes its cold but we can stop by for hot chocolate on the way" were my words in a bid to entice Mr A to join me. His sweet tooth is just as bad a mine so with a little bit of a bribery, a set of gloves and warm coats we set off to Soutbank. This walk was part in protest at being asked to sit through Fargo. As a movie buff, Mr Awesome has watched enough movies to put Blockbusters back in the black (he’s probably the reason why one is still surviving in Essex when the others have shutdown).
Secretly celebrating my escape from watching the Coen brother’s Fargo, we were headed in the direction of the River Thames. During this time of year Southbank is beautifully lit with Christmas decorations, you can smell the mulled wine and German sausages as you approach the market. Children's giggles coming from spinning carousels and coma inducing chocolate counters while Christmas jungles from fake Santas decorate the Christmas market stalls. Trees twinkling with lights as if to usher you in to the surroundings.
In December Southbank is home to 80 chalets selling a range of products from hand made jewellery, toys, food, to beautifully decorated plates. Also tucked under the Waterloo bridge is Southbank's book market and come rain or shine this little gem is open for business and if you are into your reading, whether comics or novels this is one little spot to shield yourself from the London rain with a coffee or tea while passing the time admiring antique books and magazines. This place has been around ever since I could remember and has some of the coolest publications waiting to be re-discovered.
I have racked up plenty of miles doing this walk over the years but this time it was different. Oh yeah, I was brave this time. Having debated on whether to try the weird burgers that are usually found at these markets Mr Awesome and I debated on whether to try the Kangaroo or Ostrich burger. We settled on Ostrich; only because apparently Kangaroos are better looking animals and therefore shouldn't be eaten. That justification was as good as any and so 5 minutes later my tummy was welcoming a tasty Ostrich burger. Succulent with onions draped in a thick gravy like sauce with a garnish of herbs and good ol' trusted K-Sauce (Ketchup!). Unexpectedly good! Why did I wait so long?...
Are the markets near you getting you in the spirit of Christmas?
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