December 2025 Archives

Happy New Year's Eve to all of my readers, and I hope that 2025 lived up to your expectations. This year for me was a little more balanced in some ways, but it has its ups and downs as well. I decided to go into this year with few expectations so that I would not be disappointed. This year, there was a focus on healthy living and fitness. Although I visited two new destinations outside of the United Kingdom and travelled to two that I had been to before, I did not get to do quite as much travel as I would have liked to. There were some reasons for this - namely work, an injury, agendas/plans with others, and cost. Read below to see my review of each month this year and my plans for 2026.

January:

January started out a little bit slow, which was actually quite nice after several busy years. My mind felt more relaxed, and I took in the new year with some walks around London and to visit Duke of York Square where there is a Saturday food market (Duke of York Square Saturday Food Market) that I visited a few times during the month and bought some delicious foods, and I also paid my last visit to Patridges, which closed its doors this year. I enjoyed the food hall because it had so many wonderful items and unique food-related gifts. Duke of York Square also hosted a few sculptures, Lobsteropolis at Duck of York Square, London, because the artist had his work displayed at the gallery.

I also attended the annual Canary Wharf Winter Lights 2025, and I enjoyed the light sculptures this year. This event always brings colour to the cold and dark winter days, and I loved the displays this year and felt that they were better than the past few years.

I also visited Battersea Light Festival 2025 this year and was also impressed with the light sculptures. When I was in Battersea, I enjoyed Cocktails at Control Room B, Battersea Power Station. The cocktails were served in different glasses inspired by the history of the venue as a power station. Westfield in west London also had a small light trail, and I visited this a few weeks later: Here We Glow Lights up Westfield London.

Chinese New Year fell at the end of the month, and I celebrated Chinese New Year at Bang Bang Oriental. There is so much selection for Asian street food, and there is also a supermarket, bakery, and more. The portions are also very large and more than enough for two meals.

February:

At the start of the month, I went to see the large sculpture of the sun at Helios at the Bath Assembly Rooms (Bath and Somerset, National Trust), which is the new planetary sculpture from Luke Jerram, and the visit reminded me of my time spent living in the city of Bath. I also went to Prior Park in Bath (Bath and Somerset, National Trust) while I was in the city; I actually never visited this beautiful place when I was living in Bath. Since I had seen the sun sculpture from Luke Jerram, I saw that the moon one was also on display a couple of weekends later at St. Albans (Museum of the Moon at St. Albans Cathedral), so I also visited that. This was the first of Jerram's planetary sculptures and has been on my list to see for awhile. I am glad that I have seen it inside the beautiful St. Albans Cathedral as the sculptures do look amazing in the historical settings.

One of my good friends turned 40 later this year, so she planned for a group of us to go to see an Abba tribute in Woking: Coppid Beech Hotel Party Package with ABBA. We stayed overnight and had cocktails and afternoon tea and used the spa before watching the tribute act. 

Valentine's Day is in February, but I never do anything special for it; I love the hearts and special themes for the day. When I was in London, I went to check out the treats at one of the usual spots that do nice treats: Valentine's Day at Peggy Porschen.

Toward the end of the month of February, I had my first ever visit to Vienna in Austria. My cousin was staying there to do some research, so I decided to plan a visit to the city to explore it as I had some annual leave to use before the end of March. I have always wanted to go to Vienna, so I am glad that I got to go (February Travel to Vienna, Austria). I went to Kunsthistorisches (Art History Museum), Schonbrunn Palace, Schönbrunn Zoo, Schonbrunn Gardens in Vienna, St. Stephen's Cathedral, and listened to Vivaldi's The Four Seasons and Mozart at Musikverein. I also saw some Street Art in Vienna. I also stayed at Hotel Imperial Vienna.

March:

Pancake Day was in early March this year, and I had pancakes at My Old Dutch in Chelsea and went to watch the Better Bankside Pancake Day Race on South Bank, which was my first time to watch this particular Pancake Day race. It was not as large as some of the other pancake day race events, but it was a beautiful warm and sunny day. I watched a large dinosaur and someone dressed as "Batman" in the race.

At the end of March, I spent a few days in Wales and stayed at Treffedian Hotel in Aberdovey, a family-owned hotel that I stayed at many years ago with someone who had meant a lot to me at the time. I remembered that visit many years ago and the large expanses of sand dunes from the hotel out to the sea, so I wanted to return. This beautiful hotel comes with the traditional board - breakfast and dinner. The menus change each night for the dinner, and it is three courses.

My Wales visit included a lot of castle and former religious sites and National Trust and English Heritage visits. I went to the following: Grosmont Castle, White Castle (Monmouthshire, Wales), Skenfrith Castle (Monmouthshire, Wales), Harlech Castle (Gwynedd, Wales), Talley Abbey (Carmarthenshire, Wales), Dryslywn Castle (Carmarthenshire, Wales), Raglan Castle (Monmouthshire, Wales), Castle Y Bere, Cymer in Gwynedd, Wales, and Llanthony Priory in Monmouthshire, Wales. Castle Y Bere was one of the favourites as the landscape was picturesque and memorable. It was free to visit and down a narrow track, but the views are stunning over the Welsh countryside.

In addition to the castles and ruined abbeys/priories, I visited some historic houses and a former mine. One memorable visit was a house and a castle on a hillside a short walk away: Newton House at Dinefwr and Dinefwr Castle (National Trust: Carmarthenshire, Wales). Dolaucothi Gold Mines (National Trust, Carmarthenshire) was an interesting place where a guide told us about the history of the Roman gold mining operation here and its use later in years. Tretower Court and Castle was also a nice medieval home to visit with a castle a short walk away. Llanchaeron (National Trust: Ceredigion, Wales) was a large home with farm and gardens to explore.

While in Wales, I also stopped off at Sugarloaf Winery for wine tasting and lunch on the way into Wales and also sevral days later at Gwin Dylanwad Wine Tasting at Dolgellau, Wales for wine tasting in northern Wales. I also visited the beautiful town of Portmeirion: A Visit to Portmeirion in Wales. This was my second ever visit to Portmeirion after visiting when I stayed in the area all those years ago. The day was lovely, and I enjoyed the visit in the picturesque grounds, which are famous for starring in "The Prisoner" television series.

One other memorable place that I spent some time at while in Wales was Dolgach Falls. I enoyed a walk to the waterfalls and then up the hill for some beautiful views, up the stream to additional waterfalls. The trip was only over a few days, but I was able see so a lot.

April:

After a busy February and March, I had a quieter April. London is beautiful to visit in the spring, and Easter fell in the middle of the month. A friend and I had Spring Afternoon Tea at The Savoy, London. I also enjoyed walking around the park to see the beautiful daffodil displays: Happy Easter 2025. The weather was becoming very nice with warm and sunny days.

I also enjoyed a couple of trips out to London to see the The Big Egg Hunt Returned to London in 2025. The last big exhibition of these was just over ten years ago, so I was happy to see it return to the city as I loved it. I enjoyed seeing the different decorated eggs and walking around London to locate them all.

A friend and I also got to enjoy a bottomless brunch at Daisy Green, London as a late gift to me. I had been longing to visit here for awhile after a disappointed visit a couple of years ago where they did not offer the bottomless brunch on the day and time that I visited. I enjoyed the food here, and the brunch was good although I had to watch after my friend as he got very ill. 

May:

In early May, there were street parties across the country to honour VE Day, and my road had one. The weather was not great as it was very cold, but I managed to get outside and have a chat and share food and drink with neighbours. There were a few games, but it was quite cold and windy. I enjoyed meeting new neighbours and catching up with old ones.

I also managed to watch a live recording of one of the semi-finals of "Britain's Got Talent" that one friend secured tickets for: Unblogged Spring 2025. In the middle of the month, I hosted the Eurovision Song Contest and visited Daws Hill Vineyard near High Wycombe for a wine tour and tasting, which I enjoyed.

Toward the end of the month, I visited the annual Chelsea in Bloom 2025, which coincides with the flower show. I did not think it was as good as some of the previous displays, but it did have a lot of colour, and I managed to visit on a day where the weather was warm and overcast so that I was able to get some decent photographs.

I returned to Vienna for the second time toward the end of the month as I have always wanted to see the city in bloom. My cousin was meant to be there, but he had to go back early, so I just explored alone and spent one day with one of my colleagues in the city. I went to the following places in Vienna: A Visit to Prater Theme Park, Galleries at Upper and Lower Belvedere and Belvedere 21 in Vienna, Belvedere Gardens in Vienna, Dinner and Birthday Cake at ROLLERCOASTERRESTAURANT, Vienna Alpine Gardens, Schoenbrunn Palace. I also enjoyed Champagne Breakfast at Sacher in Vienna. Spring is a beautiful time to visit Vienna, and the parks are all in bloom: Spring Visit to Vienna, Austria. I loved the gardens in bloom in the city, which was far different than in my February visit while they were dormant and devoid of colour.

At the end of the month, I had the afternoon off and a walk to Pinner to enjoy An Afternoon at the 688th Pinner Fair. The fair takes place on one day each year, and it is a day filled with games and entertainment for the community set in the centre of Pinner. The day felt like spring and was lovely to see the community out to enjoy the day.

June:

The weather became nice in June, and after the previous walk to Pinner a few days before, I had another nice walk to Pinner after work and enjoyed some cocktails and good food at Awadh in Pinner. Early in the month, I also enjoyed Afternoon Tea at Tudor Hotel in Eastcote Pinner, which I had been wanting to visit when I've walked past before because it is an interesting Tudor-style building. Since the weather was starting to get nice and spring-like, I wanted to get out a bit more.

June is my birthday month, but I did not have a large celebration this year as everyone was busy, but I had a couple of smaller gatherings for dinners. For my birthday, I bought an ice cream cake. My birthday was one of the hottest days of the year, so getting the cake was a little bit of a challenge. A friend and I had bottomless brunch in London in a rooftop bar at The Aviary in London as a birthday treat (because he got ill in our spring visit and I had to look after him). I also had a meal out with friends after work at Izgara in Hatch End. More birthday photographs can be seen here: Birthday 2025.

At the end of the month, I had a week away with a few days in Norfolk, Essex, and Suffolk area. I have been wanting to go to the Sandringham Estate for several years now. I finally got to go this year, and I had Sunday lunch after a tour around the house and gardens. I enjoyed the visit and tour.

While in this area, I visited a few castles and National Trust and English Heritage properties: Oxburgh Hall Estate (National Trust: Norfolk), Peckover House and Garden (Cambridgeshire, National Trust), Castle Rising Castle (Norfolk), Flatford Mill (National Trust, Suffolk), Castle Acre Castle in Norfolk, and Castle Acre Priory in Norfolk. Castle Acre (pictured below) are grounds of a castle which the town is named after, and there is an interesting priory a short drive away. I thought that the grounds were picturesque.

I stayed for a fw days at Potters Resorts Five Lakes in Essex. I did a lot of crafts when I was there, and it was the type of break that I had never done before but interesting. I learned how to do iris folding (card-making), and I really enjoyed this. I did some other activities too and took some time out for a break.

July:

The month of July started with an adventure to visit the Air Raid Cafe in High Wycombe for breakfast before this much-loved cafe closed as it is trying to locate a new location. I loved the cafe with its quirkly historic war-time rooms and items. While I was there, I also visited Hughenden (National Trust, Buckinghamshire), which is a short drive away.

The weather continued to be amazing in July. I have been wanting to visit The Cheese Barge for years, and my friends and I finally got to visit here and share a selection of different foods. This is the type of place that is best to visit with multiple friends so that you can try different things. The food was delicious here, and I would love to go back.

On one of the hottest days of the year, I had the morning off to visit Moor Park Mansion (Rickmansworth, London), which is located not too far away. I had a tour of the mansion and learned the history and enoyed a drink in the bar. It is now a golf course, but there are tours run every now and then to see inside. The mansion has history during the Tudor times with Henry VIII.

The annual Whitecross Street Party 2025 was held in the middle of July again. This was my first visit on one of the street party days itself, which is open to the community and draws large crowds. It is known for its street art as many street artists do visit and paint (or create) on the day. I went to check it out and see the street art being created. 

Toward the end of the month, I had a weekend in Bristol to see the sculpture trail Gromit Unleashed 3. As I took the train to Bristol this time and was only there for a short time, I only got to see the sculptures that were accessible within the centre of Bristol. A few days before my visit, I had hurt my toe and was struggling to walk a lot but made the most by adjusting my stride. In the long term, I damaged my foot even worse; it's still not fully healed. I developed plantar fasciitis after the big toe eventually got better after several weeks. I am doing what I can to recover,  but it has been very trying.

At the end of the month, friends and I met up and had lunch out and visited Hinton Ampner (National Trust: Hampshire) to have a short walk and admire the gardens. My foot was painful, so I did not get to do a long walk. I also wanted it to heal as much as possible before my visit to Rhodes in August.

August:

I spent a long weekend in Rhodes in early August, and I got to see a little bit of the island but wished that I had had more time to spend on the Greek Island. I had a couple of days trips, and I got to see, Kritinia Castle, Rhodes Clock Tower, Embonas Wine Area of Rhodes, Kallithea Springs in Rhodes, Elafos Hotel and Saint Nikolaos Fountoukli, Rhodes Archeological Museum, Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, Ancient Kamiros Acropolis, Rhodes Old Town Walls, and Rhodes Old Town. I enjoyed to see the history of Rhodes and the ruins, and there are so many beautiful places on the island.

One of my favourite places was Lindos, where I had a visit to the Acropolis at Lindos, Rhodes. The walk up to the acropolis was amazing, and I enjoyed the views. I also loved the community cats around the island, which are all looked after and can be found on the streets: Cats of Rhodes.

During the week after work, I went with a couple of friends to my first ever cricket game at Lord's Cricket Ground for the Hundreds. One of my friends has a membership, so we got to be in the VIP area. We brought champagne and picnic food, and the weather was beautiful.

I also managed to get to the new Lucy Sparrow's Bourdon Street Chippy exhibition. Everything was made of felt, and readers would have seen me post about her other exhibitions before.

At the last Bank Holiday in August, the weather was amazing. I had a walk to Headstone Manor in Northwest London. On that day, there was a special market and village show: Headstone Village Show - Diamond Anniversary 2025. I had been wanting to visit this historical place for a few years, and I finally got the long walk in. 

On the last weekend of the month, I had a day trip to Birmingham to see the sculpture trail Bulls in The City. This took me all around the city. I also got to have a tour of the Birmingham Back to Backs: National Trust. I loved the tour, which I thought was done really well and allowed me to see how different families lived in these houses. Seeing how the average people lived in the past is interesting because a lot of the ways of life and homes do not exist anymore.

The summer this year was beautiful, and I did spend a lot of the time walking, exercising, and enjoying drinks in the garden: Unblogged Summer 2025. The only issue was my foot, which was still badly hurt and took forever for the big toe to heal from being badly damaged. The plantar fasciitis did not come until the end of the month and no doubt made worse because I did not care for it but equally did not know what the issue was, and the doctors also did not help.

September:

After a busy August, September was very quiet. I did not have much planned as I had hurt my foot and was trying to recover from that. I did meet a couple of ex-colleagues that I am still friends with, and we went to her little tea shop: The Little Tea House in Barnet. The food was delicious, and we had a great time catching up. 

In the middle of the month, I visited Frieze Sculpture in Regent's Park 2025. This is an annual sculpture exhibition held outdoors in Regents Park every year, and it is free to visit. This year, I enjoyed the sculptures when compared to the past couple of years. There was a nice selection.

October:

October was a busy month to counteract the largely-uneventful September. I had a few different visits with groups of friends. I started the month with Sherlock Holmes Boozy Afternoon Tea, which I really enjoyed. I had afternoon tea and solved a table-top mystery. This was followed by a couple of different intelligence games in their bar and a couple of different Sherlock-themed cocktails. I also loved the Victorian decor, and I enjoyed reading some poems out of the vintage book.

The harvest and Halloween mood started in the middle of October, and I visited friends in Hampshire and returned to a lovely pub, The Milbury in Beauworth, which we visited earlier in the summer. After the pub, we ended up taking a long walk around the estate at Hinton Ampner (National Trust, Hampshire) and admiring the autumn and harvest decorations. They display the harvest decorations across the gardens each year, but this year was the first that I got to visit them.

Another friend came to visit, and we enjoyed a visit to Audley End House and Gardens (Essex: English Heritage). Afterwards, we went to the pumpkin patch and toured Halloween tunnels at Cammas Hall Farm. The pumpkin displays there are amazing, and they had a Halloween-themed mosaic wall made out of different colours of pumpkins and squash. The pumpkin patch is open each October, but this was my first visit. They also do Halloween nights and live music, and this gets busy and more spooky on the week that children are off from school.

My friend and I had bottomless drinks and pizza locally in Ruislip: Pizza and Pornstars at Anabella's in Ruislip. I also went out with another couple of friends to enjoy Halloween Afternoon Tea and Cocktails at Roast in London. Roast is located at Borough Market, and they really do decorate the room well, and they do themed cocktails.  

Diwali was a couple of weeks before Halloween this year, but I did not do anything for it. On the day before Halloween, I had a evening out after work. I went to Avora Immersive Cocktail Experience in London, which is immersive theatre paired with different cocktails and set on a different planet with some actors/actresses being a species from the planet Avora. (There are some similarities in this story to the "Avatar" film.)

That day, I also went to the Pumpkin Lantern Festival at Dalston Eastern Curve Garden. This was wonderful to experience as there are many hundreds of carved and lit pumpkins to enjoy while walking around the community event. During the day, people can also carve their own pumpkins. As always, London was decorated for Halloween, and it seems to be a bigger deal every year: Halloween in London 2025. As autumn drew to a close, I also enjoyed the fall decorations and went to see Michael McIntyre twice this month as a couple of friends got tickets: UnBlogged Autumn 2025.

November:

November was also a busy month. November started with Bonfire Night 2025, and I went to the Ruislip Rugby Club with friends again to enjoy the display. This was the only local display this year.

Another friend and I went to 1990s bar and club in Covent Garden, Bunga 90s. There was meant to be a group of us, but two of the four dropped out. I loved the themed cocktails and sections of the club, and the food looked good. Each area of the club was a throwback to something in the 1990s from "The Simpsons" to "Sonic the Hedgehog", "Spice Girls" to "Take That", Britney Spears to "FRIENDS", and popular toys to films.

The following weekend in the middle of November, I visited Birmingham Christmas Market with a couple of friends. It was a bit of a rushed trip as we got to Birmingham late, and then we walked around the city and market. Our train back was at mid-day, and we just about managed to eat breakfast (we ended up in a long queue) before we rushed out to get the train with not too long to spare. I actually did not buy anything. We also did not drink as one of my friends had been ill and was on antibiotics.

At the end of the month, I jetted off to New York City to spend Thanksgiving there and to see the parade. I had a wander around the city to see some of the attractions and Christmas decorations (Christmas Decorations in New York City), and I spent some time with my cousin who lives in New York City. The highlight of the trip was watching the Balloon Inflation in Central Park and the 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2025. Afterwards, I had Thanksgiving dinner with my cousin at Bryant Park: Happy Thanksgiving 2025. I absolutely loved watching the parade, and the weather was perfect for it.

December:

I arrived in Ohio for a few days from the beginning of December: A Snowy Ohio December Visit. The day after I arrived, the snow came and did not disappear during my whole visit. I spent some time with my parents and family, went to some shops, and went to the Amish country. I did not spend long in Ohio.

When I got back into London, I visited Chelsea Winter Illuminations. This was the only opportunity to visit a festive light trail this year. I was pleasantly surprised, and I enjoyed the different displays. Some of them were also interactive. 

After several years of not securing a table at the coveted Claridges for festive afternoon tea, my friends and I managed to finally book. We enjoyed the Festive Afternoon Tea at Claridge's. Inside the tea room, groups of children sang Christmas carols, and this made the experience extra festive. We got a lot of extra sandwiches and had plenty of scones and pastries to take home.

In the run up to Christmas, I enjoyed a few trips around the city to see the festive decorations, window displays, and Christmas lights: Christmas in London 2025. The Christmas decorations and lights came extra early this year with most of them being launched in early November. I always enjoy visiting the city during Christmas, and I was happy that the decorations launched earlier this year to keep back the crowds.

I worked over the festive days and do not have any plans for New Year's Eve except to get caught up on sleep and relax after I finish work, and I may have a drink or two with neighbours. 

Overall, 2025 brought some travel (two visits to Vienna, a visit to Rhodes, and a visit to New York City). There was a little less travel when compared with last year, and I hope that 2026 will allow me to visit more new places. One of the problems that I had was getting time off of work, particularly in the summer months, and I also had the issue with my foot. That made my life challenging. It is still painful, but I am managing.

I was able to look after myself a little more this year and gave my health more of a priority to lose some weight and generally be healthy. I participated in fitness nearly once a week all year and also walked a set number of steps the majority of days. I also managed to read and listen to a lot of audio books on my walks this year. I got through some good books and finished a series of books that I loved and had been listening to for the past couple of years: "The Adams Family Saga" by Mary Jane Staples.  

I hope 2026 is amazing and brings more joy.

Street cats are a common sight in Rhodes, and I loved seeing them when I visited the Greek island at the beginning of August. Every time I saw a cat, I wanted to capture a photograph of it. The cats hang out almost everywhere, and I discovered a few kittens too that had made a home in an alley or in the corner of a rooftop restaurant. Cats were sitting in doorways in the shade or out on a ledge or eating some food that someone had put down for them. To harm a cat in Greece is illegal, and the people love to take care of the cats as a community. Many people also collect the cats to have them spayed or neutered so that they don't have more kittens. I saw cats across the island, and the different cats hung out in their own little territories.

Eating at a restaurant, and you can almost always spot a hopeful hungry cat come up for attention and food.

Some of the shops seemed to have a cat that would hang out there inside or at the door and have food and water.

There were cats amongst the ruins too in the old town where there were ruins of a temple.

Amongst the city walls and parks, the cats enjoyed some attention.

Lindos also had street cats, such as this beautiful calico that I captured on the way up to the acropolis.

I also saw a wonderful calico tabby with white markings at Kallithea Springs.

The acropolis at Rhodes also has a small colony of cats amongst the ruins, snoozing in the shade.

I caught one happy cat playing with some wooden spoons just outside of a souvenir shop.

And two twin black cats curled up in the same pose in Lindos.

In Embonas, a calico cat curled up inside one of the planters on the railing of the outdoor restaurant.

The cats are a part of the life in Rhodes and such a common sight. I loved seeing these cats.

In early August, I visited the island of Rhodes; I stayed in Old Town Rhodes near the beach. Rhodes has a lot to see and a lot of history, and this was my first visit to the island. I spent under five days in the island and could have had at least another couple of days here. Below are some of my favourite photographs that i took while in my travels of Rhodes and the old town. The old town itself is the main town and does get busy with cruise ships as it is one of the main attractions. 

I entered the old town and its cobbled streets, admiring the beautiful buildings and enjoying the sun and warm weather. Actually, August gets quite warm for British people, but I was fine as I am used to warmer climates and felt in my element.

I had my first meal in the Old Town Rhodes. I loved the outdoor seating.

I wanted to try the halloumi and the chicken and feta cheese. I also had a couple of cocktails. The feta cheese in Rhodes is delicious; I was not too keen on the halloumi, but the feta was the best.

I also tried gelato during my visit, and I had this in the old town. I had the lemon sorbet and pistachio.

One of the best meals I had was at Elli World on the beach front; it is one of the beach bars. I had a couple of nice cocktails and a watermelon salad, and this was with watermelon, feta, and cucumber. I love watermelon, and this paired nicely with the feta.

I had a dessert similar to Eton Mess as well, and this was with meringue and delicious.

Of course, I had a wander around the beach as well.

The Collossus of Rhodes, the famous statue of Helios, is said to have been at the entrance to the harbour. There are now the statue of two deer - one male and on female - at the harbour entrance. This is a symbol of Rhodes.

I visited the beach bar as well, and they host live music at night up until the small hours. I had a couple of cocktails here.

I captured some photographs of the sea from the hotel room.

I loved the atmosphere of the old town, although it did get busy here when there were cruise ships in the dock.

The Street of the Knights is one of the famous streets with a narrow view and cobblestones.

I spent some of my time shopping and enjoying visiting the shops.

I also had a wine tasting, and this featured Greek wines from Rhodes. I paid for a small sample and bought my favourite bottle.

I also visited a traditional pub, and I had a smoothie here.

I loved my visit to Rhodes and wish I could have had a couple of additional days to explore more. Below are some posts where I covered more about the island.

The Wednesday before the big New York City Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday morning, the balloons that will take place in the parade are inflated. This is open to the public for a sneak view on what will come on the big day. In addition to the balloons, the floats are also lined up, but they cannot be earily seen (with exception of the first one, which is always Tom the Turkey), as they are behind a fence. It was a joy to see the balloons up close and personal with their handlers present to talk about them, and I was able to appreciate the size.

The entrance to the balloons went past the line up of floats, which I really did not get to see in detail except for the first one in the line-up, which is always the turkey float.

I was then able to see the different balloons. The four new ones this year were Mario, Buzz Lightyear, PAC-MAN, and Shrek's Onion Carriage.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Spiderman

Spidrman and Minnion

Spiderman and pumpkins

Snoopy Scout

Marshall Paw Patrol

Minnie Mouse

Pilsbury Doughboy

Mario

Noorah

Bluey

Derpy

Shrek

Buzz

For the photographs of the parade itself, see: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2025

Happy holidays to all of my readers. It's that time of year again. Welcome to 2025's edition of London's Christmas lights, displays, and decorations. This year, London decorated much earlier than it has ever done before, and many of the displays were in place from early November. The earlier start meant that I was able to venture out to see the displays and lights without enduring the crazy crowds that were in place last year when I found it much too busy to enjoy myself.

Covent Garden: Covent Garden is always a festive part of London with decorations in the market hall and floral displays inside and outside the building. This year, they have joined with Lego to create a display with Santa and reindeer. In past year's, they would have various Lego sculptures. In addition to the sculptures, they have a Lego pop-up where people can play: "Is it Play You're Looking For?"

In previous years, the following Lego installations appeared at Covent Garden over the holidays: last year's display of elves, 'Christmas Carousel of Creativity', Santa and his reindeer, a large snowglobe filled with London monuments made from Lego, and a large Lego advent calendar which was opened daily. Visitors could sit inside the sleigh and have their photographs taken and were encouraged to use social media to upload them.

The large Christmas tree is also back outside Covent Garden, and there is real snow on the hour every hour.

The floral displays at Covent Garden are always popular.

I did not go out for too many sweets this year because I am shifting some weight, but I did enjoy this popular reindeer cream dessert from Dolce Vyta at Covent Garden.

The Ivy Market Grill usually puts on a display, and this year's was a train and Christmas trees.

 King's Cross: King's Cross always have a festive tree, and this year there are two. One of them is at the Eurostar terminal - "Powered by Dreams", which supports Great Ormond Street children's hospital. The second one is at King's Cross train station and is inspired by "Harry Potter".

Coal Drops Yard: This newer area of London just a few minutes from King's Cross has three Christmas trees to see, and they also host a festive market and foodie market. 

Mayfair: Mayfaire has som beautiful lights and decorations.

Cartier's shop front is one of the best areas to see in London.

Burlington Arcade's decorations this year are "The Twelve Days of Christmas".

The decorations on New Bond Street feature the diamond pattern as used last year.

The shop fronts and decorations are always pretty here.

Connaught Christmas tree this year was previously posted here. 

The wine shop near Berkley Square always does a different display, and this year's was a table.

Anabell's on Berkley Square is also worth a visit, and this year was a theme that reminded me of "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe".

Seven Dials: This part of London had the same Christmas lights as last year with the focus on the actual roundabout where the area gets its name.

Nearby in Seven Dials by Covent Garden is a market which always decorates.

Carnaby Street: This street in London used to host amazing displays of Christmas lights, but the last time that it did, it got too busy. The past two years have seen the same light display but with different colours.

Fortnum and Mason: The front of the department store is an advent calendar. The window displays are always worth a look as well.

Leicester Square: The square this year has been transformed into an ice skating rink, though there is a smaller Christmas market here too as usual. Nearby on St. Martin's Lane are an updated series of lights that feature the area's popularity for west end theatre.

Wembley: Wembley has its own light trail featuring different displays, and I really liked the gingerbread house.

They also had some displays with Christmas information, such as origins of Christmas.

The steps outside of Wembley have been made in the design of a Christmas tree.

I also really liked the lit-up telephone booths.

They brought the Christmas tree back and also the light display from the station to the stadium.

Christmas cocktails: London has its fair share of Christmas treats and cocktails, although I did not enjoy too much this year. The Chocolate Cocktail Club was one place that I did visit, and I had a selection of festive cocktails, including the chocolat reindeer as a cocktail glass filled with a cream and chocolate liquer.

Liberty: The department store has its festive shop windows and Christmas trees.

Oxford Street: The street in London has had the same decorations for the past several years - stars. Where it meets Regent Street has additional lights.

Regent Street: These angels have been bringing the festive joy to the street every Christmas. They are based on the street's original lights.

There are always some nice window displays around here too.

Selfridges: Selfridges this year have gone in collaboration with Disney on the lights and shop windows. They also have a mini party in the store as well. 

Inside the food hall are tributes to Disney.

I loved the shop windows, which each were from a different Disney film.

St. Christopher's Place: The coloured dots were lit up and looked extra festive, and they have added additional floral displays around this popular spot for cafes and restaurants.

Harrods: The department store this year has not done anything special as it had in previous years.

Knightsbridge: The shops have decorated.

Duke of York Square at Sloane Square: Duke of York Square has continued their "Twelve Days of Christmas" decorations.

The memory garden this year was held here instead of Grosvenor Square.

King's Road.

Sloane Square: This year, one of the places to be was the Ralph Lauren cafe. I had a hot chocolate and cookie.

Battersea: Battersea has a lot of decorations and puts on a display projected onto Battersea Power Station.

Inside the power station was decorated.

The Battersea Power Station this year had projections from Apple designed by the public and famous celebrities and artists. It featured Christmas trees. 

Happy holidays to all of my readers.

Last year, I covered the treats in with the Christmas decorations, and you can read the posts here:

• London Festive Treats 2023
• London's Christmas Lights, Decorations, and Treats 2022
• London's Christmas Lights, Decorations, and Treats 2021

Previous London Christmas lights are below:

• London Christmas Displays 2024
• London's Christmas Lights and Decorations 2023
• London's Festive Christmas Treats, 2023
  London's Christmas Lights, Decorations, and Treats 2022
• London's Christmas Lights, Decorations, and Treats 2021
• Where to see London's Christmas Lights and Decorations in 2020
• Where to Buy Christmas-Themed Treats in London (2020)
• Where to see London Christmas lights and decorations (2019 Edition)
• Christmas in London 2018 - Lights and Displays
• Where to see London's Christmas Lights 2017
• London's Christmas Lights 2016
• Christmas Lights and Windows 2015
• London Christmas Lights 2014
• London's Christmas Lights 2013
• London Christmas Lights and Window Displays 2012

Previous London Window displays are below (I've phased these out as they have not been as interesting the past few years and more interest seems to be on the facade of the building as opposed to displays inside the windows):

• 2017
• 2016
• 2015
• 2014
• 2013
• 2012

Street art by Banksy has appeared yesterday in London at two locations. The artwork depicts a couple of stargazers looking up into London's sky, and both use the same stencil. One of the murals has appeared outside of CentrePoint at Tottenham Court Road, which helps the homeless. The other on has appeared in mews on a wall in Bayswater, but it was quickly boarded over. The work placement may depict the different parts of London - those who are homeless and others who are able to live in a nice area (not far from Kensington Palace) in London. 

I went to check out the work, and the one on Tottenham Court Road is still there, facing CentrePoint along Tottenham Court Road. The second one was at Queen's Mews near Bayswater station, but it was boarded up with security there guarding it.

Work by Banksy on this blog:

New Banksy Animal Murals Appear Across London
Banksy's Artwork in Art'otel in Shoreditch
Banksy's Guard Dog vs His Master's Voice
Where to Find Banksy's Artwork Across London
Banksy on Old Street
Banksy's Snorting Copper
Banksy Tribute to Basquiat
Banksy's 'Les Miserables' Mural
Banksy's 'The Stinker'
Banksy's Dismaland 
Banksy's "Girl with the Pearl Earing"
Banksy's Car in Ely's Yard
Banksy in Bristol
Diamond Jubilee
Banksy's Diamond Jubilee Art
Banksy at Bristol Museum
Banksy Mild Mild West

Ohio WonderLights is a drive-through Christmas lights display located in central Ohio at Hartford County fairgrounds. The display is set to traditional and modern Christmas music and festive tunes while vehicles drive through a few acres of displays. Over one million LED lights are used to create the display of flashing lights in sync with the music played from your car's stereo. This display has been going for at least two Christmases now, and it was my first visit. 

It was very difficult to get any decent photographs since the cars have to keep moving, but it was good to see the display, and it takes about twenty minutes to drive through it.

Yesterday, my friends and I went on our annual festival afternoon tea visit. This year, we went to Claridge's hotel to enjoy their festive afternoon tea, one of the hotels my friends have been wanting to visit for afternoon tea for years but failed to get in a reservation until this year. The festive afternoon tea had a couple of different options - one with champagne and another with Christmas pudding. The afternoon tea included a selection of sandwiches, a starter of mushroom in puff pastry, scones with jam and cream, and a selection of sweet pastries. 

I had a glass of champagne to start.

A mushroom pate in a puff pastry tart was served next.

We had our selections of sandwiches. The standard menu included salmon, turkey, ham, cucumber, and egg. The vegetarian selection had butternut squash, a celeriac, and a parsnip option.

There were a selection of plain and fruit scones with clotted cream and a cranberry jam.

We also received a birthday cheesecake.

The sweet pastries included a Black Forest Christmas tree, Cranberry and pistachio tart, Clementine and festive spice choux pastry, and a coconut, mango, and passionfruit snowball.

My favourite was the snowball.

Claridge's Christmas tree this year was designed by Daniel Lee for Burberry. The tree is decorated with bows, a Victorian symbol of unity. It also has Scotland symbols and colours.

The festive afternoon tea experience was accompanied by a chorus of carol singers. 

I enjoyed the visit to Claridge's for the festive afternoon tea. The only downside was that the service was a little bit slow for us, although they gave us extra scones and pastries, and we had a small chocolate in a box to take home with us. 

Last month, I visited New York City and got to see the city decorated for the Christmas season at the start of the season. Thankfully, I missed the snow and freezing weather so that I could enjoy the visit without feeling too cold as a lot of time is spent outside when in New York City. The most decorations were around upper Manhattan and Fifth Avenue - Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Saks, the luxuary brands, the Rockerfeller Centre, malls, Radio City, Bryant Park, and a number of other winter markets dotted around New York City.

Fifth Avenue has Saks department store, and there was a light show set to music every fifteen minutes. Down Fifth Avenue are many other shops decorated for the holidays too.  

Saks

Sak's is near The Diamond District, which had some lights. 

Cartier

Decorations on Fifth Avenue

Chanel

Dior

Louis Vuitton

The department stores looked impressive. Bloomingdales had decorations by Burberry with a bow in plaid tan, red, black, and white. On one side of the building were knights in armour in the windows, and they were doing Christmas things like having a dinner party, bringing home gifts, and decorating a tree. The other side of the building had window displays decorated like train carriages with the background moving to winter scenery and items for sale in each carriage room.

Macy's, known for the Thanksgiving Day Parade, is also known for its displays. The shop is located on 34th street, which is based on "Miracle on 34th Street". On one side of the building was Thanksgiving with the turkey, and the other featured a Santa. The window displays features several interactive games and karaoke. It was the 99th year for the parade, which featured a new Minnie Mouse balloon.

Some of the buildings in the city were also lit up.

Of course, Thanksgiving cupcakes features a lot as the city rang in for Christmas and the start of the festive season.

Radio City also looks festive with the tree and candy canes across the street.

Near the financial district, the Tin Building looked festive.

New York City also has a few Christmas markets, such as Union Square Park and Bryant Park. Below is Union Square Park, which I was able see without large crowds.

Bryant Park was busy, so it was hard to see the markets.

There were other decorations as well, such as outside Grand Central Station.

The Rockerfeller Centre is known for its decorations and famous Christmas tree. The Christmas tree isn't lit until the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, so I did not get to see it lit up.

I stayed at Lotte Palace, which has a beautiful Christmas tree and a little courtyard with drinks. Inside, they had a lit-up and decorated gingerbread version of the hotel.

New York is very festive over the Christmas season with decorations and shows, such as the Rockettes. The city does not have Christmas lights hung up like in London; the decorations are more commercial and tied to the businesses or buildings themselves. 

My friends and I have started an annual tradition to visit a Christmas market, and the only time that we were all free was in the middle of November. It was a little bit early for Christmas markets in mid-November, but we discovered that Birmingham's was on and just kicked off that weeknd. So off to Birmingham we went overnight. Last year, we went to Winchester and the market was cancelled due to high winds and rain. This time, we were at threat of nasty weather, but it happened the day before. We actually did not drink because one of my friends got an infection and was on antibiotics. Still, we made the most of it and did some touristy things as well as see the Christmas market.

The Birmingham Christmas market is known as the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market after the German city. The markets themselves were primarily drinking spots in the square, but there were some stalls of food and other items down the High Street and next to the cathedral, but there was not a lot for sale in terms of gifts. However, it may have been a little bit too early. I was hoping to visit again, but I simply ran out of time before it finishes.

We had a walk around the canals and the town and enjoyed the lights and decorations.

The main market is on the town square outside the museum. However, it is drink and food in this area.

The High Street actually has some gifts and food items for sale.

Outside the cathedral has more choices for food and a larger area for gifts. The main square was too busy and mainly for drinking.

I had a pizza.

There was not a large selection of gifts. I did not see anything to buy, but my friends bought some crystals and stones.

I would have bought these German marshmallow desserts that you find at almost every Christmas market, but we ran out of time and did not get to go back. Our feet were sore from walking.

I had a hot chocolate and a mulled apple juice.

I did also have a chocolate-covered chili with dark chocolate, and it was good. 

There is a nativity scene in the main square.

One of the other things I wanted to get back to Birmingham for was to see the Reindeer trail. I saw two of the reindeer and was near all of the others, but we did not get to do it (or see more) as we ran out of time. 

The next morning, I was up early and had a chai latte.

My friend wanted to go to Bill's (a restaurant chain). There was a long queue to get in and an even longer time to get our food. I am never very impressed with this restaurant, but the breakfast was ok. As soon as we ate, we had to go to the station and get the train back to London.

I'm gutted that I didn't get to spend a little bit longer in Birmingham and that I did not get to go back before the big day. I suppose I can always go next year. I will leave with a couple of photos of artwork that I saw in Birmingham.

"The Lovley People" - Aaron Bird

"Giant Red Desktop Lamp" - Lucy Holmes

At the beginning of the month, I visited Ohio to see my parents and to relax. The festive season was just starting, and they had a cold start to the month of December. I did not visit for too many days, but it was enough to enjoy some time with them and to have a couple of days out. On one of the days, we went to the Amish country, and the landscape looked beautiful in the snow.

The snow came the first day I arrived, and it did not get above freezing, so the snow lingered. Below are some photographs taken in the Amish Country.

While in the Amish Country, we went to The Jam Smucker Company outlet store. The outlet store will be closing in January. We got some Christmas gifts here and had a browse around. There is also some information about the history of the company, which is noted for its jams and jellies and other brands, such as peanut butters, coffees, and pet food.

We also went to a hardware store on the way back and looked for more Christmas gifts, and we also went into a chocolate store and a large gift shop and grocery store before heading our way back home.

The sunsets are beautiful in this part of the world, and it looked even more magical with the snow.

I also had a couple of festive drinks before watching the new "Wicked" movie in the cinema.

On the way from the airport, we had a quick stop at Newark court house to see the wonderful Christmas lights. It was just getting dark when we drove through.

I also had a hot chocolate with a "Peeps" Christmas tree. "Peeps" are marshmallows covered with sugar, and they do different shapes for the season.

I enjoyed my visit to Ohio, although it was a fleeting trip as I had spent almost a week in New York City before that.

I visited the Acropolis of Rhodes in early August. The Acropolis of Rhodes is now known as Monte Smith or Hagios Stfanos. It was the location of worship, sports, and recreation in ancient Rhodes. The highest point of the acropolis were two temples dedicated to Athena and Zeus (Athena Polias and Zeus Polieus). Nearby these temples were cavernous structures underground dedicated to the Nymphs, who were nature-related goddesses/gods.

I walked up the hill between some houses and old stonework, and I first checked out the view over the new city. This was a pleasant walk with olive trees.

I found the site of the famous ruins of the temples of Zeus and Athena. All that remains are some of the columns and stonework. The temples were on the high point with the sea directly below.

From here, I walked downhill where I discovered the cavernous temples dedicated to the nymphs. One is situated without the roof on, and a narrow walkway provides an entrance, but it was locked. 

Part of it remains covered.

Walking down the hill further and into the wider location of the acropolis is another one. It would have had columns on either side and placements for statues. 

Slightly down the hill further was the centre of the Acropolis and the temple of Apollo Pythios and next to it was probably another temple dedicatd to Artemis. From the top of the hill, a stairway leads to the lower part of the acropolis, and this was used for education and recreation. It held the Odeon, a library, stadium, and gymnasium.

There were expansive views looking toward the old town of Rhodes.

The temple of Apollo would have been built around 408 B.C. but later  rebuilt in 227 B.C. after earthquake damage. In more modern times, the Apollo temple and the one next to it (likely dedicated to Artemis) suffered a lot of damage during World War II. The temple was used as a church at one point. Today, there is scaffolding on the temple's columns, and this has been erected in 2016 to restore it.

The temple area was also likely to be the worship place of god Helios, the patron god of the city of Rhodes. There would have been statues here dedicated to the god, which may have been the famous Colossus itself. (It is likely the very large statue may have been seen from the sea from the hill, although it is most likely thought to have been positioned on the harbour.) 

I checked out the Odeon and the library, which is to the right in the below photograph.

The gymnasium was located just outside the city and a place for young men to study and exercise. Only part of it has been excavated, and it was once famous for works of art in its architcture, all of which is gone now. 

It includes the running track. The area was popular with street cats.

Part of the gymnasium building ruins are located a short distance away.

I had a wander around the ruins before walking through to another exit point closer to the old town.

There is a little cafe at the site entrance/exit located on the lower area.

Although this is a bit of a trek from the old town, I enjoyed my visit to the ancient acropolis of Rhodes. There are buses that can take you to the top of the hill, and you can walk down, but I walked from my hotel and then back via the old town.

On Friday evening, I went to Chelsea Winter Illuminations. This is the first illuminated light trail that Royal Hospital Chelsea have put on. The event takes place in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea's event space, which is the same place that the famous flower show is held every May. I decided to visit after work as I love to do a light trail at this time of the year, and this was easy to access.

I was impressed with the amount of lights and the interactive aspects of the trail. Each visitor was welcomed to the Chelsea Winter Illuminations by an illuminated archway.

An avenue of trees was lit with glowing orbs and pulsating colours. A button could be pressed to change the display colours.

The trail led through to a bar at the end to offer visitors a selection of hot drinks, and it continued through illuminated trees with lit-up reindeer.

Visitors could "choose" which illumination to walk over - naughty or nice. The trail went the same way.

The trail came to a light show set to music, and the colours and patterns changed along with the music.

The trail led through an illuminated tunnel.

Afterwards, there was some artwork illuminated by students. Various doors were painted or decorated with a Christmas theme.

A large Christmas tree constantly changed colour and pattern.

And the trail continued through an illuminated walkway with glowing "flowers" on both sides.

This led to the mid-way point where visitors could enjoy food or drink. There was a giant bauble to get photographs inside.

A group of mushrooms and butterflies and another set of interactive light trees were available to see and interact with. The colours changed when the buttons were pressed.

A warm fire was provided for heating up marshmallows.

The trail continued through another archway, and this one was shaped triangular.

Mistletoe hung over a bench, and the bench had a statue on it.

Next up was a spectacular sea of lights set to music with the colours fading, changing, and evolving repeatedly set to audio. This was a beautiful part of the trail.

On the other side was a column of lights which could be tapped to switch the colour.

The trail then led back toward the entrance with a projection of snowflakes.

There were games, rides, food, drink, and a small Christmas village at the end. There were many options, and visitors could stay for a little bit longer. 

The Chelsea Winter Illuminations is open to visit for a fee until the 28th of December.

The Connaught hotel in Mayfair hosts an outdoor Christmas tree decorated and designed by an artist every year for the past decade now. This year, the tree has been designed by Urs Fischer, an artist born in Switzerland. The Nordmann Fir tree from Denmark is decorated with illuminated baubles with a variety of different faces (ages, genders, races), and these faces act as a community of joy to celebrate the festive season. The design was inspired by the artist's work "Installation People".

Previous Connaught Christmas trees that I covered on my blog are below:

Headstone Manor and Museum is located in the Borough of Harrow in northwest London, and I visited it during a community event day toward the end of August. The manor and the other buildings on site are listed with records dating back to the year 825, and the exhibitions inside detail the local history of Harrow. The manor house dates from the early 1300s and is the only example of a surviving moated manor house in Middlesex. Other two local examples of moated manor houses were the manor house in Ruislip (Manor Farm) and Ickenham, although the one at Ickenham (Pynchester) no longer exists and the moat at Ruislip is largely filled in. Local collections in the museum include items from companies/factories with links to Harrow - Eastman Kodak, Whitefriar's Glass, Hamilton Paint and other local archaeological finds.

Headstone Manor was the residence of th Archbishop of Canterbury between 1307 and 1546; advisor to Henry VIII Wolsey lived here. It was later confiscated by the king and sold.

I first went into the "small barn". One of the buildings near the manor is the "small barn", and it dates from the 14th century. On the site, Roman artefacts were recovered. There is also a granary building, which was relocated from Pinner in 1989.

Inside th small barn is information about the stone age, Roman, and Anglo-Saxon history of the Headstone Manor location along with some items discovered.

Conservation work was done on the buildings between 2015 and 2017, and several layers of wallpaper were discovered. The oldest wallpaper dated from the 1750s. Some area of the building contain glimpses of the old wallpaper. Conservation work had started in the 1990s, and the Manor House was originally restored in 2005 and opened to the public; there are May Day events held here.

One of the rooms was dedicated to the modern Harrow with people from many different countries calling the borough their home and bringing a rich culture with them.

I checked out the kitchen in the manor, which is a not the largest o size. There was information about Harrow during World War. The recreation ground near is home to Headstone football club, and a small selection of trophies are located near.

One exhibition in the museum was the Whitefriar's Glass factory. The company was founded in Temple in London in 1680 and close to the Thames so that materials could be easily imported. The glasshouse was purchased from the monastary (where it took its name) in the early 1800s and traded under Jams Powell & Sons in Wealdstone and was the largest glass manufacturer of its time. The name was changed back in 1962, and the company continued to operate until 1980. 

One of the best products created from the Whitefriar's Glass company was cut crystal, which is used in glasses and other items, such as Bath Assembly Room's chandeliers.

Harrow School of Art and the local college histories were also exhibited in the museum with their important contribution in society and in the local community.

Another room in the museum covered the Kodak company, which employed a lot of people at Harrow. The site ceased to be used by the company in 2013, and there is a new housing development being built on the land. The factory was located just to the east of Headstone Manor.

Hamilton's was another company located in Harrow, and there were a large selection of paint brushes on display. The company was founded in Soho in 1811 but forced to move out to Harrow after a fire and regulations. The company produced brushes, which were mainly a German import previously.

Harrow, of course, became a commuter town with the Metropolitan railway. This was one of the first "metro lands" and had many middle class people move to the area for the countryside. Farm land was sold to develop houses.

One other local notable person was Isabella Beeton from Hatch End, and she famously wrote on Household Managment and tried recipes, and this became a staple publication for women.

The Great Hall was two storeys tall and would have not changed too much.

This is the oldest surviving part of the manor house, which was redeveloped several times.

This is the main entrance to the house with a small porch.

The manor belonged to the Archbishops of Canterbury, and the estate must have been profitable to construct the large great barn. The great barn and other farm buildings were constructed from the early 1500s as the manor was a farm. The great barn today can be used for weddings and other functions.

I went to check out the moat, which was popular with ducks. There is also a large cafe on site at Headstone Manor.

Have you ever visited Headstone Manor and Museum?

This Thanksgiving Day (which always falls at the end of November), I got to do something that I have wanted to do since I was a child - watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. I will say that this was one of the best experiences and a lot of fun, and the weather was sunny with mild temperatures. This was the 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the parade brings a start to the festive season with the day after Thanksgiving being the busiest shopping day of the year.

To see the parade, I had brunch at Angelina's on 6th Avenue near Bryant Park, which had a reserved area to watch the parade directly on the route. Getting inside the area was a bit of a nightmare as the security was tight, and the police did not recognise the passes, so we were delayed and then had to rush through the brunch, and they didn't bring some of the items due to the time constraint. The brunch package included avocado toast, egg croissants, breakfast pastries, mini lemon tarts, profiteroles, mini chocolate tarts, a selection of warm drinks, and Bellini cocktails (Prosecco topped with orange juice). 

There were also a couple girls for entertainment who got to dance a couple of numbers and a magician while we rushed through the brunch before the parade came onto the street outside.

The parade is always kicked off by Tom Turkey or "the turkey float" as it wasn't given its official name until the late 1990s. 

Macy's yellow stars

The floats, bands, dancers, clowns, balloons, and entertainers then follow down the street on the parade route.

Mario from "Super Mario Brothers" made his debut in the parade this year.

"Dora the Explorer"

Spongebob Squarepants and his friend Gary

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Freida the Dachshund on a hot dog cart made her first appearance

The Jolly Green Giant 

Balloon acorn and pumpkin

People dressed as farmers celebrating the harvest following the Jolly Green Giant and pumpkin balloons.

The floats advertised different brands, and the above was a Disney float with various characters, such as Moana and Mickey Mouse.

Spiderman

A Macy's Soccer Ball and Stewart the Minion from "Minions"

Lox and Java

"Minions"

Labubu and Pop Mart

Many celebrities performed and rode on the floats, such as rapper Shaggy. Busta Rhymes, Lil John, Kool and the Gang, Foreigner, Ciara, Jewel, Debbi Gibson, Darlene Love were some of the celebrities, but there were many more.

"Gabby and Pandy Paws"

Kool & The Gang

"Smokey Bear"

"Snoopy"

dancers

"Pac Man" made his first appearance

The band Foreigner

Busta Rhymes

Marshall from "PAW Patrol"

A stilt-walker dressed as the famous Statue of Liberty

"Toy Story" character Buzz Lightyear makes his first appearance

Clowns

Musician Lil John

Goku

Monkey D. Luffy

Shrek's Onion Carriage made its debut

Goldbear, the mascot brand of Haribo

Dancers and band

Derpy Tiger made its debut

Bluey and her "Keepy Uppy Balloon"

Debbie Gibson

A troop of toys

Cheerleaders

Meg Donnolly

The "Frost Pips" ("Elf on the Shelf" characters) made their debut 

Noorah

Clowns

Pikachu and Eevee

Nikki Deloach

The Pilsbury Doughboy

Bakers following the Pilsbury Doughboy

A giant red, green, and white candy cane

Minnie Mouse

The last float of the parade is always Santa Claus, as he rings in the festive season. 

Chiswick House is open this year for the Christmas season with a festive display of different rooms inside the house. The displays celebrate a Twelfth Night party hosted at the house during the Georgian period, and the rooms are decorated as the "Twelve Days of Christmas" song. The display was launched toward the end of November, where I went on a preview, and it finishes on January 4th.

I went to check out the different rooms, which appeared to be decorated for Christmas parties during the Georgian period.

One of the rooms held a giant multi-tiered cake. 

There were different figures in Georgian period dress around the rooms, which appeared that they were part of the guest list for the party.

Outside the house was a vendor selling hot drinks and gingerbread, and I enjoyed a gingerbread tree and hot chocolate to keep warm as the day I visited turned out to be very rainy.

Visitors can explore the paintings and rooms in Chiswick House while viewing the rooms decorated for Christmas.

There are three different ways to walk the old town walls of Rhodes: on top, along, and within. Each way offers its own views and perspectives of the Old Town Rhodes, and I did all three options on my visit to Rhodes in early August. The old walls were built in the medieval era by the Knights of St. John using Byzantine structures. The walls are a UNESCO heritage site, and they span four kilometers with the walls offering a "double" layer of defense and a dry moat that visitors can walk inside and find little areas between the walls. Along the walls are several bastions and some gateways into the old city. The city needed to be defended against the Ottomans; Rhodes is very close to Turkey (the Ottoman Empire).

In addition to walking within the walls along the dry moat, visitors can walk on top of the walls with the only entrance being near the palace and the exit about 2/3rds of the way around. The exterior of the walls can also be walked completely around from the docks to parkland with views over the outer wall.  

My first walk was along the outside of the walls themselves, which I started from near the Gate of Saint Athanasios. The gate was built in the mid-1400s by the Italians, and the Ottomans gained entry to the old town here but were later chased away.

Next is the Gate is the Gate of St. John, which was dyed red by blood of those who were killed here.

I found my way around the top of th walls to walk along and look down into the moat.

I discovered a sculpture in a little park area here.

This is a nice point to get a good view of the impressive walls and structures, and there are several shadey areas along the way, so it is a perfect walk to do during the mid day as it offers areas of shade.

Some of the bastions have sculptures remaining on the outside and above the gates. The below is a depiction of Mary and child on the Bastion of England.

Th western part of the walls offered some nice views of the Virgin Mary tower and bastion with bastion of England protecting the tower. It was a strategic important bastion for the defense of the city. 

The Bastion of Spain

This is a good view of the outer section of the walls.

D'Amboise gate is close to the palace.

Saint George Bastion 

The various bridges or gates over the dry moat offer some nice views of the walls and walks.

The next walk that I did was the old town walls walk, which costs a small fee. Visitors need to purchase a ticket from the Grand Master Palace, and the walls close by about 16:00, and the tour is one way from just near the entrance to the palace. 

There are lovely views over the city walls here as this is the internal wall with views over the city and all the way to the docks. The outer wall walk is good to see the outer walls and views, but this wall walk (with the fee) allows visitors to see the town and walk the walls. Note that there isn't any shade, so make sure you carry water with you.

On this walk, you can visit some of the bastion ruins and view them.

There are good views of the clock tower and some mosques.

There is also a nice view of the palace.

I believe this is the bastion of Auvergne.

The walls are quite exposed to the sunlight.

There are information panels along the wall walk to read that tell of the history of the walls, those who defended them, and when the walls saw action.

There were places to view the wall structure.

Rhodes can be busy with cruise ships. I saw a couple of them from the walls. 

During the wall walk, one couple informed about the moat walk and an ampitheatre. I decided to take a look, but it wasn't an old one but a modern one for events.

I didn't walk the full way around the moat as it also was not shaded, and I did try to find my way out but found I was getting lost in the maze between the two walls. There are some parts where you have to walk through and underneath the walls, so it isn't that easy. I wanted to walk further to get out, but I was not sure how long it would take me or if I would be blocked. I was also worried about being on my own in a remote location where there's no means of escape and the fact that it was now later in the afternoon.

I did explore some of the other parts of the moat earlier too, and there are cannons and cannonballs scattered around.

I did enjoy these walks as they allowed me a unique vantage of seeing Rhodes Old Town and its history. I recommend the walk, but make sure to take water and wear comfortable shoes.

Bunga 90s is a 1990s bar that features popular culture, films, video games, icons, and music from the decade of the 1990s. The bar is located between Holborn and Seven Dials / Covent Garden. A friend and I went to check it out and enjoy some good music and cocktails. There are several themed cocktails based on various 1990s icons - Kevin from "Home Alone", singer Britney Spears, a "brick" mobile phone, and "Fresh Prince". There are also shots named after the Spice Girls band and a "claw" arcade machine that wins players a cocktail. There is an extensive cocktail menu, and visitors can also enjoy deep pan pizzas.

We tried the "Home Alone", "Brick" and Britney Spears cocktails. My favourite on was "Brick" as it was fruity. Before we headed over to Bunga 90s, we went to Holborn to All Bar One and had some food and drink.

When entering Bunga 90s, you are transported back to the decade in a movie shop with different VHS tapes to look at with movies and music videos from that time. They also had an adult section. Visitors then enter through the vending machine, which contains a back room to transport you back to the 90s.

The below room that you exit from in the basement is very much a 1990s vibe with dark wood and stonework and a family photograph with 1990s dress and poses. There's also a 1990s phone.

We also had the watermelon margaritas.

Of course, video games ("Sonic the Hedgehog" on the Sega console) was also featured. There were also areas for boy bands, cartoons, "Spice Girls", and more.

There's a photo booth (a bit pricey) and a bed with boy band bedsheets and posters on the wall and ceiling. I really enjoyed the bar and hope we can go back with more friends next time.

This year, I bought two advent calendars. I bought the Bloomingdale's Beauty Advent calendar and the Jolly Rancher advent calendar when I was in New York City. It has been a few years since I purchased a beauty advent calendar, but I decided to buy my own this year. The Bloomingdale's advent calendar is illustrated to appear like their shop front on 59th Street with colourful boxes in different sizes and a prize in each one. Read below to see what the beauty advent calendar has inside.

The beauty advent calendar looks like the shop front of Bloomingdale's and contains colourful boxes.

The beauty advent calendar contains the following items:

• La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Eye Cream: This cream works on the eye area to rejuvenate the skin and remove dullness.
• Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve: This is a full-sized product that helps repair and moisturise hands, and this is particularly useful at this time of the year.
• Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne: This sample size of scent has an earthy aroma. The brand is known for its different scents for the home and body.
• SK-II Facial Treatment Mask: This facial mask is from Japanese brand SK-II and helps to combat aging and restore skin.
• SK-II Facial Treatment Essence Pitera: This Japanese skin-care company create their products from sake, which helps to keep skin youthful.
• NEST New York Holiday Votive Candle: This candle is perfect for the season with a festive and warming scent.
• Kitsch Metal French Hair Pin in Gold: This hair pin can be used to style hair.
• Clé de Peau Beauté The Serum: The serum helps to plump up skin and its complexion.
• Augustinus Bader The Eye Patches: The product promises to brighten up the eye area.
• CREED Aventus Collection Discovery Set: Aventus, Aventus Cologne, and Absolu Aventus: These three miniature scents were provided inside a little box.
• Shiseido Vital Perfection LiftDefine Radiance Serum: This is another Japanese brand that claims to nourish the skin.
• Charlotte Tilbury Glowgasm Beauty Light Wand in Pinkgasm: This full-sized product is a highlighter to add radiance and glow to skin.
• U Beauty The SUPER Hydrator: This is another full-sized product that hydrates the skin.
• Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Ruby Shimmer: This full-sized eyeshadow by brand Bobbi Brown is long-wear.
• Sisley Paris Black Rose Cream Mask: This lightly-scented product hydrates skin and is anti-aging.
• Slip Pure Silk Skinny Scrunchie Duo in Black & Leopard: Scrunchies come in useful to style the hair and to keep it out of the face, and this comes with two different colours.
• Trish McEvoy Intense Gel Eyeliner in Black: This is a full-sized black eyeliner.
• Lancôme Génifique Ultimate Recovery Serum: This serum hydrates the skin and keeps it looking youthful. 
• Diptyque Do Son Eau de Toilette: This is a fragrance with orange blossom and jasmine scents.
• Decorté Liposome Advanced Repair Serum and Eye Serum: These two sample products of serum promote youthful and hydrated skin.
• Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum: This sample of perfume is an earthy and woody scent and is long-lasting.
• The Laundress Beauty Sleep Detergent: This laundry soap gets bed sheets to smell calming of lavendar and other relaxing scents.
• Sulwhasoo The Ultimate S Serum: This serum hydrates skin and gives a glow.
• La Mer The Rejuvenating Night Cream: This product hydrates skin overnight.
• Le Labo Fragrances The Noir 29 Eau de Parfum: This is an earthy scent with bergamont, fig, bay, cedar and musk tones.
• Clarins Lip Comfort Oil in 25 Black: This full-sized product hydrates and protects lips while wearing the colour.

The Jolly Rancher advent calendar contains a different flavour of Jolly Rancher chew for each day. The flavours are strawberry, green apple, blue raspberry, watermelon, and cherry. 

In early August when I was in Rhodes, I visited the ancient town and acropolis of Kamiros. The city was founded in the 8th century B.C. Outside the temple at the bottom of the hill and near the entrance, which was probably dedicated to Apollo, was a fountain and would have been an altar for animal sacrifice. The city was one of three founded by the Dorian people in Rhodes. The city became abandoned after an earthquake.

Fountain square near the temple. 

A sculpture.

Temple and altar in the foreground.

Near the modern entrance of the city is a sanctuary dedicated to the gods of the city.

The city was noted for figs and olives, and there is a fig tree growing in the ancient city.

The bathhouse complex:

There is a large complex of houses, and these extend further than has been escavated. The ones facing the streets would have been shop fronts.

A view of the temple of Apollo.

From the top of the hill, the view of the ancient city spans with its streets and house foundations visible.

Looking in the other direction are the mountains and views.

At the top of the hill was the temple of Athena and a cistern for water that would have been built at the same time, but not much remains of it except for some ruined foundations.

This ancient city is open to explore most days and several tour operators also stop off here.

When I visited Rhodes at the beginning of August, I had a morning to visit the castle in the old town of Rhodes, known as the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes. This medieval castle is located in the old town of Rhodes and one of the major tourist attractions. It is one of the few examples of gothic style medieval architecture in Rhodes. The building served as the palace, fortress, headquarters, and hospitaller of the Knights.

Before the palace was constructed, the site was the location of a temple dedicated to Helios, and this may have been the original location of the Colossus. The palace itself was built in the 7th century, and in the 1300s, it was the palace of the Grand Master of Knights.

The palace suffered some damage in an earthquake and fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1522. The palace was rebuilt by the Italians in the period they occupied the island, and the Italian king used it as a holiday destination in the 1900s.

The palace is located at the end of the Street of the Knights road in Rhodes, which is a picturesqu cobbled-stone street. I visited in the morning to avoid the crowds, and the first part of the tour is through the museum. The museum contains various ancient items found in Rhodes and covers the different aspects of life in those times: spiritual items, working items, theatre, literature, fashion, funerary, and much more.

After having a look inside the museum and reading some of the information boards in the various rooms in the museum, I had the tour of the palace and visited the different rooms. 

Some of the rooms have the original mosaics, which are impressive.

Another part of the palace contained information during the Knights era in Rhodes where the Christain religion knights fought to keep away the intruders from the former Ottoman Empire. The purpose of the palace served as a hospital for the pilgrims from the Knights of Jerusalem to look after wounded pilgrims during the crusades. The members of the order of knights were from different areas in Europe.

Some of the stories during the different periods of the knights were told. 

Overall, this is an impressive building with a lot of history, and the museum with the ancient items is particularly good to understand the life in Rhodes and th Mediterranian area.