Pretty Bits - Part Chic, Part Geek: X'mas

Friday, December 29, 2006

The Best Christmas Ever

On 23 December, we made our way to Edinburgh from Aberdeen. It was, as usual, a long 2.5 hour drive for us (although the locals don’t seem to think that’s long). Well, coming from a tiny island like Singapore, where it’s only 43km across, you may be able to see my point.

Upon arrival, we checked into the newly refurbished George Hotel, our second visit. This time around, we got a bigger room! It was lovely with a nice view to boot. Setting our bags down, we started our adventure in this beautiful city which we knew a little better now after our first visit the week before.

Starved after our “long” journey, our first stop was the German Market at Princes Street for the ‘steak on a roll’ and ‘hot potatoes’ that left such an indelible (and delicious) impression on us from our first visit. Standing at a cosy corner of the markets munching on a piping hot and tasty steak roll was my idea of heaven at that point. Finishing that fantastic meal with a hot cup of raspberry wine and Nutella crepe left me the most contented person on Earth that minute, I was sure.

With batteries recharged, we embarked on our trip to the Edinburgh Castle. Taking the City Sightseeing open-top bus for the second time (a wonderful way to soak in the sights on this gorgeous city), we arrived shortly at our destination. Unfortunately, visibility was poor that day, thanks to a dense fog which had enveloped the entire city. Well, as the commentary on the open-top bus offered, at least we can now say we’ve seen the Scottish mist! Nevertheless, the fog did nothing to take away the magnificence of the Castle, which we were able to see up close. We explored its every nook and cranny and also caught a glimpse of the Scottish Honours, as well as studied and took in its rich and fascinating history.

Completing our tour of the castle, we headed for the interesting Museum of Childhood, the first of its kind in the world. It was simply delightful, taking in all the wonderful toys that have enthralled generations all over the world through the ages. That done, no day could be complete without undoubtedly the best experience in the world, shopping! Zara, Topshop, Monsoon, Prada, Marks & Spencer, Accessorize were my ports of call as I rounded my day off in glamorous fashion, lugging a truck load of goodies back to my cosy hotel room.

My prized possession of the day was an Enzo Milano Curling Iron. I was told it is widely used by celebrity hairstylists in Hollywood. What do you think? Not bad eh?

We ended our splendid Christmas with a musical - Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Edinburgh Playhouse. It was truly the most fantasmagorical stage musical I have ever seen. The props were extraordinary and the performance was breathtaking.

What a remarkable 4 days. Definitely a Christmas to remember, I would say.

Related posts:

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Belated Merry Christmas!

A very belated Merry Christmas to all!!! Apologies for the 'belated' greetings.

Just got back from Edinburgh after 4 fantabulous days of castle tour, shopping, and indulging in tons of champagne and chocolates. Most of all, had a scrumptious time digging in at all the yummy food (Mmmm.. I miss my 'Steak in a roll', 'Banana and Nutella Crepe', and 'Chocolate Waffles') at the Christmas Market and German Market.

Time for bed now. Will try and upload some pictures tomorrow.
Ciao~~

Sunday, December 10, 2006

X'mas in Aberdeen

15 Days to Christmas!

Every city in the world has its own way of celebrating X'mas and spreading the X'mas cheer. Here in Aberdeen, X'mas is celebrated by almost everyone. This has got to be the only time of the year where you have to jostle your way through the masses along Union Street.

I too, made my way to town yesterday and had an absolutely smashing X'massy time there!

Trooping along Union Street, we came upon a cute little red "Santa train" “choo-chooing” on the road in the opposite direction. Merry looking shoppers were being shuttled along, waving happily from their vantage points, glad to be able to put their tired feet up for a change. . Following a short distance behind were three limousines in succession, in the colours of pretty pink, snowy white and lemony lime. Talk about shopping in style! I know what my next mode of shopping transport’s gonna be!! And in pretty pink too, no less! Along the way, we were passed by Santa, Bozo the clown and….. a pink elephant(!)….. Oh er, sorry, the last one was my imagination, must be the freezing cold…..

Castlegate loomed at the end of Union Street, so named because of the looming castle (duh!). A small but cosy traditional German X'mas Market set up shop there. The aroma of mouth-watering food greeted the cold, weary shoppers, with stalls ranging from traditional German sausages, beer, hot malted wine with shots of rum, Asian cuisine, grills, Paella from Spain and haribo sweets for the sweety-toothed…. Yummy! Don’t know about you, but food seems to taste especially good when you’re outdoors , in freezing winter. Souvenirs in all variety, shapes, and sizes from different parts of the world were on display and for sale, of course, as well. Didn't manage to snap any pictures cause my Ixus battery chose to die on me at the most inopportune time, thus giving me another convenient excuse to go back to the markets (no complaints from me of course!) I’ll try to take some smashing pics this week! Overall, had a fantabulous time at the Market, eating and drinking and making merry, with “Jingle Bells”, “White X’mas and “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer” chiming in the background. Best part of all, it was really COLD!! No way you're not gonna be able to enjoy this market in hot, humid weather (like in Singapore). Now that’s real X’mas for you!! Heehee. *hint hint to friends to come spend X'mas with me*

Only thing missing was the snow…….

Having been thoroughly filled with the X'mas spirit, I came home and decided that we should have a right go at assembling the X'mas tree that we bought a couple of days back. This house sure could do with some sprucing up! Santa’s gonna want to visit and never leave! Ho! Ho! Ho!

As I had never assembled a X'mas tree in my entire life (can you believe that???? Shocking!!!) , I had absolutely no idea what I was in for. For those of you who are in the unbelievable position of never having put up a X'mas tree as well (simply placing decorations on the tree doesn't count!), and are about to purchase and assemble one on your own, please make sure you get some professional and trained help!! It took me almost 2 whole hours to assemble and decorate the entire tree! MAN, I was certain I had never worked so hard in my life!!! Even my 3 hour long gym sessions (complete with rigorous body-combat and back-breaking body pump classes back-to-back, no less), seemed like a walk in the park compared to this.

I was literally grumbling throughout the entire process (hmmm, not really in keeping with the X’mas spirit, I would say) and lamented my decision to get the tree in the first place. But, once everything was done, I laid back on the couch and admired my masterpiece, satisfaction amidst all that dripping sweat, all that hard work miraculously forgotten…. Merry Christmas, indeed!

DO NOT REMIND ME ABOUT DISASSEMBLING THE TREE AFTER X'MAS!!!