Christmas Market in Hyde Park

Santa was searching far and wide for wide-eyed Americans, like me, who find a German Christmas market in the middle of Hyde Park to be fascinating. Definitely something for everyone, ranging from the young children who were squealing in excitement, to those of us who are just young in heart.

I mean, how much fun would that be to ride horses, oops-reindeer, I should say, round and round in circles to the North Pole? Attached antlers are seasonal, I'm sure.

Much more fun than this scary ride which drew big crowds. And what is so festive about this, I ask?

This seemed much more tame

and I'm sure the view of the park with all the lights was spectacular from the top of this pole.

Got to love those stomach-lurching speedy falls to enjoy this one though.

Now this seems more in the spirit of the season.

Santa's and snowmen are beckoning .

Oddly enough, I began to see a common theme of angels blessing those who opted for something stronger to drink.

I'm sure this must be a German angel with his stein of beer.

And you don't have to look far to find the Angels Bar.

Hmmmm.....

There was food for every taste. I found this American Hamburger booth to be amusing, but I decided not to go for hamburgers or hot dogs. I did like the Statue of Liberty touch though.

Remembering our days in Belgium, Mike treated himself to a hot Belgian waffle. The freshly made hot donuts were my snack of choice.

Absolutely something for everyone--German sausages enticing you with their smell,

and candy floss (cotton candy) was too sweet to pass up in this little girl's eyes.

How about snacking on huge pretzels--that's pretty German,

or roasted chestnuts,

or perhaps chocolate dipped marshmallows of all flavors?

We decided to stick with the spirit of the occasion and headed to the Schnitzelhaus

for schnitzel and German potatoes. Yum!

While we ate, we were entertained by a German pop band. They were a lot of fun--singing American hits and encouraging dancing in the streets.

Authentic German market shopping was at every turn. But, wait, what is this amongst

the handmade ornaments and nutcrackers? Don't you see these spiral dreamcatchers at every mall in America?

Same goes for those strands of dried fruit--every mall in America seems to have a kiosk selling these.

Now this is more like it! Who on your list needs a Viking helmet?

I love these decorated German cookies. They do remind me of past trips to Germany at Christmas time.

And the candy booths--time to bag up some treats for all those stockings.

But who's the sweetest of all--the star of the show, the biggest draw in town?

I'm sure you guessed-- none other than Father Christmas himself.

More to come about Christmas in London, so stay tuned....