Miserable to be out in, I'm sure.........but SO beautiful when seen from the comfort of my living room!

Hi Rain Shadow ...... funnily enough I checked the comments so I knew it was about the usual time for the lights to be switched on ...... it's just too early for me!  I do love the Christmas markets.

I think a lot of the lights are timed to coincide with the Christmas street market season, which usually starts in mid to late November in Europe.  I noted from the comments here that the lights were switched on around Nov 20 last year.

I must be getting old ...... this is far too early to have the lights switched on.

I see the Christmas lights have been switched on here, too.

There are fireworks going off in the distance.

I wonder if this will be one of the first places to light up their Christmas tree on Opentopia this year.  I see they already have the spot fenced off.

Hi Mira.

Hi Silver, that sounds good.  My brother and sister-in-law have settled back on the Black Isle now ... I hope they are surviving the awful weather!

Looking forward to a Facetime or Google Chat with our friends in Carluke, Scotland today.   Wish we could visit them more often.   How fortunate they both were to have met in school, married after university, and stayed in that small Scottish town that is so beautiful.   And that made it so much easier for me to track them down all these years later, thanks to the town website.  Amazing thing ...

Silver Squirrel ...... my dad always used to say to me to "do it while you can."  It's only as I've got older that I understand the importance of what he said. And you're right ..... it can all go away in the blink of an eye.

Hi Mira and MD -- yes, big wide world out there.  I've had my passport since I was in my late 20s.  Didn't get to use it much after that initial trip to Europe way back when, but am happy to say that 2013 was such a great European tour and now my husband and I have caught the "travel bug."   Doing it while we can.   One never knows these days when it can all just Go Away ...

Glad you enjoyed yourself Silver ... so much big wide world out there to discover.

Silver Squirrel ...... I'm so glad you had fun and that the weather was kind. You must have enjoyed it to be planning your 2017 holiday already. There is so much to see and do in London. I bet you needed a rest after that!!!

Hello MD -- we had a wonderful time in the U.K. and especially enjoyed our time in Scotland.   We did a lot of train travel and that was such fun.   We have nothing like the European rail system here in the US.   Our 3 days in London (with friends -- he is a native Londoner) were nonstop and exhausting but we had a few "bucket list" things to do -- one of mine was Crossing Abbey Road -- and I have the photos to prove that I did it (and did not get run over!).  We're already planning our next trip in 2017.  Loved The Shard.  One day the four of us walked over 10 miles, rode the Tube, really lucked out with the weather too.

Silver Squirrel ...... how was the holiday?

MD we will most likely go the Eye and take a ride.   I was joking about their being no bathroom in the pod.  

Hi Silver Squirrel .....no bathrooms???? The Eye only goes round once ....... very slowly so that you can take in the view. They gave us a guide/map so it was possible to identify and look for specific places. A friend celebrated his birthday with a champagne breakfast on there. It was really good fun.

MD we plan to see the eye and perhaps get on.  But no bathrooms

Silver Squirrel ...... the London Eye gives you an amazing view. I loved it. They also take photographs of the pods as they come down so you can collect a photograph of yourself if you wish.