However, it's not stopped me getting in the Christmas spirit all the same and for those of you who live in Manchester, you've really no excuse to be saying "Bah, humbug" this year! Once again, Manchester has hosted it's annual Christmas market which has gone from being a German market to a European market in just a few short years. Each year new stalls are added: I even spotted an Italian stall with every flavour of nougat imaginable this time! I'm not sure just how Christmassy tapas is, despite having a soft spot in my heart for Spain but I can't deny the magic of seeing so many different cultures mixing as one in one market.
You can buy Swiss pancakes oozing with Nutella or maple syrup, every kind of German sausage imaginable, the famous Manchester egg and even Lancashire hotpot! There's beer of every flavour, mulled wine, Belgian hot chocolate and so many sweets and cakes that overwhelmed even me!
That's not even getting me started on the craft stalls. From divine leather notebooks to handmade bracelets, wooden ornaments and knitted jumpers, there really is something for everyone. This year I've managed to acquire a purple sequinned wall hanging which will look beautiful in my flat, some hanging elephants and a beautiful silver bracelet, sorry, "cuff", courtesy of my mum not knowing what else to buy me for Christmas this year.
It does get pretty busy, however, especially at around tea time on weekends so if you do go, make sure to visit on a weekday to escape the queues and ensure you can have a proper look around at all the stalls. Besides, you'd much rather be eating your hog roast in a cosy log cabin than out in the rain surely? Another thing to remember is to take quite a bit of money along with you because with most foods being around £4.50, getting a hotdog, drink and cake can be a dear do, especially if you want to buy presents for your loved ones as well.
To wind down after the chaos that is the Manchester Christmas markets, make sure you pop in to The North Pole bar on your way back to Victoria Station. It's slap bang in the middle of Urbis, which you should be able to find pretty easily due to the neon painted emos that frequent the area come rain or shine. Inside, the bar is divided into three sections: the first is filled with fur rugs and brown leather couches overlooking (fake) log fires. It's as cosy as if you were in your own cabin in the Swiss mountains! The second room has a cooler vibe, with white picnic benches, huge snowflakes and silver glitter everywhere and baby blue walls, and finally, the third, Rudolf's room, is red EVERYWHERE like Santa's grotto. The bar not only has it's own unique range of reasonably priced Christmas cocktails (I got a Cherry Bakewell which is Glitterberry J2O, Amaretto and a cherry on top) for £3.50, there's also all the traditional festive drinks such as mulled wine, along with some non-alcoholic beverages such as mint hot chocolate and a range of fancy coffees. Definitely worth a visit!
Some other things I've been doing to try and avoid the stress of all the uni work I have to do include taking part in a Secret Santa with my flatmates (I managed to find the best present ever for my £1 limit), buying a floor length gold dress to wear for my Christmas Eve motown disco in Bedfordshire, finding lots of books on Christianity for my Christmas list (because what better time to revisit a religion than Christmas) and we're also having a Christmas dinner together as a flat on the 14th. I am beyond excited, not just for that but for everything once my work is all out of the way on the 15th.
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| This is The North Pole Bar! |
Now I just have New Year's Eve to worry about...
