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Borough Market, Frost Fair and a royal ba-humbug

From Festive Season in London in London, United Kingdom on Dec 15 '06

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Inside Shakespeare's Globe
Inside Shakespeare's Globe
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Saturday was Frost Fair - a fair that celebrates when the Thames used to freeze over and people could walk across, or go skating.  The fair took place along the Thames between the Shakespeare Globe and the Tate Modern.

So, Saturday morning I woke up early and headed down to Frost Fair via Borough Market.  Borough Market is where Jamie Oliver does his shopping and Gordon Ramsay's wife films her TV show.  The Market is huge and possibly the most fragrant place I have ever been.  It was amazing, it looked so dodgy from the street because it is just stall after stall of food vendors set up under the train tracks.  There were vendors with everything from cheese to wine to fruits and veg, meat and even all natural beauty products.  I didn't buy anything, but there is a very good possibility that our Christmas dinner could come from Borough Market - I think Patrick needs an excuse to visit it.

the Royal family do not celebrate Christmas in a very royal manner
Buckingham Palaces worst Christmas decorations ever
Buckingham Palaces worst Christmas decorations ever
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After the Market I headed down towards the Globe and even got to go inside the theater for a really terrible children's performance.  And although the performance was total crap, the Globe theater is such an amazing place.  To sit there and think of all of Shakespeare's plays being performed there by such big name actors and actresses was amazing.  I remember studying the design of a Shakespearean theater in school, but to actually sit in one and think of what it would have been like back then to see an original play was really mind blowing.  I will definitely try to see something at the theater during the summer.  It's open top so it doesn't operate in the winter; thankfully Saturday was a beautiful day and it could used.

Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare's Globe
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Following Frost Fair I walked down the Thames towards Westminster and then to Buckingham Palace.  I'm not really that interested in Buckingham Palace, but I wanted to see what they did for Christmas decorations.  I can sadly say that the Royal family do not celebrate Christmas in a very royal manner.  They have one ugly as Christmas tree with white lights stuck in an alcove at the front of the Palace...that's it, that's all; total crap.


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