December in London: Ju's birthday

Ju's birthday was a little dream. After eating typical French King's cake (in which they hide little objects and if you find them you are the king), we went to Chez Gerard near Picadilly for an expensive French dinner (us and the rich Russian youth dominated the place). Snails, duck and stake tartare were in order.

After that, we had a magical time at Somerset house, a courtyard that reminds one a bit of The Louvre. Fully booked every night- it was a miracle that I managed to find any tickets.

There, a giant Tiffany tree invites people to forget about recession worries and just enjoy an evening of fun. The rink is dominated by posh youngsters, with the exception of a few elderly citizens trying to relieve their good times.

The service was impecable, with a few Ice-guards (salvagheti :p) floating around asking everyone who fell if they needed help.

Later on in the week we managed to buy our Christmas tree and decorate it. This is the first year I have done it so soon. The X-mas present was a ticket to my very first musical: Monty Python's SPAMaLOT. Hugely funny, very impressive and extravagant. Would recommend it if you are in London.

Other than that, London is dominated by wannabe German markets selling sausages and mulled wine. Shops are all having sales and I have never seen Oxford street so empty on a Sunday. Because of recession, Woolworths (a well known and old chain of stores) is closing, people are loosing their jobs every day, home owners around Canary Wharf are losing tennants due to job losses and the government keeps trying to revive the housing market, which is going down. The pound has not been so low in a long time and stores are reporting very low sales. So the atmosphere, just like the weather is: grim. Happy Christmas everyone!