New Years in London

At the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 right before all that 'pandemic' hit the world, me and my partner spent a wonderful New Year's eve in our capital city. There are so many different events going on there and many many ways to spend two days in London. But what we did was special to us and it wasn't expensive either. 

Day one - travel

We set off about lunch time on our first day and headed straight toward our hotel. I just love the sights in London, it's so vast and the buildings are extraordinary. We stayed in the middle of Muswell Hill, a bustling and eclectic suburb. We checked in, unpacked and wanted to venture out in search of some dinner.

Muswell Hill

Immediately we felt the quirky and art deco atmosphere around us, like electricity lined with pubs and restaurants.  It didn't take us long to settle into an Italian restaurant and enjoy some delicious food.  It was quite early evening when we finished our meal so we decided to stop at a pub for one last drink of 2019.  The pub was lively and everyone was having a good time.  I'm not sure if it's like that in Muswell Hill all the time or whether it was just the time of the year, but it has made us want to go back again just for an evening out.

Fireworks everywhere 

Our main reason for staying in the heart of Muswell Hill was because we aimed to see London's firework display at midnight at Alexandra Palace, which was walking distance from our hotel.  And I have to say we were not disappointed.  First of all the history of Alexandra Palace was clear to see what an impressive building surrounded by such a beautiful park.  There were a lot of people that had gathered here and we could see why.  When midnight finally arrived, not only could we view the main firework attraction on the London Eye, but they were going off all around us, in all directions we honestly did not know where to look first.  Most of the firework displays went on for an hour and even when we left at 1.15am, some were still going.  My only advice, wrap up really warm, it was quite windy up there and you are open to the elements. But the view was worth it.  Literally one of the best New Years Eves I have experienced. Have you ever been to watch the London fireworks?

Day two - January 1st 2020

We woke up and headed for breakfast, always a great way to start the day with a full fry up. I planned for us to do a VIP trip on the London Eye so we got on the road again and arrived at our pre-booked parking spot in the centre of London. It was still early morning and the capital city was not fully alive yet. It was quite a chilly morning too but there's always that moment when you have to choose between 'wrapping up' or 'nice going out clothes'. 

The London Eye 

We arrived at the entrance and got shown straight to the VIP lounge. I had never experienced being a VIP before and it was really luxurious, the staff were friendly and explained how our experience would pan out, allowing us some time to sit and enjoy a drink while we waited. The time for our flight was now due and in a group we walked to the wheel, no queuing just straight into our Pod and up we went. The whole experience on the Eye was 30 minutes, there was plenty of time for us to enjoy a glass of champagne included in the price and enjoy all the views of London. Highly recommended.