| Why not spend Christmas in Europe? |
| by Lynn Eaton * National Account Manager * Spencer Travel |
For many Australians the charm of a visit to Europe is a chance to experience the continent’s rich and diverse culture. What better time of year for Europe than Christmas, a time full of special traditions, celebrations, decorations, and seasonal warmth? You might sip hot chocolate at a Christmas market, listen to a choir in a midnight service at a medieval cathedral... even the shopfronts, decorated for the season, are a rich visual experience. An added bonus for those travelling to Europe at Christmas - you can get there with lower airfares and stay in hotels with off-season rates. Christmas in Paris At Christmas, every corner in Paris glows with an array of very beautifully decorated fir trees. Paris is always a city of romance and charm but during Christmas, Paris becomes even more alluring. Christmas trees are everywhere and are even planted on main highways. The Christmas markets are replete with stalls selling a variety of Christmas specialties, holiday decorations and handmade gifts Why not enjoy a traditional Parisian Christmas dinner? The famous Ritz Hotel has joined with renowned crystal house, Swaroski to create a magical atmosphere. The sparkling Christmas decorations, twenty foot Christmas tree decorated with multitude of silver decorations and a traditional menu make for a memorable occasion. After spending Christmas in Paris you may like to head out to Eurodisney for a couple of days. Yuletide spirit at Disneyland® Resort Paris comes in the shape of a spectacular seasonal ice show and more than a million Christmas lights throughout the resort. Main Street USA is magically transformed into a winter wonderland of snowy streets, lit up with shimmering Disney Princess street lamps and resounding to the festive sound of Victorian carol singers. Every night as the sun sets, there is an Enchanted Fairytale Ceremony at Sleeping Beauty's Castle and everybody gets ready for a visit from Father Christmas. On New Year's Eve the park hosts an all-out celebration until 1am, culminating in a magnificent fireworks extravaganza to welcome in 2010. Christmas and New Year in London London is a great city to visit with kids and a visit to London at Christmas makes for a very merry time. London lights up at Christmas - literally! London's West End Christmas lights are world famous. The lights on Oxford Street and Regent Street late in the evening when all the shops are closed are amagical experience, and completely free. Some other Christmas highlights you and your family can experience in London are the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree, National Ballet Christmas performance of the Nutcracker, the traditional Pantomimes, the Great Pudding Race and Christmas Past Exhibition at the Geffrye Museum London's New Year's Day Parade started in 1987 and has raised a million pounds for a wide range of London based charities. This is one of the of London’s most popular events. More than 10,000 performers representing 20 countries worldwide and more than half a million spectators line the 2 mile route. The Parade starts from the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, up Whitehall to Trafalgar Square, along Pall Mall and up lower Regent Street to Piccadilly Circus, then heads down Piccadilly to Green Park where it finishes. Christmas in Austria From the middle of November, the Advent season descends on Vienna. The aromas of candied fruits, cotton candy and other delicacies like Christmas punch and roasted chestnuts waft around the small wooden market stalls. While children warm their hands on paper bags containing hot chestnuts, parents can sip their mulled wine and ponder on the way that the Christmas market has retained all of its childhood fascination and magical power. Wiener Rathausplatz, where the market has taken place each year since 1975, has not lost any of its charm. Quite the contrary: it attracts more and more visitors each year. As a consequence this little Christmas town does not belong solely to the Viennese. With more then 140 stalls everyone who visits is captivated by the market and the retailers are proud to offer special enjoyment to such a large number of people from all over the world. Ski Europe
Airfares from London $1986.00 including taxes Paris $1926.00 including taxes Vienna $2040.00 including taxes Contact Spencer Travel on (02) 9281 5477 www.spencertravel.com.au |
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