If you know me at all, I am a terrible, awful, hopeless romantic. I tear up at any wedding I attend (even if I don’t know the bride and groom), Disney movies, and Christmas movies. For some reason Seattle doesn’t have an outdoor ice rink during the holidays, and I’ve always fantasized about a skating date during the holidays just like the movies. There is an indoor rink but that’s no fun. Maybe there’s no space in Seattle or it’s never warm enough, or us mild-weather acclimated Seattlites just prefer to remain in a temperature controlled environment.
So when Tim told me suggested we do ice skating outside of the Somerset House, I was more than ecstatic. The session we were planning to attend was full so we ended up skating outside of the Natural History Museum. I had always imagined I would do this in Central Park in New York, but London is about a hundred million times better, so it didn’t matter which location we chose. I was about fulfill something off my life checklist. It wasn’t a date, but I think that’s what made it more fun. We were both relaxed and had a great time pushing each other around, “racing”, and avoiding bumping into children or the gaggle of screaming girls. Side note: Seriously, I think girls should not be allowed to travel in more than groups of three. It’s like the amount of estrogen all together elevates their annoyance/shriek level.
We arrived just as the sun was setting, and just as we stepped away from the ticket booth to lace up, a bird pooped on my precious red hat. That’s supposed to be good luck right? By the time we were ready to skate away, all of the lights on the trees and nearby carousel were lit. My heart was leaping with glee as I took in the enchanting atmosphere.
Just so you know (in case it isn’t obvious…skating and carrying around a 50d is NOT easy. Lucky for me, Tim was the better skater of the both of us and carried my bag most of the time. He also got some great pics with his iPhone of our shenanigans. I’m not quite sure if I would’ve paid the 15 pounds if I had never experienced something like it before, because our session was only 50 minutes, but every minute was so magical for me it was like a dream washed over me and I was brought back to reality when we stepped off the ice.
And what skating experience wouldn’t be complete without some classy hot chocolate? We ditched the upstairs facilities featuring Starbucks, and went for a french cafe called Paul. The hot chocolate was perfect. Thick, but not to the extent of a fondue consistency like in Italy. Not too sweet, not too milky – it was perfect. It didn’t even come with whip cream. It didn’t need it. Although to be honest, I wouldn’t have been opposed to some whip cream and salted caramel pieces. But then, that’s a whole other drink.
We dripped our pastries in our chocolate as we people watched and shared photos. It was a splendid evening, and something I won’t ever forget.
