Christmas Market 2012: Birmingham vs Lincoln

For two consecutive weekends, I visited the christmas markets at Birmingham and Lincoln. Since there are good reviews of both, I decided that I have to be present to judge them myself. On both occasions, the weather was good and I was there in the morning till late evening.

Very merry christmas Birmingham!

Anyone out there a fan of Clara and her nutcracker doll?

Reasons why I enjoyed Birmingham's christmas market:

1. The wooden booths gave a rustic feel and they were nicely decorated with pretty lights and christmas ornaments.
2. I had my first mulled cider and a half-metre Bratwurst in a baguette, which were delicious and perfect for a chilly day.
3. It was within the city centre, so there is the huge Bullring mall where I could do some window shopping, and Chinatown nearby.

Good morning Lincoln!

Biggest bubble I have ever seen

Reasons why I enjoyed Lincoln's Christmas Market:

1. They had a one-way system so it was easy to walk through the market despite the crowd.
2. The market place was massive! There were so many stalls, so it took some time exploring them all. 
3. It was at the surrounding areas of the castle and cathedral, up a hill from where the scenery of the city below was beautiful, and this gave a very good atmosphere for the season.

My experience of Birmingham vs Lincoln:

1. At Lincoln, I had a good hot turkey and cranberry pastry, but the cinnamon bun I had was cold and hard. Besides that, I tried shortbreads and brownies, but they were too cold for my liking as well. I had probably learnt my lesson, which was why I bought only hot food and drinks at Birmingham.
2. Lincoln was a nicer venue for such a market, compared to Birmingham in which I thought the surrounding modern city architecture became too dull for me.
3. Since Lincoln's market place was so huge and there was quite a lot to see, there wasn't much time to do anything else except having a warm treat at a local cafe before heading back. In Birmingham, we had so much time that we went for a lunch buffet, shopping, had cakes at a patisserie, more walking around the mall - before it was finally time to head back.

If I had to decide on which I liked better, I would say that I prefer the christmas market at Lincoln to Birmingham, but I would definitely choose to go to Birmingham again for the shopping and food! :) x