Geneva

Clean, developed and organised, Geneva initially impresses me. But going down hill from there, my highlight, the Palace of Nations(European UN headoffice) is closed for two weeks. The price of food is shocking, never mind the hotels. One big bonus is free transport all around Geneva with the tourist card from the hotel, and free travel from the airport (from the ticket machine in baggage collection).

Chocolate - wow, the Swiss know how to make this stuff, I had no self control and continued to eat until the packet was finished, after only sharing a little. Jet d eau is pretty impressive, pumping water 130m into the sky, I had to check the scale twice. The arty Christmas lights are fun too.

Budapest

Three days were not enough to explore the wonder that is Budapest. Staying on the Buda side of the Danube, meant that the hotel had the best views of Buda hill.

A quaint Christmas Market in Vörösmarty tér, the main square, was filled with handmade goodies and offered food and drink to warm me. The architecture is amazing and building after building wowed.

When the cold had chilled me to the bone I went off Széchenyi Gyógyfürdő spa. The outdoor pool allowed the enjoyment of the falling snow and natural thermal spa simultaneously. An absolutely amazing experience.

My favourite market was in the Millenium building behind Mammut Shopping Centre. It showcased local designers': clothing, furniture, food and accessories.

Munich Christmas Markets

Munich was dripping with Christmas cheer last week. Marienplatz, Krippelmarkt and 48 other Christmas sites dotted all over the old town. Sauerkraut met(with)flesch was delish! Snacks also included lebkuchen and those tasty red sausages.

Masses of wooden toys and decorations on sale, bee products and sculptured nativity scenes.

Venturing a bit further, to Tollwood Christmas Market/fair, was fantastic. It's hippy style, being carbon neutral and lots of organic, green choices drew a funky crowd.

Dub linh

Visiting this Irish city proved easy with super cheap Ryanair flights from Standstead. In the 4 days there I soaked up enough sunlight hours reserved for the whole of December (according to Lonely Planet).

This well funky little city drew me in... Cornucopia on Wicklow St fed me wholefoods deluxe. Soups and pasta bakes, magnificent(I use that word without exaggeration) varieties of the freshest salads. The locals swarm the place and it lived up to its name.

Hoards of gold had my crow eyes glistening during my visit to the National Museum. Bog bodies laid to rest in rooms resembling Celtic tombs, showed a reverent preservation of history and culture. The vicious Vikings had their own display - I would love to take my year 7 class here on excursion. There's nothing like stories of blood and guts to hold my attention.

Walking amongst the Irish, I feel some sense of belonging with my pallor, freckles and hair.

Best things about snow

The snow has disrupted travel all around England, but I can't help but love it. The soft icy flakes, turn to crunch and crisp underfoot. Snowball fights, building little snowmen on the lawn and tasting snowfall on my tongue are some of the things that I love to do...

With no pitter patter to warn me, I awake to find an alien landscape of white velvet. I can't stop grinning as I walk to work, my black coat coating in a fine icy dust. Numbing cold seems worth it now. I am dying to catch up on all the snow play I have missed in my childhood but dreaded OH&S stops the children from outside play today.

Then rain melts the wonderful winter wonderland, and I must chase the cold elsewhere... Germany perhaps?