City of the Month: Nottingham
Christmas market in rainy Nottingham - Photo by Rachel Dalton
November: NOTTINGHAM
Home to Robin Hood and his merry men but even more significantly, named as one of the top cities of 2010 by the New York Times I was intrigued to visit Nottingham. Having also been recommended to me by many of my friends I was excited to book the tickets and get on my way. However, pulling into the station I was greeted by scaffolding to my left and derelict buildings on my right, not to mention horrible weather. Making my way out of the station, I asked someone for directions, hoping to find something more than just building works. Luckily, the town centre was huge, with endless rows of shops, restaurants and the Christmas Market. I’m a city girl so this suited me fine!
Positives: The Christmas Market for the mulled wine and endless cheese stalls, a Vivienne Westwood shop (I can dream!), lunch in Bella Italia and the town’s Christmas lights.
Negatives: The weather, the architecture and the poor sign-posting – we couldn’t find where anything was!
Verdict: Not the best, but good enough.