It may be freezing cold, but January doesn't have to be dull in London
Today we decided to check out the Winter Lights Festival at Canary Wharf, as part of Lumiere London.
But first, food.
We started at Maltby Street Market which I've blogged about before where we indulged in cheese toasties, breakfast ciabattas, scotch eggs and this absolute feast from Waffle On: goat's cheese, blueberries, fig and honey on freshly made waffles. Heaven.
After a few lengths up and down the narrow street we declared ourselves full and decided to take a sunset walk from Bermondsey to Canary Wharf, along the river.
It took 45 minutes to walk and the views along the way are beautiful. Even though it was cold, the sun was casting a beautiful glow across the water and it was well-worth it!
Once darkness fell we got our first treat of the Winter Lights.; We Could Meet.
Light Sphere.
On the wings of Freedom; these butterfly shapes changed colour constantly and were totally mesmerising - one of my favourites!
My Light is Your Light; created to stand in solidarity with Syrian refugees.
The most popular installation was this interactive one, Pool, which is made up of pods on the floor which change colour according to how heavy you step on them or how many people are on them. It was full of excited children and we quickly caught the bug, trying desperately to make the best combination of colours!
One of the most fascinating was Bit Fall -a waterfall which burst every second, lighting up a different word each time, taken from the most popular online words. I honestly could have stayed there for hours watching it!
Fantastic Planet was a huge inflatable 'person' which appears to have just landed on the planet. The ropes holding it down made me think of Gulliver's Travels.
We finished with Totem, which is controlled by phone signals, active or inactive, around it. It also chimes every now and again making it incredibly entrancing.
Overall I loved the experience; all the installations were fascinating and definitely worth a look!
Lumiere is a festival all over London, and finishes tomorrow, but the Canary Wharf installations go on until 22 Jan, so if you find yourself that way, or fancy an evening stroll along the river I would highly recommend a look!