I was in London in the period leading up to Christmas, hoping to take some pictures at night in a location that looked very festive. Then I was told that Covent Garden was the place to be, especially from the roof top terrace restaurant of the Royal Opera House (more on that later). I only had about two hours to do everything on display here. Consider this a work in progress!

Covent Garden didn't disappoint at all. An explosion of colour - mostly red, green and gold. Just what I wanted.

The Christmas tree at one end of the square was just huge. Plenty of people where taking photographs of it and using it as a meeting point.

The Market Hall

In the middle of Covent Garden is the market hall - beautifully architected and constructed. A delight to photograph at any time of the year. Lots of artisan shops selling all sorts of things - especially the food. Everything from bars and all sorts of restaurants to boutique patisseries and choclatiers.

Where's Santa?

To welcome (entice?) everybody into the market hall, there were lots of trees and Santa's sleigh. He wasn't around at the time I was there (must have been away acquiring expensive gifts!), and that didn't stop people climbing aboard for a photo.

And of course, there were plenty of trees, lights and every type of larger than life decoration.

Eat, Drink & Be Merry

There was all types of food on offer - yes even gold flakes on top of fruit that were already decorating cakes. Yummy! And if you were feeling thirsty, why not have some mulled wine.

If you really want to splash out on a good (and costly) time, Covent Garden is home to the world famous Ivy Restaurant.

The Royal Opera House Arcade

If you want to engage in some serious retail therapy, do some window shopping, or just appreciate the sights, the Royal Opera House Arcade is just the ticket. Before watching a show of course.

Fine Threads for Christmas

There are lots of other shops around the edges of the main Covent Garden square. A combination of chain stores, but also some amazing boutique independent places too. This tailor shop doing one-off pieces really took my eye. Beautifully hand crafted and a joy to look at.

St. Paul's Church

While walking around Covent Garden, I could hear beautiful carol singing coming from the nearby St. Paul's Church. I had just managed to catch a quick glimpse before I was told that it was a private event and not open to the public. It sounded AMAZING and the interior looked amazing.

Unfortunately I didn't get the time to take a photo. I later learned that it is famous for all of the portraits of deceased members of the acting community. Definitely something for a follow-up visit.

Outside the church is a private garden that I was able to take a photo of rather quickly. Not the most 'technical' of shots, but sometimes getting any picture is better than not having any picture. The mood seemed right to present it in black and white.

Stunning Views from the Royal Opera House Rooftop Terrace

Being able to get up onto the Rooftop Terrace (an outdoor restaurant) was a visual treat in terms of photographic opportunities. I really wish I had more time and had taken a tripod to go for really slow shutter speeds. It was a compromise to use slightly higher shutter speeds, a deeper depth of field and a higher ISO. A really good learning experience.

The results where pretty good nonetheless - you can see that I even managed to include the London Eye, the action on the street below and the surrounding architecture.

And One More Thing - Let's Not Forget About Leadenhall Street

There is no getting away from the fact that Covent Garden looks great at Christmas time (and any other time of year, come to think of it). However ... there are countless opportunities elsewhere in London to take beautiful pictures at Christmas time.

One of my favourities is Leadenhall, near the financial district. Apparently, Leadenhall was part of the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter films. So .... I thought it fitting to include one shot of that.