Neon Blue

I won't mention the 'C' word (Christmas!) yet but every shop in town is bedecked and ready for the present-buying masses. I suppose its the one time of the year that they can attempt to buck the recessional trend. Anyway. I like neon signs (and Cheltenham is hardly the neon sign capital of the world) so this one flashing away, in a shop window on the Prom, caught my eye. The flashing part caused quite a problem (lots of photos of an unlit sign!) but perseverance paid off and I got the timing right. Twice! Which is very unlike me and my camera.

As well as not mentioning the 'C' word, I won't mention that I've started my 'C' shopping. Talk about organised!

Don't Mention The War!

Excuse the title of today's post, its for the Fawlty Towers fans out there! Anyway, this is the German Market (hence the title!) in the Prom. It runs for a couple of weeks at the end of November, to tie in with the switch on of Cheltenham's Christmas lights, and has 60 stalls, sorry - German style chalets, selling all sorts of hand made gifts for the fast approaching festive season. You can get anything from wooden toys and jewellery to soap and woolly hats, it has something for everyone. And once you've had a peruse of the stalls you can stop for a freshly cooked Bratwurst sausage and a glass of German beer. Perfect shopping!

I wonder if they have a British Christmas Market in Germany?! Do you have anything like this where you live?

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Courtyard Shopping

Cheltenham is well known for its speciality shops and The Courtyard is brimming with such shops, as well as cafes and restaurants. The sunken piazza is on Montpellier Street and is quite different to the surrounding Regency buildings. It was built in 1985 and the famous architect Sir Hugh Casson was a consultant for the design. The Courtyard suffers from the same problem as the rest of the Montpellier shopping area - it is just outside of the town centre and isn't visited by the number of shoppers it deserves. Its a great place to pick up an unusual gift or stop for a coffee and soak up the cosmopolitan feel at an outdoor table. Next time you're in Cheltenham pay The Courtyard a visit, you'll be pleasantly surprised!

No. I'm not working for Visit Cheltenham. Perhaps I should be!