Skating on thin ice

Somerset House is on the River Thames near Waterloo Bridge. It has an outdoor ice skating rink in the winter. Egg and I got some free tickets to the opening today from TimeOut Magazine. We were amongst the first group of people to "skate" there this season (it appeared that most people were beginners). However, I can only describe the experience as magical. I've never been ice skating before and I thought I did surprisingly well. It was great with the exception of the drizzling rain and the guy who thought I was trying to steal his child when I offered to help her up.
As we entered the central courtyard of Somerset House I felt truly happy to be in London. These sort of experiences are what it's all about. The ice rink stands surrounded by old sandstone buildings, with beautiful lighting and a giant Christmas tree. It was then I realised that I am getting so excited about my first Northern Hemisphere Christmas.
When we arrived, a guy was smoothing the ice over with one of those ice smoothing vehicles. I was instantly reminded of that "Endless Love" scene from Happy Gilmore.
"What? Friends can listen to Endless Love in the dark!" Adam Sandler's finest work...

To see a picture of the rink, go to:
http://www.somerset-house.org.uk