Helene Sula - Travel Blogger

I’d literally never heard of this tradition until I saw it first hand! The tradition is you form a circle, cross arms and pull the Christmas Cracker. There is a banger inside the cracker, two strips of chemically infused paper that react with friction so that when the cracker is pulled apart by two people, the cracker makes a loud bang. Inside the cracker there is a paper crown made from tissue paper, a motto or joke on a slip of paper and a little gift. The tradition dates back to Victorian times and you wear the paper hats at dinner. I love this idea! Cute and fun. They sell the crackers everywhere and they can be super cheap (a few pounds for a dozen) or more expensive with fancy gifts inside. I’d literally never heard of this tradition until I saw it first hand! #cultureshock #expat #americaninengland #americanintheuk #unitedkingdom #england #christmastraditions #christmascrackers #expatlife #cultureshocks

Here’s how to see the best of Christmas in London in ONE DAY! Of course, this is... intense! So you could easily stretch this out and add in museums! 🎡you don’t see Hyde Park Winter Wonderland wonderland on the list ebcause I find it cheesy and extremely overpriced. Very bad food but if you like rides you might like it. #london #christmas #londonchristmas #londonchristmas #christmaslights #londonengland #uk #visitengland #europe #christmasmarket #christmasmarketsineurope #england #christmasinengland

Are you surprised by my picks?! Christmas in europe is just the best 🎄 #christmas #christmasmarket #germany #france #bratislava #strasbourg #heidelberg #cologne #aachen #colognechristmasmarket #xmas #christmastree

Riddle me this: they are all slim in france and have no reduced fat options yet in the usa its all reduced fat?! #expat #cultureshock #france #grocery #grocerystore #frenchfood

Fresh pie? Save me a slice! Do you like mince pie? #mince #mincepie #christmas #uk #christmastraditions #cultureshock #expat #expatlife #england

We did it! 🎄🚢We chartered a river cruise ship to bring people to christmas markets in europe! This has been years in the making and we start tpdsy in Colognr, Germany! #christmas #christmasmarkets #christmasmarketsineurope #xmas #rivercruise #luxurytravel

Christmad in the UK vs the USA: which do you prefer?! #cultureshock #expat #americanabroad #christmas

An announcement you probably did not see coming. The reason, truly, is that we want to bring Millie along 🐶 and, we are trying to figure out where to live and want to travel more of Europe. We plan to hop around Europe a bit more and want to be able to bring Millie with us along the way. Truly, we adore the UK and the life we created in Oxford. I could see us even coming back one day. But it’s time for us to get out of our comfort zone and explore. If you’re new, here’s a VERY brief backstory: 2005 high school sweethearts from Texas 2016 Moved to Heidelberg, Germany (having never been before!) 2019 Move back to Dallas, Texas 2023 Moved to Oxford, England So many incredible (and difficult) things happened here in England. I published my first book📖, we lost our dog, Hugo🪽, I completed a 100+ mile hike🥾 (the Cotswold Way - and lost 35 pounds training for it), and we are about to host our first-ever Christmas market river cruise trips. This has been a glorious time❤️ I adore the UK, I feel so connected here. I know a piece of my heart will always be here. #expat #americanabroad #sheisnotlost #france #england #uk

What to eat and drink at Christmas market in europe! #christmas #christmasmarket #christmasmarkets #christmasmarketsofeurope #europechristmas #europeanchristmas #europeanchristmasmarket #europe