Choinka

Warsaw may not have a Christmas market but we've got one hell of a whopping great Christmas tree.

When they started putting up what looked like scaffolding a few weeks back, and a tree shape gradually emerged, I for one, was not at all convinced. I thought it would look too false, too tacky even for Christmas. But now it's finished and all lit up, it seems to match the scale and absurdity of the Palace of Culture and Science. They'd never have found a real tree that managed to do that.

In front there's a cute little ice rink, and especially today, with the freshly fallen snow, and smell of waffles in the air, there was a really festive atmosphere.

Roll on Christmas, I'm ready for you now.