The start of December in Europe brings much-anticipated
marchés de noël, or Christmas markets. Traditionally, the markets are a German celebration that has begun to creep into France (the most famous market in France is, of course, in Strasbourg), and even towns in the west of France have some kind of celebration.
The first stop this year was La Roche. Overseen by Napoléon himself (or at least his statue), we had one row of
châlets (stands) where you could buy things like jam, honey, meat, candles,
crêpes, and
vin chaud (hot wine). I braved the crowds one Saturday afternoon with the family to join in the festivities. The promised ice sculptures included a half-melted penguin as far as I could see; they also had fake snow (bubbles from a machine run by a cranky already-Christmased-out teenager) and a small parade with people on stilts in pretty white costumes...but we couldn't see much of it because it seemed the entire town was trying to cram into
Place Nap at the same time.
La Roche market grade: C- (Ice sculptures are not something to attempt at 50 degrees F.)
Over the month, there was a program of winter concerts put on by various musical ensembles of the region. One was my first concert of the season with the
Philhar; we sported our snazzy new
tenue (attire): black La Roche-sur-Yon monogrammed suits.
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| Philar flute section |
I then went with the family to Maillezais, a small town in the
Vendée, which has a Moroccan- and nativity-themed market. The best part by far was the show we attended, complete with professional horseback riders, jugglers, knife-fighting stunts, belly dancers, and fire eaters. Maybe not your traditional Christmas, but it was a fantastic show all the same, and afterward we watched fireworks over the castle. Most impressively, it was a tiny otherwise little-known town absolutely packed with people.
Maillezais market grade: B (How could it possibly rank lower with fire eaters?)
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| Passage de Pommeraye |
The following weekend, I went with Anne and Norie (two other American assistants) to size up Nantes' Christmas spirit. Nantes' regular market is set up in two or three main squares in the center of town. They have an ample variety of
châlets and interesting things to buy or look at. Bonus points for the creation of the
potion de pirate (pirate's potion),
du vin chaud with rum. We also visited the
Passage de Pommeraye, an elaborate indoor shopping corridor, which is always beautifully decorated for the season.
Nantes, being what I think of as the hipster center of France, also held what was officially called - I'm not making this up -
L'autre Marché de Noël. The Other Christmas Market. It was separated from the rest of the market, located on the other side of the main tramway, specifically full of locally-made goods. (It seemed like a nice idea...but we unfortunately didn't find anything worth buying there.)
Nantes market grade: B (The
potion de pirate saved it from a B-. The Other Market needs better goods and a better name.)
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| The infamous egg |
We also visited the
château in Nantes to discover their seasonal decoration inside the ramparts: an egg. A giant inflatable illuminated egg sitting in a nest of yellow and blue plastic garbage and recycling bags. I've tried researching it online and came up with nothing, so there you have it. The Christmas egg. We walked the ramparts and I have a picture of it from every angle.
Finally, after the last week of work, my bags were packed and I was more than ready for a little cross-country trip to the
Capitale de Noël, Strasbourg. I stayed with Jasmina, a good friend from the CELTA, and basked in pure Christmas for three days. In Strasbourg, they really know what they're doing with Christmas lights, and their hundreds of
châlets are a seemingly endless field of quality distractions. I got my fill of
tarte flambée (my favorite regional dish), at least for a little while. And I love the giant Christmas tree in
la Place Kléber; this year its lights changed color every few minutes. In stark contrast to the egg, here is Strasbourg:
Strasbourg market grade: A (The only downside is the crowd.)
Upon returning from Christmas in the U.S., I hit one last market (in a state of extreme jetlag, going on almost forty hours without sleep) on New Year's Day: the Champs-Élysées in Paris. My friends Yann and Adi and I took a walk up and down the street until it started pouring rain. They did a wonderful job with the lights this year, which seemed to sparkle even more than last year, and the ferris wheel glowed in French flag colors.
Paris market grade: B+ (Cool and all, but not Strasbourg.)
Bonne année 2016 et meilleurs voeux!
Nantes, being what I think of as the hipster center of France, also held what was officially called - I'm not making this up - L'autre Marché de Noël. The Other Christmas Market. It was separated from the rest of the market, located on the other side of the main tramway, specifically full of locally-made goods. (It seemed like a nice idea...but we unfortunately didn't find anything worth buying there.)
