It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Yes I realize I still haven't written about Brussels...getting there...

So recently France has been starting to look at lot like Christmas, last week it snowed a fair bit, the lights and decorations are up all around the city, stores are open later, the Christmas Markets are in full swing, and this weekend is the Fête de Saint Nicolas, the patron saint of children, and the Lorraine region.

 

 

morning after the first dumping of "neige"

 It all looks very pretty, although my students grumble otherwise when I ask if they like snow...most don't. They should come to Canada and see what a REAL snowfall is, then they'd count themselves lucky! Funny part is, even though this region gets snow every year, the French are completely unprepared for it. Snow tires and plows don't seem to exist (not there's enough snow at the moment to warrant plows) and all over the region buses are cancelled, people can't get to work, and students don't show up for school...are you kidding me?!
I, however, have been quite enjoying this time of year...particularly the cultural festivities taking place! Last Wednesday Julia and I hopped on a train for Strasbourg to check out the best Christmas Markets in France. We wandered around a bit checking out the various vendor booths selling vin chaud (hot mulled wine), hot apple juice (very similar to hot apple cider back home), crêpes, waffles, handmade artisan crafts and the like. There were lights, decorations and Christmas stores everywhere and the city was hopping with people...thank god we hadn't come on a weekend!

We soon met up with Andrew, Rachel, Emily (another English assistant in Metz), Chris and Heather (from Ireland and Scotland respectively, both "Lecteurs", or assistants, at the university in Metz). Together we wandered from market to market, keeping our hands warm with cups of vin chaud, eating various delicacies along the way and checking out all the wares...I even bought a bottle of homemade spice apple juice! mmm... To top off the Christmassy feeling it even started snowing, like reeeeally snowing, big huge flakes! We rounded off our afternoon/evening by warming up in a nice restaurant/café and eating some very yummy homemade leek and potato soup. Yum.

Strasbourg: "Christmas capital"

la neige!

It was a great way to spend a Wednesday off, except that all the trains were delayed from the snow so I had to spend an extra unnecessary hour in the train station in Strasbourg. Boo.

Back in Nancy, I've had quite a few cups of vin chaud at the small market we have here...I've developed quite a liking to the stuff, when it's not too strong or "spiced". Yesterday Julia, Rachel and Andrew came down to join in the St. Nicolas day festivities. Julia and I first went to a lovely little tea shop in the old city to buy some loose leaf teas and to sit down for a (very expensive) cup and dessert. The ambiance made it worth it though.

We then met up with Andrew and Rachel at Place Stan where they were setting up all the audio/video equipment for the evening's light and sound display. We walked down to the markets, Julia bought some roasted chestnuts on the way ("marrons chauds" here).

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire

a very excited Julia to have her first cone of chestnuts

At the market we grabbed some vin chaud and saw Saint Nicolas, who was giving candy to children. We managed to grab a photo with him (will post when I steal it from Julia.)

Saint Nicolas!

After spending awhile at the markets, we headed back to mine to warm up (none of us could feel our feet anymore) and then headed over to watch the fireworks display at Place Stanislas. The place was PACKED, I mean, the police had set up barricades to all the entrances so no more people could come in. So unfortunately, while we still had a good view of the AMAZING fireworks display (probably the best I've ever seen), we didn't get to see much of the light show being projected onto Town Hall. That being said, we had seen people starting to gather there around 5pm, and the show was at 7:30, and we had no intention of freezing our butts off for 2.5 hours to wait for a light show. Something's gotta give!

St. Nicolas is a huge thing here in the Lorraine region...in all the bakeries and chocolate shops you can find pain d'épices (spice cake) and chocolate in the shape of him. Since he's the patron saint of the region, this area puts on the biggest party for the guy, hence the fireworks and today, a parade. There's a story to go along with his "sainthood", which has been explained to me by various people (there are a number of versions as well). I actually had my 2ndes on Friday act out the story. It was more for my amusement than for them to practice their English, it was quite hilarious. So, the story of good ol' St. Nick goes something like this:

There are 3 children walking through the woods (Hansel and Gretel style) and are harvesting wheat when night falls (my tandem messed up the translation and ended up telling me, in English, that the children were missing their cereal. "Céréal" in French, means "wheat" in addition to breakfast cereal...I had a silly image in my head of 3 kids searching desperately for their Captain Crunch in a giant cornfield...my poor tandem couldn't figure out why I was laughing so hard...)
Anyways, nighttime comes and the kids get lost, and happen to come upon the house of the butcher in the middle of the woods. (Why the butcher lives in the middle of the woods, I have no idea) They knock on his door, and ask to come in (apparently no one ever taught these kids not to talk to strangers). So of course the butcher lets them in, and proceeds to hack the kiddies up into pieces and throws them in the meat-salter. Then our hero St. Nick comes along, knocks on the door, saves the kiddies (by miraculously putting them all back together...with either magic, or glue?) and banishes the butcher from town. Legend has it, the butcher became "le Père Fouettard", (literally the "whipping father") or the anti-Santa, who goes along and whips children who are bad. Nice story, eh?

Anyway, I'm looking forward to today's parade and lots of Christmassy things to do before I head home for the holidays, including a trip to Trier next weekend, the oldest city in Germany! Woo hoo!