The Holidays in France

We had a lovely little Thanksgiving in France, despite my mushy stuffing. I met another American a couple weeks ago and he joined Bill and I for dinner. It took some effort to pull the meal together since its not a holiday that France celebrates. I had to roast the pumpkin in order to make the puree for the pumpkin pie (no canned pumpkin here) and we had to drive to Montauban to find a turkey breast. But it was worth the extra effort, as we have so much to be thankful for this year. And, it was especially nice to spend it with new friends.

My sister came to visit in December, so we took the train to Bordeaux to check out their Christmas market, and then again to the Marche de Noel in Toulouse. Bordeaux is a very elegant city, with it's neoclassic architecture, wide boulevards and expansive views of the Garonne river. And its very easy to navigate, as you can grab a tram right outside the train station that takes you everywhere you need to go for less than 2 euro. Unfortunately, their Christmas market was a bit disappointing--lots of kiddie carnival rides, and American pop music blaring from the market's ice skating rink. Lucky for us, Toulouse left a bigger impression. It's called the Pink City because of the reddish brick used to construct the buildings. There is a vibrant current pulsing in Toulouse, no doubt the result of over a dozen different universities and the young people that attracts. The Garonne river runs through Toulouse as well, and the Pont Neuf bridge (built in the 16th century) creates a backdrop to which few others can compare. We found lots of creations from local artiseans there and lots of delicious food. Every Christmas market serves hot mulled wine, but Toulouse also had a hot white chocolate wine that was absolutely swoon-worthy. Also, they have Mexican restaurants in Toulouse (a rarity).... and holy mole' this girl misses going out for Mexican food and margaritas with my friends!

Bordeaux Christmas Market:

Toulouse Christmas Market:

Moissac even has its own Christmas Market held during the last 4 days before Christmas. So, our little town is all decked out with string lights and evergreen trees, and Christmas music plays on speakers through out the square.

We didn't bring much with us from the states, so most of my Christmas decorations didn't make the cut. I've picked up a few things and been busy making ornaments to fill in the empty spots on the tree. We've invited new friends to join us for Christmas dinner, so I've began converting recipes to metric and searching for the ingrediants (or plausible substitutes). Here in the land of ham (jambon), there is no such thing as a cured picnic cut, but I was able to order a spiral ham from a company in Ireland. So, I'm looking forward to a traditional Christmas dinner with new friends.

Joyeux Noel! Merry Christmas, and best wishes to all our friends and family for a happy new year!