Christmas Markets

I love Christmastime in France! Though the commercial atmosphere is still present here, there are also many traditions that we don't really do in the United States, one of which is the Marche de Noel, or Christmas Markets. They are comprised of little booths where vendors sell their goods. Unfortunately, many of them are not original and are just selling items they've imported (from Africa, now that I've been there I see how much stuff originates there). But there are also some really cool ones, like the man in Tours who was selling melted wine bottles that he'd turned into vases, lamp bases, or jewelry or the man speaking French with a heavy Russian accent selling Matryoshka Dolls. Either way, many of the booths are interesting to look at. And probably the best thing about the markets are the edible goods - vin chaud, warm wine mulled with spices and marron grilles, roasted chestnuts, which I'd never had until here (very good), not to mention the assorted crepe booths that have tons of sweets and giant jars of Nutella. And no Marche de Noel would be complete without something for the kids. In Orleans it was an ice skating rink encircling the statue of Joan of Arc! In Tours, we have a Carousel. These markets really bring the spirit of Christmas alive. The one in Loches is next weekend, there's supposed to be a Salsa dancing exhibition and a bear (don't know how to feel about that). I'm sure I'll have more pictures to show then...

Dublin

My weekend in Dublin... how amazing to fly from France to Ireland for a weekend! It was very fun to see Barbara, we hadn't had time to ourselves like that in awhile. Dublin was also nice - though cold and rainy. We spent Saturday night in the Temple Bar area (contrary to the belief that it is an actual bar - its actually the neighborhood). We went from bar to bar, seeing the different types of music and atmosphere there was at each one. Sunday we packed it all in - we started the day with a train ride to Bray, a smaller town nearer the coast, then we went back into Dublin and went to the Chester Beatty Library, a museum with the private collection of a Brit who gave it all to the city, free and very cool. Then on the the Guinness Storehouse (of course the next logical stop) for a history of Guinness and a free pint. Then a slightly stumbly walk to our dinner reservations at a hotel that showcases live music and Irish dancing each night. The food wasn't amazing, but the show was great. Monday Barbara worked, so I took the double-decker (because they're all double-decker) bus into town and went o Killahaim Gaol (the British prison where many of the Irish rebels were executed or imprisoned) and Trinity College, to see the Book of Kells and the Long Room. It was a busy couple days but it never felt stressed. I really enjoyed what I saw of Ireland and I'd love to go back to visit more of the countryside. Two days is not sufficient, but I know I'm lucky to even have that.

Chartres

This was our little adventure in Chartres on the 16 November. Every French person we told said, "Il n'y a pas grandes choses a Chartres," which means there isn't much to see in Chartres. But we managed to spend a day there walking around and I found it very nice, if not exciting. There was a promotion for the trains in the Centre region, where we live. It was 4 euros to go anywhere in the region and back on Sunday, so we decided to visit the Cathedral in Chartres, basically the farthest we could go in one day. It was a fun day, leisurely...a long lunch and a long walk in the rain. But it was an adventure all the same. Christine is the other girl in the photos, another assistant from Philadelphia (we get along quite well).