Christmastime in Pau

Decorated street downtown

First off, it's so hard for me to believe that December is already here. I've been in France for about three months and only have four more left. Here away from my family and friends it's even harder for me to believe that Christmastime is here. I miss everyone so much this time of year, but I feel so blessed to be able to have the opportunity to experience Christmas in Europe.

Pau has definitely changed for Christmas, but some of the changes that I've noticed are necessarily Christmas-y. For example, now when I walk around downtown I hear music from the radio blasting from speakers on the streets. Sometimes it's Christmas music (mostly English), sometimes it just random, regular music like a Death Cab for Cutie song here, a Michael Bublé song there, etc. Also, I'm used to a not very cold Christmas and no snow, but the weather here has been crazy. Super windy days and torrential rain? Not my kind of winter time. Give me a Florida winter any day, or even a cold snowy winter. This rainy, kind of cold winter is pretty gloomy. Other than that, Place Clémenceau and a plaza by the Boulevard des Pyrenées have a few food carts with cotton candy, crepes and of course carnival games. Because 'tis the season to play Whack-A-Mole and bumper cars, right?

Bumper cars and beignets

Lights!

Another thing I want to mention isn't limited to Pau I imagine, but deals with how people greet each other during this season. In the U.S. you see "Happy Holidays" and "Season's Greetings" cards among signs in stores and greeting cards, but for those who want "Merry Christmas" cards, you can just as easily if not more easily find those as well. Here in France it is nearly impossible to find a good selection of cards that say "Joyeux Noël." More often I've been finding cards that say "Bonne Année," (Happy New Year!), "Joyeuses Fêtes" and "Bonnes Fêtes" (like Season's Greetings/Happy Holidays). In a country which has no shortage of federal holidays with a religious leaning (like Ascension and Pentecost), as much as it declares itself as secular and embraces "laïcité," I must admit that I wasn't expecting to have so much trouble finding good "Merry Christmas" cards here.

Did I mention you can also buy roasted chestnuts?

Other than some of those less Christmas-y aspects, I've been enjoying seeing downtown Pau lit up at night with lights everywhere. On every street there is a different design of lights, so it's fun to walk around and see the variety. Christmas markets are very popular here in Europe, and usually Pau has one. However, this year (I'm guessing because of budget cuts), there is no marché de Noël, but there are  little cute, cozy cabins set up in different plazas around downtown where you can buy vin chaud (mulled wine), hot chocolate and other Christmas goodies, as well as a few tents set up to buy gifts from local artisans like scarves and jewelry.

The first one with caramel that started it all

So, I feel like there is always a section of my blog devoted to food, and now that it's the holiday time, this section is absolutely crucial. Food is an essential part of Christmastime here, and boy have I been feeling it! Since the beginning of December I have eaten SO much chocolate, cookies, cake, etc. From chocolate left out in teacher's lounge, to German cookies that my roommate made, to rum cake that my wonderful, loving mother sent me, I feel like I can't escape. Now, this isn't a terrible problem to have, but surrounded by all of this, you have to learn how to limit yourself. One of the best things about Christmas here in Pau for me has been this wonderful hot chocolate to go that a specialty chocolatier makes here. It's only 2.50 euros and with this cup of hot chocolate you get a hefty piece of one of their chocolates of your choosing (like cinnamon, caramel, piment d'espelette (a type of pepper), almond, hazelnut, etc.) to dip in the hot chocolate as you drink. Needless to say, it was the most incredible to-go hot chocolate I have ever tasted. Because of that my friend Sarah and I just had to go the day immediately after trying it for the first time, to introduce our friend Andria to the marvel.

 

Me enjoying hot chocolate with a nice slice of white chocolate with cranberries and almonds.

When I did a Thanksgiving lesson with some of my students, they compared Americans' Thanksgiving meal to the meal that the French eat on Christmas day. At the schools here, each year the cafeteria plans a Christmas meal for the students, staff and faculty. After enjoying a Christmas meal at the school I can say that a French Christmas meal definitely rivals our Thanksgiving meal in terms of quantity. I went at the encouragement of a colleague and was so happy that I did. Looking back I cannot believe that I ate so much food. It was a full meal and what I chose was: foie gras and jambon de Bayonne (Serrano ham. Both are specialties of the region!) as an appetizer, magret de canard (filet of duck, another specialty!) with potatoes and a mushroom flan, cheese and a plate of a little chocolate mousse and raspberry pastry for dessert. Delicious. All of it. Sorry there are no pictures of this one! I didn't want to stick out too much as the dorky American assistant. It was great to get to taste some of the specialties in the region and enjoy a good meal with some of the other teachers at the high school. Usually I don't eat in the cantine (cafeteria) because I have a few hours break at lunch time and live very close, so I usually go home. Because of this, I was also surprised to see bottles of wine on all of the tables in the teacher's section of the cafeteria. Score. Only in France can teachers have a few glasses of wine with lunch in the middle of a school day. Love it.

Even with no snow, kids can still go sledding!

It's the first day of Christmas vacation and I'll be leaving Monday night to travel to Brussels and Bruges with my friend Ali, go with her to Paris to meet her brother and sister-in-law and another friend Andria and then head back to Pau and possibly go to Toulouse for New Year. I'm excited to have a bit more of Christmas here in Pau going to St. Andrew's Anglican Church's Christmas Carols service tomorrow afternoon and having mulled wine and mince pies. After that I'll be going to experience Christmas in other cities and I can't wait. When next we meet it will be after Christmas and maybe after the New Year, so to everyone reading, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year wherever you're celebrating and however you're celebrating!