The best pre-holiday tradition, au moins en France (at least in France), is les marchés de Noël: Christmas markets!
Although neither I nor mon amie Jennie particularly celebrate it, here is what she said about her own Christmas holiday experience in France, a few years ago already:
Les marchés de Noël are found throughout France (and the rest of the world), but le plus célèbre (the most famous) is in Strasbourg, in northeastern France.
Le marché de Strasbourg, comme tous les marchés, offre des saveurs régionales (local flavors), ainsi que des cadeaux (as well as gifts). L’une de ces saveurs typiques est… le vin chaud!
Le vin chaud is super-festive. This adorable carte des petits plaisirs d’hiver (menu of little winter pleasures) showcases it in the 18th arrondissement of Paris!
Check out the rest of the carte—what are you most excited about this winter? (If you live in a hot place, you should be extra excited about these snowy ideals.)
- Marché de Noël, Strasbourg
On peut bien acheter les cadeaux de Noël aux marchés, mais il est parfois difficile de choisir un cadeau. You can usually guess “le cadeau idéal,” the ideal gift, for n’importe qui (anyone), based on them answering you some questions about themselves. It is my vocabulary gift to you this week 🙂
You might find le cadeau idéal, but I pretty much guarantee you will learn new, useful, current words. Écolo? Câlin? If you know these already, you’re excused; if not, allez hop!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xWUFTeJtvI
Strasbourg: World Capital of Christmas!
En parlant des cadeaux… qu’est-ce que vous voulez comme cadeau de Noël? What do you want for Christmas?
I would like des vacances (a vacation), and a recommendation for a good French movie. Et vous?
Bonne soirée!
P.S. Regardez la diffusion en flux (streaming video) des marchés de Noël à Strasbourg!
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