… but we are remembering one
Our first visit to France was in 2009 and we arrived in Paris in the second week of December. The first three days were sunny but more and more chilly. Then, on our fourth morning, we woke to find snow falling outside our hotel window.
As you might imagine, we Aussies were quite excited. After breakfast – orange juice, croissants, coffee, you know how it goes in France – we made our way to Musee Rodin. The garden scenes were breathtaking.
At the end of that week, we joined a coach tour of France. Our first day took across the snow-laden countryside of Burgundy towards the foothills of the Alps.
The second day of the tour took us further south, arriving at Aix-en-Provence in the afternoon. In the main street, we found a frozen fountain cascade. Seriously cold!
The tour then took us to the Mediterranean coast, with two nights in each of Nice and Marseilles. (We even saw some snow in shaded gullies on the outskirts of Nice!) Then we made our way to Avignon, where we spent Christmas Eve. The night market at Avignon was the prettiest we saw in France.
Market, Christmas Eve, Avignon
In the local Hotel de Ville (town hall) there was a display of santons, the traditional nativity figurines. Visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santon_(figurine) for more information.
It is also traditional for each town hall to feature a table set for a Christmas meal and laden with various treats.