Christmas Markets!

Two weekends ago, Lidia and I met up with Benni at the Christmas market in Rouen. It was my first Christmas market, and I didn't really know what to expect, but by the way one of the teachers talked about it, I guess it had been built up in my mind. When we saw the market, it was charming, but then we went to go look for the rest of it, and found out that it is actually surprisingly small! Stalls were selling hot wine for 2-3 Euros per cup (yes, you can walk around in public areas with open alcohol here!), nougat, chocolate-covered marshmallows, "Canadian" fleece garments, pretzels, tartiflette (basically a fattier (i.e. delicious) version of scalloped potatoes with cheese, crème fraîche, bacon bits, etc. all cooked in one giant wok), jewelry, sausages and toys. Not bad! I found some AMAZING hazelnut truffles.

La gang

What's interesting is that these markets seem to have what can only be called fair food... the stuff you would find at the Ottawa Ex or a fair, but with a French twist. There's cotton candy and candy apples, and then you veer off with churros and funny candies and sweets. It's interesting since they also install a merry-go-round (and a ferris wheel in Brussels), but that's about it.

There also seems to be the token Canadian stand at the markets! In both Rouen and Brussels, there were Canadian stands selling maple syrup, maple candies, mapo spread, dried cranberries (cranberries are just starting to be known here under the French word "cranberries"), bison sausage, Canadian beer, some backwoods Quebec drink with whisky in it, etc. The vendors are, of course, French Canadian. According the the vendor in Brussels, there is one man who coordinates the Canadian stalls at a bunch of markets, so they pretty much both had the same products. Since gravy is nearly impossible to explain to someone who doesn't understand what it is or how it tastes, I bought a packet (St-Hubert brand!) and I'll make Christmas dinner with Lidia and Benni before we go.

Chateau de Versailles

The day after the Christmas market, a teacher took us to see Versailles and although we had a few hours, it all seemed rushed (there is so much to see!) and it was freezing cold in the gardens! We did end up going on the free day of the month and snagging places in the tour of the private apartments, which was neat.

The hall of mirrors in Versailles

Gardens behind Versailles

Our first true Belgian food! :)

Last weekend, Lidia and I tried our luck at Covoiturage (rideshare) and Couchsurfing with strangers for the two nights. I learned several things, like how small the back seat of a Citroen C3 can be, and that while I'm used to a quick pit stop to use the bathroom and grab some food to go, some people prefer to bring mousse de canard and spend an hour spreading it onto bread and eating at a leisurely pace. Lidia and I got into Brussels an hour later than we were supposed to, and we were given bad directions, so we ended up taking a taxi when our tram ended up at the train station....the exact opposite direction from where we were headed! We finally met our hosts, who were quite kind, and we got mattresses on the living room floor. The only problem was that the house was freezing cold and I woke up in the middle of the night and had to put on my winter jacket to get back to sleep! Oddly enough, the public transportation doesn't seem to have heating either. I found the house the next night to be extremely cold as well, and our covoiturage driver told us that they don't have much insulation there.

Grand Place

The next day, Lidia and I started our day off with fries and chocolate-covered waffles and walked around Grand Place. It's beautiful as ever. I wasn't sure where the famed Christmas tree was, but then realized that they went modern this year (see photo). We checked out the markets (crowded, but wonderful), and then went to Planète Chocolat for a demonstration and a small tasting. We actually learned a lot about where chocolate comes from! Finally, we finished our day with a delicious raclette dinner with our host's friends.We discussed Saint Nicolas and how he visits with Père Fouetteur or Krampus, who whips/beats the naughty children. :s It's so dark, but interesting to learn about other cultures. 

Grand Place

Grand Place

The crèche/ Nativity scene with real sheep

Sunday we finished up at the markets and chocolate shops, found Manneken-Pis and Jeanneken-Pis, and even stopped at Delirium for beer (in Lidia's case) or something similar to absinthe (they don't sell it before 8pm) for me! A quick drink of 55% alcohol that went down smoothly was the perfect appetizer before lunch! Finally, we went and saw the European Commission in a hurry before meeting our ride home. A wonderful weekend where we learned the true value of heating. I may or may not have worn a tank top, t-shirt, 4 sweaters, 2 pairs of pants and my winter jacket out on Sunday!! 

Me in Grand Place

Food section at the Brussels Christmas market (at la Bourse)

Christmas market in Brussels

Our chocolate demonstration

The Christmas tree in Grand Place

The famous Manneken-Pis

Me and Lidia in front of the Manneken-Pis

Me in Delirium

A dangerously smooth drink similar to Absinthe

Christmas market in Brussels

Christmas market in Brussels

Tomorrow I'm thinking about going to Paris for the Christmas markets there and then this weekend I'm headed to Strasbourg (by train) and doing Couchsurfing again :).

I haven't been updating the blog as my computer's hard drive is a goner, and I've had to send it back to Canada (thank God it's under warranty), so I have to wait until one of my roommates' computers are free to even prepare for my classes. Should be back to normal in 2013!
Just a week left before I start on my way home for Christmas! Lidia and I have flights Thursday morning, so we're spending the night before in the airport. Should be an adventure! :)

Canadian Stand in Brussels