As usual, we kicked off December 1 with firing up the Christmas music playlist on the iPod, and we’ve had a real Christmassy weekend!! Time has been passing so quickly, and we’ll be off to Canada in the blink of an eye!!
Happy to say that all pressies for New Zealand are in the post and on their way, and our ‘gift box’ for Canada is filling up nicely. As will our suitcase.
We’ve had a real mix of weather lately… some spectacular days, followed by unending days of rain. This global warming whacky weather trend is for realz!
But Christmas in Nice is lovely. Sunny days, sparkling seas, and a great Christmas market in the middle of town. Although it’s a bit squished this year, as the city of Nice is spending a fortune to create a new green corridor that goes all the way from up close to our house all the way down to the sea, and it’s just a big construction site at the moment (which Liam LOVES). Next year will be completely different… but it doesn’t make it feel any less like Christmas!
We’ve already had Liam up in the big ferris wheel, and he managed to convince mummy to give him a chocolate santa from his advent calendar, a barb-a-papa (candy floss) and a lollipop, all in a 4 hour window.
Today we went out to a small village called Le Rouret, about 40 minutes down the coast and inland a bit, as they were having a traditional provencal Christmas Market. There were animals to pet, artisans selling their ware, and tradesmen showcasing the traditional methods of making things: the wrought iron ferrerie, stone chiselling, and claymaking. The village centre was covered in hay, and it was packed with locals enjoying the Christmas atmosphere. It was truly charming, and Liam was particularly taken with an old Barbary Organ (Orgue Barbarie) which is a traditional decorative barrel organ.
The queue for the food was far too long, as this was a very popular Christmas market, so we found a stand selling some nice homemade ham and sundried tomato loaf, and once we finished at the market we headed off in search of our wee Christmas tree.
More pics will follow, as we’ve promised Liam we won’t decorate our tree until he’s up from his nap. He’s now reached the ‘I don’t want to nap’ stage with great vehemence, but after last night’s theatrics, he’s failed to prove that he’s ready for it 😉
