Christmas and the end of 2010

Hello, loyal fans! I know you have been missing me. ;) I have just been surviving the end of the holidays and the return to school (in French, la rentrée), and I have been too lazy - ahem, busy - too busy to write or take photos...sorry.

I left off at Christmas. We had Christmas with my host family, and it was a full house! It was cold and snowy outside, but very alive inside. All of the children (which totals 7!) came home, bringing along a tiny son and a special friend from La Guyane, and of course there were us two American sisters crashing the party as well. My fun-loving host family welcomed Lizzy with a French meal--escargots, pâté, and frog legs! Lizzy did not live up to the picky eater I made her out to be, and was very adventurously eager to try everything. It was a great start to the stay in Mourmelon-le-Grand. We had a lot of very good and very French food.

On Christmas Eve, Lizzy and I went to mass. After mass we came back to the family and had the traditional Réveillon dinner, starting with the "Apéro" of champagne with finger sandwiches of foie gras and smoked salmon, continuing with a meal of seafood and roast ostrich. On Christmas morning, we opened presents, each in their turn, and finally had fresh croissants for breakfast, fetched from the bakery by the middle son in his Christmas finery (a Sponge Bob Squarepants costume! Haha). It was a joyful day, the little girls were excited, everyone was enjoying themselves. I even got to try my first bûche de Noël, a traditional French Christmas log cake that I've been waiting for ever since I learned of it in French class! :) 


I had much to be grateful for. But much was missing. In a home (almost in a country?) with no religion, I was sad to witness a lack of the actual meaning of Christmas: the birth of the savior, the God-made-man. It seemed odd to me, like there was no Christmas this year. Sure, the holiday involves family, food, presents... but I missed singing Christmas carols, I missed mass in English, I missed being with family where the emphasis is on the religious holiday. Sure, we went to the the vigil mass, but as we walked home in the coldest wind and sleet, I knew I should be grateful and joyful, especially on Christmas, but I was just heartbroken and angry to be there. I did pick up three "santons" (manger scene figurines traditionally made in the South of France) while in Paris, and setting up a little manger scene was consoling--at least that felt like Christmas to me. Lizzy helped me make gold "straw" and I put the baby Jesus into the crib later that night. 

The day after Christmas, we met Emma in Reims! It was still snowy and the trains were off, so Alain very charitably drove us to the train station and even had a coffee with us there, before leaving us to wait for Emma. (A caring French host family really is a blessing and comes in handy!) We were so relieved and happy to see that Emma made it there safely! The three of us left our things in the hotel, went to mass, and went out to dinner. The next day we spent seeing the highlights of Reims: the great cathedral and the champagne cellars (we toured the house of Pommery). 


Then, off to Paris again! We had museums to see: Musée Rodin (a favorite, although it's better when the gardens are open and blooming), the Louvre (my fifth visit, I'm working on my tour guide skills now), the Musée d'Orsay (finally, I got to go back and finish seeing this lovely museum!), the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (interior design items - and it had a fashion section--really cool! and perfect for Lizzy and Emma), even a (tiny) Musée de Parfum. Lizzy departed Paris, tired but full of inspiration for her new year (I hope)! I was so sad to see her go, but at least I wasn't going back to an empty hotel room--Emma stayed, and we continued our Parisian adventures for New Year's Eve (and...there were no fireworks, how disappointing). 2011 began, we made it back to Mourmelon for Epiphany, and then, la rentrée.

Vacances de Noël

After my Parisian adventure, I was sick and felt horrible for two weeks, hence my lapse in blog posts. Then, vacation came. Everyone at school was in good spirits, sharing a Café de Noël with all kinds of goodies brought from home. I was thankful not to teach any more classes for a while, too! I felt worn out, and my body was certainly ready for a rest.

I rode into Paris Saturday and I saw the biggest snowflakes I've ever seen while walking the Champs-Élysées! The next morning, I met Lizzy at the airport. It was very nice to have my sister here with me, speaking English and bringing news (and gifts!) from home. And, Paris is Paris--lovely. Upon Lizzy's arrival the fields and forests were topped with white snow, so Christmas-y and pretty.

But then on the city sidewalks, the snow turned into disgusting greenish icy slush. It seeped into my boots and through my socks. I remained sick, and began to feel like I was hearing everything through a fog...a wall of sinus congestion keeping me from hearing & understanding both English and French! I noted a few select phrases I wish I'd never had to learn in French, like "toujours enrhumé" (still congested/suffering from a cold), and "solde" (apparently this means the "balance" of my bank account, not a deposit...how disappointing). My stress about planning the vacation continued for a few days, and I wondered if I would ever stop worrying about the next few weeks of finding things to do (and paying for them) with my visitors; and for good measure, whether I would ever get over my cold!

Lizzy took my grouchiness and grinch-like spirits well (she's probably used to me by now, poor thing). Of course we still managed some fun in Paris and we had some very special experiences.

A big Christmas tree in front of Notre-Dame of Paris!

After mass at Notre-Dame, I brought jet-lagged Lizzy along for tea with one of my French professors. She was a wonderful hostess and tour guide--she showed us the area of La Défense, where her apartment is located. It's a very unique modern suburb of Paris and an area I'd never seen. It's name comes from the Franco-Prussian war in 1870, this is where the French stopped the Prussians from invading Paris. Interestingly, there is no traffic...because it's underground! Huge pipe structures (or rather, sculptures) let the exhaust escape up and away from the people walking the sidewalks. The grand Arche de la Défense shadows the Arc de Triomphe. This cubic arch is large enough to fit Notre-Dame of Paris, bell-towers and all, underneath it.

We found a nice-looking restaurant on the way to our hotel and had dinner there, remembering to celebrate Lizzy's half-birthday and Mitch's birthday. Lizzy seemed surprised that she could order a glass of wine without anyone carding her! It was good to catch up and share a tasty dinner and dessert.

We'd been told not to miss the department store window-displays for Christmas, so we checked out all three major Parisian department stores: Galeries Lafayettes, Printemps, and Bon Marché. We went to Trocadero for Lizzy's first view of the Eiffel Tower, and for the Christmas market with ice-skating! We went to the Jardin de Luxembourg to see the frozen gardens, the palace where the French Senate now meets, and...a puppet show with traditional French marionettes, starring the famous main character called "Guignol." It was fun, if loud--the children are encouraged to shout answers and advice to the puppets!

One of the Christmas markets in Paris, with a prime location

The place to see the marionette show :)

We toured the Catacombs and went to Montmartre to see the Sacré-Coeur Basilica and the view of Paris from the hilltop. We visited the Christmas market on the Champs-Élysées. Knowing we would return to Paris after Christmas to meet Emma, we saved the museums to do then with her!