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The holiday season is upon us in Paris!

By mcbitter

10805259_10205383992308083_416554692_nI know it's only mid-November, but that doesn't mean I can't get excited for Christmas! This weekend, my friends and I went to the Christmas markets on the Champs-Elysees, and let me tell you, they know how to do a market! On each side of the avenue were little shops full of handmade crafts, jewelry, ornaments, you name it. I found one particular shop that was different kinds of tea, all of which were named for various cities in France. Besides the shops, there were also tons of food booths set up - you could get crepes, waffles, German sausages, even cotton candy! It was absolutely wonderful and a great way to spend an afternoon. After walking through the shops (we only did half of them so that we can go back again!), we went for a ride on on the "grand roue de Paris" - the ferris wheel! It gave spectacular views of the city and was well worth the ten euros. Next time, I also want to check out the ice rink that was nearby.

Speaking of holidays, Thanksgiving is coming up, right? As sad as it is, you can't find this gem of a holiday outside of the United States, so that's probably why France is already focusing so heavily on Christmas. (Or that might just be the norm now.) We have a Thanksgiving dinner planned with our program though, so I'll definitely get my turkey! As for all the other traditional favorites, there are quite a few specialty food stores around the city that offer them - stuffing, cranberry sauce, the works. This will be my first Thanksgiving away from home, but everyone here has become my family too, so I have no doubt that it'll be wonderful!