Le bilan et Lyon.

Lyon- Fête des Lumières 2010

Well 2010 in France is coming to a close. 3 months in France and here are the main things I have learned about the French.

1. They have very strange taste when it comes to hats/weird patchwork coats.
2. They will always try and shift the blame.
3. Red wine at lunchtime is completely and utterly acceptable. (Y)
4. Queues just don't exist.
5. Nor does a decent cuppa.
6. Old French ladies aren't very nice.
7. Toilets in bars are kind of unisex and downright weird.
8. Lorraine and Alsace have amazing Christmas markets.
9. French kids have hilarious sounding names- Alibaba and Ch'iti (pronounced Shitty) being just two examples.
10. French music in clubs is generally very poor.
11. French radio presenters are even more annoying, particularly when trying to sing English songs.
12. The French don't tend to give a shit when it comes to checking train/tram tickets, etc.
13. Paul the baker's is EVERYWHERE. (Think of it like an upmarket Gregg's).
14. Vin chaud rules.
15. The French park their cars like complete idiots (are they blind??).

So my final week here in Nancy has been pretty busy- went to Lyon last weekend for the Fête des Lumières, an annual event that sees Lyon and its surrounding suburbs ''light up''. That is to say there are loads of light installations/fireworks/pretty lights. The Fête des Lumières attracts thousands of people from far and wide, thus the weekend was un peu hectic when it came to queuing/ trying to move anywhere. Nevertheless, it was great to see Lyon lit up- the two rivers and the old town are B-E-A-utiful! Ambled round the old town a ridiculous amount, mind you. Love a bit of ye olde France. Also went out in Villefranche-sur-Saône, a smallish town just to the north of Lyon where my friend (and fellow language assistant/ uni housemate) is living. After cooking a ''fajita extravaganza'' we headed to a small club, which amazingly played the best music I have heard thus far in France. Forget Lyon, Villefranche is clearly where it's at. It's almost as good as my much loved favourite Villefranche-sur-Mer near Nice...

So my last week at school has been hassle-free, except for the sweets argument. The youngest year group is split into 2 classes, and I only gave sweets to one of the classes, as the other class were just horrible. Consequence: loads of 11 year olds coming up to me in the corridors asking me why I didn't give them sweets. Bof! Went out for drinks last night in La Quincaillerie, a rum bar which is a definite favourite. Ended up in a club with a load of engineering students before a snowball fight on the way home at 2:30am. Juvenile maybe, but a lorra lorra fun.

At present I am avoiding packing, beginning to think I may not get home tomorrow- heavy snow is predicted ce soir and I'm leaving around 5:30am tomorrow. Stress. On verra....

What a great few months I've had in Nancy. Can't wait for all the adventures to come between January and April. For now though, home is calling. I can't bloody wait...

Nancy- Je t'aime.

Well what a week it's been. Time flies, etc, etc. A week from now, I will be packing my suitcase ready for England. Although I absolutely love it in France, I can't imagine being anywhere other than home for Christmas (American flatmate Jackie in tow this year- I just can't seem to get rid of her....).

Last Thursday I went to Germany for two nights to see my friend Fiona who is currently working as an assistant in Saarbrücken, Germany. Although a short distance from Nancy, the trip toSaarbrücken involves catching 3 trains- taking over three hours. Bof! After having one minute to (successfully) change trains in Forbach, I arrived safetly in Saarbrücken ready for some festive FUN! Walked round the Christmas market, drinking glühwein from mugs as we went along. Saw Father Christmas 'fly' across the sky in his sleigh at 7pm prompt (basically a sleigh with a man inside travelled along a wire from one council building to another. Made for hilarious viewing, particularly the song that went with it). Went for a lovely Italian- pizza and tirimisu washed down with a Cosmopolitan, what else? Was both shocked and dismayed at Fiona's pizza-eating capabilities- she wasn't on top food eating form that night, ha ha.

Santa Claus, 'flying' across the sky at Saarbrücken's Christmas market.

The following day (after a mandatory trip to H+M of course) we headed to Namborn- a village in the back of beyond of Saarland! Getting there proved to be a little tricky due to the snow but after both a train and taxi ride, we arrived at our destination. Amazing! We were in Namborn for a Christmas meal with the other English assistants in Fiona’s department and the house we went to was amaaaazing! I think the snow helped a lot- the street looked like a ski village- chalet type houses and everything. Picture postcard material, fo’ shizzle. After a great deal of cheesy crisps and wine, we sat down for our Christmas Meal. V. nice, apart from the mashed potatoes that one of the assistants had ‘flavoured’ with a whole head of garlic. Je sais pas pourquoi mais c’était pas bon. After a cosy afternoon/ evening of eating, quizzing and chatting, we headed back through the snow to catch the train back to Saarbrücken. Job done.

I returned on Saturday to Nancy ready for the fête de Saint Nicolas, the biggest event of the year in this neck of the woods. And it was definitely worth coming back for.

In this part of France (and Europe), Saint Nicolas is celebrated on the 6^th December. Children receive presents and good food is everywah (think biscuits, spiced bread and vin chaud- mulled wine). Always something to celebrate, I feel. Saint Nicolas is the patron saint of Lorraine (this region of France), so this was a very BIG deal.

The festivities began on Saturday evening in Place Stanislas, dubbed la plus belle place du monde- the most beautiful square in the world (Je suis d’accord). After ‘double-socking’ it up, we headed to Place Stan for the fireworks. We had been told to arrive early, as it gets mental, crowds-wise so we arrived at 6pm, 90 minutes before the fireworks were to commence. Bof! Cold as. After shivering in the freezing cold for a ridiculous amount of time, the fireworks began!

I have never seen anything like it before. I was quite frankly blown away by the half hour display, which did not only feature amazing fireworks but also the story of Saint Nicolas, which was projected onto the buildings in the square.

In case you were wondering/ vaguely interested, here is a synopsis of the story;

· Three children get lost in the woods (never walk alone in the woods being the moral of the story here).

· Cold and hungry, an evil butcher lures them into his shop before killing them all and chopping them into tiny pieces. (There were some kids crying by this point in Place Stan- I don’t blame them).

· When Saint Nicolas hears of the news, he travels to the butcher’s house and somehow manages to bring all three children back to life (a little imagination is necessary).

· Nowadays, if children have been good, Saint Nicolas delivers presents to them on the 6^th December. However if they have been bad, children are told that Père Fouettard will come and whip them all back into order. Ouch!

Quelle histoire! The following day, we waited around in the cold and rain to see the Saint Nicolas parade. Each area of Nancy made a festive float (which was pulled by a tractor, how agrarian) and paraded round the city. Saint Nicolas and the evil butcher appeared at the end of the parade too, which was a nice touch. Really don’t understand why the French don’t show their appreciation for parades, shows, etc. No one applauded or cheered at the end of the parade, nor after the fireworks the previous evening. How bizarre, how bizarre. Seems a bit rude if you ask me.

Et voilà! Can honestly say the light/sound/ video projections of the story and the fireworks were one of the best things I have ever seen. Amazing night- definitely worth braving the cold. I think the 25000 other people in Place Stanislas will agree with me too...

Words really don't do the fireworks justice. See them for yourself here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_pE1ETSjWo