Christmas is coming
and
the goose is getting fat... but
it’s not just the goose that is getting bigger, it’s the whole festive
season!
CHRISTMAS MARKETS THROUGHOUT FRANCE
There
are many Christmas markets throughout France and we start with some
in Northern France..
Amiens 25 November to 30 December centre of town -
Around 120 chalets with craftsmen coming from many European countries.
Plus a skating rink, a play area for children and a giant fir tree.
http://www.amiens.com/tourisme,
http://www.marchedenoel.fr
Arras from 1 to 24 December Grand Place Set against
the arcades of the GrandPlace, the Christmas market is not to be missed.
Thousands of gift ideas are available from sumptuous Christmas tree
decorations to tasty gourmet regional produce. St Nicholas will climb
down the belfry on 6 December. http://www.ot-arras.fr
Besançon from 26 November to 24 December Micropolis
More than 100 craftsmen in illuminated wooden chalets and the whole
city is decorated and lit up to celebrate the spirit of Christmas in
pure comtoise tradition.
http://www.besancon-tourisme.com
Brest from 1 to 24 December place de la Liberté
Some 47 chalets with various typical products selected by the tradesmen
federation, some entertainment for children, a small train with Santa
Claus. Mulled wine and traditional food will be served. http://www.mairie-brest.fr
Dijon from 1 to 23 December place de la Libération
Around 60 wooden chalets selling handcrafted products. Also a kids area
on Place Darcy and an ice rink on Place de la République. http://www.dijon-tourism.com
Lille from 22 November to 27 December Euralille &
rue Léon Gambetta Near the GrandPlace, some 70 chalets propose
interesting gift ideas and typical food. The big wheel offers an unspoilt
view of the entire city, full of illuminations. http://www.lilletourism.com
Metz from 25 November to 31 December place St Louis
& St Jacques, place du Général de Gaulle, place du
Forum The streets of the city of lights are illuminated and decorated
with thousands of lights. One hundred chalets and a variety of entertainment
will be available.
http://tourisme.mairie-metz.fr
Montbéliard from 25 November to 24 December
place Saint Martin The most authentic Christmas market with over 130
craftsmen selling Christmas decorations, santons, toys, mulled wine,
gingerbread and so on. Street entertainment and workshops for pastry
making for children.
http://www.ot-pays-de-montbeliard.fr,
http://www.lumieresdenoel.fr
Mulhouse from 22 November to 30 December place de la
Réunion, square Steinbach and Musée de lImpression sur
Etoffes Around 50 selected craftsmen from the four corners of France
but also from Canada, Spain, Poland and Germany. Guaranteed authenticity.
The museum offers a large choice of refined gifts.
http:// www.ville-mulhouse.com
Reims from 24 November to 24 December place dErlon,
rue Condorcet & rue Théodore Dubois About 125 wooden illuminated
cabins selling Christmas gifts, decorations and festive food. Entertainment
between 14.00 and 19.00 with magicians, carol singers, nativity scenes
and Father Christmas plus jazz in the streets each Wednesday and Friday
afternoon. http://www.vitrinesdereims.com
Strasbourg - from 25 November to 31 December place
de la Cathédrale & place Broglie one of the oldest and finest
Christmas markets in Europe, boasting one of the highest Christmas trees.
All the main streets and shops are decorated and illuminated, giving
the city a magical atmosphere. Specialities include the Bredele (a small
Alsatian biscuit). http://www.ot-strasbourg.fr
CHRISTMAS
MARKETS IN GERMANY
Trier
Trier's Christmas market is held every year against the charming backdrop
of medieval Hauptmarkt square and the impressive cathedral. Around 100
festively decorated little wooden huts offer a wide range of arts, crafts,
toys and much more. Warm yourself up with a steaming mug of glühwein
or tea accompanied by some roasted chestnuts or a delicious bratwurst.
Dates: 27 November to 22 December 2006, Trier Tourist Information,
http://www.trierer-weihnachtsmarkt.de
Mainz
For over two centuries, Mainz's 1,000-year-old cathedral has been the
historical backdrop for the St. Nicholas Market, which these days has
90 stalls. We recommend printing your very own Christmas cards in the
Gutenberg Museum's workshop or visiting the Advent market in the town
hall, which features works by local artists. Dates: 30 November to 23
December 2006, Mainz Tourist Information,
http://www.info-mainz.de/tourist
Speyer
Festively decorated booths and surprises of all kinds await visitors
to Speyer's magical Christmas market, which is held in front of the
Old Mint. Choirs and bands provide an entertaining musical programme.
There are also cultural contributions from towns twinned with Speyer
including traditional arts and crafts and local culinary specialities.
An extra-special attraction for all the family is the ice rink at the
Old Gate. Dates: 27 November to 7 January 2007, Speyer Council, http://www.speyer.de/de/tourist
Worms
Worms Christmas market has more than yuletide 30 stalls as well as a
"living Nativity scene", where your little ones can pet animals
from the local zoo. These festive surroundings echo to the seasonal
sound of the Christmas trumpeters, whose fanfares ring out from the
city's charming medieval churches. Dates: 23 November to 20 December
2006, Worms Tourist Information, http://www.worms.de
CHRISTMAS
EUROPE & USA
The Dutch version of Christmas officially gets under way first
with the aral of St Nicholas, and throughout Europe festive cheer
continues into the new year, when,
in Spain on the 5th of January they celebrate the Festival
of the Three Kings.
Netherlands
In Holland,
St Nicholas can be seen everywhere until his birthday on 5th December. Dressed in red and riding a white
horse he attracts crowds and causes traffic jams and is generally
to be found on thrones in department stores and supermarkets.
However if you prefer more traditional shopping
then you can visit the Christmas Market at Valkenberg which is
held in a candle-lit marl
stone cave, or the one
at Middachten that’s set in an
ancient castle.
The Netherlands Board of Tourism on 0891 717 777
Germany
In Germany where many of the Advent markets date back to medieval times, food and drink are part
of the experience. You can enjoy roasted chestnuts with grilled sausages
and delicious gingerbread or stollen cake, washed down with glühwein
or punch. Brochures
from German National
Tourist Office on 020 7493 0080. -
Finland
In Finland with it’s well established Christmas breaks,
Santa has moved to a new headquarters called Arctic Wonderland.
You can get behind
the reindeer and drive
a sledge, Not only will
you begin to appreciate Santa’s viewpoint, but you’ll get a Reindeer
Driving License It’s the
kind of place where you suspend disbelief. When the plane lands at Kajaani,
in a winter landscape that is covered with Christmas trees you are welcomed
by a group of elves.
For a list of tour operators contact the Finnish Tourist
Board on 020 7930 5871.
Sweden
For the Swedes, Christmas provides a welcome period of
warmth and festivity in the middle of winter. Celebration of Christmas
begins on the first day of Advent (3 December), when shop-windows and
homes are beautifully decorated with Christmas trees and flowers. It
is also the beginning of the ‘glögg’ party season, where guests are
served traditional Swedish ‘glögg’, a hot spicy wine with raisins and
almonds.
Santa
Lucia – the festival of light
13th December sees the highlight of the Christmas celebrations,
when visitors can witness the most enchanting and traditional of all
the Swedish festivals - St. Lucia, or The Festival of Light.
Across the country, a young girl is selected to represent St
Lucia and lead a procession of ‘maids’ - singing the magical St. Lucia
song and carrying candles to banish the winter darkness.
St. Lucia is celebrated all over Sweden, but the best place to
witness the spectacle is in Stockholm - where the main procession will
make its way through the city to the open air museum at Skansen. Choirs
will perform in many of the city’s churches.
Liseberg
Christmas Market is open on selected days from mid November to 23rd
December. To find out more, visit www.liseberg.se.
Traditional ‘Julbord’ in the Archipelago
Visitors
can take the boat out through the icy waters of the archipelago to the
magical island of Grinda, where they can enjoy a traditional Swedish
Smörgåsbord at Grinda Wärdshus, a beautiful turn of the century Art
Nouveau Inn with open fires and a warm, cosy bar.
Christmas
Fair in the Old Town Every year, the Stockholm Society hosts a Christmas fair in Stortorget,
the main square of the Old Town. Visitors can wander around the 16th
century houses, shop for traditional Swedish handicrafts and enjoy a
warming hot chocolate in one of the many old cafés. The
fair runs every day from 1 December until 23 December between 11am and
6 pm.
Utö
Christmas Fair -
The archipelago island of Utö is celebrates its Christmas fair with
a magnificent spread of traditional Swedish arts and crafts, fish, bread
and candy – all made locally. The days will be filled with pony rides,
a festive lottery and of course visits from Father Christmas.
The market will run on 1 & 2,
8 & 9 and 15 & 16
December between 10 am and 4 pm.
United Kingdom
London is
always popular and the Christmas lights in Oxford Street twinkle
from the 6th of December until the first week of the new
year. Magic view from upstairs in a big red bus, take one past the
Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square.
There are accommodation prices to suit most pockets,
ranging from a bargain two night half board stay at the YHA’s
City of London Hostel to,
for those witrh deper pockets, Christmas in ‘old-world elegance’ in
the heart of Mayfair at Claridge’s. (Tel: 0207 1629 8860. ) They have a well organised
four day Christmas programme that
includes a chauffeur-driven car to help with the shopping.
Another tip: To
see the wonder of Christmas reflected in Children’s eyes, visit Hamlin’s
Toy Store in Lower Regent Street, you’ll find five floors of happieness.
En-route to London a side trip to Lincoln will enable
you to enjoy the Lincoln Christmas Market . It’s held in front of the
Castle and you can wander round some 200 stalls
while the air is filled with the sounds of choirs, bands, handbell
ringers, carol singers, cathedral bells and a barrel organ, (happily,
not all at the same time.)
In the United States you can find “Christmas Town”
it’s in North Carolina and has
365 trees are adorned with 365,000 red and green lights (I wonder
if they screw on a thousand lamps each leap year?)
USA
In New York, in Lower Manhattan at the South Street
Seaport you can visit to
the Chorus Tree. It’s well decorated with lights and a
full-sized choir!. From now until the first of January there are performances
by the St Cecilia Chorus. Santa Claus is also at the Seaport.
He has a real beard and a robust belly
The Chorus Tree at South Street Seaport is
one of the city's most popular. During the holidays, the Seaport is
bustling with holiday festivities and the Chorus Tree is at the center
of the activity.
The beautifully decorated Chorus Tree with thousands of white lights
stands over 50 feet tall and will feature the St. Cecilia Chorus.
This annual tradition has drawn millions of visitors worldwide for years.
Usually between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Performance times: Fridays
at 6:00pm & 7:00pm Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm & 4pm. http://www.bigapplechorus.org
You
could put a visit to Disney World in the Christmas stocking. At EPCOT
at Orlando in Florida they
feature “Holiday’s around the World” with traditional story tellers
from 11 nations,. There’s also a dazzling display of 30,000 lights
, a candlelight ceremony and a laser and fireworks extravaganza.
If you want to add ‘White Christmas,’ well amid the heat of Florida
that too is possible. At Blizzard Beach the Disney
Imagineers have constructed water slides and ‘snow’ capped mountains.
You can really enjoy splashing out on a winter holiday in the
sun.
