It's the most wonderful time of the year! Or if, like me, you loathe crowded spaces and shopping its time to get your game face on and reluctantly trudge around desperately trying to find something to take home for Christmas. This is made all the more difficult by the fact that your whole family wants something "from Paris", a city famed for luxury and chic, and your au pair wages just won't cover a Chanel coat for everyone.
The one upside to this time of year is that is more or less acceptable to consume hot alcoholic beverages in public at anytime after midday under the ruse of 'being festive". This helps to take the edge off the dreaded christmas shopping stress to the point where elbowing strangers in the stomach to get to the last box of macarons is almost bearable.
So in the spirit of christmas, and drunken public disorder, have you checked out the Christmas Market on Champs Elysées?
There are several Christmas Markets around Paris at the moment. However, Champs Elysées is perhaps the most special because of the Illuminations that lead all the way up to Arc de Triumph. Even if you have adapted so well to your new life in Paris that you moan "mince alors" every time there is a queue at the boulangerie, are death staring lost tourists on the Metro near Trocadero, and answer enquiries for directions with a Gallic shrug and a mumbled "là-bas", I am sure the lights on Champs Elysées will still make your heart flutter. You can't help but look at all those sparkly lights leading up to the landmark Ac without feeling your soul sing at the thrill of christmas in Paris. It also helps that at night you can't see the crotte de chien on the pavements.
The Market itself is a real mix. The overwhelming first impression is of food stalls. There is food everywhere, but not all of it is equally good. Beware of the many stalls selling crepes for 7€, except that they are all pre-made and only offer sugar, nutella and marron options. If you are willing to hunt a little further, you will find some stalls making fresh. I found one making fresh galettes. It was still 6€, but at least you can see it made in front of you.
If you hunger for something a little more hearty or decadent, you can head to the marché gourmand, where over 10 French regions are represented, including Brittany, Burgundy, Alsace, and Provence. Here is where you can get your hands on escargot, poisson soup, raclette, and even foie gras. Of course they are selling the Breton traditional warm cider, and the Apres-Ski classic vin chaud. You can even find a stall for the Antilles serving tropical punch.
I had a glass of vin chaud with my friend Lucie, her 30cl cup costing 5€, and my 50cl cup costing 7€ (with the justification of the fact that have caught a rhume from the kids, so I needed more as this was practically medicine). It was absolutely delicious, and although perhaps more than you would pay in a bar for drink, totally made the rest of the shopping experience more fun by being slightly tipsy. Just like with the food, there are lots of places selling vin chaud, but not all are of the same quality. Le marché gourmand has the best, served straight out of brass cauldrons. This was very much worth the price.
There is also, for reasons I haven't quite worked out, a huge Hungarian pub and food stall. They sell everything from large glasses of Hungarian beer, to giant sausages and huge bowls of traditional soup. You can eve gnaw on a pig knuckle. This place is really popular, and the smell is absolutely incredible. There is a bit of a wait time, but the staff are very energetic and smiley. Everyone here was really enjoying their food.
As for the shopping? Well it really varies. If you walk around for long enough, you will see that there are several place that are selling the same things. A lot of this stuff has 'made in china' stamped on the back and is being sold at varying prices to unsuspecting tourists. But if you are willing to look a bit harder, there are some genuinely lovely stalls selling unique items. Some of the better stalls were selling things like soap. This is of course a very traditional French industry, with many makers placing traditional and contemporary scents side by side, and offering deals if you purchase more than one bar. Excellent if you are looking for a few truly French small presents for friends or family members.
If you are looking to spend a little more money, there is also Les Chalets Artisanaux. Here you will find artisans from around Paris (and some who come from further afield) to sell unique handmade items. Everything from ceramics to jewellry, and fabrics to paper-craft is here. Yes it is more expensive, but if you are looking for something special I would really recommend it. There are some really lovely items here, and the artisans are very happy to talk about their products.
There also plenty of fairground rides and activities for children, including a stand where they can send a letter to Père Noël. There is a large ice skating rink playing a frankly bizarre selection of music. I have to say the award for the most bizarre attraction goes to the Michael Jackson Thriller Zombie Christmas haunted train. I have no explanation for the existence of this ride, but I am quite pleased that someone was mad enough to think it up.
And if you want a tip from me about how to navigate the stalls, here it is. You will hear a lot of tourists at the market. They will speaking loudly in their own languages, and many of the vendors will hear this and immediately put on a stony French expression and the transaction will proceed in silence with a lot of pointing and hand gestures. Some may even switch to English, German, or whatever, to try and make a sale. Do not be tempted to fall into English, or your native language. Break out your French. I was amazed at how much the vendors (particularly the artisan and food vendors) changed attitude when Lucie and I started talking in French.
Although they could tell that we weren't French (haven't yet nailed my pronunciation and accent), they immediately became more talkative and animated. They offered us more help and didn't mind us touching the products, whilst a couple of people speaking loudly in English were swatted away when they tried to pick things up. We were also offered a few free samples. The whole transaction became more enjoyable and they constantly complimented us on our very good French. Was it a tactic to make us buy more things? Probably, but when you are slightly drunk and a little exhausted after 3 months of au pairing, there is something incredibly heart-warming about a genuine French person complimenting you on adapting to life in France. It warms the cockles as much as the wine.
So take a cup of wine, stare at the lights, and let the magic of the season melt your heart a little, before you get on the Metro and start hating the tourists again.
The one upside to this time of year is that is more or less acceptable to consume hot alcoholic beverages in public at anytime after midday under the ruse of 'being festive". This helps to take the edge off the dreaded christmas shopping stress to the point where elbowing strangers in the stomach to get to the last box of macarons is almost bearable.
So in the spirit of christmas, and drunken public disorder, have you checked out the Christmas Market on Champs Elysées?
There are several Christmas Markets around Paris at the moment. However, Champs Elysées is perhaps the most special because of the Illuminations that lead all the way up to Arc de Triumph. Even if you have adapted so well to your new life in Paris that you moan "mince alors" every time there is a queue at the boulangerie, are death staring lost tourists on the Metro near Trocadero, and answer enquiries for directions with a Gallic shrug and a mumbled "là-bas", I am sure the lights on Champs Elysées will still make your heart flutter. You can't help but look at all those sparkly lights leading up to the landmark Ac without feeling your soul sing at the thrill of christmas in Paris. It also helps that at night you can't see the crotte de chien on the pavements.
The Market itself is a real mix. The overwhelming first impression is of food stalls. There is food everywhere, but not all of it is equally good. Beware of the many stalls selling crepes for 7€, except that they are all pre-made and only offer sugar, nutella and marron options. If you are willing to hunt a little further, you will find some stalls making fresh. I found one making fresh galettes. It was still 6€, but at least you can see it made in front of you.
If you hunger for something a little more hearty or decadent, you can head to the marché gourmand, where over 10 French regions are represented, including Brittany, Burgundy, Alsace, and Provence. Here is where you can get your hands on escargot, poisson soup, raclette, and even foie gras. Of course they are selling the Breton traditional warm cider, and the Apres-Ski classic vin chaud. You can even find a stall for the Antilles serving tropical punch.
I had a glass of vin chaud with my friend Lucie, her 30cl cup costing 5€, and my 50cl cup costing 7€ (with the justification of the fact that have caught a rhume from the kids, so I needed more as this was practically medicine). It was absolutely delicious, and although perhaps more than you would pay in a bar for drink, totally made the rest of the shopping experience more fun by being slightly tipsy. Just like with the food, there are lots of places selling vin chaud, but not all are of the same quality. Le marché gourmand has the best, served straight out of brass cauldrons. This was very much worth the price.
There is also, for reasons I haven't quite worked out, a huge Hungarian pub and food stall. They sell everything from large glasses of Hungarian beer, to giant sausages and huge bowls of traditional soup. You can eve gnaw on a pig knuckle. This place is really popular, and the smell is absolutely incredible. There is a bit of a wait time, but the staff are very energetic and smiley. Everyone here was really enjoying their food.
As for the shopping? Well it really varies. If you walk around for long enough, you will see that there are several place that are selling the same things. A lot of this stuff has 'made in china' stamped on the back and is being sold at varying prices to unsuspecting tourists. But if you are willing to look a bit harder, there are some genuinely lovely stalls selling unique items. Some of the better stalls were selling things like soap. This is of course a very traditional French industry, with many makers placing traditional and contemporary scents side by side, and offering deals if you purchase more than one bar. Excellent if you are looking for a few truly French small presents for friends or family members.
If you are looking to spend a little more money, there is also Les Chalets Artisanaux. Here you will find artisans from around Paris (and some who come from further afield) to sell unique handmade items. Everything from ceramics to jewellry, and fabrics to paper-craft is here. Yes it is more expensive, but if you are looking for something special I would really recommend it. There are some really lovely items here, and the artisans are very happy to talk about their products.
There also plenty of fairground rides and activities for children, including a stand where they can send a letter to Père Noël. There is a large ice skating rink playing a frankly bizarre selection of music. I have to say the award for the most bizarre attraction goes to the Michael Jackson Thriller Zombie Christmas haunted train. I have no explanation for the existence of this ride, but I am quite pleased that someone was mad enough to think it up.
And if you want a tip from me about how to navigate the stalls, here it is. You will hear a lot of tourists at the market. They will speaking loudly in their own languages, and many of the vendors will hear this and immediately put on a stony French expression and the transaction will proceed in silence with a lot of pointing and hand gestures. Some may even switch to English, German, or whatever, to try and make a sale. Do not be tempted to fall into English, or your native language. Break out your French. I was amazed at how much the vendors (particularly the artisan and food vendors) changed attitude when Lucie and I started talking in French.
Although they could tell that we weren't French (haven't yet nailed my pronunciation and accent), they immediately became more talkative and animated. They offered us more help and didn't mind us touching the products, whilst a couple of people speaking loudly in English were swatted away when they tried to pick things up. We were also offered a few free samples. The whole transaction became more enjoyable and they constantly complimented us on our very good French. Was it a tactic to make us buy more things? Probably, but when you are slightly drunk and a little exhausted after 3 months of au pairing, there is something incredibly heart-warming about a genuine French person complimenting you on adapting to life in France. It warms the cockles as much as the wine.
So take a cup of wine, stare at the lights, and let the magic of the season melt your heart a little, before you get on the Metro and start hating the tourists again.
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