Baby, it's cold outside.

As winter descends upon the South of France, that being the very end of November might I add, the inevitability of Christmas also looms. Although I generally associate Christmas markets with Germany (rightly so, I am told) I must say that France seems to hold a damn pretty Marché Noël too. England, take note. You're slacking.

What France may lack in tinsel, glitter and blow-up snowmen, it does however make up for in its simple elegance. Think twinkly white lights and snow (okay, fake snow) covered pine trees. Whilst I imagined Christmas in a sophisticated, high-brow town like Aix to be somewhat subdued and lackluster, and to an extent it is true that in comparison to England it is a subdued affair, the town has not disappointed and I think I speak for the masses when I say that less is the new more. I can also thakfully report that nearly every town in France boasts a Christmas market. Phew.

Being the 'centre' or perhaps more suitably the 'cultural centre' of Provence, Aix, whilst being cosmopolitan and modern with regards to Provence itself, still abides with the many traditions of the region mainly exhibited through the produce sold. Representing not only provencal specialities, including ingredients required to make the famous '13 desserts of Christmas'/ 'les treize desserts de Provence Noel', the market is also filled with all of the traditional (and perhaps not so traditional) French foods you could possibly imagine... macarons, cookies, sables, crepes, gaufres (waffles)... Let your imagination run wild...

This is a French market after all, and whilst of course France is known as the nation of crêpes, it would not be complete without a few more 'traditional' French cuisines:

1. Pain d'epices: Essentially gingerbread, but with all of the added flavours you could ever wish to imagine. Think bigger, much bigger, than the measly little tin shaped loaves we have in England. If Carlsberg did cakes...



Also doubles up as a spare tyre if you happen to get a puncture on the motorway.

2. Le Vin Chaud: Mulled wine to you and me, but better. Wine in France is, as we all know, of better quality and you would be pushed to find anything equivalent of Co-Op's Pink Chill. Therefore imagine this; a bloody good glass of red, warmed and with a tonne of cinammon, nutmeg and star anise. Heaven.



3. Although not exactly French, le Marché des Villes Jumelles (the market of twinned towns) boasts produce from around 10 countries twinned with Aix-en-Provence... That is Tübingen in Germany, Bath in good old England, Perugia in Italy, and Grenada in Spain, amongst others. The main point I want to get accross to you here, is that Aix is twinned with some towns which produce some incredibly good food. Ever eaten a Brezeln (pretzel) from a German baker? No? Well I have, and you need to.



As a city of culture, Aix also houses the beautiful Théâtre de Provence, and the Pavilion Noir. The first being what it says on the tin, and the latter a space for dance performances, where we were lucky enough to see a practice run of the adapted ballet version of le Blanche Neige (Snow White). Having been so impressed, we have managed to secure tickets for the actual performance which is next week. Super exciting.









        Yes, verging on creepy...





















And something that I bought on Amazon to inspire (and remind) myself that I still have a lot of the world to cover...

'Tis indeed the Season to be jolly...*

*Of course, not until my exams are finished. The many mulled wines already consumed were for warmth and warmth only, I swear...

A x