One of my new "colocs" (roommates) invited me to spend the week of Christmas in southwestern France with her family. Pau is just north of the Pyrénées mountains and is close to the Spanish-French border. Here are some highlights of my time in Pau:
Farmer's Market
Our first stop upon arriving in Pau was not the family house, but the farmer's market. My coloc's family makes and sells honey so we stopped by the market to say hello to her mother who was closing up her "shop" for the day. Lucky for us, the other farmers were having their end of the year celebration including wine, cheese, bread, homemade sausage, oysters, and pizza. We were readily welcomed into the party and ate and drank all we could until it was time to head to the house for lunch. Talk about a warm welcome :)
Our first stop upon arriving in Pau was not the family house, but the farmer's market. My coloc's family makes and sells honey so we stopped by the market to say hello to her mother who was closing up her "shop" for the day. Lucky for us, the other farmers were having their end of the year celebration including wine, cheese, bread, homemade sausage, oysters, and pizza. We were readily welcomed into the party and ate and drank all we could until it was time to head to the house for lunch. Talk about a warm welcome :)
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| Pau Farmer's Market: A dog and his sheep. |
The Homestead
The house I had the pleasure of staying in is situated on a hill overlooking the mountains. We were blessed with several sunny days and beautiful sunsets.
Even though I'm allergic, I couldn't help but love the cats at the house. Luckily a daily Allegra seemed to do the trick and I didn't have any problems.
The house I had the pleasure of staying in is situated on a hill overlooking the mountains. We were blessed with several sunny days and beautiful sunsets.
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| View from the back porch: Houses, vineyards, and the Pyrénées. |
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| Bob the cat curled up by the fire. |
Town of Pau
After getting settled, we ventured into town to see the sights. We took a free funiculaire (cable car) to the main part of Pau. The view from the top did not disappoint!
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| Free cable car taking passengers to the main streets of Pau on top of the hill. |
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| View of the Pyrénées from the center of Pau. |
We spent some time walking around the Christmas markets...trying hard not to listen to the Michael Jackson cover band. Nothing says Christmas like "Billie Jean"! We also made some last minute gift purchases :)
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| Pau Christmas markets bustling with people. |
We then ended the evening with a brief tour of the castle. The Château de Pau was the birthplace of Henry IV, a former French king.
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| Me and the Château de Pau. |
Christmas Eve
The days in between our arrival and Christmas Eve were spent relaxing and eating...pretty normal. On Christmas Eve a few of us went to see the new Hobbit movie (in English with French subtitles) while the others decorated the Christmas tree.
The days in between our arrival and Christmas Eve were spent relaxing and eating...pretty normal. On Christmas Eve a few of us went to see the new Hobbit movie (in English with French subtitles) while the others decorated the Christmas tree.
After dinner we went to mass and despite my terrible American accent, they let me sing in the choir ;) It was a fun experience to sing some new songs and all my favorite oldie but goodies in another language.
Mass ended after midnight and we headed home to see what Père Noël had left in our absence. I wasn't aware, but in France, Père Noël comes during church. So, before going to bed, we popped some champagne, ate clementines, and opened presents.
I have to say, my French friends already know me well. They were so sweet and gifted me with many things including two cookbooks (in French) and a metric measuring cup!
Mass ended after midnight and we headed home to see what Père Noël had left in our absence. I wasn't aware, but in France, Père Noël comes during church. So, before going to bed, we popped some champagne, ate clementines, and opened presents.
I have to say, my French friends already know me well. They were so sweet and gifted me with many things including two cookbooks (in French) and a metric measuring cup!
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| Some quick refreshments before opening presents. |
After the present fun we headed to bed. I think I still prefer to wait until Christmas morning to open gifts, but there is something to be said for not having your picture taken in footie pajamas with terrible bedhead.
Christmas
On Christmas morning, most of the household slept in late...waking up just in time to help prepare the early dinner. Several other family members including grandparents, an uncle, and cousins also came to celebrate Christmas. It was a full house with 15 people, but don't worry we definitely didn't starve. We started off the party with a variety of appetizers including oysters, caviar, and cucumbers with tapenade (a salty olive paste).
On Christmas morning, most of the household slept in late...waking up just in time to help prepare the early dinner. Several other family members including grandparents, an uncle, and cousins also came to celebrate Christmas. It was a full house with 15 people, but don't worry we definitely didn't starve. We started off the party with a variety of appetizers including oysters, caviar, and cucumbers with tapenade (a salty olive paste).
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| Oysters fresh from the Atlantic. |
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| Getting ready to eat the appetizers on the terrace. |
We then began the main meal inside the house with a few common dishes and others that were new to me. The meal began with foie gras, followed by wild boar, pasta, fromage (cheese), and dessert.
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| Almost dinner time! |
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| Salted foie gras. |
My first Noël definitely ended on a high note. I was able to talk to my family and closed out the day with another beautiful sunset. Although it was hard to be away from so many loved ones I am so thankful to have met some great people in France.
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| Christmas storm moving in. |
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| Sunset over Pau. |
After Christmas in Pau, I took a trip to London to ring in the New Year. Happy 2014 Everyone! Stay tuned...
A+
Danielle
A+
Danielle
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