Just got back from visiting my third Christmas market at Montbeliard, about an hour away from Vesoul. I took the Nikon with me, hoping to play around with the Christmas lights, but it was so incredibly cold that I didn't even take it out of my bag. I was afraid of dropping it and I knew my frozen fingers would never be able to work the tiny controls! So no photos, for this one, sorry!
Montbeliard is bigger than Vesoul, but smaller than Besancon. Everybody told us their Christmas lights and illuminated buildings were not to be missed. Katherin and I set off in her tiny car at about 3:45. It's getting dark here at around 4:40, so we figured we'd be just in time for the lights to come on, but it wouldn't be too cold yet. Right on the first, wrong on the second!
We are currently experiencing a cold snap, which the Vesuliens call something like a sacaille, though I can't find it in the dictionary. Anyway, even with boots, long underwear, three shirts and a sweater, my red coat, a thick scarf, hat, and gloves, I was DYING. It was probably only in the teens, but I think I am no longer cut out for humid climates. There was the occasional light breeze, too, which under the circumstances seemed very cruel.
This marché was quite large and I do believe everyone and their mother was there. It was difficult to move along the narrow corridors of the market because there were so many people! People shoving, kids screaming, holiday music blaring, the sounds of crepes and gauffres cooking, kids on tiny ponies winding their way through the crowd...fun, but crazy! At one point all of the people around me started moo-ing, I guess to show that they were annoyed by the slow pace of the crowd.
All of this being said, the market was quite fun to browse through for a while. Kathrin and I had hot chocolate and picked up some lovely little presents for Lupita and Pam. This market had many more booths that were fine-arts related, rather than kitschy, pseudo-old -timey crafts. We saw water-colorists, photographers, some hand-made journals that made me drool (I thought of giving them the Book store's email address, but the crowd pushed me forward before I could talk to them), handmade hats and scarfs in designs from the middle ages, home-made jams and jellies, jewelry, more jewelry, raku pottery, scrap metal sculptures of ducks.....bascially everything and anything that you find at places like that.
My favorite was a fabric vendor's booth that was oozing luxurious blends of silk, wool, and fine cotton in the forms of pashminas, wraps, and scarves. There was a delicate spicy scent from the fabrics and fairy lights in the booth and stacks upon stacks of material. The vendeuse was dressed in a floppy renaissance sort of hat with a colorful brooch on it, a black scarf wound around her neck and handknitted sweater. She had a timeless face and kind of reminded me of Lorenna McKennit, with long golden hair falling out of her hat. She talked to us for a long time about the fabrics and their history, all the while keeping an eye on some other customers--a middle-aged man and his wife (who was wearing a floor-length CAPE!!! I do <3 France sometimes....) who were evidently looking for something luxurious and colorful. I fell in love with several wraps that were all much too expensive for me--but managed to resist, I am happy to say. Kathrin found three scarves for various relatives.
After about three hours, neither of us could feel our toes, so we made it back to the car, taking turns shouting "I am SO COLD" in English, French, and German.
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