My goal is to collect as many Marches de Noel as I can. Won’t bore you with the list but I did add to it this year. I returned to La Defense for theirs with my friend – we had gone last year. Pretty much the same. I didn’t buy much but I finally had the mixture of cheese and potatoes and sausage that I have watched the French eat in the streets at the other marches. And miam miam. Delicious. I can’t recall the name…
In Lyon we also went to the marche. I find the biggest difference is the color of the little boxy chalet each vendor has. I have seen red, white, black and brown – several shades of brown.
Marches are on their own schedule. Which is confusing. Budapest started on Nov. 13. Champs Elysees on Nov 11. Aix en Provence Nov 22. Yet when I went up to Montmartre, nope, nothing until Dec 15. But it was pleasant in Montmartre – I would enjoy living there. Until the tourist hordes arrived. Then it is hideous. But before the marche, the funicular was just a walk on, no lines. And then coming back, I hopped on the tiny RATP minibus that serves Montmarte. A normal bus could not make the twisting hills. I wasn’t too disappointed. It was a nice day. I stopped in the church St Pierre – one of the few medieval churches I had missed. And I realized I need to come back about 5 when the lights are on as it’s a beautiful place.
Even Dourdan, a tiny town at the end of the RER C line, about 90 minutes south west of Paris, they even had four chalets. I went there to meet a friend who lives about 20 minutes to the west of Dourdan. She’s an American who married a Frenchman she met in Hong Kong years ago. And lived in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Denmark, Sweden and now retired in France. She’s terribly interesting. So we had a nice chat over crepes and a ramble through the chateau and looked at the marche for all of 8 minutes! It was so small.
Other areas of Paris have their own marches – the chalets are set up on the sidewalks. We even have one at Neuilly sur Seine where I live. I got a selfie there yesterday with Pere Noel!
Infinite Paris 