Christmas in Bordeaux - Lighting up the night
One of my favorite activities of this season is to walk around the city in the evening - enjoying all the lights. For me, it puts me in the spirit of the holidays - slows things down a bit - This season always has so much hustle/bustle - shopping, running around, making lists, buying gifts - all fun, but it's nice to slow down a bit, just enjoy and take it all in.
It's for this reason that I love taking the girls into the city, spending the evening all together - enjoying some quality family time. Yes, there is hustle and bustle all around us, but my point is not necessarily to go shopping or pick out gifts - it's to look around us, and enjoy the festivities and the lights of the moment.
We are all on our phones, connected virtually but here, for one evening - I wanted to slow it down and just enjoy our city and that's exactly what we did. We arrived at the Place de la Comedie and just looked around us - of course took photos - but admired the lights as they glistened around us. For me it's relaxing and very special.
We went on to the Christmas market - I had promised my girls some hot chocolate and of course, for me, vin chaud (mullied wine) It's a totally different experience from during the day - and since it was a Friday night, plenty of people...honestly pretty crowded.
Even though our evening was not for shopping - there were a few artisans that we found hard to resist....
and others that were a child's dream.....
After our tour around the market, we headed back through the Place de la Comedie and down Rue Saint Catherine - Such a fun ambiance.
Galleries Lafayette, one of France's great department stores was beautifully lit up.
We wandered into Promenade Saint Catherine, the newest shopping corner, off of Rue Saint Catherine and was greeted by a giant reindeer - about 2 stories tall.
I have to say the only thing I miss is the snow. However, this particular evening was very cold and humid - still not cold enough for snow - but wet enough that it gave the lights beautiful reflections off the sidewalks. My daughters had so much fun this year - that they want to return again in the evening. As my 13 year old says - and take more photos....it's just so cool!
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Look for more holiday traditions coming up later this month - but here's wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season! May it be festive, fun and Merry!
Thank you for the photos.....I recognized each and every street and corner from our visit last year. You're making me long for a return trip.
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