Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire

With how dreary and rainy it’s been in Paris over the last month and a half (coupled with a LOT going on in my life!), I’ve fallen out of the habit of carrying my camera with me, and I dislike posting iPhone photos to the blog. Hence my lack of recent updates- apologies to those who follow!

Christmas arrived in Paris shortly after Halloween, not that they do much for Halloween here anyways. I was quite disappointed to miss out on Halloween in Dublin, but we had a fun night out here at Cafe Oz, an Australian bar that has several locations around the city. Sometime mid-November, however, I was on the back of a scooter crossing the Champs-Elysees when I saw the Ferris wheel looming out of the night sky like a giant, illuminated snowflake. Needless to say, the driver of the scooter was rather perplexed as to why I got so excited about it, but Christmas is my favorite holiday and the start of the festivities just made me so happy.

Not to mention, my mom was coming to visit! She arrived the Saturday after US Thanksgiving and stayed for a few days, and it was wonderful to visit with her and show her my little piece of Paris. They say you only really live in a few arrondissements, and my time here has certainly proven that to be true. Between living in an outer neighborhood, working in the Marais, shopping in Chatelet and going out for drinks anywhere between Saint Michel and Saint Germain des Pres, these are the neighborhoods that I have gotten to know the best. I was so fortunate to be able to show Mom all of these places- she’d been here before so she was really here to see me and all the places where I spend my days. Of course, I dragged her to the Champs-Elysees Christmas market so we could hunt down some gifts for my grandmothers. It’s not quite as good as the ones I went to in Berlin last year, and crazy crowded with tourists on weekends, but definitely a good place for presents.

As much as I actually dislike the taste of chestnuts, the smell of them reminds me of the holidays in Geneva last year and just puts me in a festive mood. They’re sold all over the city, not just at the Christmas markets, so the scent follows you wherever you go. Although honestly the widespread availability of churros might be my favorite thing- a buddy of mine introduced me to chocolate stuffed ones instead of dipping them in chocolate. It changed the entire way I look at festival food.

If you’re not already following me on Instagram, head on over and check out more photos from Christmastime in Paris! Still waiting for a special someone to take me on that Ferris wheel…