Fête de la Musique

Happy Jāņi! Today is the Latvian name day of Jānis and Žanis. The name day tradition is celebrated in many countries, Latvia and France among them, and consists of celebrating the day of the year associated with one's given name.

In France, today is the Fête de la Saint-Jean (feast of St. John), which is traditionally celebrated with bonfires (le feu de la Saint-Jean). It is believed that the bonfire rites go back to the pagan rituals of Midsummer’s night, although today the catholic festival is in celebration of Saint John the Baptist. One source reports that in medieval times, this festival was celebrated with cat-burning rituals. Thankfully there will be no cat-burning in Clermont-Ferrand, but sadly I don’t know of a bonfire occurring here either.

A fête which was celebrated here in Clermont was the Fête de la Musique, also known as World Music Day. The music festival took place on June 21^st and has an interesting history that binds the Americans and the French in yet another way. In 1976 American musician Joel Cohen proposed an all-night music celebration in France to mark the beginning of the summer solstice. It was first realized in 1982 in Paris, and has since spread to 32 countries worldwide. 

In Clermont-Ferrand the streets were full of amateur and professional musicians. There were concerts and unorganized jams, all for free. The noise and crowds weren’t the most child-friendly and so we mostly enjoyed the festivities from our window, watching the people on their way to and from Place de Jaude and listening to strains of music floating our way now and then.

The celebrations took a different twist later on that night, as revelers returning home kept us awake with yelling and honking until well after midnight, but as it was all in the name of music (and you’re not supposed to sleep on Jāņu night anyways) I didn’t get too upset. I only wish Mikus had gotten the memo about sleeping in…

Our most recent guest

The Kalamazoo grandmother’s visit was over in the blink of an eye. She arrived not long after we returned from our Amsterdam trip, but unfortunately missed Lauris’s second birthday and the parties involved. As had happened last year, we celebrated a few times; once on the exact day, just the four of us, then at the IWC mom and baby group May birthday party extravaganza. Finally we had the train party that I went overboard with. To top it all off, Lauris’s friend Beatrice had a party to celebrate her third birthday, so by the time the boys’ grandmother arrived we were all partied out!

Truffade!

On the other hand, she arrived just in time to help celebrate our third wedding anniversary and to enjoy a wonderful weekend with our friends. A day spent by the pool and barbecuing was followed by a visit to Montpeyroux. (Do I spot a trend? Chicago grandmother also got to visit this Plus Beaux Village, although we didn’t hit the petting zoo that time.) She got to know Mikus, as this was her first time meeting her fourth grandson, and was reacquainted with Lauris

The Montpeyroux farm

A little over a week after her arrival we were off to meet grandpa in Germany with a slight detour past Mount Blanc and through Switzerland. Once back home the last week passed unnoticed, and I couldn’t believe when it came time to drive her to the airport! I had all these grand plans of things we would do and projects I wanted to finish, but instead we spent the days enjoying the roses in the park, taking long walks around town and enjoying the things that grandmothers do best (reading books, building towers… that sort of thing!).

Place de la Victoire in Clermont-Ferrand

I was spoiled with opportunities to go to the grocery store… alone. I was also able to spend more time in the kitchen experimenting with some new recipes, and Roberts and I got not one but TWO nights out sans enfants! However the best part was seeing Lauris wake in the mornings to go running off to grandmother’s room to say good morning.

Staubbach Falls in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

We had to drive Roberts to the airport for a week of business on the other side of the world and one day later we found ourselves saying goodbye again, this time to the grandmother. One of those really hard weeks followed, just me with the kids who both caught colds and couldn’t sleep because of the congestion. Finally dad has returned home and the runny noses have slowed if not abated. The trips to the grocery store with my entourage have resumed; Monday I was complimented on having “two-stories” of children (at least that’s what I understood with my limited French, I can imagine she was commenting on Mikus in the baby carrier while Lauris was in the stroller). And you know what? Those unfinished projects will just have to wait (until Mikus starts college?), because we have to go to the park to check on the progress of installing the new playground equipment. It’s just a shame grandmother couldn’t stay long enough to see the work completed.

The Diamond Jubilee

Queen Elizabeth II celebrates 60 years as Monarch this year, and this weekend was the Diamond Jubilee marking six decades of her reign. She is the second Queen in the country’s history to celebrate this milestone, the first being Queen Victoria in 1897. As I’m not British, nor living in Britain, I will leave blogging about it to others like Laura or Ariana. However, I do love the idea of the entire country celebrating together as a nation (we recently participated in the Queen’s Day celebrations in Amsterdam which had a similar feel) and so under the guidelines of “a good excuse for a party” we will eat cake!

Our Jubilee weekend as a whole was relatively low-key, cake and all. The Kalamazoo grandmother is still visiting (I haven’t quite caught up with our traveling yet and so she’ll make more appearances in later blogs) and volunteered to put both boys to bed Saturday night, leaving us free to see a movie. Moonrise Kingdom was the perfect choice for our first date in a theatre in over two years; it was shown version originale (so, in English), it’s a comedy, Bruce Willis, Ed Norton and Bill Murray all star and most importantly, the sleep deprived parents could stay awake for the relatively short 90 minute movie.

Afterwards we grabbed a bite to eat at Pata Negra, a tapas place here in town. Average in price, food and atmosphere, yesterday it turned out to be just the thing. As it was past 9pm most restaurants had stopped serving (I know! They don’t start serving until 7:30pm, you would think they would at least serve us dessert!) and so the decision was made for us. However, if you’re looking for a lively atmosphere for a casual dinner in Clermont, this is the place; there was live music playing both times we’ve eaten there. Our first visit was shortly after moving to Clermont, memorable as the band playing tango had several professional-looking couples on the dance floor.

This year’s picnic at Lake Aydat was postponed due to rain and thunderstorms Sunday, so instead we spent the morning watching from our living room as the hundreds of runners competed in the annual races. Last year there were over 3,700 participants, so I expect the number this year was closer to 4,000. At least five separate races for children (by age bracket) were followed by a 5km and two 10km runs (one elite and one open). Afterwards a quick visit to the marché aux puces where I found a solid, large flowerpot for a couple euro. We sat out the promised rain in a nearby café.

The excitement level in Clermont is at a peak, between the races, rugby and tennis. The Top 14 semi-final rugby match between Clermont and Toulon was on Sunday, which got the entire town sporting yellow & blue and trying out their air horns. Last year Clermont beat Toulon at the same stage with big drama – controversial calls and all, but it was still sad to see the hometown lose. And the 2012 French Open is underway. The 111^th tournament is taking place at the Stade Roland Garros until June 10^th. (The French Open is also called the Roland Garros, after the French aviator)

And of course we took plenty of walks. The roses are blooming in Jardin Lecoq, the playground in Parc Amadeus is undergoing repairs and so requires constant visits, and Place de Jaude seems to be hosting a different bandstand with a different man on bullhorn every day. This is my favorite time of year in Clermont-Ferrand! (Well, until summer when the outdoor cafes seem to spill into the streets and the marches overflow with the summer bounty!)

Congratulations to Her Majesty on 60 years of service, and whether you spent the weekend in a flotilla honoring the Queen, watching a tennis and rugby game, running in the Courir à Clermont races or at home enjoying time with family, I hope everyone had a Happy Jubilee weekend!

The train party

On a different topic from the recent posts about our trip to the Benelux countries, I would like to tell you about a little party we had in the flat a few weeks ago...

I went overboard, I can admit it. However, I decided early on that I would go all out, as this was Lauris’s 2^nd birthday and a very good excuse for a party.

Up until now I've not quite understood hosting "themed parties" for children, mostly because Lauris doesn't have a favorite cartoon character or superhero. But I’ve changed my tune because the train party was so fun, for me to organize and for Lauris and his guests! Lauris has been absolutely mad about trains ever since the Clermont-Ferrand Christmas train made its appearance in early December of last year, and imagining his excitement at seeing trains everywhere was enough to me thinking.

Girls like rock stars?

I started constructing a train out of boxes that the kids would be able to actually get in and out of, and after Roberts gave it a base coat Karīna helped him deck it out. It was a success, and a big hit with the guests. To my surprise even three kids sitting on top didn’t put a dent in the locomotive, so we have a permanent cardboard train in the living room now. The day of the party we put down some “tracks” with tape to complete the railway look.

Using smaller boxes I built a “snack car” train for the snacks, including a “log car” for the pretzel sticks. This was very fun for me to build and let the guests know as soon as they walked in the door that they would be seeing trains all night long. As if they needed help figuring that out after seeing the giant cardboard monstrosity in the living room.

The party wouldn’t have failed without train-themed paper plates and napkins, and these were nowhere to be found in Clermont-Ferrand, but we did stumble on some Thomas-the-Train party supplies while in Amsterdam. Perfect!

Coloring pages with trains and paper trains the kids could glue together were our party helper's ideas, and I was amazed at how long these activities held their attention. Dancing, running, shouting and eating seemed to be the other favorite activities that night.

The coup de grâce of my preparations was the train cake, complete with two wagons and tracks made of fondant. Again, super fun to make and if I can be considered an impartial judge, it was delicious! Of course no birthday would be complete without the Latvian kliņģeris and some crazy cupcakes (paldies Karīna)!

We had a wonderful time, and as the guests stayed until after 10pm I believe they had a marvelous time as well. As for the birthday boy, he spent the night choo-chooing away all over the flat, sharing nicely with his friends, and despite the lack of nap was in a superb mood.

My "attention les enfants!" didn't quite have the intended effect...

Hôtel Fontfreyde and FRAC

Recently I got my chance to see the inside of the Hôtel Fontfreyde here in Clermont-Ferrand. While I’ve lived here I pass by quite often, and since the courtyard with its gorgeous spiral stone staircase is visible from the alleyway that cuts from marché Saint-Pierre to rue des Gras, I've wanted to explore the interior for quite some time. While my mother was visiting we noticed the Centre Photo Graphique was hosting an interesting-looking photography exhibit, so we noted the hours it was open, and returned the following weekend to take a look.

The current exhibit that month was Du jeu dans le je (the game in the I?). Not much of the art displayed was very memorable, maybe only the man with the giant dandelion, but I’ve already forgotten the artist.

It was the architecture of the building I found fascinating, evidence suggests that the current building includes portions of several buildings that date back to the Middle Ages. The rooms are organized around a small courtyard with a spiral stone staircase in one corner. At the beginning of the sixteenth century the property was rebuilt by the family Coustave. Gabriel of Fontfreyde and his wife Gabrielle Hayte then rebuilt it again around 1578. Their son John added the spiral staircase between 1578 and 1588. The Hôtel Fontfreyde then was purchased by the Dumas of Chalendrat.

The facade on the Rue des Gras was modified sometime in the eighteenth century, and only in the second half of the nineteenth century did renovations connnect the building with another on the Petite rue Saint-Pierre side to form the structure we are familiar with today. The City of Clermont bought the building in April 1912, and by May 23 of that year, it had been designated a monument historique. Clermont’s own master glassmaker Adrian Churn made the stained glass windows on the first floor. A final restoration is undertaken starting in 1920 making small changes to the spiral staircase and adding Volvic rock to the exterior. Another large change from the ancient structures is that the modern-day cellars are in fact the former ground floor, as rue des Gras is four meters higher than three centuries ago.

I couldn’t find any information on the remarkable fireplace on the second floor. The intricate detail and the now-foggy mirror above it were one-of-a-kind.

Currently there is a different exhibit being shown, for more information you can visit the Clermont-Ferrand website. 

Not far from the Hôtel Fontfreyde is the Fonds regional d’art contemporain Auvergne, or FRAC for short. Although really I had only heard of David Lynch because of his television series Twin Peaks (1990-1992), I was surprised to find that he has produced and directed several other familiar titles: Eraserhead (1977), The Elephant Man (1980), Dune (1984) and Mulholland Drive (2001).

The quality of the publicity rivaled that of the exhibit

A filmmaker, television director, visual artist, comic book artist, musician and occasional actor (according to Wikipedia), his art is in a way as surreal as his films. I wasn’t too impressed. You can see for yourself until the 1^st of May. There is no entrance fee for either of these exhibits.

Maksīts to the rescue!

I did what I thought necessary upon hearing my husband would be taking a four day business trip leaving me alone with the two boys... I called in reinforcements!

Photo credit: Beatrice's mum

Maksis and his mother came to the rescue from Chatenet, providing an extra pair of hands and some much needed grown-up conversation in the midst of "get down from there!"s and "share, boys!". However, I will admit at times it seemed like there were four almost-two year olds in the house, not just two! I’m not sure if there was a single waking moment spent in quiet the whole time...

We did manage to have some fun. The warm days made for a few trips to the park, including a picnic with some other friends of Lauris (including the only subject of conversation around here lately, Ba-Ba, or Lauris-speak for his friend Beatrice) and their mummies.

Towers were built and destroyed, trains, planes and automobiles driven, flown and choo-choo’d all over the apartment, and night after night we all collapsed into bed exhausted. I believe I’ve had a glimpse of what life with twins may be like!

Le Mur des Sarrasins

Our travels in the south of France and Italy introduced us to some world-famous Roman ruins. I recently discovered that Clermont-Ferrand has a Roman wreck of its very own! Not nearly as renowned, the ruins are a secret even most locals have not seen.

"Are you sure we're allowed in there? 3rd century Roman ruins are down this alley?"

I discovered the ruins of the Wall of Sarrasins because of a geocache. Hidden in the parking lot at 2 rue Rameau and surrounded by tall buildings, the ruins were re-discovered in 1875 and date back to the second or third century. The wall is 22 m long, 7 meters high and 1.70 m thick, constructed of Roman concrete and decorated with volcanic stone siding, and cords and columns of flat brick. In the sixth century, Grégoire de Tours mentions the wall as a possible vestige of the vast Roman temple Wasso Galate (from which the word Jaude is derived), which was destroyed in the third century. In the late Middle Ages, it was incorporated into the walls of the château fort des Salles (visited in 1838 by Prosper Mérimée, inspector of historic monuments) and only restored in 1990.

See, not the most exciting Roman ruins, are they? Trust me, the photo does do the wall justice

Just a short distance from our apartment, we often bring visitors there. I’m not sure why, as the wall isn’t very impressive, especially in its current state. The signs guiding visitors to it brings you to the south side of the wall, which reveals only a very small portion of the wall, however the view from the north in the parking lot isn’t much better. I understand the need for the fence (to protect this important historical monument) but a more aesthetic one would serve the same purpose and allow a better look not obstructed by automobiles. I sincerely hope the city of Clermont at least installs an informative plaque with the history of the wall so that people understand what history is preserved in the mur.

Wonderful signage leads to a great view on the south side

Frozen

The temperatures have warmed some, but the wind still has the potential to force us indoors, as we found on our last excursion here in Clermont-Ferrand. I feel as though there is so much right here in town to show my mother, but we’ve been slow to see the sights due to the combination of cold weather and little children.

Last Friday we made it to the Jardin Lecoq. The fountain was a little frozen.

You know, it usually looks more like this...

La Pyramide Desaix wasn’t faring much better.

The “pyramid” is the name that the people of Clermont call the giant obelisk at the intersection northwest of Jardin Lecoq. It celebrates the memory of the general who died at Marengo in 1800. The urn on top of the obelisk is believed to contain Desaix’s heart, and the decoration, which was begun by the sculptor Chinard, was never finished.

Monday we stopped in the Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption and then, after passing through Place du Terrail we visited Basilique Notre-Dame-du-Port. However by the time we got to Place Delille we started feeling like icicles ourselves and chose to hop on a tram back home. Not before I snapped this picture of one of the Fountaines de l’Hôtel de Ville…

The twin fountains were built in 1848 to beautify the entrance to the Town Hall. And yes, that is what Hôtel de Ville means, it’s not a hotel, but I only learned this after 7 months in France.

Although the temperatures are supposed to keep climbing through the week, I'm lucky to have two personal lap-warmers to get me through this cold spell…

Photo: Leigh Jones

Movin' on... down

The past two weeks have been colder than usual here in France. Lows in the negative teens (about 0 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit) in Clermont-Ferrand are warm compared to those of Eastern Europe, but when local averages for this time of year are on average above freezing, the results are frozen pipes, problems with snow removal and for the especially unlucky, heating problems. I am extremely grateful we got all of our hot water and heating issues out of the way in October  and that we are all snug and cozy in our apartment.

Photo: Inga Lucāne

We have ventured out during this cold snap; Lauris in his snow pants and winter boots with face hardly visible behind the shawl wrapping him like a mummy, and Mikus either in the carrier or BabyBjörn, under down comforter. However the trips have been short, a couple of times to the store, once to the Marché Saint-Pierre and last weekend to the marché aux puces (although Mikus and I stayed home for that one). I miss our almost-daily visits to the park and strolls through the city, although I’m not sure how much this break in routine is due to the weather and how much to my lack of energy.

Things haven’t slowed down much in spite of the weather, excluding the couple of snow days people stayed home because of bad roads it is business as usual here in Clermont. From our perch in the living room window we watch everyone hurrying to their destinations, bundled up and faces turned down to avoid the wind. (Whereas normally they are turned down to avoid the dog poop; this might be the best part of the cold weather, all the poop is frozen!) Then Thursday morning we woke to a commotion outside, and I entered the dining room to see quite a sight right outside our window.

The family on the 3^rd etage (fourth floor in the United States) was moving out, and instead of transporting everything down stairs or trying to fit it into the cupboard-sized elevator, a vertical conveyor had been set up. This is normal for the city, with extremely narrow stairwells yet large balcony windows it is quite common to see people’s belongings traveling up and down on moving platforms. Lauris and I settled down to breakfast watching tables, chairs, boxes and other unidentifiable packages traveling past our windows. Entertainment for Lauris, amusing for me… until the moment one of the movers appeared, riding down and then back up with a particularly unstable load… with me, still in robe with bedhead, sitting only about 10 feet away.

I survived the embarrassment, Lauris spent another hour with his grandmother watching the men at work, and we thought warm thoughts for the men riding up and down on that platform in this chilly, chilly weather.

What a week!

HUGE weekend. In no particular order.

First, the Superbowl. Friends in Indiana have been reporting on the mass craziness in Indianapolis the last week. Although not really a fan of the New York Giants or the New England Patriots (I would root for da Bears being a Chicago girl, as well as the Lions because I have never met a bigger Lions fan than Roberts), I love Superbowl Sunday; the team loyalties, friendly rivalries, awesome snacks, entertaining commercials and all the hype surrounding the halftime show (Bruce and the E Street Band in ’09 was THE best halftime show ever, won't try to compare Madonna). Last year we watched a recording the following day at a friend’s house, and it was not as exciting as watching real time.

Second, the 34^th International Short Film Festival, here in Clermont-Ferrand. This year the festival started on January 27^th and the final day was February the 4^th, Saturday. The event, which originated in 1979, has become the world's first cinema event dedicated to short films. It is the second largest film festival in France after Cannes in terms of audience and professional attendance, but first in terms of number of spectators, as the Cannes festival only allows professionals in theatres. In 2009, the Festival attracted 137,196 visitors from all over the world to Clermont-Ferrand (according to the official website). Last year we missed out on attending by not knowing it was a short film festival, and thinking that Lauris would not be able to handle full-length films. Side note, there were six films representing Latvija in the international competition: Korida (Jānis Cimermanis), Opera Heartbeats (Inese Stāde), Parādi man skaņu (Agnese Laizane), Soup (Maira Dobele), Tārpiņš (Nīls Skarpāns) and Ursus (Reinis Pētersons).

Note the Latvian flag on the left

Third, the kickoff to the Fête des vins de France at the Vinidôme, at the Grand Halle d’Auvergne, here in Clermont-Ferrand. It’s all the expatriates have been talking about these past weeks, with over 450 exhibitors from 350 wineries. According to their website, this is one of the five biggest exhibitions of French wines and last year attracted nearly 53,000 visitors. Last year we missed out for two reasons, the first being that we didn’t have a car (and public transportation would have been do-able but complicated) and the second that I was breastfeeding Lauris, and would have only been able to watch Roberts “tasting.”

So, a very active weekend for us… except we didn’t attend any of these events. With the Superbowl broadcast in the early morning hours we had reserved for attempted sleep, the short film festival in its final day and the fête des vins still… well, containing alcohol, we skipped out on all of the above in order to concentrate solely on the biggest event of the weekend – Mikus’s one week birthday.

Photo: Inga Lucāne

Kouign Amann

It was a rare occurrence that I was the lone customer in the bakery on Saturday morning. Without the long line of people impatient for their pain I felt more comfortable taking my time making a decision, as well as asking a few questions. There were no almond encrusted pain de chocolats that morning, however on the top shelf was a beautiful looking pastry marked Kouign Amann, spécialité de Bretagne.

Kouign Amann from Le Pistore bakery

Lena explained their Breton baker had decided to bake this regional specialty, that it isn’t for a special holiday but instead is an everyday staple in boulangeries in Brittany. The translation is “butter cake,” and was supposedly invented by accident in 1860. It is made from dough bread covered with a butter-sugar mixture which is then folded like a pastry. While cooking, the sugar-butter permeates the dough and caramelizes, resulting in a crisp, delicious pastry. The cake I brought home (a pregnant woman passing by a “butter cake”? not going to happen…), was round with four individual units, but in my understanding they are baked for up to twelve people, sometimes in rectangular dishes, or just as individual cakes which are called kouignettes. Different from our usual breakfast pastries but delicious nonetheless, maybe next week they will have the beurrée variant, which is topped with crunchy caramel…

We also braved the soldes crowds. As I explained around this time last year, the French government authorizes stores to use the word les soldes only twice a year (January and July), in order to foster economic growth and consumption. This year they kicked off on January 11^th and last until mid-February, with escalating markdowns every few weeks. I find it funny that stores are allowed to have discounts, special offers and promotions throughout the rest of the year, but cannot use the descriptor soldes outside of these two time periods.

The irony is that although many clothing and furniture stores have discounted merchandise, appliances seem to be full price year-round, with no end-of-year markdowns on old models or sales to bring in the customers in the New Year. But as our refrigerator has been freezing the eggs and milk recently (and according to Roberts’s research on our fridge this is a problem particular to our model after 2-4 years of use, and expensive to fix) I got to stand in the kitchen section of Darty and choose a refrigerator, one much more beautiful, energy-efficient and with a more convenient layout than the temperature-challenged, funny-noise making thing in our kitchen at the moment.

The delivery date for the new refrigerator is January 25^th. Sound familiar? That’s because not only is it my brother’s birthday, but it is also my due date. (Well, my due date was I living in the US, but that is a different story.) Should we be taking bets on what arrives first, the baby or the fridge?*

*The saleswoman did not find this amusing, and instead pointed out the telephone number on our invoice that we call should we need to reschedule.

Parc Montjuzet and 39 weeks

Roberts’s name day comes right on the heels of his birthday, and we celebrated with a trip to Parc Montjuzet, the 65-acre hilltop park visible from our living room windows. Our first visit was in January of last year on his birthday, and so it was only fitting to return this January (although we have been there since). Other than the occasional dog walker and jogger, we had the whole park to ourselves.

LŪK helping his dad blow out the candles on the kliņģeris

On our first visit we had approached on foot (and in stroller) from the south end, not knowing the layout or what we would find. After an exhaustive climb up a narrow passageway of stairs we found ourselves in a very under-developed section of the park with muddy paths and not much else. The view of Clermont was unbeatable however (you might recognize it from the background of the blog!), and we picnicked on the hillside before wandering around a bit more. From what I remember, we did find a section of the Mediterranean garden; although the climate is much different, the south-facing terraced slopes have a riviera feel. And then we headed back, without an inkling of what we had left unseen.

Our next visits revealed the numerous playgrounds, grassy picnic areas, hiking paths and vistas (located closer to the car park!) and in addition to exploring and playing we also did a little geocaching. A beautiful park, once the weather is nicer I hope to spend a lot more time there with the kids.

Otherwise the past weeks have been uneventful (considering how pregnant I am!). This time around is a much different wait from last time; with Lauris I was on high-alert starting with 38 weeks, evaluating every Braxton-Hicks contraction as a possible start to labor and agonizing the next four weeks. With the second I’ve mentally prepared for a 10 month pregnancy, and so having the baby still feels very far off. I’m also glad for the more laid-back approach from the doctor here, it is allowing me to enjoy the last weeks. In Greenville we were pressured to schedule a Cesarean starting with week 36 or 37 (estimates put Lauris’s birth weight at about 11.5 pounds, in reality he was under 9 when born at 42+) and I was visiting the clinic every couple of days for additional monitoring and stress.

Mom getting a break

I probably jinxed myself last week after telling the doctor and friends that this pregnancy has been a piece of cake. And it had been, compared to my first; this time the morning sickness wasn’t to be ignored, but on top of that my last pregnancy brought severe back pain, nausea almost the entire length of the pregnancy and general misery. So I’m not too surprised that some of the more typical symptoms are finally catching up to me, the acid reflux and difficulty sleeping being at the top of the list. But, at this point I’m committed, right?

Noël a Clermont

This was the first Christmas I have ever spent away from the Midwest; for the last 29 years I have spent Christmas Eve at my grandmother’s house or my husband’s parents house, and Christmas day has mostly been celebrated at my parent’s house. I’m not sure what I expected, but it definitely wasn’t this wave of homesickness (and by that I mean for the familiar, for I consider our apartment here in Clermont-Ferrand home) and increased sense of distance from family and the United States.

Being about a month away from my due date we decided early on that we wouldn’t be traveling, and were blessed with family choosing to come to us instead. Matīss, Roberts’s brother who visited us last Easter, and his girlfriend Indra arrived the evening before Christmas Eve, flying into Lyon and then taking the late train to Clermont. We learned another valuable lesson about travel in France; around the holidays it is better to book first class to guarantee a seat, the four hours spent aboard the train must have been cramped and tiring as Matīss wasn’t even able to get a seat. But our guests made it in good spirits despite an one-hour delay, and shortly after their arrival we were seated around the table digging into some local cheese and charcuterie.

With our guests and the Place de Jaude Christmas tree

Christmas Eve day was much more relaxed than ever before as most of the presents were wrapped and all that remained to be done was one final trip to the store for last-minute supplies. We took our guests for a tour of the Christmas sights in downtown, starting at Place de Jaude with its giant Ferris wheel and Christmas tree (whose lights and top had been repaired since the big wind storm), and on through the old section of town decked out in lights, finally arriving at the Marché de Noël for some roasted chestnuts, mulled wine and fried dough for the pregnant lady. After a ride on the petit train taking us through the rest of town we were home, just in time to grab a bite to eat before a short walk to Eglise Saint-Pierre les Minimes, the nearby church that we had visited for a friend’s son’s first communion.





Our next lesson was soon learned, arriving 15 minutes early was enough to guarantee a seat, but not enough for normal seating; the last remaining spots were all the way in the very front of the church in the corner with no view of the altar, the priest or any of the children participating in the service. Lauris, who had not yet napped, showed great patience for the first hour, making friends with some of the other three foot tall service goers. However, in the end it proved too much and we made our exit during communion. Maybe it was because of how little I was able to participate due to my lack of French, maybe it was because of the enormity of the church interior or maybe it was because of the lack of the familiar (such as the dimming of the lights and lighting of the candles during the singing of Klusā nakts, svētā nakts (Silent Night, Holy Night), but the feeling of inner calm I usually find in church on Christmas eve was missing this year. It was only later, sitting around the table surrounded by my family, with candles and the Christmas tree lighting the room and with a big Christmas dinner on the table that the Christmas spirit returned for me. Roberts led the singing of all the traditional Christmas carols, and it was late before we all retired to await the arrival of le Père Noël.

December in the Auvergne – everything is illuminated

The Latvian Christmas carol “Dedziniet gaišu guni, laidiet Dievu istabā: Dieviņš brauca par kalniņu sudrabotu mētelīti,” counsels everyone to keep warmth and brightness in your home and to let God in, for God is coming over the hills in a silver coat.

Warmth and brightness came to our apartment this weekend in the form of our friends from Chatenet. On Saturday they helped Roberts find and bring home our very first French Christmas tree, and by the evening it was softly glowing with Christmas lights. But there were more lights in Clermont-Ferrand to be seen, as it was also the kick-off weekend of Illuminations and the Christmas festivities here in Clermont-Ferrand.

After a morning spent resting and recuperating from the flu, I was physically able to join my family and our guests on an outing to downtown. As we emerged from the apartment a light drizzle was falling, but at that precise minute all the Christmas lights decorating our street were turned on for the first time, and this encouraged us to continue on to Place de Jaude. The Christmas tree there was not yet lit but the plaza was full of people that had come out to enjoy the shopping and lights on this dreary Saturday. Rue Nestor Perret was the site for the annual fête du miel with a dozen local honey vendors set up displaying their wares, and the smell of roasted chestnuts was in the air, as vendors sold everything from churros to crêpes from small mobile carts.

Although the drizzle had stopped, the wind was still blowing pretty fiercely, and exactly at the moment as I started wondering if I had misunderstood the time that the lighting of the tree would take place (for there were very few people milling around the tree as we were), the Christmas tree was illuminated! With beautifully flowing icicle lights interspersed with the smaller lights, the wind was moving the branches, causing a wavelike effect. Along with the tree dozens of smaller light displays all over Jaude were also turned on, and the giant Ferris Wheel was simply icing on the cake.

We continued north to the Marché de Noël, set up in Place de la Victoire next to the cathedral. Although the Christmas market was filled with people and all the vendors were open for business, the lights there had not yet been turned on. As we sipped on hot wine and enjoyed the atmosphere came a wonderful surprise; the overhead canopy of Christmas lights came alive, the roving musicians struck up a nice Christmas melody, and the whole marché came even more alive than it had been!

We didn’t linger much longer, after Roberts and Max’s parents enjoyed a quick snack of oysters at the oyster vendor’s booth it was time to head back home to enjoy the lights of our own tree. But that is how Clermont-Ferrand came to be illuminated for Christmas this year, and we were there to see it happen.