The Holidays in France

The Holidays in France — Marseille, Avignon, and Paris in Mid-December

I had never traveled over the end-of-year holidays. Then in 2021 I went to Iceland for four weeks and drove the Ring Road all the way around in mid-winter, mid-December through mid-January.

That put me in Seyðisfjörður, a town of 676 people in far northeastern Iceland, over Christmas. Seyðisfjörður is extremely quiet over Christmas. I expected that. I had bought food at a supermarket on my way there. The town's grocery store was open 0900-1300 on Christmas Eve, and the government liquor store was open 1000-1200. That was it for Christmas Eve. Everything was closed on Christmas and the following day. The guesthouse had a full kitchen, so I was fine.

On Christmas Eve and Christmas, a few times each day, I put on my heavy boots and strapped my crampons onto those, and went out and walked around town. I saw about five people. We all waved.

No, this isn't France. Restez tranquille. This is northeastern Iceland, crossing the pass from Egilsstaðir, on the Ring Road, to Seyðisfjörður, at the head of a nearby fjord.

In 2022, I went to Morocco in October. Then in 2023, I started getting a lot of marketing emails from Icelandair because of the 2021 trip. They promoted flights through Reykjavik to their various European destinations. They offered some really good deals, and you could add on a three-day layover in either direction for no added fee.

France is nice, plenty to see and do. Once there, you can go anywhere in Europe by train. And, there are flights to everywhere, some of them quite cheap, onward from Paris.

And so, I bought an Icelandair ticket from Chicago to Paris and back, with three nights in Reykjavik on the outbound leg and the return flight 4 weeks later. I had only been in Reykjavik very briefly at the end of my epic Ring Road drive. So, I could do a little re-visiting and also go deeper in that area.

Then there was a severe earthquake in Morocco. Moroccan government officials were interviewed in U.S. media. They said that, yes, the earthquake had been very strong, and it had severely damaged some villages within a small region in Morocco. But the damage was limited to a relatively very small area, and a small segment of the population.

Morocco was relying more and more on tourism. The government officials said that to really help Morocco, you should come and visit. Let your friends know. Don't let Morocco fall into this trap of everyone saying, for no good reason, "Oh, I wouldn't go to Morocco, they have had horrible earthquakes and they can't handle visitors."

Royal Air Maroc had very good prices on flights Paris—Casablanca and then Casablanca—Marseille. And so, I set off on a trip on which I was sort of emulating Franklin Roosevelt going to meet with Churchill and representatives of the Free French forces in Casablanca in January 1943. Although FDR's route was by train to Miami, then Pan-American Clippers Miami — Trinidad — Belem, Brazil — Bathurst, Gambia, then a C-47 to Casablanca.

That put me in Iceland while the Svartsengi volcano was destroying the town of Grindavík and threatening to shut down Keflavík Airport. I arrived in Casablanca on 20 November, Monday of the week in which the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving occurs on Thursday. And, in the U.S., a frenzy of shopping (and overwork of retail employees, and the occasional fatal trampling) starts on Friday.

I was very surprised to see that "Black Friday" shopping is actually a thing in Morocco. Shopping for gifts for a Christian holiday, synchronized to a peculiarly U.S. holiday, in Morocco? Apparently.

I soon moved on and spent most of my two weeks in Morocco in Marrakech and Tangier, returning to Casablanca for just one more night to fly out the following day.

No, this isn't France, either. This is Casablanca, Morocco. It was a French Protectorate until 1956, but still...

Marseille

By the time I flew from Casablanca to Marseille, from two weeks of warm weather in an almost entirely Muslim country to almost two weeks of pre-Christmas cold weather in France, with there having been three even colder days in Iceland back at the start of the trip, crampons in the beginning and sandals in the middle, I would agree with the Grateful Dead. What a long strange trip it's been.

Now we're at the point of this page, holiday decorations in France. This is along the innermost point of Vieux Port, the ancient port of Marseille.

Boulevard La Canabière leads to the port. Its name comes from the many hemp rope businesses that once lined it, serving the shipping in and out of the port. A large Christmas tree stood at the boulevard's end.

Lights lined each side of the Vieux Port.

The bottom few blocks of La Canabière were filled with shops and stands with food and drinks.

The fear merchants on Fox "News" want you to believe that Christmas is illegal in Europe. Nope.

I once had a student in a class who was a civilian employee at a U.S. Department of Defense agency tasked with analyzing and understanding other nations' use of technology. He was completely convinced that most people living in France did not have electricity in their homes. He watched nothing but Fox "News" and had absorbed their teaching.

He mentioned this and everyone turned to look at him, saying "Whaaaaat?"

"Well, sure, there's probably electricity in some parts of Paris. But most of the people who live in France don't have electricity at home."

It quickly got worse from there. The Marine Corps and Navy personnel in the class, who had been all around the world, immediately moved to openly mocking him. I, of course, encouraged that.

He kept sputtering on about how "Everyone knows that France is a very backward country. Most people there don't have access to electricity."

This is what happens when people watch Fox "News".

Now, on with the pictures of the electrically-powered Christmas decorations I saw in France.

A large tree stood at the center of the north side of Vieux Port. Across the harbor and at the peak of the overlooking hill, Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde was nicely lit.

Santons are a tradition of Provence. They range in size and subject. Some could be part of a traditional crèche or manger scene. Others could build a complex Provençal village scene.

Avignon

I spent a day in Avignon, an easy day trip by train from Marseille. They have multiple Christmas markets, one just inside the gate through the old city walls across from Avignon Central train station.

Paris

As in New York City, people living in France don't live in enormous houses with an entire room (or more!) dedicated to storing holiday decorations.

Christmas trees are real trees, not large, purchased at corner shops two to three weeks before the big day.

I traveled from Marseille to Paris on the TGV, the high-speed train that runs at 320 kph. It's the same technology that Morocco's rail system uses on the main line from Tangier to Casablanca. The French TGV is powered by nuclear energy, while solar power provides a rapidly growing percentage of the electrical supply in Morocco. The world's largest thermonuclear fusion system is ITER, a short distance north of Marseille. French and Moroccan rail systems make America's Amtrak look pitiful.

Just like that week in the class, I'm unexpectedly pummeling the hapless Fox watcher again. But I'm sure he had a Christmas Room in his McMansion, so we're all very proud of that.

One of the many Christmas markets in Paris is on Place Saint-Michel, on the Left Bank of the Seine, just a few blocks west of Notre Dame cathedral.

Many stores in Paris are decorated, inside and out.

Small parks and squares are decorated.

And entire streets.

I walked down l'Avenue Champs-Élysées from l'Arc de Triomphe. Its many high-end stores were decorated.

I turned to the south on Avenue George V, toward the river. The high-end stores and decorations continued.

I continued south to the Seine, near the Eiffel Tower, and turned to my left, to the east, and walked along the north bank of the Seine.

Having walked about four kilometers along the Seine, I arrived in the Marais district where the BHV department store's theme was "Christmas in the Forest".

The two dominant department stores in Paris, les grands magasins, are Printemps and Galleries Lafayette. They're near Gare Saint-Lazare where trains leave for Normandy. Here's a look at Printemps first.

Meh. It was OK, but overshadowed by the next stop.

Finally, to Galeries Lafayette, which for me wins the contest with its overwhelming decoration in le coupole, its multi-floor open rotunda.

And now, le coupole.

Wow.

I had to leave early on the 13th to return to the U.S. Here's the scene near where I stayed at the foot of Montmartre.