17 décembre 2008, Clermont-Ferrand

WEDNESDAY
Outside Dispensaire Emilie Roux, which is where I got my lung x-ray done.

The university on strike.

Jardin Lecoq

16 décembre 2008, to Clermont-Ferrand

TUESDAY
After teaching this morning, I took an hour and a half train ride from Montluçon to Clermont-Ferrand. The trip to C-F is mostly business, as I have a scheduled medical exam, which is necessary for obtaining my French residency card.

snowy fields from the train.

Place de Jaude with a large Christmas tree and ferris wheel.

I walked through le marché de Noël (Christmas market). It was in Place de la Victoire, located near Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption de Clermont-Ferrand.

I wanted to make gingerbread cookies, though molasses could not be found in Montluçon, but I was told it could be found at Le Comptoir Irlandais. There are forty-two of these stores around France selling authenic Irish goods. I did indeed find molasses, though I had to ask for help because it wasn't in packaging that I recognized. It is Lyle's Black Treacle, the word "molasses" was in a very small font at the bottom of the tin can.

15 décembre 2008

MONDAY

Due to the snow, le Jardin Wilson was closed.

14 décembre 2008, la neige

SUNDAY

Today, I woke up to snow out my window. It is the first real snowfall of the season in Montluçon proper. The city received about two centimeters, though the surrounding hills I believe got around five inches.

view from bedroom ___________view from kitchen

The palm tree roundabout covered in snow.

Walked through the Saint-Paul Sunday market, I was surprised by how many people there were.

13 décembre 2008, Christmas lunch

SATURDAY
Today was the annual Club anglais (English Club) Christmas lunch. A member lives up the street from me and he drove me along with two others to Marcillat-en-Combraille, which is where the lunch was being held.

Marcillat-en-Combraille is a small town, about thirty minutes south of Montluçon. Population approximately 900 inhabitants.

There was snow on the fields as we drove through the French countryside, which always has a particular charm about it, even though it is becoming familiar.

Like any proper French village, Marcillat-en-Combraille, the church is the center of town.

There were 32 people in attendance. We sat along two large table in the back room of this restaurant. The food was delicious; there were two main courses, a cheese dish, and dessert. One of the members from Christmas crackers from England

After the meal, everyone sang some Christmas carols, including "The Twelve Days of Christmas," which was a lot of fun. We were divided into groups and given a specific day out of the twelve to represent; you stand up and sing on your day, but then everyone stands up and sings "on the first of day of Chirstmas..."

The whole event lasted nearly five hours.

12 décembre 2008, Barbudos

FRIDAYBarbudos is a Montluçon band; they played a show at a bar in the medieval part of town. There are six musicians in the band, they traded off instruments and vocals, which was cool. The music and the lyrics were very French, which is kind of hard to explain, but it was fun to listen to.

11 décembre 2008, casino

WEDNESDAY
A mobile casino that has been plopped in front of the Saint Pierre bus stop, which is right at the edge of downtown Montluçon.

8 décembre 2008

MONDAY

Walking through the medieval part of town to get to work.

6 décembre 2008

SATURDAY

Marché de Noël in Prémilhat

Prémilhat and Templemore, Ireland are sister cities. The sister city association had a table at the event. In the picture is my roommate, Becky, playing the flute and Françoise, who is a member of the English Club, is holding the music.

Art exposition. I know the two featured artists through the English Club that I have been attending.

5 décembre 2008, gingerbread houses

FRIDAY
I gathered the preparations for making "gingerbread" houses and two friends and I spent our Friday night decorating.
Molasses is not a typical ingredient sold in French grocery stores, so I couldn't make real gingerbread. There also isn't graham crackers, so the Swedish Wasa crackers played the role in creating the foundation of the houses.

My gingerbread house

4 décembre 2008

THURSDAY

I took this picture walking to my first school of the morning, École Jean Moulin. This was the first time I actually saw the Christmas lights on, which was exciting.

A rainbow from my kitchen window.

A four-wheeler parked on the sidewalk in downtown Montluçon.

The booths for the marché de Noël (Christmas market) are now set up in the square in front of the castle, though the market won't open until the seventeenth of December.