Are you a Christmas connoisseur or a New Year know-it-all? Why not test your elf-like skills this Christmas and indulge in a little festive trivia to impress at the dinner table…
1. Did you know that the very first Christmas market took place all the way back in 1298?
Vienna is the place where the December market first saw the light. Little did they know that the European Christmas Markets would become a tradition that is still going strong centuries later.
2. Austrians pull out all the stops when it comes to celebrating New Year.
At the stroke of midnight all church bells throughout Austria ring and in major cities people see in the New Year by dancing in the streets to the tune of the famous Blue Danube Waltz.
3. Delicious warm Glühwein is ever present at the European Christmas markets.
It is made using red wine, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and lemon or orange zest. And did you know you can keep the mug as a souvenir?!
4. Turkeys are safe in Germany at Christmastime!
A roast goose is the traditional dish served and is often filled with apples, dates, chestnuts, onions, and/or prunes. It is also common to stuff the goose with a meat or dough filling.
5. In Italy Christmas gifts are not exchanged until the day of Epiphany on January 6th!
Children hang up their stockings, so that ‘la befana’, an old lady, can bring them presents and her arrival is celebrated by eating traditional sweet Christmas cake known as panettone.
For a fun-filled festive experience try one of our Christmas Market or Festive Breaks. We have a superb collection of fully escorted tours and short breaks to choose from. Visit www.leger.co.uk
If you’re craving your next holiday but short of time, on a budget or you just fancy a change of scene for a few days, a short break is the answer.
Not only will you come back feeling better, you’ll feel as if you’ve been away longer than you have. When we’re away from our daily lives, we become much more aware of our surroundings, and, as a result, come home with many more memories than the same period spent at home. Research has also shown that holidays are great for our mood, reducing our stress levels, increasing our energy levels and generally making us feel better. And these benefits can continue after we return. So holidays are good news all round!
Seizing the day (or four)
Seizing the opportunity to travel whenever I can (and since I’m ‘otherwise engaged’ from 9-5 each day), I decided to make the most of the four-day Easter weekend. People travel for all different reasons, and for me, this short break would mean doing something different than if I was at home. I wanted to visit somewhere I’d never been before… so where would I go?
Just a couple of hours’ drive from Calais is the charming town of Honfleur. I didn’t really know to much about the place, but it always looked really pretty in the photos I’d seen, so I decided to go and see it for myself.
Strolling along the pretty streets of Honfleur
A place in history
Walking along the narrow, cobbled streets, I made my way to Honfleur’s port, known locally as Vieux Bassin in the heart of the town. The port is bordered on three sides by large, stone houses around one side (Quai Sainte Etienne) and tall, narrow buildings on the other (Quai Sainte Catherine). It had been ‘the coldest March for 50 years’ in England and France wasn’t much warmer, but the sky was blue and the sun was shining, so the temperature didn’t seem to matter.
At the port’s entrance is the Lieutenancy building (la Lieutenance). This old, stone building was used as residence by the king’s lieutenant, the governor of Honfleur, until the French Revolution and it’s also what remains of a little fortified castle which formed part of the town’s original, 11th-century ramparts.
The Lieutenancy building – to the right of the photograph – sits at the entrance to Honfleur’s old port.
This town is famous for inspiring the work of many artists, including Monet, Courbet, Boudin and Sisley on account of its ever-changing light, and walking around the streets there are galleries and artists’ studios everywhere.
Many years ago, Honfleur’s shipyards were among some of the best in France, and you can see the skills of the local shipbuilders inside the town’s most famous building – the Church of Sainte Catherine – the ceiling of which resembles the hull of an overturned ship. Today, this building is the oldest and largest wooden church in France. The square in which the church stands (just a short walk from La Lieutenance) was bustling on the day that I was there, with a large, lively market selling local produce: a huge range of really strong-smelling cheese, meat, seafood, fruit and vegetables, plus ciders and Calvados – the apple brandy native to this area.
Church of Sainte Catherine, the the oldest and largest wooden church in France.The smell of the cheese on the market stalls wafted around the streets.Calvados – the apple brandy native to this area.
In one of the little shops, the old man in there handed me a couple of samples of Calvados to try – one which said 10 ans on the bottle – ten years old – and another one which was ’12 ans’. He showed me how I should swirl the drink around to coat the glass before sipping it (although before he got to that part I’d already gulped it all down, to his cry of “sacrilèdge!”). It was very nice, and very warming on such a cold day!
Continuing my stroll around the historic old port, along Quai Sainte Etienne was a small church – Church of Sainte Etienne – Honfleur’s oldest church and today, the Maritime Museum. The small building houses an important collection of engravings, carvings, various maritime memorabilia and model ships, all providing an insight into Honfleur’s sea-faring past.
The Church of Sainte Etienne (in the centre of the photograph) is Honfleur’s oldest church and today, the Maritime Museum.
A sample of Calvados, a ‘crispy mister’ and a French lesson, all in one visit
Later, sitting enjoying the spring sunshine, I noticed how narrow and tall the buildings opposite, along Quai Sainte Catherine, really are. Some of them can’t be more than 8 or 9 feet wide, and, not only do they appear squeezed together, they’re also different heights and widths, some standing further out than others, and with the window levels changing from building to building. Apparently, not only are they different in size and shape, they also have two ground floors: one that opens out onto the quay and another, half-way up, which opens onto the street behind. And, even more peculiarly, because of the structure of the houses, each house is apparently privately-owned by two different householders.
The narrow and tall buildings along Quai Sainte Catherine.
Down on street level, the buildings’ colourful canopies – orange, red, yellow, pink – were flapping in the breeze and below them, the cane chairs and small tables were full of people enjoying the views as others strolled along the quayside.
