Christmas is nearly with us and this year 4 million Brits are heading out of the country with some going to France. Our neighbours are off to Languedoc-Roussillon!The blog at Food Lover's Odyssey describes how an American is enjoying Christmas in foreign climes in lovely Aix en Provence. Being an American living abroad certainly has its ups & downs, but undoubtedly one of the high points of residing in the beautiful land of France is the chance to experience the Christmas season... à la française. What France may lack in splashy decorations (believe me, I really do miss my sparkly, pot-bellied Santa from home), it more than makes up for in simple sophistication. Holiday traditions in Provence, as in other French regions, are quite a subdued affair - full of elegant pine trees (les petits sapins), lots of twinkling white lights (think woodsy meets Coco Chanel), and thankfully, a Christmas market in almost every city. Which brings us to perhaps one of the most quintessentially Provençal cities of all: Aix-en-Provence. It's difficult not to fall under the spell of this charming university town which somehow manages to do "high-brow" and "stone-washed village" all at the same time. Having visited this southern gem on many an occasion, I can safely say Aix really shines during the holiday season - and nowhere is this more apparent than at the annual Christmas market. This past weekend, I braved the somewhat less-charming holiday crowds to shop the "snowy" chalets lining the main boulevard of Aix: Cours Mirabeau. To read more about her experiences: Christmas in France: Aix-en-Provence Christmas Market Video: Xmas in Aix en Provence
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