A Year in Villefranche sur Mer - Moving to France

  Day 2730 (Thursday) 28 th November 2024 This is the exotic garden in Eze Village And this is Place Massena in Nice. We went to Nice today and it was full of Glaswegians as they are playing Nice in football this evening. The bars along the prom were full at midday and kick-off isn’t until 9pm – I can imagine it’s going to get messy tonight. We enjoyed lunch in the park and watched these big kids having fun in the playground – it’s so good to see teenagers being childlike. They have started building the Christmas market in Nice and it’s looking lovely.  The Christmas fete starts in Villefranche-sur-Mer on December 7 th . And in Nice it all starts on the 8 th La Grande Parade de Noël From 29/11/2024 to 01/01/2025 Nice Shopping brings you the magic of Christmas with its Grand Parade. Opening hours on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday between 12 pm and 9 pm. On Thursday and Friday between 12 pm and 11 pm. On Saturday between 11 am and 11 pm. On Sunday between 11 am and 7 pm. Special...

  Day 2729 (Wednesday) 27 th November 2024 This is Menton and Huw took this early this morning. As promised yesterday here are the rest of the traditions and celebrations in France… Baptisms  or  first communions  are sweetened with ‘dragées’, almond candies symbolising purity, while weddings feature the magnificent ‘pièce montée’, symbolising marital unity. Each of these celebrations, deeply rooted in French culture, showcases the country’s love affair with food, where every holiday is an opportunity to gather, feast, and revel in the joy of culinary heritage.   Global Influences on French Festive Traditions The landscape of French celebrations, steeped in rich traditions, has been subtly yet significantly reshaped by globalisation. This blending of global and local has led to intriguing cultural adaptations. Anglo-Saxon holidays Halloween , initially an American import, now sees French children donning costumes and partaking in trick-or-treating, a stark cont...