Venez, Venez Saint Nicolas!

This weekend was the big GIANT Saint Nicolas celebration in Nancy, which really marked the first time I've felt the Christmas spirit this year.  I tried listening to Christmas songs just after Thanksgiving, but it didn't seem right (probably because the weather was fairly warm, up until this week.  Well, its still "warm" for me.  Vive Wisconsin winter).  On Saturday, the Christmas market is open, full of people strolling, shopping and snacking.  Unfortunately, it appears that the honey guy is not there this year, which is really sad.  I think my friends and I provided a lot of business last year.

Last year, I completely missed this celebration, because I was in Trier, Germany with a colleague.  So naturally, when I was renewed, I marked my calendar with a big DO NOT MISS on the first weekend in December.  And I'm really glad that I didn't.  I wandered around the Christmas market (snacking, of course.  Ok people, they have churros.  CHURROS.  And hot wine.  And waffles with Nutella.  I can't not snack).  At around 6:30pm, a friend and I headed to Place Stanislas for the big fireworks show.  They actually closed off the Place at 7pm (and estimated 25,000 people attend this), so we were able to get in and meet up with some other assistants before the big spectacle at 7:30.

It started with the story of Saint Nicolas, involving fake snow and confetti being blown over the crowd, and an appearance from the man himself.  It culminated in easily the 2nd best fireworks display I've seen in my lifetime (sorry, nothing beats Paris on Bastille Day).  Here, in France, fireworks are an artwork.  They coordinate to the music (this year, set to Mozart), and there's a really good variety of shapes, colors and explosions (where I tend to think that the US just try to shoot of the biggest, loudest ones).  Don't believe me?  Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Exhibits A-C (one video is mine...poor quality; the finale video is a friend's...better quality.  Pictures are all mine):

Amazing fireworks display.  Ville de Nancy, you've done well.

Random selection of fireworks from fête de Saint Nicolas.

St. Nicolas and 25,000 Nancéiennes

Fireworks finale (courtesy of my friend)

Can I just reiterate how much I love fireworks?!?  The only bad part about the whole Place Stanislas experience was exiting.  There are 25,000 people all trying to get out and get to the first bar they see.  Its a bit like exiting a football stadium.  Lots of people, lots of bottlenecks, a general feeling of being swept away in a sea of people.

Mass exodus from Place Stanislas.  Nothing a Lambeau Field veteran couldn't handle.