A cosmopolitan Christmas

Grab your towel before the Germans get the best spots! Sorry, don't mind me, I'm dreaming of a hot Christmas with a pool but it ain't going to happen! If you're curious, this is the pool annexed to our Ibis hotel in France. The pool was blissfully quiet most of the time and we found out why when we stepped inside it. Despite a temperature of 35 degrees under the French sun, the water was 19. Freezing, so like all other guests we swam very fast (dart, I forgot to pack the English Channel swimmers' grease) and left in a hurry.

Let's stop dreaming and go back to the theme. One of the tips I gave in an article about celebrations on a budget was to change the menu. Turkey can be expensive and I have read that this year retailers have underestimated the demand (Brits might be trying to save but it doesn't mean that the turkey gets it). So not sure what the prices of turkey are this Christmas and are they going to fly in foreign birds? Sorry, still thinking about the sun holiday abroad.

If you like to try a foreign menu for Christmas, click here and type Christmas in the search box. Most nationalities are represented - some alternatives might even be cheaper than your usual festive fare.

As I'm of Italian origin, I want to present to you an authentic Italian menu. The only snag is that Italian food is different from region to region. I come from Piedmont (Piemonte), which is the region attached to France. Not many Brits know it, but I only need to say four words to demonstrate that it is more popular than you think: 'white truffles' and 'Barolo wine'.

So what do Italians eat at Christmas? There is a variety of dishes as every region has its specialities but here is a summary: baccala' (salted dried cod fish cooked in sauces), smoked salmon (usually Danish or Scottish), spicy fish soup, baked pasta (quite a cheap alternative this), rosbif (yes, it's the roast beef, spelled the Italian way), pork roast, turnip soup (I kid you not), pig trotter with polenta and lentils, carpaccio (basically cured raw beef cut very finely), Russian salad, ravioli in capon broth (see below about the capon).

The equivalent of the turkey is the capon (basically a castrated chicken that has been fattened up). Many meals in the north include a starter of smoked salmon and carpaccio, fresh pasta, a roast (capon, beef, pork) and then the desserts.

The traditional dessert is Panettone (cheaper ones are available from Aldi, Lidl, etc), then there are regional variations of sweets on top such as Mont Blanc (chestnut puree and chocolate mountain with whipped cream on top), honey pastries, dried figs, candied almonds, marzipan fruits, panforte (sometimes available in delicatessen), pandolce....

And drinks? Italian 'champagne' is called spumante and there are bottles for every pockets. Forget that Asti of your student days, Asti spumante can be as good as the French stuff (but it will cost you). There are other brands of spumante, some quite pricey. I'm not sure if you can find them in the UK, though.

In Piedmont we have great red wines: Barolo, Dolcetto, Barbera, Barbaresco, Nebbiolo, Grignolino, Fresia, to name a few. The white wines include Cortese and Chardonnay. Malvasia and Moscato are two dessert wines on the sweet side.

So perhaps, you can replace some of the expensive dishes with cheaper Italian alternatives, although I think the wines might not be much of a bargain as good wine is never cheap.

Buon Natale (Happy Xmas).

Travel with a toddler... Grenoble, Beaune & Arras

When we reached my parents' house in Piedmont, we had a good rest. The car hardly moved as we visited relatives, ate and enjoyed the celebrations of the Feast of the Patron Saint. There were concerts, fireworks and rides. Michela had her first experience of a funfair as a 'passenger' rather than an onlooker. After enjoying warm weather and hospitality for nine days we left on an overcast Sunday morning. Our first stop in France was Grenoble. We took the teleferic up to the mountain pictured above, where there is an old fort and decided to walk down. The views were worth it but the journey down the mountain proved treacherous.

I had forgotten how long it takes to go down mountain paths, this one was 2.5km long and full of stones. It's a miracle our stroller survived the bumpy ride. I had asked a French couple before I bought my one-way ticket and they had assured me it was doable - we did it but Michael had quite a job pushing the stroller down as stones, tree roots and rocky bumps interfered with the wheels. Hats off to Bruin for their sturdy strollers!

If you visit Grenoble on a Sunday, like we did, all the shops are shut in the afternoon, even the supermarkets and some restaurants. We asked a local woman and discovered the Arab quarter, where we found a spice shop that sold groceries.

As we had time left, we visited a museum. There are two free museums in town, we opted for the historical one, which had ancient foundations of a baptisphere in the basement. This was the only museum we visited during the whole trip as the weather was so good we wanted to spend time outdoors. Our stops were also quite short, as we had only half a day or less to visit each town.

Next day we were in Beaune. The old town is like a circle surrounded by walls. We had a good walk on the ramparts too, after walking around the streets full of enticing shops selling wine, food and local delicacies. In one of the squares there was an old-fashioned fairground ride (pictured below). We had one of the best evening meals here - all regional specialities.



Last stop was Arras, which is not far from Calais. It is town with plenty of Flemish buildings (see photo below) and robust cuisine. We had a huge evening meal very cheaply and we had the restaurant for ourselves as the local fete had terminated and it was a Tuesday night. Very few tourists were about as it was early September.

Throughout our road trip we have been a bit edgy about Michela's behaviour in restaurants. They never have plastic glasses so we had to watch her handle a glass tumbler and stop her from misbehaving, which she is fond of doing to attract attention. This time there was nobody to impress so she behaved better.


My top tip: if you want to enjoy a dinner meal with a toddler in tow, bring with you a plastic beaker and feed your child beforehand as they get hungry earlier than you. At the restaurant order them a treat, such as a plate of chips, an ice cream or their favourite snack. Even a glass of cold milk with a straw can keep them occupied! On the last evening we brought two board books too, so she could 'read' a bit while we ate.

Travel with a toddler... Auxerre & Annecy

Auxerre is a charming medieval town with narrow streets. We stayed at a hotel in the old town, which looked like a private dwelling. Our room was in an annexe in the courtyard. This type of houses are common, we found the charming brocante pictured above in another house, converted as an antiques shop. Downtown I recommend walking by the riverside, but do mind the mosquitoes at night!

On the way to Annecy, our final stop before Italy, we visited the Aire de Jugy. Aires are stops on the motorway that offer picnic facilites and toilets. Sometimes there are good restaurants and cafes too, so you can choose to eat in or bring your own.

If you want to eat at an aire, I recommend the Autogrill chain, which runs good establishments with great facilities. Their map is very good, although we had a Tom Tom, we often consulted it as even minor towns are clearly shown.

French motorways might be one of the most expensive in Europe but they are superb and in many tracts there was so little traffic the drive was relaxing too. Back to the Aire de Jugy, this is worth a stop because there are free play facilities shaped like mushrooms. Michela (pictured below) had a good time, as much as riding the hotel owner's big dog at Auxerre, which seemed to be trained to give children's rides. Pity I didn't snap her.



We arrived in Annecy early in the afternoon and it was sweltering, despite its proximity to the Alps. It's the cutest town I've ever seen, with plenty to see and do. It has narrow streets, old buildings, a castle on the hill, a river through it (see picture below) and restaurants spilling their tables on its banks. The local speciality are tartiflettes, which we couldn't sample. Annecy is very touristy so going to dinner at 9pm, like we did, is a no no.

There is also a grassy beach, basically a park by the lake and plenty of people were swimming. I regret not having a boat trip and not knowing about a beautiful outdoor pool, which only cost 8 euros for the three of us (Michela was too young to pay). Shame on the Rough Guide, for not mentioning this pool!

On the way to Italy we stopped at the Aire du Grenier, which had free games, such as a bouncing castle, table footy, a climbing frame, various table games and puzzles. The restaurants had a play area with books, a plastic kitchen and colouring materials.


My top tip: if you haven't got a portable dvd to entertain your toddler, take CDs of nursery rhymes and books. Car snacks are also essential (dried fruit, cereal bars, fresh French bread, madeleines, fruit...) to keep your toddler happy. They won't wait till the next stop if they are peckish.