I went by the xmas market in Rouen several times in late November and enjoyed the booths and the little magic forest and kiddie rides. (I did not ride on the rides.) It occupies the square in front of the cathedral, and there is along the right side of the cathedral an additional cohort of booths labeled the Rue des Creators, which I took to mean that craftspeople were selling their own crafts.
Each time I visited the light looked very different from before. I wonder if anyone else ever noticed this about the facade of the cathedral?
One thing that struck my quirky mind was that the power cables supplying electricity to the market came from the cathedral and they had been secured by being paved over with tar macadam like street pothole repair rather than with those yellow outdoor electrical cable covers. A display of French thoroughness? Concern for safety?
The usual booths were all represented -- gifts, accessories, toys, seasonal food like pretzels with melted raclette and vin chaud. I realized that there weren't a lot of specifically Catholic items on offer, for instance a woman with racks full of figurines had no saints or major divinities among her many represented professions. The live music was either a solo guitarist or a trio who played mostly pop songs rather than carols. I think the city wants to keep it pretty non-denominational.
Here's the program:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wj3IzhevbR3_9HNatpvXXXJg_GcI2CDQ/view?usp=sharing
One booth that sticks in my mind is a leatherworking one with bags and belts and purses and so forth -- a woman was purchasing a belt (perhaps a gift) and the proprietor was customizing it for her with special tools he had in his apron, to put the holes in the spots that were right for the wearer. I found this impressive, and lingered a bit to see him work, and also to consider buying a pair of insoles or semelles with wool fur to put in your shoes for winter -- they looked artisanal and were available in EU sizing. I thought that would make a quirky souvenir, but then I remembered that I live in CA and hardly ever wear the winter footwear I already have.
The deep blue sky shortly after sunset (about 5pm) gave everything a magical backdrop to add to the stone of the church, and the lighting was tasteful in that French way, not so garish as in other climes. Inside, the Crèche was in-process, but even completed creches will forego placing baby J in the cradle until the date of his birth gets nearer. The dark interior gave another set of atmospherics -- knowing that the tomb of Richard the Lionheart and other quasi-legendary royalty was farther down the nave made the manger seem warmer by contrast. (Note that Richard I's remains were divvied up and redistributed several times so that now only his heart is there in Rouen.[But of course that's his most famous part] )
I also really liked a fabrics booth that had a life-size alpaca mannequin with a pillow for a saddle and a chain of tassels for reins. Didn't see if they were letting kids sit on her.
Season of good cheer. The mood around the center of Rouen had lifted above the chill and damp to radiate warmth and blushing cheeks. The recently released Beaujolais Nouveau didn't hurt, either. The third Thursday of November is celebrated as Beaujolais Nouveau Day. I'll post about the best places I found to eat and drink later.