On Christmas Eve, Audra and Cyril were busy preparing for the huge meal traditionally served on Christmas Eve in France. Because they were busy with the food and family preparations, Bill and I hung out in Nimes and, after enjoying a lunch of Hawaiian pizza made by a local pizzeria, we walked around the city. It was unseasonably warm, so I didn’t even need a sweater. A small Christmas carnival was going on, and shops were open and blaring Christmas music. I got some pictures of the festivities, as well as a few sites we saw the first time we visited Nimes. I really like it there. It has a laid back Mediterranean vibe, as well as a bullfighting ring. Not that I like bullfighting, per se… it’s just a very cool looking structure. Here are some photos from our walk around Nimes:
Surprisingly good pizza. 
Huge shopping center near our gite. 
Need food? Les Halles de Nimes has you covered! 
Pay a visit! Supposedly famous chefs visit. 
Like most of the French cities I’ve visited, Nimes has a carousel. It stays year round. 
I love this church. 
Many children were enjoying the nice weather and rides. 
They had plenty of junk food, too. We didn’t partake, because Audra warned us that dinner would be huge. 
Arena! Not too many cities outside of Spain have these… 
Ferris wheel… 
Games… 
goodies… 
Nice walking areas… 
I took this photo for the sign… want to look it up. 
Where we got our pizza. It was the best I’d had in awhile. 
And a store across the way with Mount Ararat on the sign. They had no Armenian brandy, though. 
The area outside our gite. It’s busy and gritty.
I was glad Bill and I had brought “nice” clothes, since the Christmas Eve dinner was more of a formal affair. Okay, so I had to tell Bill to turn his sweater vest right side out, and my dress has been a go to “dressy” outfit since 2010 (God bless forgiving modal and ruching). But I did have new jewelry.
We got to Audra’s and Cyril’s house at about 6:00pm. They were kind enough to invite Arran, too, so their cats went hunting while we hung out. Audra and Cyril built their house right next door to his parents’ house. When Bill and I visited in 2014, we were invited over to Cyril’s parents’ house for lunch. Bill was overwhelmed by their hospitality. Every Sunday, they all gather and eat lunch, visit, and enjoy each other’s company. Cyril’s parents, brother and sister-in-law, and their dog, Merlin, and Juliette joined us for the Christmas Eve feast, which commenced with raw oysters! Bill surprised me by trying and enjoying two of them! Personally, I like oysters… it’s like a taste of Tidewater for me. Audra also had some grilled oysters for the squeamish. They were also delicious.
I didn’t get a lot of pictures of the food, since I didn’t want to be tacky. Here are a few shots I did get. I had to get one of the oysters, right? We don’t see them much in Germany!
A delicious French Buche de Noel… what I would normally think of as a Yule log. It was white cake, chocolate frosting, and lots of Grand Marnier. 
Oysters and champagne! 
Pretty table. 
I wish I had people around I could set the table for… 
Christmas tree. I loved their pellet heater, which provides the warmth and glow of a fire without the mess.
Dinner went on until after 11:00pm, then we stayed up talking until almost 2:00am! Audra and Cyril very kindly served as a taxi service for us, so we didn’t have to worry about losing our parking spot in the garage.
Cyril’s parents don’t speak English, but they were very warm and gracious to Bill and me. I can tell that they’ve really embraced Audra and her children as true family. It’s lovely to see. They made us feel like family, too.