Christmas Shopping - Yes, It's that time already!

Christmas at the Galeries LaFayette, Paris

Sh. In case you hadn't realised, it's that time of year again. The time when people warn you helpfully how close it is to Christmas and you start to panic about what to get everyone. I have an easy answer to that - books! But still, the pressure is on to come up with the perfect gift, whether home made or bought.

So, knowing what a stressful time it is I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite Christmas shopping places - only recently discovered because, frankly, they aren't located too close to where I live. I don't usually shop here but they made me smile, despite the crowds, and I hope they make you smile too.

Outside the Galeries LaFayette in Paris

I'm sharing two department store experiences. First up is the Galeries LaFayette in Paris. Multiple, multiple floors of outlets selling everything to diamonds and designer handbags to gourmet snacks and clothes. It had the most enormous Christmas tree I'd ever seen indoors and probably more people than I'd ever seen indoors in one place. As for the pavement out the front - it was packed with people and we just got swept along with the crowd.

It's not the place for a little bargain, but for window shopping or drooling (discreetly of course). It's fabulous. Above it all is a beautifully coloured glass dome ceiling which is elegant and amazing. The huge space even seemed to absorb the constant hum of desperate Christmas shoppers. So if you want elegance, this one does it in style. It's on any tourist list of places to see in Paris and easy to get to.

My other department store treat was KaDeWe - a similarly enormous store in Berlin. In fact I'm told it's the biggest store in Europe, though I haven't checked that fact. I wouldn't be surprised. I went for a browse and what a treat. Again, it had the most wonderful luxury items - the sort of things that don't even feature in the town where I live. The jewellery and fashion sections were amazing but if you just stopped there you'd miss a lot.

Christmas for the discerning dog? KaDeWe, Berlin

I was lucky enough to visit when I wasn't in a panic to find last minute gifts, so I had time to notice some of the quirkier bits and pieces. How about these lederhosen (leather shorts held up by a bib and braces), embroidered with edelweiss? I'm sure that would make some pooch happy. And the beautiful porcelain dog bowls were amazing too. I knew the Germans loved their dogs but this put things in a whole new light!

And of course there were gifts for people as well. These designer art pieces were eye-catching and fun and unlike anything I'd ever seen before. The whole display of crazy animals just made me smile. I love the crocodile at the front of the photo, with his mouth open wide.

For someone who has everything

Strangely, despite all the temptations, it was the top floor we lingered in. The top floor is the food court. It had every delicacy you could imagine, through meats and cheeses and wines to...well, you name it. We got lost several times on that floor alone, and I wished I'd had a lot more room in my luggage so I could indulge.

Perhaps the best thing about upmarket department store shopping (even if it's window shopping), is relaxing in the on-premises coffee shop to rest the feet. KaDeWe was no exception. We passed up the chance for oysters and seafood. Instead we chose from the coffee and cake selection. Even that took us fifteen minutes of careful browsing!

Finishing with afternoon tea

Here's an example of what was on offer - raspberry crumble pie and fantastic coffee. I'm not sure if you can see it, but the fresh raspberry on top of the pie had edible gold leaf on top - just to make the eating experience more of an experience! Not your average coffee shop, that's for sure.

Back home again and I doubt I'll be buying things like these on my Christmas shopping excursions. My aim will be to think carefully, write a list or two and try to do my shopping quickly and methodically, avoiding the crowds. I wonder if I'll manage it? I know that if anyone were to offer me coffee and cake as good as these along the way, I'd be only too happy to indulge.

How about you? Are you looking forward to Christmas shopping? Do you get a buzz out of finding the right gift? Or is it all too hard? Will you shop at a department store or somewhere smaller or maybe even make your own gifts this year? Do you have a favourite place you like to shop?


In the spirit of Christmas cheer, I will give away a signed copy of my latest book DEFYING HER DESERT DUTY to someone who leaves a comment. If you leave a post, drop by again tomorrow to see if you've won.


And if you're still wondering what to buy people for Christmas - how about a romance? 'Defying Her Desert Duty' is available now from The Book Depository (with free postage), or for new year reading there's 'Captive in the Spotlight' (this link is to the North American version, out in February, as it includes an extra full length story 'Blackmailed Bride, Innocent Wife' for free). To find out more about either book, drop by Annie's website for more detail and some tantalising excerpts.

To Market, To Market, French Style - Part 2 - Annie West

Approaching the market - this is just the beginning

Last month I had a marvellous time sharing with you some of the photos from my market shopping experiences in France. My current book DEFYING HIS DESERT DUTY is set (despite the title) mainly in France and inspired especially by the wonderful time I spent in the Loire Valley and the Perigord region of SW France. Last time I told you about some of the edible treats I encountered. This time I thought I'd tell you a little about the huge range of other items on sale.

These photos are all taken in the town of Le Bugue in the Perigord. We parked by the river and walked up beside the water to the main street, watching a kingfisher dive and swoop along the way. I thought this square, the first I came too, was the sum total of the market. I was wrong. It went on and on, across both sides of the main square (this is half), into a delightful undercover area and then, to my surprise up a very long street then down to another little stream. A great way to spend a morning!

I was stunned by what I found. I'd thought in terms of food - baguettes, vegetables, cheese and meats. There was all that and far more. There was something for everyone. It seems the locals are quite happy to shop for pots and pans at the market at well as for fresh produce. I got lured in by a guy demonstrating a new kitchen device - not at this stand but at one four deep in passersby. Usually I don't buy those kitsch all-in-one utensils so I gave him a wide berth, but on the way back I paused and got hooked. Now I own a brilliant pair of scissors perfect for chopping parsley, chives and other soft herbs. They look like normal scissors till you open them and see there are 5 blades on each side. Honestly, I can never wait to use them as they make cutting so much fun!

Her'e a stand selling wonderful, wonderful cookware. If I hadn't had the weight restrictions on the flight back to Australia I'd have indulged here, believe me. The colours were terrific in the morning sun and I could see myself using so many of the terrific dishes on display. The fact this was next to a huge stall selling hot food helped too!

There were stalls filled to the brim with clothes. There were shoes, belts and scarves. There was even a stall selling epiphytes - small plants anchored on twisted branches, just perfect for hanging under a pergola. Here's the wonderful stall where I brought my brilliant jacquard tablecloth in summer blues and daffodil yellow. Big enough for our large dining table and cheerful with its lovely pattern to make me feel good whenever I use it. The stall holder had me intrigued with the news my choice was water repellent - demonstrating by tipping water over it before he wrapped it - then tilting it and letting the water slide away. It looked like a simple linen cloth to me!

Here's the last stall we found, tucked away around a corner on the tranquil bank of a stream. I wanted to stay and sift through the pottery, sure I could find a few things that would fit in my bag. They were all so gorgeous and I knew they would work wonderfully in my kitchen. My husband, made of sterner stuff when it comes to markets, just gave me that look and I had to admit he was right. The whole market was one big temptation, but I couldn't take it home with me. Fortunately there was some compensation to be had. On the stroll back to our car we found a lovely little restaurant with a courtyard shaded by a massive plane tree. Perfect on a sunny day. It was just the place to stop and enjoy a restorative coffee before heading off to a lovely spot in the hills for lunch washed down with local wine. Sigh. Is it any wonder this part of France provided inspiration for my latest story?

How about you? Are you a market shopper? Have you ever made a terrific purchase at one that still makes you smile? What do you wish your local market sold that it doesn't? Our local market at home sells mainly food and I wish from time to time it sold the sort of gorgeous handmade crafts that would make gift shopping so much easier.

To celebrate the release of DEFYING HER DESERT DUTY, my French location sheikh story, I'll give away a signed copy of the book to one person who leaves a comment here today.

This month Annie has 3 releases:  DEFYING HER DESERT DUTY in the United Kingdom and an anthology: GREEK AFFAIRS: TEMPTED BY THE TYCOON in Australia/New Zealand. In the UK there's also an anthology available from 19th October: SULTRY NIGHTS. If you're after a copy of GREEK AFFAIRS, here's a link to Mills and Boon. If you want free postage on DEFYING HER DESERT DUTY here's a link to The Book Depository.

You can visit Annie's site to find details of her books or sign up for her newsletter and be in the draw for great prizes and the latest news.

To Market, To Market, French Style - Annie West

 

My upcoming release, DEFYING HER DESERT DUTY, was partly inspired by a recent trip to France. Yes, yes, I know, the title sounds like the story is all about hot desert nights and that certainly features at the end of the book. Plus there's a rather mouthwatering sheikh to enjoy along the way. But most of the story is set in Europe as my heroine tries desperately to put off the day she must return to the man she's promised to marry. And along the way she mades the mistake of falling for the man who's been sent to protect and bring her home. Sigh. I love the tug of war between love and duty in this one.

Anyway...thinking about this story made me think of wonderful places I'd visited while researching, some of which are places Soraya visits too. I thought I'd share a few of them with you. Top of my list was rural France.

One of my favourite experiences was visiting French street markets. This one in Le Bugue in the Dordogne region was typical. Lots and lots of fresh produce as you can see. And what would a french market be without ropes of garlic? This stall was actually the smallest of the garlic stalls I found. Another find was a stall specialising in saffron, those tiny threads each picked by hand from low growing crocus flowers. I'm happy to use it in my cooking but so glad I don't have to harvest it! This was at the beginning of the market and I thought it was only the size of the small town square. Little did I know! It went on and on down a long street filled with everything from home made salamis to olives of every shape, variety and seasoning imaginable to...well, to most things edible.

What a terrific way to spend a few hours.

If garlic seems an obvious ingredient in a French food market, how about cheese? I was stunned by the cheese stalls. Some were refrigerated behind glass, like the deli counters at home, full of small pieces of all sorts of creamy cheeses. This one was rather more down to earth, with enormous wheels of cheese coming straight from the farm by the look of them. This stall seemed unattended but I'm sure someone would have arrived if we'd started helping ourselves. I did wonder though if they'd sell their produce in tiny 100gram lots or whether it had to be by the kilo!

Another fascinating stall, especially after the colour and earthy scent of the stalls laden with fresh veges, was this one that specialised in teas. Not plain old black or green tea but unusual combinations and flavours of tea and tea to help with all sorts of ailments. Tea for health not just tea for enjoyment or to quench thirst and each type apparently hand blended. The stall was much, much larger than this. This was just a small shelf out the front with interesting herbs and dried leaves. They did a roaring trade too, mainly with locals I think. The scents from that stall were fascinating too, and I spent ages investigating what was on offer.

Surprisingly (as we were inland after all) one of the last stalls was a massive seafood tent. They had all sorts of fresh seafood on ice from fish to massive prawns, crabs and shellfish. In addition, and much more appealing to passing tourists, were the massive steaming trays of paella (or so it looked to me) and other hot seafood dishes. That's them at the front of the stall - the round containers.

I visit my local farmers' markets at home from time to time and enjoy getting food direct from the grower, knowing it's fresh and tasty. It's always a fun experience. But I have to say there was something especially enjoyable about sampling a French food market. The sun was shining and some of the items on sale were fascinatingly exotic, to me at least. Add to that the fact that purchases were made in French and I didn't have to stagger home with a week's supplies, just enough to supply a delicious outdoor picnic, and it was a wonderful carefree experience. One I can recommend to anyone!

Do you shop at markets? What are the local specialities you enjoy most? Or are there foods you'd love to find on sale that never appear where you shop?


Next month I'll indulge myself with more market pictures but no food this time. I hope you'll join me then too for a little more marketing in sunny France.

If you want to read more about DEFYING HER DESERT DUTY (out in the UK in October), you can visit my website for an excerpt or order it from The Book Depository now (free postage anywhere in the world and a discount if you order before October).

Oh, and if you're in Australia or New Zealand, my bestselling book THE GREEK TYCOON'S UNEXPECTED WIFE is out this month in a gorgeous anthology called 'GREEK AFFAIRS: TEMPTED BY THE TYCOON'.