For some reason, Fougères does not host a Christmas market. We’d like to go to some of the big ones some day. But, for now, travelling farther afield is quite difficult for us. Our beloved dog, Saxon, is aging and he doesn’t travel well. We don’t wish to impose upon our friends and putting him in a kennel while we’re gone is simply out of the question. So, for the time being, we are focused on more local events.

Quite by chance I happened to discover that a Christmas market was being held at the Haras National (the national stud farm) in Lamballe. Silly me, I wasn’t even aware that there was a national stable in Bretagne at all. Plus, this was to be their inaugural holiday market. And, there was an equestrian show. Oh, man! I couldn’t wait to tell Cherie. She is mad about animals of all kinds. But she has a particular love for horses. As a young girl growing up in Washington State, she kept a horse and rode in many competitions (hunter-jumper, eventing, western). I only got half way into telling her about the market before she was already looking for tickets online.

The Haras National is located right in the middle of Lamballe, in the Côte d’Armor, about an hour-and-a-half drive west of us. We arrived around noon after following a series of tiny signs pointing us along a circuitous route through the back streets and suburban neighborhoods of the town – the kind of route taken by political dignitaries and rock stars when they’re trying to avoid notice.

It was a beautiful but cold day. It had been -3 degrees celsius when we awoke that morning, so we came prepared. Lots of layers. Waddling into the grounds, I made directly for the main attraction of my day: vin chaud. This French version of hot spiced wine is a favorite of mine. It’s the best part of the winter holidays and I never miss an opportunity to try out the local recipe.

My aromatic, steamy wine cupped lovingly in my now-warm hands, we then could move on to that other most-cherished of Breton traditions: the communal outdoor consumption of galettes-saucisses et frites. The Bretons have never met weather foul enough which would prevent them from taking a meal outdoors. Preferably amongst the company of as many friends, family and complete strangers as possible. Welcome to my nightmare. To be fair, our sausages wrapped in thin buckwheat galettes were excellent, along with the roasted potato wedges. Maybe it was the cozy wine softening my hard heart, but I actually enjoyed our meal. In a freezing tent. With a few dozen strangers.

The market itself sprawled in and around several stable blocks. In a clever bit of planning, the vendors in the stable were housed in individual horse stalls. There were dozens of sellers and we enjoyed a good browse amongst the wide range of offerings. Predictably, we ended up buying edible things: local honey, cookies, etc. It was fun. Though we were surprised that, of all the variety on offer, very few items were related to the holidays. It was a Christmas market, after all. Still, the festive spirit of the event was clear and that was enough for us.

The pièce de résistance came at the end of our day: an equestrian demonstration. Cherie was able to book some excellent seats from which to view the show in a well-designed arena. We were fortunate to see some beautiful horses – some of them monstrously large – and witness some masterful riding and handling during the 30-minute event. Cherie didn’t stop smiling the entire time. Perfect!

We had to rush back home directly after the show in order to be back in time to give Saxon his afternoon walk. So, we were unable to devote any time visiting the town of Lamballe itself. Undoubtably, we will return. But we left with happy hearts after a wonderful day at the stables. We hope you all find your own happy places this holiday season.