Christmas bells and Christmas trees

Hanoi - street scene in Old Quarter, originally uploaded by CharlesFred.

Sunday was the first day of Advent, in the Christian calendar and Christmas is just three weeks away. It does not feel at all Christmas-y here, except in the street outside our Hanoi Blue Sky Hotel, where there are a number of shops selling Christmas decorations, and not justa few, but the shops are overloaded with lights and baubles and decorations.

Sinterklaas is not quite Christmas either, but gives us the origin of Father Christmas. I am not sure we can connect to internet from teh mountains, so here is a wish to the Dutch readers of this blog... een prettige en fijne Sinterklaas toegewenst.