Since then, the festive event has been replaced with a more environmentally-friendly attraction and 2021 marks the fourth edition of the Hôtel de Ville Christmas Market.
Head to the Mairie de Paris at this time and you can expect to find a winter wonderland of snow-covered trees, sapins (fir trees), and a carousels. At night, the Hôtel de Ville is illuminated with blue lights, bathing the entire area in a blue glow. This is reminiscent of blue Christmas in Alsace.
On the surface, Qatar is a dazzling and colorful Arab country, home to sheikhs and big business. But migrant workers without Qatari citizenship make up nearly 90% of Qatar’s total population – the highest such rate in the world.
Anyone traveling to Qatar arrives with plenty of prejudices: that it is a corrupt, filthy-rich emirate full of forced laborers who have no rights; that it is home to businessmen whose practices are, at best, questionable. But for the Qataris themselves, and the millions of guest workers from all over the world who live there, the picture is more nuanced.
Yes, Qatar is a dictatorship with an emir who enjoys almost unlimited power. But at the same time, Qatar is remarkably open and progressive. The emirate is tiny, and yet tremendously fascinating – with its vast desert landscapes, its bizarrely-shaped mountains and its picturesque sandy beaches.
Boomers Daily 