After a somewhat tumultuous start to my eagerly anticipated hike through the French country side (do you believe it was offensive that I asked any female at La Defense station wearing hiking boots or a backpack if she was American?), I found my crew. With no time to spare, we hopped on the RER A to land ourselves in a snow-covered, peaceful countryside. After winding our ways through a large open field coated in snow and dotted with children not in school (French children don't have school on Wednesday!), we started out on a narrow, berry-flanked path. It was at our first pause that someone pointed out the perfectly rounded, picturesque mass of leaves that seemed to populate many of the large trees in the area. To my dismay and large disappointment, I learned that it is the poisonous, and parasitic, mistletoe!
I write this short blurb only to inform you of the fact that the greenery that we associate with love and a warm-spirited holiday season is actually a parasite, and sucks the life out of its host. This disturbed me greatly, and I only thought it fair that I ruin the false image of mistletoe for you as well. Think twice the next time you try to steal a smooch under the mistletoe after a few glasses of egg nog.
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