A Snowy Paris

Let's back up to December for a little bit... It was the last week before our "Vacances de Noël" (Christmas break). Katie and I were excited to have a break from school and work. She works and I attend school to learn French. The last day of my class, which was December 18th, I got a lovely gift from mother nature.

It snowed and stuck to the ground enough to place a thin blanket of white happiness on the streets, grass, and monuments of Paris. I have always loved the snow and was told many times that it rarely snows in Paris and when it does, it does not stay long.

This snow stayed for about two days. It was enough for me to gain the satisfaction that I always desire from snow, except now that it is January, I want more snow to go with this cold. This was the first time that I have seen Paris in the winter and because I was happily accepting the snow, I stayed outside all day taking pictures except when I had class. Also, for the first time, I was teaching a former classmate how to make a snowball and I should have taught them and some of the French the art of making Snowmen (see photos below). This was weird for me because they were only a couple of years younger than me. I was not teaching four year olds how to play in the snow. I was teaching individuals who were from the far south of the USA and some from the southern parts of the globe. I love my international classes. This white blanket of beauty was the perfect way to start Christmas break.

That night, Katie and I went exploring through the glorious blanket. At home in the US I have to beg and drag Katie out of the house to enjoy the snow; however, here she was just as excited to explore the new cover of Paris. Probably because she did not have to dig herself out of the driveway or even have to worry about driving. I'll admit, that was a very nice feature of being in a large city with plenty of public transportation.

By Saturday, the snow had pretty much melted away revealing the same old streets of Paris. This did not stop us from exploring and doing things that are relevant to winter activities in Paris such as ice skating outdoors, which was an another first for me. What better place to experience my first time outdoor ice skating than right in front of the Eiffel Tower. Though I am ready for more, I believe that I have fully experienced a snowy Paris.