Mar 13, 2013
It snows in March!
It may says March on the calendar, and we’re a mere week away from official start of spring. However, the weather is anything but that. Between yesterday and today, the temperature plunged to sub-zero level, and in Paris, the snowfall easily measured a good few inches. Not as severe as the northern part of the country, where some places received over 60cm of snow!
As the buses were not running this morning and trying to take the métro would only complicate things for me – there’d be unnecessary distance to travel before changing line and the two lines, which are already normally among the busiest in Paris, would be completely crazy on a day like this when service was reduced and there were even more demand than usual. Besides, it was not a terribly long walk, and I got rewarded with pretty winter scenes to photograph.
Without further ado, snowy Paris in March over two-day period :) (Hover over images for caption)
When I woke up yesterday morning and was confronted with snow, I groaned and thought “drat this is March – and we don’t live in the arctic!” and yet, as soon as I stepped outside into the midst of falling flakes, I was transported to the magical realm of winter wonderland. There was beauty everywhere I turned.
Unfortunately, taking time to go out for serious photowalk was just not feasible during midweek mornings. As you can see, I wasn’t exactly dressed for traipsing around town in the cold for a few hours either. I just had to make the best of whichever photo opportunity that cropped up throughout my days.
Two parks that lie between home and work are Jardin Marco Polo and Jardin du Luxembourg. Of course I took a detour to check out the conditions in both the parks. Jardin Marco Polo was open and easily accesible, while Jardin du Luxembourg was closed until all the main footpaths were cleared of snow.
It has been a while since I dropped by to admire the Fontaine de l’Observatoire, and the direct view towards the Jardin du Luxembourg was simply magnificent. And on these cold mornings, there were nonetheless joggers who braved the elements and pounded the paths of the parks.
Last but not least, this post is not complete without photos that I’ve shot from the top floor of my building. I had only very recently discovered the spot, and from time to time I’m playing tourist there, admiring Paris from a vantage viewpoint. I still need to come back up here some time to get some sunset colours of Paris…
You can see the difference between the two days, one when it was still snowing heavily and one when the sky had just cleared up. The view on the clearer day was certainly more impressive, stretching as far as La Défense to the west and Montmartre to the north! (Really, why do I not have an office on this floor?)
So there you go, another series of snowy photos from Paris. The full set of photos can be found over at Flickr as usual. I hope you enjoy these as much as I had fun shooting them.
Nonetheless, I do yearn for more sunshine, more warmth, and longer day. I can’t wait for spring to be here and set the new mood of renewal in the city. I’d imagine the blooms from last weekend have been flash frozen by this sudden change of weather, so it remains to be seen if they would continue to blossom once the temperature starts to climb again.
Ps: in case you missed it, Paris sous la neige on 19 January as well as 20 January, earlier this year.
As usual, beautiful photos!
Hope you’re keeping warm! :)
I love the snowy Paris photos!
Snowy Paris is so pretty, but I can’t wait for your sunset pictures from your rooftop ;) I’m longing for spring!
niceeeeee picsssss…and the boots too ;)
Thanks everyone – it has been fun but now I’m ready for more sunshine!