The past weekend saw Paris covered in snow. It may be gone now, but for a few glorious days, the city was transformed. It’s the biggest snow I can remember.
Here are a few pictures:

Ok, obviously this isn’t snow. But I went *inside* the Louvre for the first time in years. Holy cow! Yeah, it’s beautiful, too! This is just the ceiling in the Italian wing!
I’ll end how I started:
Hope you’re staying warm!




















Oh, thanks for that Parisian winter love letter, Sion! I could practically taste the cold air and feel the snow on my shoulders. A lovely mini-vacation in the middle of work.
Happy to provide some vacation during work hours
You do not like cold weather but you seem to have a special link with the snow. Something from your childhood I guess… I like it because it is each time the begining of an incredible mess in town… but I am a Parisian, so I like messy stuff anyway.
You just read our monthly paragraph about our late white friend. (soupir)
You’re right that I dislike the cold. But I find unending gray, rainy days even worse, so the snow is at least a beautiful break!
I grew up in North Carolina; not much snow to speak of.
Have to say, I’m not a fan of la neige, and worse, the MUSH! On the brief walk from the metro to my school, my shoes soaked through completely so I had to teach for hours in wet socks. The Louvre is a lovely escape though. If you haven’t been to the recently opened Islamic wing, it is absolutely worth checking out.
Oh, I feel you. The slush is no fun. I stayed cooped up inside as much as possible and ventured out when everything was completely, freshly covered with snow. Somehow the MORE of it there was, the less gross mushy encounters I had.
But in case there’s any doubt with all these snow posts: I live for hot summer weather. I just enjoy the snow more than the usual rain ’round these parts
Thanks for the tip on the Islamic wing! I seem to have taken the Louvre off my list years ago (like how as a New Yorker I never went up the Empire State building), but it was really good to go again. Kind of crazy that I had to remind myself; oh yeah, it *is* amazing!
Beautiful pics, Sion! I love the ET ones especially, but the rest are wonderful, too.
Inch-for-inch (or centimeter for centimeter), I read that the early December 2010 snowfall was technically greater; however, that snowfall was only one day and this one was two, right? It was a lot of snow, for Paris, no matter which snowfall was bigger!
I love how pretty and peaceful Paris is just after a big snowfall. Everything seems to calm into a really lovely state. The aftermath is a bit yucky, slushy and cold, but like your photos capture, the white blanket just fallen is really pretty!
Thank you for getting out, taking the pics, and sharing here with all of us!
xx
Karin
Oh yeah, I remember that December snowfall, too. This one, because it did last a couple days, somehow seemed like more. Like, what? It’s *still* snowing?
I agree about the slushy yuckiness. But yep, right after it’s fallen, it’s just lovely. I’m glad I had rendezvous already planned as they forced me out to explore. Otherwise I might have just watched the snow fall outside my window.
I like the ET ones, too. That’s why I put two of those
What a lovely walk you took me on! Thanks, Sion. We don’t have much snow here in southern Minnesota, but it is sooooooo cold. Predicted to be -15 tonight with bitter wind chills.
To escape, I’ll dream of a nice rich chocolat chaud in a charming Parisian cafe!
Wow, -15 *without* snow just doesn’t seem right. If it’s going to be cold, it might as well snow! So crazy that Paris is winning the race against southern Minnesota in terms of snow!
Mmm, chocolat chaud. Yes. I’m eating chocolate mousse as we speak
I live near Étoile and the slush on the Champs was disgusting! But, it was beautiful once I got off the main roads and walked around. I even went running in parc monceau and got to watch some kids making bonhommes de neige!
Yeah…the main roads get gross pretty quick! It’s the freshly fallen snow on side streets…ah, now that’s magic. Glad you found some beauty before returning to the slush!
What wonderful pictures of Paris in the snow. We too had snow last night, but only an inch here near DC. Hope you are having a happy new year so far!
Thanks, Buffy! 2013 has been pretty interesting so far and yes, almost all happy. Just one bump in the road so far, but c’est la vie! Hope you’re having a good one, too!
This pictures are absolutely stunning.
Just discovered your blog and I am certainly gonna start following you. Although it might be just a bit painful because I’m lusting for Paris so much.
Thanks, Nitin! Happy to have you here. And don’t worry – I write about Paris’ imperfect side, too so not every post will have you lusting after it
I love the photos of the snow against iconic images of Paris. I’m not keen on that oppressive sky, the same as I’ve been struggling with here in D.C. But they often go hand in hand, right?
Hey Patrick. I know we both suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD!) so I hear you: the unending gray sky in Paris definitely gets me down. Kind of the reason the snow was actually a nice break, though – much prettier than rain!
I’m so bummed I only got to gambol in it for a short while – I was stuck in the airport trying to get to Berlin for the fun part! Lovely photos, definitely makes winter a jot more tolerable
I hope you got to Berlin ok!