I have had the most extraordinary Sunday. The weather has been perfect, there is joy in the air and everyone is out and about celebrating Paris in the springtime - and I mean everybody! Meandering around le Marais and through the islands today I found mile-long queues at Berthillon icecream outlets and there were literally thousands of cyclists and rollerbladers.Place des Vosges was full of locals revelling in the beautiful spring sunshine;Roses perfumed the air along the footpaths,And spring bulbs made an appearance.Jazz floated through city streets and over the bridges and there were buskers everywhere,Even outside the famous English bookshop, Shakespeare & Co.Cafes ...

On The First Lick of Spring
While here in Adelaide the leaves are starting to turn shades of crimson and gold and markets brim with autumn produce, in Paris, April heralds the first glimpse of spring. Parisians shake off the weight of their heavy coats, and on the street is a sense of celebration and renewal. The length of the cold, dark winter only heightens this feeling of rebirth and lightness, and makes springtime all the more precious. My friends in Paris tell me that this winter has been particularly long with lots of snow, the most since 1945.Printemps (spring) may throw off the cloak of ...