I googled the phrase, “How cold is it in Paris in the winter” and I am baffled by the number of different opinions out there.  But, before we get to the answer, how did we get along before we could use the word, Google, as a verb?  Remember encyclopedias?

The World of Technology

I am of the age of having gone through high school using encyclopedias and typewriters.  Remember typewriters and having to start over 100 times, carbon paper and white out. And, those round rubber typewriter erasers with the plastic bristles on the other end to swipe away the erasure?  The world of technology never ceases to amaze me and while I believe generations to come will have such profound access to the world, I still miss the days of thumbing through an encyclopedia.

The Feel of a Good Book

This year I added the word, Kindle, to my Christmas list.  I never thought I’d give in but as we begin to travel more often and for longer distances and periods of time, lugging the weight of books is definitely an issue.  I love the feel of a good book, the colors of the book jacket sitting on the shelf and sometimes the smell of the pages as a good book ages.

Curling up with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate on a cold day is like curling up with an old friend. The favorite book you’ve read multiple times, yet every time you read it you learn something new.  But, common sense tells me toting a Kindle across the ocean to France, is so much more practical.  The slim slip of a Kindle compared to the weight of three books is immeasurable.  Especially, when you are also carrying a laptop and the necessary but annoying multitude of chargers and cables, well… So, I hope my treasured books will forgive me when I leave them behind on this upcoming journey.

So How Cold is It?

But back to my original question, “How cold is it in Paris in the winter?” The answers I have found online run the gamut of it being the best time to visit to the absolute worst.  The only thing I learned is that it is definitely a matter of personal opinion.  The gentleman we rented our apartment from added this to the end of our reservation booking. “p.s. This is a great time to visit the city, when all the art exhibits are open and the cultural life is at full swing.” I’ve decided to trust his opinion.

Shopping in January

I am not a clothes horse so I really have no shopping intentions while in Paris.  There are far too many other wonderful things I’d rather do with my time.  I recently learned though that January is a popular time for Europeans to visit Paris because the government controls retail sales periods and the month of January is one of two annual sales periods.  Who knew?

Expectations

I hold many expectations for our Parisian adventure.  Although I expect to be cold in Paris, I would also expect to be cold if we spent January in Ashland.  I expect to dress in layers and peel them off as we enter the museums.  I expect it to rain, possibly snow.  And, I expect to actually see the Mona Lisa, not just the backs of a 1,000 heads blocking my view.

I expect (hope) to sit in the audience at the infamous Moulin Rouge and I expect to be thrilled with visiting the Palace of Versailles.  I also expect to enjoy the experience of living among the locals. And, I look forward to snuggling up in our 3rd floor apartment should there be an especially cold blustery day.  I expect to walk along the Seine River holding the same hand I’ve held for nearly 35 years and moan about how damn cold it is! But, more than anything else I expect to be absolutely awe-inspired by the city of love and lights.

The river Seine in winter. Photo credit: telegraph.co.uk

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