{"id":97195998,"date":"2018-04-19T01:08:20","date_gmt":"2018-04-19T01:08:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/?p=97195998"},"modified":"2018-12-11T00:02:48","modified_gmt":"2018-12-11T00:02:48","slug":"how-to-see-paris-in-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/how-to-see-paris-in-spring\/","title":{"rendered":"Visiting Paris In Spring Will Make Your Heart Sing!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhom can I run to?\u00a0 What have you done to my heart?\u201d\u00a0 the woman drinking wine in a caf\u00e9 plaintively asks of Paris, France in the standard April in Paris<\/em>.\u00a0 She\u2019s never been in love, but longs to be, having fallen under the spell of the city\u2019s charm.\u00a0 Whether gloriously played by the Count Basie Orchestra or lushly sung by Sarah Vaughan, this song is an anthem for springtime in Paris, and a recurring, even insistent, invitation, especially if you listen to jazz radio, to visit this romantic European city.\u00a0 (And with the incredibly cheap flights to Paris that are now available, how can you resist?)<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a jazz fan, this tune may come to you, unbidden, each year when the calendar turns to April, haunting you as if seeking resolution. If you haven’t heard it, listen to the version provided below, and you’re sure to start dreaming about visiting the City of Light – and romance.\u00a0 Inspired by this song and in honor of the joy of springtime in Paris, we put together a bouquet of images, if you will, that illuminates some of the ways that Paris mixes memory and desire in this season.\u00a0 Here then, catch\u2026<\/p>\n

Romantic Outdoor Statues Abound<\/h2>\n
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Le Baiser<\/em> (The Kiss<\/em>) by Auguste Rodin on the Terrace of the Mus\u00e9e de l\u2019Orangerie in the Tuileries Garden, Paris, France \/ Photo by Kirsteen via Flicker<\/a>. Creative Commons License 2.0<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

If all it took was a few of Paris\u2019 chestnut blossoms and holiday tables to kindle the heart of the woman of April in Paris<\/em>, just imagine how you’ll swoon when you’re before this statue.\u00a0 With winter over, the wraps that protect Paris\u2019 outdoor marble statues are removed; the snow and ice that cloak its bronzes melt away.\u00a0 And suddenly, Paris\u2019 nude and amorous statues cavort once more among those of heroic warriors and solemn saints while gargoyles leer on high.\u00a0 Nymphs, cherubs, gods and goddesses, even a mysterious maiden or two, disport themselves in some form of undress in parks, or languor gracefully in the late afternoon shadows of newly leafed linden trees.<\/p>\n

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The Jardin du Carrousel, Paris, France is A Garden of Pleasure. \/ Photo by Jean-Pierre Dalb\u00e9ra via Flickr<\/a>.\u00a0Creative Commons License 2.0<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Charming place:<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0 Visit the Jardin du Carrousel<\/a> in the afternoon, after taking in the Louvre, to view the 20 female bronze statues created by the French sculptor Aristide Maillol.\u00a0 They stand unabashedly nude, half hidden among yew hedges shaped into a fan, and cast dramatic, elongated shadows on a manicured lawn.\u00a0 Overtly sensual, smooth and voluptuous, they\u2019re an indulgence in this stately area of central Paris.<\/p>\n

From this garden, you can walk to the Jardin des Tuileries<\/a>, which also has many statues, most notably Le Baiser<\/em>. Visiting the gardens is free.\u00a0 If you feel that the parks alone are enough to make you impulsively purchase one of the many cheap flights to Paris<\/a> that are now available, it’s perfectly natural – go for it!<\/p>\n

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Couples Lip Lock in Parks, on Ponts, on the Pave<\/h2>\n
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Young Couples on a Pont on the Seine in Spring! \/ Photo by \u041a\u043e\u043b\u044f \u0421\u0430\u043d\u044b\u0447 via Flickr<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0Creative Commons License 2.0<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s no surprise, Paris being Paris, that one of the most famous, most beloved photos to come out of this city in the last century is Le Baiser de l\u2019H\u00f4tel de Ville<\/em>\u00a0<\/a>(The Kiss by the H\u00f4tel de Ville<\/em>) taken in 1950 by the renowned photographer Robert Doisneau.\u00a0 In it, a young couple kisses lissomely in the middle of a sidewalk in spring, oblivious to the bustling city.\u00a0 The message is that in Paris romance triumphs over all else. And Paris is such a beautiful city with so many opportunities for romance that impulsive embraces are irresistible.<\/p>\n

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The Heavenly Pont Alexandre III in Paris is the Perfect Setting for Romance. \/ Photo by The Bei Posti via Flickr<\/a>.\u00a0Creative Commons License 2.0<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Charming place:<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0 Visit Pont Alexandre III<\/a> at l\u2019heure bleu, and let your love take flight along with the cherubs, nymphs and the golden-winged horses of this Beaux-Arts style bridge across the Seine.<\/p>\n

Oops, almost forgot to mention those little cafes that stay open late just for romance…<\/p>\n

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Paris is Love. Young Couple in a Cafe in Montmartre, Paris, France. \/ Photo by Vassil Tzvetanov via Flickr<\/a>.\u00a0Creative Commons License 2.0<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Romantic Picnics Pop Up All Over<\/h2>\n
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There’s Nothing Like Picnicking in a Paris Park on a Beautiful Spring Day. \/ Photo by Vincent Anderlucci via Flickr<\/a>.\u00a0Creative Commons License 2.0<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

When it comes to picnicking in Paris, you can have a moveable feast, to borrow a phrase from Hemingway.\u00a0 Whether you\u2019re on the left or the right bank, there are just so many wonderful places in this city to spread a checkered blanket, to open a robust picnic basket, and to let your love bloom.<\/p>\n

Charming place:<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0 Visit the Jardin du Luxembourg<\/a>, a park that is at once a part of Paris and all<\/em> of Paris in spring, to echo Foucault.\u00a0 Go with a baguette under one arm, your babe under the other, and a picnic basket filled with all manner of Parisian delicacies like some duck confit, a white bean salad, wild mushroom p\u00e2t\u00e9, <\/em>charcuterie, and a little cheese, a little cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e too \u2013 don\u2019t forget wine \u2013 and whatever you do, don\u2019t forget cornichons! Settle into a leafy nook in this quiet park, which is perfect for romance and contemplation, and Picnic! Picnic! Picnic!<\/p>\n

And if, at day\u2019s reluctant end, you leave completely satiated with that same baguette under one arm, your sweetie under the other, and an uneaten basket of goodies in hand (nary a cornichon nibbled), you\u2019ll have had a wonderful picnic, Parisian style!<\/p>\n

Romantic Rainy Days Are Always in the Forecast<\/h2>\n
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A Date in the Rain in the Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris, France. \/ Photo by Vincent Anderlucci via Flickr<\/a>.\u00a0Creative Commons License 2.0<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

When you visit Paris in spring, you wish for good weather, which should always include a dash of rain.\u00a0 Spring rain in Paris is driving, mesmerizing, and bright with the sound of cymbals like a Max Roach drum solo.\u00a0 It\u2019s a romantic rain that echoes all the beating hearts of the city, and seems to go on forever, suggesting the possibility of endless love.<\/p>\n

Charming place<\/strong>:<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0 Visit a small caf\u00e9 on a backstreet up in Montmartre on a day that promises rain.\u00a0 Any nice one will do.\u00a0 Sit at a tiny table under an umbrella with your babe, share a bottle of good wine, and just wait for the raindrops to beat down on the quiet, ancient cobblestones.\u00a0 They\u2019ll come, and it\u2019ll be beautiful day.\u00a0 (Or go pull up a bench in a park!)<\/p>\n

Spiral Staircases Lead to Parisian Pleasures<\/h2>\n
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Spiral Staircase in the Arc de Triomphe de l’\u00c9toile. \/ Photo by Dustin Gaffke via Flickr<\/a>.\u00a0 Creative Commons License 2.0<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

We enjoy how the dramatic spiral staircase of the Arc de Triomphe de l’\u00c9toile also leads, by turns, to the memory of a tiny snail moving mysteriously, even furtively, in the Cimeti\u00e8re du Montparnasse. <\/em><\/p>\n

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Snail on a Grave in\u00a0Cimeti\u00e8re du Montparnasse, Paris, France. \/ Photo by Stanze via Flickr<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0Creative Commons License 2.0<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

It’s a cemetery where some of France\u2019s most famous artists and writers, including Jean-Paul Sartre, eminently rest among literally tons of funerary art like Constantin Brancusi\u2019s Le Baiser<\/em><\/a> (The Kiss<\/em>).\u00a0 (It should be evident at this point that no matter where you go in Paris, there\u2019ll be a little kissin\u2019 goin\u2019 on.)<\/p>\n

This snail is quietly searching, no doubt, for a poet, or the ghost of one like Baudelaire, who also rests here, to versify how its love darts are more powerful than Cupid\u2019s arrows. (Or else, it seals the lips of their tombs for all time if unable to get a rhyme!)\u00a0 It\u2019s a tiny snail that ultimately leads to a big appetite for\u2026<\/p>\n

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A Plate of Escargot in Paris is Incredible! (Especially Post-Picnic, Wink.) \/ Photo by Mike Fleming via Flickr<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0Creative Commons License 2.0<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

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The Eiffel Tower Trellises Spring\u2019s Blossoms Heavenward<\/h2>\n

The Eiffel tower charms us every time with its spring blossoms and the way that life blooms all around it.<\/p>\n

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The Eiffel Tower in Blossom in Spring. \/ Photo by Willy Verhulst via Flickr<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0Creative Commons License 2.0<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

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People Gathering Around the Eiffel Tower in Spring. \/ Photo by Juandec via Flickr<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0Creative Commons License 2.0<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Traffic Lights Say \u2018Brake for Romance\u2019<\/h2>\n
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A Traffic Light in Le Marais in Paris Flashes A Heart for A Stop – and for Romance. \/ Photo by Gideon via Flickr<\/a>.\u00a0Creative Commons License 2.0<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Whimsically, some traffic lights in Paris flash a red heart that tells motorists to \u201cStop in the name of love.\u201d\u00a0 And Parisians happily obey their hearts.\u00a0 Incidentally, if this light never had a change of heart, Paris motorists would hold their embraces indefinitely, engines running, resulting in a traffic tie up that coils like\u2026well\u2026 a snail shell and winds from central Paris all the way to the Peripherique – reminding us, of course, of a delicious escargot dinner, a graveside snail, and a spiral set of stairs that always leads to Parisian pleasures held most dear.<\/p>\n

Sing it Sarah<\/h2>\n

By the way, if you haven\u2019t heard Sarah Vaughan, the Divine One, sing April in Paris<\/em>, check out this version.\u00a0 She was a singer who could make the world right with a song.<\/p>\n