Winter Descends, Parisians Confused

Over the past few weeks Paris was blanketed with snow and scattered with bits of icy sidewalks and streets. Even their planned skating rinks were open (and stayed open)! Unprepared for the weather, Paris seemed frozen (1 point) in a state of shock about the weather. 

The Eiffel Tower had to close due to "extreme" weather, such as that seen here:

They didn't think to shut off fountains:

The statues looked mighty cold:

Parisians could no longer run from their alcoholism, the owner of this bottle must have had some sort of religious awakening when his wine bottle seemed to walk on water the night prior:

And these poor birds had no clue what to do:

But whoever said the French give up too easily never saw Luxembourg Gardens after the snow. Parisians everywhere, enjoying their confusion. Kids playing soccer in the snow; Children and parents stuffing snow down each other's clothes; People reading by the now-invisible pools. 

It was the first time I actually saw a good chunk of the French population enjoying their city, taking part in the experience of it all. Having the snow here allowed them to rediscover it anew and the city seemed to have a different, warmer feeling despite the freezing temperature. 

But, alas, it had to end. 

This morning I woke up to the sound of rain. By the time I stepped out, the mild weather and overnight downpour had washed away all the white stuff that seemed to add so much to the experience here. Maybe the sign over the city from the big guy in the sky meant, 'if you're good I'll do it again some time.' Paris will have to wait and see.