An Eiffel Tower Snow Day
There are all kinds of physical reminders that can give a sense of place and really ground you where you live, but I wasn't very consciously aware of them until I began to prepare to move to England. With my move quickly approaching, I was very aware of the intense heat on my skin in my native Alabama, even in October. The endless green hills and dry rock walls placed me firmly in North Yorkshire when I arrived in my new home. The mossy cypress trees, thick-bladed grass alive with little lizards when we visited family in Florida are no longer hidden in my subconscious but stand out vividly. When I look up and see the Eiffel Tower, one of the most iconic landmarks in the world, I say inwardly every time, "I'm in Paris."
My family and I arrived in Paris at the end of January 2018 in what would prove to be a very cold winter. We were told it rarely snowed in the city, but by the end of our second week living there we’d experienced two snow days, one of which I’ll forever remember because I watched my little family play in the snow beneath La Tour Eiffel in a scene that looked entirely enchanting and completely Photoshopped.
We walked carefully down the slushy Boulevard Malesherbes to Line 8 at Madeleine. Stepping out several minutes later at École Militaire my son immediately scooped up a snowball to lob at my husband. The Champ de Mars was a quiet winter wonderland. Every snow-dusted lamppost drew the expected comparison to Narnia. A few dogs romped joyfully through the crisp air. A talented snow artist fashioned a snow Yoda. Paris bedecked with cherry blossoms on a warm spring night may be the most magical, but Paris in the snow is a close second.