Paris in the Fall (Autumn Colours)

I like the American description for the autumn season – the Fall. It so succinctly describes my favourite time of the year. The temperatures in Paris have dropped, but I love the mild autumn breeze on my face, and the warm spectrum of autumnal leaves as they repave the floor.

Avenue Mozart, 75016

On a Sunday morning the Paris streets around me are lifeless. Only dog walkers and runners dare venture out of their apartments at such an ungodly hour. An early morning start is a necessity for the market however, as by the time we’ve walked over to the 15th arrodissement, the locals have already made the roads almost impassable for anyone with a pushchair. Cutting out the middleman means much better prices for fruit and vegetables, and the quality is superb. I’ve recently been eating a lot of pumpkin and potimarron soups, and Bébé Têtard is assured of a healthy meal too.

Saint-Perine Parc, 75016

On the way home is Sainte-Périne Park, sitting opposite Parc André Citroën on the other side of the Seine river. Bébé Têtard started walking a couple of weeks ago. He’s very independent and every time I’ve tried to encourage him, he just flops down to the floor and crawls off, but one Saturday afternoon, he walked across the room and looked mighty impressed with himself. He then found the courage to charge back across the room, and within a couple of hours he was walking all over the apartment! Unfortunately it comes at a time when the outside grass and playground sand is wet, but we still take him to some of the parks and let him go on walkabouts. Unassisted he will eventually tumble over, but it’s mainly because he runs everywhere; walking just seems to slow for him.

I haven’t posted too many architectural photographs in my blog, but it is a privilege to live in the 16th arrodissement, and to admire the Haussmann architecture, and pass by Hector Guimard’s creations every time I leave the building. The autumn sun is cold and hard, and as the buildings are cleaned on a fairly regular basis, they reflect the light brilliantly which contrasts with the shadows, creating labyrinths in which you can explore and lose yourself in.

My time in Paris is now finite. It was never intended to be ‘forever’ and with an expanding family, had we decided to stay, a new apartment with an extra bedroom wouldn’t provide much value for money. The apartment will be rented for someone else to enjoy life here, and we will disappear to Charente Limousine for an entirely different lifestyle (we already bought a new (old) house in the summer, and will relocate in the summer of 2011). There’s no doubt I will miss Paris a lot, and this comes from a non-city dweller who hadn’t wanted to move here! Certain aspects I won’t miss. The transition will be much harder for Mme. Grenouille who has lived virtually her whole life here, though the move was very much a joint decision. We still have friends and connections, so even if my future blog will largely migrate elsewhere and transform into something quite different, I will continue to share stories and photos of Paris on this website. Life has got in the way of being able to update the Paris blog as often as I would have liked.

Building from Rue George Sand, 75016

Building from Rue George Sand, 75016

Haussmann architecture, from Rue George Sand, 75016

Avenue Mozart, 75016

Avenue Mozart, 75016

From Avenue Mozart, 75016

Parc de Saint-Cloud

Returning to autumn: bank holiday Monday was a little overcast, but we took a bus to Paris, Saint Cloud (where Bébé Têtard was born, and where his brother or sister will surface next year, if all goes to plan). It’s a nice suburb of Paris that nestles alongside Bois de Boulogne. I haven’t been to the Parc de Saint-Cloud very often, so it was extremely pleasant to visit whilst the trees were at their peak colour, despite the lack of sunshine. There used to be a chateau here once upon a time, but now only the gardens remain. With a pushchair there’s a lot of uphill walking, and the paths (which aren’t pushchair friendly) provide a good work out for the arms. The park covers 460 hectares, so there’s plenty of walking opportunities.

Parc de Saint-Cloud, 1st Nov 2010

Saint-Cloud Park

After wandering down a long straight promenade, we took one of the more covered forest pathways, rich in yellows, browns and crimson reds. We stopped to collect chestnuts to accompany a future pumpkin soup, and by the time we returned to the entrance by which we’d entered, it was already dusk. There is a wonderful panoramic view across Paris, which was hard to capture without a tripod, and by the time I’d carried the pushchair down all the steps night had fallen as we left the gates.

Collecting chestnuts

Baby oaks

Tennis courts

View from Saint-Cloud Park

Sunsetting in Saint-Cloud

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