Winter Wanderlust

Paris is one of those perhaps few places where there really is no bad time of year to go. Autumn in Paris. Paris in the spring. It all sounds romantic. Except for Paris at the height of tourist season in the summer when waits for the museums and galleries can stretch for hours.

Ever since visiting Belgium and having my breath taken away by the beautiful autumn colours, I'm a convert to off-season travel. When Peter came visit me in France just before Christmas 2010, we spent a few days in Paris before he left. We went to the Louvre late one afternoon thinking it as the day they were open into the evening. We were mistaken and instead had just under an hour to visit. As the museum was only open for another 45 minutes, we didn't have a wait to buy tickets and were actually able to see the Mona Lisa and nearby paintings, Winged Victory, Venus de Milo, as well as a few of the other essential pieces. It was actually a great visit, and being that we got lost trying to exit the basement, we got a cool tour of the medieval foundations of the palace.

How dreamy does the view looking out from Napoleon's apartments look? My friend Amanda, whom I met while teaching English in France, took this photo and had it as her desktop. It's truly one of my favourites so I'll leave you to get lost in a daydream in it. Or in one of her other photos from her Old Pictures.

More off-season travel.

(photo by Amanda)