Where is spring in Paris? I am asking this as cold rain is pouring on the first day of May. The weather of the past few days makes you hesitant to shed your winter coat. It even snowed in France last week. So how can we make sure spring is present in our everyday lives as it ought to be by now?
Spring for me reveals itself first and foremost in nature, with flowers blooming and birds happily chirping about. Which is why I fled to the flower market on the Ile de la Cité a few weeks ago when the weather was really dreary. Located a minute away from Notre-Dame-de-Paris, the lush alleys bordered by all sorts of plants and flowers will make you forget that you are in the middle of a bustling city. On Sundays, the experience is even stronger as the market welcomes birds that sing their heart out.
To be honest, I first realized it was supposed to be spring in Paris when I noticed this box in a Ladurée window a couple of months ago.
The gourmet stores have managed to bring us welcomed touches of sunshine: desserts made with spring fruits and decorated with flowers can only cheer you up.
To create a warm atmosphere in my apartment, I favor an old trick of the trade: candles with floral or green fragrances such as Diptyque’s spring selection or Cire Trudon’s Prolétaire. There is nothing more heart-warming though than sniffing a spring-like scent that you love on your wrist. For me, that would be my old favorite Chanel N°19 with notes of iris, moss and white flowers. I also splurged on Guerlain’s L’Heure de Nuit: when I tried this new perfume with bergamot, orange blossom, iris, jasmine, rose, and musk, I had to have it.
And what should we wear? I’m not sure I’d recommend the light summer clothes sold in stores for nowadays, as I would not want you to catch pneumonia. I find it easier to play on accessories: a silk Hermès scarf tied around a sparkly Vanessa Bruno bag can easily cheer up any look. The same goes for pastel and bright nail polish: French natural brand Kure Bazaar has great new colors for this season.
And lastly, because art is the solution to many things, I love to get lost in the paintings of Impressionists to believe that I am actually walking in Giverny. These pictures of Monet’s water lilies were taken at Musée Marmottan, but I’d suggest you’d rather go to the breathtaking Musée de l’Orangerie to admire them.
Has spring really set in where you live? What are your favorite things about this season?
