The weather has been gloomy in Paris this summer, the sun unpredictable. No sooner are you ready to go out when the sky changes.
Le temps est bien maussade à Paris cet été, le soleil imprévisible. Le temps de se mettre en route et le ciel change.

Still, the desire to be outside and the need for nature are irrepressible. Returning to Parc de Sceaux, I continue my photographic experiments: alone against a tree,
Pourtant l’envie du dehors, le besoin de nature est irrépressible. De retour au Parc de Sceaux, je continue mes expériences : seul contre un arbre,

toes fanning out (a French expression meaning total inactivity),
les doigts de pied en éventail (une expression française qui dit la totale inactivité),

involving a couple of kind tourists with their feet in the water,
impliquant un couple de gentils touristes les pieds dans l’eau,

or playing between shadows and light.
ou jouant entre ombres et lumières.

And this is Paris’s emptiest week of the year: I’ll be here to take advantage of it!
Et c’est ce week end que Paris sera le plus vide de l’année : je serai là pour en profiter!

Photos and text: VNP

- Photos and text by Natalie Daguet

Is spring here at last? We’ve had an unusually long, cold, snowy winter but finally almond trees are in bloom. You’ve got to love almond trees—in a countryside still heavily marked by the harsh nakedness of winter they’re the first trees in Provence to tell us that spring is on its way.

On Saturday I went up the hill at Fort St Andre to take some pictures—and what a delight it was! I do worry though that no bees could be seen buzzing around. Is this a sign of the global bee crisis that we’ve been hearing about? Maybe not—a friend of mine says that bees need a minimum temperature of 14°C (57°F) to come out and it was only 12°C the other day. Although the sun was out, tiny patches of snow could still be seen and a crisp mistral wind was blowing. I hope my friend is right but I will monitor the situation in the coming weeks. Provence is one of France’s largest fruit producers and no bees means far more than no honey—it means no pollination and no fruit.

The hilltop at Fort Saint Andre is one of the best places to enjoy panoramic views of Avignon with the Popes’ Palace clearly visible in the distance.

- Photos and text (c) Nathalie Daguet.

If France Revisited’s periodic dose of “Seasonal Provence” leaves you craving for more, then visit Nathalie’s bilingual daily blog, Avignon in Photos.

Square Paul Painlevé 2 - La neige / Snow. Photo: Va-nu-pieds

The snow has melted and gone down the drain, but the memory remains because Va-nu-pieds was there.

Square Paul Painlevé 1 - La neige / Snow

This is a small garden in the heart of the Latin Quarter, between the Cluny Museum of the Middle Ages and the Sorbonne. And its Siberian elm. Snow is rare in Paris. Many years there is no snow, and when there is it generally doesn’t stick… And this year, for the third day, the snow is still there.

Today, written on the windshield of a car : “Vive la vie!” Puts a smile on the face for the rest of the day.

Aujourd’hui, tracé sur le pare brise blanc d’une voiture : “Vive la vie!” De quoi sourire pour le reste de la journée.