L'Autumn a Paris

Autumn in Paris

L'Autumn "Fall" in Paris is magical (without the tourist crowds or peak rates) and is also known as la rentrée - after fleeing Summer Parisian natives re-enter their city and life, work, schools/universities return to action. Horse chestnuts grow on trees and wherever you wander is the woodsy scent of roasting chestnuts, making the mouth water. Sidewalks, parks and sweeping riverside esplanades exude Impressionist moodiness and stage-set atmosphere with crispy golden leaves spinning down from the 100,000 trees on the city's thoroughfares.

Café and restaurant terraces spill chairs into the path of pedestrians staying open despite the chill. 

It's the best season for food in Paris with market stalls arising overnight exploding with a kaleidoscopic harvest bounty. 

It's also the period for the Beaujolais Noveau - the delicious red wine produced in the Beaujolais region - one of the most frivolous and animated rituals in the wine world. Local bars, cafes and and bistros celebrate the arrival with much fan fare.

Fall is also the unrushed season, a time of inky newspapers on wooden sticks, of thick, well-thumbed novels, of deep yawns and slow trawls. Enjoy travellers! 

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