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We had been really looking forward to springtime in Paris. Not just because of the song, but because we had found winter in Berlin too long. We yearned to be warm again. Our arrival was just two days after the conjunction of sun and planet that defines spring and our first two days, a balmy 22C (72F) or so, happily contrasted with our experiences of Berlin.

We were misled. This was not spring but false spring. After the first few days the weather for a month or so turned sour. It wasn't quite as cold as Berlin, but it didn't lend itself to sitting out and enjoying the many parks and green spaces that Paris does have to offer (two of them quite close to us: the Parc de Belleville and the Buttes de Chaumont). We took small comfort from the fact that our friend Veronica, from whom we were renting, suffered much more than we did. She was out in it — it being much rain and sometimes worse — almost every day on a walking pilgrimage making her way from Canterbury, England to Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

The good news, even the glorious news, was that even with cool temperatures and rain there was an abundance of trees in bloom and flowers in the parks. We loved it.

Tulips in the Parc Floral, Bois de Vincennes

Camelias in the Parc Floral, Bois de Vincennes

Early on we went to the famous Parc Floral in the Bois de Vincennes on the eastern edge of Paris and caught the tail end of what was clearly a magnificent tulip display. We just missed the opening of the annual flower show.

Blossoming Cherry Trees, rue de Flandre

Horse Chestnut Tree in Bloom

On many of our walks from Beleville we could not help being presented with magnificent cherry trees, horse chestnuts and other trees in glorious display. They easily rivaled our beloved New Jersey dogwoods.

Trinity Church with Cherry Blossoms

In Veronica's Apartment

Nature decorated the streets of Paris. We had to do the work for our apartment.

Parc Bagatelle, Bois de Bologne

Parc Bagatelle, Bois de Bologne

At a time when the Bois de Bologne was still a royal preserve a friend of Marie Antoinette bet that he could build a house there in a week. This bet or "bagatelle" resulted in a charming cottage (compared to the Palais de Versailles) which became a weekend getaway and was eventually snapped up by an Englishman before being returned to the French state by his heirs. The grounds eventually became some of the nicest flower gardens and lawns in Paris.

Flower Border of Tulips, Square du Temple

In the 12th century the Knights Templar, organized for combat in the crusades, created a large compound in Paris. It was about 120-130 hectares (300 acres; a half-square mile) and within its walls was a city within a city. With the passage of time the property changed hands many times. In 1857 the square was created and opened to the public.

Cherry Blossoms, Charonne (20th)

Spring progessed so that one knew it really wasn't winter anymore. Green grass no longer seemed garish but normal. We gave up our outerwear and were often in short sleves. And the cjerry trees gave up their flower petals and we knew that summer and the end of our stay were not far over the horizon.