Awaiting the Thaw in Paris

Parisians woke up to a snow-canopied city early this week-- a pleasant sight in a place where snow rarely sticks to the ground. But the icy conditions led to a fair amount of chaos, including cancelled Air France flights on Monday, thousands of air passengers stranded at Charles de Gaulle Airport overnight, treacherously slick streets and sidewalks, and even the temporary closure of the Eiffel Tower to visitors.

Pedestrians should be extra careful walking on sidewalks and while crossing the street as long as the temperatures remain below zero, as pavements on smaller streets in particular can be very slippery, even with proper shoes.

As for driving, better avoid: most Parisians are not equipped with tires suited for ice and snow, and accidents are common.