What to do when it's cold in Paris?

Admittedly, Paris is not the coldest place you could be... but it's the coldest place I have ever lived!  Although many people love coming to Paris during the warmer seasons, it is still an interesting place during the cold season... with the extra perk that it is less touristy.

The first obvious answer for cold-weather activities is visiting one of over two hundred museums in Paris.  And of course, you don't feel so bad being cooped up inside.  But if you are not an art-afficionado, or you have a short attention span, you could only spend a limited amount of time in these museums.  So I've decided to list a couple of alternative cold-weather activities.

1.  Socializing or people watching in a café or brasserie.  
This is a quintessential Parisian activity, and is even more rewarding when it's cold.  When the weather outside is frightful, the outside terraces of Paris are covered with temporary walls, or warmed by powerful heaters, or equipped with blankets for customers to use, or any combination of the three.  You can order a warm drink or a drink to make you warm.  My friend Marie went for the latter option and ordered a "pint" of wine (carafe de vin rouge, contains 50 cl).

Marie enjoying a "pint" of red wine at a café on rue Mouffetard

2.  Drink mint tea at the Grande Mosquée de Paris

Another warm haven can be found in the 5th arrondissement of Paris.  There is a restaurant there, but there is also a little tea terrace.  For 2 euros, you can enjoy the a delicious sweet mint tea in the company of little finches (I think) who like to hang inside the warm terrace and try to steal sips of your tea.

Little birds enjoying the warmth of the Grand Mosquée and some spilt tea.

Little Eddy and me enjoying the warmth of the Grand Mosquée and our mint teas.

3.  Walk around the arcades
In the 1800's, arcades, or passageways covered with glass and iron detailing, were the fashionable architecture style to house shops, markets, and boutiques.  Many of these arcades still exist today, renovated and updated of course.  Not only does it stay relatively warm because of the covering, it is also pedestrian-only.  You can find shops selling anything from clothing to toys to antiques as well as cafés and bars which will gladly serve you hot wine (vin chaud).

Inside an arcade

Entrance to the Passage Verdeau

Some of arcades include Passage Verdeau, Passage du Panoramas, Passage Jouffroy, and Passage du Grand Cerf.  You can find many passages just walking around the Grand Boulevards area.

4.  Read a book at Shakespeare and Company
Shakespeare and Co. is probably the most popular English-book store in Paris, and it is right across from the Notre Dame.  It contains both new and used books, which are stacked on tables, shelves, and floors.  But, it is famous for it's communal system where many of the workers volunteer there or work in exchange for shelter, which can be found upstairs as small cots in-between shelves of books.  Upstairs you can also find a piano for anyone to play and a typewriter for no-one to play (the sign says only serious writers!)  There is also the Sylvia Beach Memorial Library with a collection of books not for sale.  Sylvia Beach is the original founder of Shakespeare and Company, but the current bookstore was opened by George Whitman in 1951, who just passed away this year.

Megan reading in the Sylvia Beach Library at Shakespeare and Company

5.  Take shelter under a tree

Yeah, this guy is pretty badass

6.  Ignore the cold weather and play sports with the locals
I am pretty sure that real Parisians never get cold, based on what they will wear in comparison to what I am wearing.