Autumn

There’s just something about autumn that makes it my absolute favorite time of year. After sweating through those long, hot summer days, the first cool breeze of fall? It’s like a breath of fresh air. The weather hits that sweet spot—not too hot, not too cold—making it the perfect season to get outside and actually enjoy being outdoors, without melting in the heat or bundling up against the cold. Autumn weather reports don’t make any mention of either humidity or wind chill. That’s the way it ought to be.

One thing I’ve always loved about fall is the light. There’s a certain crispness to it that’s hard to explain, but it’s different from any other time of year. It makes everything seem more vivid, more alive. The reds, oranges, and yellows of the leaves just seem to pop against the clear blue sky, turning even the simplest view into something kind of magical.

 

Autumn trees
What autumn looks like in my neighborhood.
© 2020 Greg Nason. All rights reserved.

And don’t even get me started on the air. Autumn air just feels cleaner, fresher. Maybe it’s the cooler temps clearing out the leftover haze from summer, but there’s this stillness to the air that’s perfect for a peaceful hike or even just a quiet picnic. It’s like the whole world slows down a little, and you can actually breathe deeper.

Plus, let’s be honest—there’s a real sense of satisfaction knowing the grass finally stops growing so fast in the fall. Fewer weekends spent mowing the lawn means more time to kick back and really appreciate the beauty of the season, without that constant upkeep hanging over your head.

For me, autumn is also about finding a bit of peace. It’s that little break before the chaos of the holiday season kicks in, a time to slow down and enjoy nature’s quiet transformation. The cooler, quieter days just have this way of making everything feel more calm and relaxed. If you’re anything like me, it’s the perfect season to unwind, take it all in, and savor life’s simple pleasures.

I’ll have the elephant, medium rare

A Christmas menu, 99th day of the siege. Unusual dishes include stuffed donkey's head, elephant consommé, roast camel, kangaroo stew, antelope terrine, bear ribs, cat with rats, and wolf haunch in deer sauce.
Alexandre Étienne Choron, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

One of the things I regularly do when I’m in Paris is just wandering through its neighborhoods, wandering aimlessly while on the lookout for some hidden historical gem. As a bit of a history nerd, no matter where I go, there’s always something new to discover, even if it’s not where I originally planned to end up.

Take one day last year. I started out to take my usual walk through the Bois de Boulogne, but—classic me—when I passed Hippodrome Longchamp, on a whim I decided to turn left and crossed the Seine, thinking I was heading for Saint-Cloud, (more on Saint-Cloud in a future post) but no, I found myself in Suresnes, a town just north of Saint-Cloud. It wasn’t exactly on the agenda, but hey… daily discovery achievement unlocked!

Now, about Suresnes… it’s a charming place, I’m sure, but even less pedestrian-friendly than Paris or Boulogne. Especially around the bridge where traffic was buzzing and construction was everywhere. This wasn’t turning into the peaceful nature walk I would have been enjoying in the Bois de Boulogne, so I did what any good explorer would do: I headed for higher ground. After all, the higher you go, the quieter it gets—I hoped.

I climbed the steep streets, the noise started to fade, and soon enough, I found myself in a residential area, and then—thankfully—surrounded by green space and playgrounds. Near the top, I was rewarded with a sweeping view of Paris, and, in true “let’s-see-where-this-goes” fashion, I detoured down a pathway into a large park.

A quick glance at Google maps revealed I was standing in Parc du Mont Valérien. Another discovery! As I read on, I found out there’s a fortress at the top of the hill, Forteresse du Mont-Valérien, which has a whole history of its own, not least of which was during the 1870 Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War. Naturally, I fell down a Wikipedia rabbit hole.

Here’s where things get wild. During the siege, Paris was completely blockaded by the Prussian forces, and the food situation got dire. So bad, in fact, that once the Parisians finished eating all of the cats, dogs and horses in the city, they turned to eating some of the animals from the Jardin des Plantes zoo. Yeah, I had to read that couple of times too. We’re talking Côtes d’Ours (Bear Ribs), Chat flanqué des Rats (Cat with Rats), and Cuissot de Loup, Sauce Chevreuil (Haunch of Wolfwith a Deer Sauce) showing up on menus. It’s almost unimaginable now.

As for the elephants, their names were Castor and Pollux, and according to some survivors of the siege, they weren’t particularly appetizing.