Paris is a wonderful city, but as Elaine Sciolino points out, it's pretty gloomy in the winter.

The darkness has such an effect that the French government's generous medical insurance program covers medical consultations for those who grow depressed because of the waning light of winter. The syndrome � clinically known as seasonal affective disorder, more commonly as the winter blues � affects as much as 20 percent of the population, according to studies.
Consultations cost about $30 in public medical practices and are covered by medical insurance. The light treatment itself, in which patients sit in front of a special light for a specific period of time, costs about $5 a session and must be paid for by the patient. Dr. L�ger, who did an internship at Stanford University, is lobbying for full insurance coverage.

Now if the French would just get their collective heads out of their collective a**es....Seriously, I wish I were there.