Thank you everyone for your advice! We still have some things to decide...but I think we are going to go for it. Thanks again!

As Denisea said, be sure to wear good boots perhaps with a bit of a platform sole and heels. The cold coming up from the pavement can be numbing.

Our last trip to Paris and Rome (only) was in mid-March, with 5 days at each. We went back to these cities to really canvass the places we had not been on prior trips. We flew into Paris, then took RyanAir to Rome and flew home from there. I wore a long unlined raincoat under which I had several layers. Wish I had a hood on it. We had 2 rainy days in Paris and 1 rainy day in Rome, otherwise it was fine. You should pack a merino wool baselayer + silks, and Smartwool socks (my very fave always); I had a pair of Merrell black leather waterproof shoes which were great. Umbrellas are cumbersome in the cities, so we prefer hooded waterproof jackets (didnt have them in '07). It was great, uncrowded, and things were just starting to bloom. I would not plan a daytrip to Normandy, too much to see in Paris! (Last trip was our 5th to Paris!) Do warm up at Cafe Angelina on Rue Rivoli for their heavenly chocolat l'Africain, a cup of thick mousse-like hot chocolate) with a pastry and you'll both be warm and toasty! Enjoy. We had warmer weather in Rome after the first rainy day, very comfy for walking, climbing.

We spent a week in Paris in February and it was definitely cold - it even snowed a bit one day, which I thought just added to the romantic atmosphere. The worst part about the need for warm clothing was having to strip it off and carry it around in the overheated museums, etc. But we had a glorious time. My only regret was that we couldn't enjoy the sidewalk cafes that abound in Paris.