France, Postcards, Spain., Travel

Postcards – Winter Wonderland

Suzanne

It’s winter here in the Bay. When I groan about how freezing I am playing basketball on cold indoor courts, my mind occasionally drifts to our time in France, when we experienced the extraordinary phenomenon of a European winter.

We returned to France in December 2015 after spending the summer playing tourists. Stayed in Paris for a few nights before heading to Fruges, a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department. This stay began a rolling series of firsts, starting with that three-month-long housesit.

Even with the freezing temperatures, it was beautiful.

As the days passed, our following first came in the form of chilling temperatures and all-white countryside views, the prominent colour during our very short outdoor dog walks; it was also to be our first experience with a hoar frost.

These two companions on chilly walks.
There was no hoare frost, though the temperature dived to -11degs that morning.
Sort of explains itself, doesn’t it?
Tree reflections

Years later, we would encounter more snow. It was very unexpected this time, as we were in Spain at a lower altitude and by the sea before heading inland back towards France. Here are a few winter highlights of that trip.

We weren’t here for long, just long enough to admire the architecture covered in snow and the view from above to the valley below. To read more about our time there, see Snow in Spain and Roadtrip – Spain to France
Best moments – taking a break from driving.

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Published by Suzanne

I'm a lover of creativity and movement, expressed through photography, words, travel and sports. . . . . . .

42 thoughts on “Postcards – Winter Wonderland”

    1. As Billy Connelly was once quoted saying, “There’s no such thing as bad weather just inappropriate clothing”. Not a thing we experience on a day to day basis. The houses are insulated for the extreme cold unlike many houses here in NZ, though that is changing.

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        1. Funny, as we removed ours when we renovated. We brought a fan which worked really well last summer and it was a hot one. The bonus is the lack of a noisy box out on the balcony.
          I couldn’t image living permanently away from the coast, we love being by the sea and harbour.

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  3. Stunning winter photos Suzanne.
    When our offspring were at school we often visited northern France during the autumn break at the very end of October or beginning of November. I used to enjoy the frosty mornings

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    1. Thank you. The colder weather was bearable as the house we were looking after had central heating. In Spain, not so much and were much cooler.
      Back then, we absolutely loved exploring, going for dog walks during winter. Something different to experience.

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    1. Thanks, Jo. You’ve been brought up with harsh winter’s and now live in Portugal, so I can understand your reluctance as I would have similar thoughts. Snow and hoare frosts are lovely to experience, though on a permanent basis it could be draining.

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  6. Those photographs are fabulous, Suzanne. Exactly how winter should be. Unfortunately we usually get wet and windy winters but I do remember snowy ones when we were kids.

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    1. Thanks very much, Cathy. Here in the Bay of Plenty, it’s a reasonably mild winter compared to the lower South Island.
      Lately, with more sunny days than wet, though, that will change if tonight’s weather forecast is correct.

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  7. Freshly fallen snow or a real hoar frost can be beautiful, not so nice when all grey and slushy. I prefer the cold winters though to these constant wet and windy ones we now experience. At least then you had some blue sky days.

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    1. Snow was such a treat. We were never really cold as the house was very warm, and we had insulated coats and of fashionably dressed with beanies 😁 Current temperature is 7degs and a high of 17degs with sunshine. Basketball today and rain tomorrow.

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    1. Thanks, Sarah. Nowhere near those temperatures is currently 7degs with a high of 17degs. We did have lows around 3deg, which is unusual for us. That’s what prompted this post with myself thinking it’s cold here.

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      1. 3 degrees IS cold, but as a comparison, I just heard our morning weather forecast for today and they’re predicting highs of 17 for Scotland!! In fairness I should mention that in the south of England we’re heading into a heatwave with highs of 26 or 27 likely today, possibly 30 tomorrow. But only a few days ago it was barely 20 degrees here – not my idea of summer!

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        1. Yes, the weather is similar to NZ. It’s very inconsistent, most probably due to being a smallush island.
          Mid-20s is a livable temperature for here though usually higher during summer. We’ve spent a fair amount of time in the UK during summer and winter.

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    1. Cheers Martha, that’s what prompted this post as I had to remind myself that it’s not as cold as we experienced in Europe. Enjoy the cooler weather to sleep and walk long distance 😁

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    1. I think we have a cold wet front heading our way from you lot, thanks for that 😉 Overall we have had more sunny days than not, though I dislike the wind that comes with it. Harder to motivate myself to go cycling. Luckily, basketball is held inside.

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  15. Love it and all your pictures, past and present Suzanne. It’s not quite snow weather here in Queensland but it’s definitely colder than it usually is. And I really wouldn’t mind a pair of sheepskin slippers! 😄

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  16. There’s something comforting about looking out onto frost on the trees, watching the snow begin to fall and waking up to thick snow covered fields. I love winter and feeling cosy and warm sitting in front of the log burner with a good book on your knee. I wouldn’t swap it like Jo did. Just so long as I don’t need to go out in it! 😂
    Right now though it’s meant to be summer and here in Yorkshire we haven’t yet reached our usual summer temperatures.

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    1. I, too, love cooler temperatures when I’m cosy inside with a book and no need to go outside. Having said that, a good brisk walk does wonders and makes sitting down to read more relaxing.
      Hopefully, August is kinder to you weather wise, Sue.

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