Old Man Winter in southern France...

It's official, I now know first hand that Old Man Winter can definitely make his presence felt in southern France. The last few days have been a mixture of snow, fog and very cold temperatures that have reminded me of the winters back home in the states. The smell of wood burning fills this little Hameau as many have put their fireplaces to good use during the drop in temperatures.

My Tuesday French class was cancelled due to the snow but yesterday I figured we would probably resume the learning process....that is, until I looked out the window to see more snow falling. It was a light snow so I got myself ready to make the drive to Cavaillon. My attempts to contact the instructor to confirm we were having class were in vain so I headed out anyway. Of course when I arrived the place was locked up tighter than Fort Knox so I made a leisurely drive back home for a day of self teaching. I think my home schooling skills need some improvement as I was unable to get my full and undivided attention for the remainder of the day. Today I will require myself to even stay after class if some real progress and learning is not achieved... :-)

I did get out, although not far from the house to take some photos of the winter scenes here in the valley.  I ventured into the tiny village of Villars which provides some nice views of one of the numerous "mini" valleys we have here. From there I drove east on some very narrow and rural farm roads which were still snow covered and slick. This was especially true around curves and where the trees had shielded the road from any type of melting warmth from the sun.

You don't see alot of abandoned homes or buildings in the area as most are used for homes, vacation rentals or for farming purposes. During my countryside drive I did discover what seemed to be the remnants of a very old church minus the roof. Not far from there I passed by an old abandoned farmhouse  that was sitting in the shadows of the Vaucluse range. I have no idea how old this farmhouse was but one could imagine that it provided warmth, protection and comfort for many generations of families.

Abandoned farmhouse with low clouds in the distance

No going inside to warm up as I'm sure it was as cold inside as it was outside

Built to last with very thick walls

Church - side view 

Church entrance

Remnants of the old church which I'm sure is hundreds of years old.