Winter Wonderland (Part1)

Oh no Steemit peeps, I've done it again... Here comes another photo series. I hope you like these because it's the best option I have found so far to share my photos with all of you without writing a million posts! Do let me know what you think. Suggestions and comments are always welcome.
As you may have noticed, I have not been posting much lately. I think a few of you may agree with me in saying that Christmas holidays are meant to be spent with family and friends, relaxing and enjoying life rather than staring at our screens all day long. Yet with Steemit being so addictive, it's not always easy to find a healthy balance...

For the holidays, I've travelled back to France to be with my family and friends for a few weeks. My parents live in a small village in Burgundy. It is a beautiful region which most of you may know primarily for its wine and picturesque vineyard landscapes.

The photo collage above shows the cherry tree my great grandfather planted in the yard years ago. I've taken a photo of it during each season showing the variety of colours and beauty of nature's cycle.

So let's begin our seasonal tour of Burgundy with the present season: welcome to my Winter Wonderland!

But first, 2 maps to give you a better idea of where in the world we are:

_{Map of France source}	_{Close-up of Burgundy region source}

Two lovely turtledoves I got on the second day of Christmas (and a Partridge in a pear tree😉 - of course)

Above, an alignment of ice stalactites hanging from the roof.

Winter has always been one of the toughest seasons for me to photograph given the lack of sunlight and neverending gray skies.

Not the best place to store wine but at least it made the photo more interesting ;)

It must have been at least -5 degrees (23F). On days like these, I would normally stay home stuck to the fireplace, playing board games, catching up or talking nonsense with my brothers. Yet after staring at all this whiteness out the window and consulting my inner Jon Snow, I grabbed my camera, and went on a mission to defy the elements.

_{Typical authentic frozen burgundy tree}	_{Fresh snow - perfect for snow angels :)}

Seventeenth century castle

A row of majestic cypress trees greets us as we enter this small village cemetery. I like trees. Especially when they house squirrels. I like squirrels.
The chapel is ancient. The cemetery's inhabitants would be around three to four hundred years old now if they had not died.

Watch out for the curves! This is a tricky one at this time of year.

Trivia time!!! What's the name of the little house used to shelter winemakers in the vineyards? (used to find warmth in winter, freshness in summer and refuge from the elements)

Did you know spiders could weave frozen webs?! Burgundy is so exotic.

This post was made with my younger brother sitting next to me, in an attempt to convince him to get on Steemit. You may notice his casual yet subtle hijacking in the writing of this post 😜

All photos were taken with my Canon EOS 500D and Samsung Galaxy S3.

Please don't hesitate to leave comments, share ideas, upvote/resteem. I love to hear from all of you!

To check out some of my previous posts, click on the links below: