Last week, the first week in February, it snowed heavily here in the Paris area, all of 19 cm, approximately 7.5 inches !

Now if I lived in the city, I would have been out dawn to dusk capturing all that lovely architecture and Frenchness with a trimming of snow.

However, as I live in the countryside, west of Paris, it would have taken me hours to get in to the city, if I had managed to get there at all, because when it snows here chaos ensues on the roads and public transport.

Not to be done out of capturing some wintery images in an historic place, we went for a walk last weekend in the park of the Chateau de Versailles, which is near our home.

It is usually possible to park inside the domain, but because of the snow the park was closed to cars, but we found a parking space in a near by street. The park covers a vast 815 hectares, approximately 2,014 acres. We walked up one of the long tree lined avenues passing these sheep, which are perhaps the descendants of Marie Antoinette’s own flock, towards the Grand Canal.

The Grand Canal was frozen over, as were all the fountains.

We already felt in need of warming up, so we stopped at La Flottille, fleet or flotilla, for a hot chocolate.

We made our way back, away from the crowds, through the alleys of the infamous bosquets, behind the green trellises. They were all closed. There are a dozen bosquets or ‘green rooms’, each have their own individual style, fountains, statues etc. and were the scene of romantic meetings, illicit meetings, political plotting and parties.

And finally we arrived back where we started at this empty guards post next to the restaurant.