Awesome Annecy

I had read that the town of Annecy was the Venice of France. Our first impression of Annecy arriving on a Saturday was of the traffic. It was pretty slow-going and the drivers were not at their most helpful. But then we saw the lake. First of all, I had assumed the photos of the lake were photoshopped - the turquoise blue was something I had only seen in the Caribbean. Nope, it’s real and it’s breath-taking. Once you can take that in, you’re stunned by the gorgeous mountains ringing the lake. Then you spot the boats and para-gliders and the many other ways to enjoy this place. After a long drive in, we spent the first night settling into the campsite in the town of Doussard (which is at the south end of the lake) so Dermot could see a World Cup match.

Having experienced the crowds of summer, we decided to avoid the town on Sunday and drove far up into the mountains of Le Semnoz to see a panorama of the mountains including Mont Blanc. It was a steep climb and it had Dermot worrying we were asking too much of our transmission on these mountains. Once parked, we climbed up onto a ski-lift area to see the mountains and they were incredible. 

Monday is usually a quiet day in French towns so we made the long drive north along the lake to Annecy. Yes, there are canals and historic houses with waterfront entrances - this place has been inhabited for over 5,000 years. Everywhere you looked there was character and beauty.  

Click here for photos.

I’ve never thought I’d like to live in Venice. It feels like you’d need the have a lot of very old money and connections to live there.  But Annecy feels more real, more welcoming and I really think I could live here!  Since seeing it, I have tried, unsuccessfully, to think of a place that has more going for it.  After leaving, we spent the rest of the day shopping outside the area and returned to the campsite wiped out. This isn’t like vacation - you still have to do everyday things and they take longer because you don’t know the language and you don’t know the rules. Not complaining, it's just true.

Tuesday we rented bicycles and went for a ride on the wide trails that are set sometimes fairly close and, more often, too far away to see the lake. We stopped for lunch in the town of St. Jorioz along the trail. Our rented bikes were uncomfortable and by the time we arrived at the campsite, I was saddle sore and wiped out but we still took care of a problem with the van and researched our next move before Dermot settled in to watch the semi-final in which France are playing Belgium. We had toyed with the idea of staying to see the Tour de France that was scheduled to cycle through this area on the 17th, but I can’t even imagine what the traffic would be like with the main road closed!

That is the downfall of this place - with so much going for it, it is too well-loved. Still, I can see myself here . . .