I’ve just spent my first week in Annecy, with another week to go. What a place! I’d heard it was beautiful, and seen pictures as proof, but I wasn’t prepared for the one-two punch. The lake, in its mountain setting, with some of the purest water in Europe, would be plenty to attract hordes of tourists. Likewise, the town, perched on the edge of the lake, utterly charming, with its canals and castle. But, to have both in one place!
The lake has been a delight, walking along it, biking around it, or cruising in it. In the parts closest to town, you find three paths, one for bicyclists, one for walkers, and one for joggers. The lake itself is quite swimmable, and people were doing just that when I arrived, mid-September. To accommodate this crowd, there are ladders, or sometimes, stairs, descending into the water, so civilized! The temperature of the water right now is 73 deg (F), surprisingly warm, I thought, for a mountain lake. In August, it was closer to 80.
My bike ride around the lake (26 miles), on a dedicated bike path most of the way, turned out to be one of my most memorable days. The ride started out fairly flat, lulling me into thinking this would be the case all the way around. However, I had not taken into account the sheer cliffs on the west side of it, which was going to mean hilly riding!
One of the things the French do best is cafes and restaurants. Thus, in riding along the lake, I encountered a delightful place to stop for food or drink every 20 minutes or so. I purposely held out until I felt I had come across the ideal spot for lunch, and, luckily, found it, at exactly the time I was hoping for (12:30). With meal times quite rigid here, it’s essential to arrive at just the right time, when one is without a reservation. It was after this relaxing 1.5 hour lunch, that I encountered the rest of the bike path, which was now quite vertical. Yes, it was time to deal with those cliffs. But, there being no rush, I managed the hills and made it back to Annecy by mid-afternoon.
Another day, I took a lunchtime cruise to see the shore from a different viewpoint. It was delightful, the lunch, the boat, and the scenery. I noted that my fellow passengers were mostly above 60, maybe even 70. Perhaps the young people were out kayaking, paddleboarding, swimming, or sailing, engaged in more active pursuits? Of course, all of the above can be enjoyed (and is, I’ve noticed) by all ages here.
Meanwhile, in town, I walked the narrow streets, alongside crystal-clear canals. My Airbnb is right in the center (with another of those nondescript doors opening to the sidewalk and onto the unsuspecting passerby). Annecy has a population of 50,000, but feels like a small town, with virtually everything within a 10-20 minute walk, whether the train station, the cultural center, the Hôtel de Ville, or the lake.
For a few days I was caught up in the beauty and charm of the place, thinking that I could live here easily. The setting is breathtaking; the climate is relatively mild for a mountain town; and there is easy access to another whole country, Switzerland. In fact, while here, I have made a couple of trips to Geneva, an hour and a half by train, on one of which days I took a tour of CERN. I think I actually could choose Annecy as home base if there was some reason (a job transfer, for instance, if it were a few years ago). But, I feel the pull of the south just a bit more, not only for its milder winters, but for the support system that I have started to build. Having friends to help along the way is the only way I am going to be able to create a life in France, I think. The process of finding an apartment, opening a bank account, figuring out phone contracts, etc. is quite daunting. I have heard that the first year is the hardest. So, a support system is not only a nice thing to have, but invaluable for someone at my stage of moving. I have spent enough time in Vence and the surrounding area that, as I prepare to leave Annecy for the south, I find I am thinking of it as “going home,” and am liking that it feels that way! And now for some pictures…(Please excuse the formatting problems with the captions I just learned about, if you are viewing this from your phone. I will correct in the future)
Some lake scenes. The picture in the middle is an example of having one’s ducks in a row, with ducks only the beginning. The two ladies in a Pedal-O (as they call paddle boats) were really zooming along! They were out of sight in seconds!
The stairs enable one to gently enter the lake. On the right, you can see the three types of paths, for bikers, joggers, and walkers.
The cafe on the left is most welcoming for cyclists. In the middle, a tunnel…not sure I’ve ever biked through a tunnel before! On the right, the restaurant with the red umbrellas, which is where I ate lunch.
In the center is a view of the interior of my lunchtime cruise boat, taken from my table. On either side are views from the boat.
My new favorite beverage: Perrier Menthe. You order it, and you get the bottle of Perrier, plus a glass with some mint syrup in it. You add the water, and, voilà, you have a refreshing drink!
Some canal scenes from the town. Of course, the photo at the top is the iconic canal shot.
On the left, the chateau, which dominates the town. Nowadays it is primarily used as a museum or exhibition hall. Currently, there’s an exhibition on the melting of glaciers, and the objects (and bones) that are being laid bare because of it. One day, I went into the chateau, climbed to the top, and took the photo on the right.
To end with more lake photos…I was amazed at how shallow one end of the lake was. People were only up to their shins, if that, in water 100 meters from shore. On the left, you see someone walking a boat into port. On the right, you see people way out in the lake, not swimming, but strolling. Finally, in the center, the little metal huts, for lack of a better term, which people would wade out to, in water up to their ankles, and plop down on them (first come, first served, I gathered). Some read, some picnicked, some slept. It struck me as quite a relaxing way to spend an afternoon!
