Back home

This last post is being written from a doctor's waiting room in Pretoria. We've been back 2 days already and Rose has an appointment with her eye specialist. Holding thumbs for good news. 

Our last day in Annecy started early so we could pack and since we had finished our food we went to the Hotel Restaurant next door for a lovely buffet breakfast. Although the food was lovely we experienced the first episode of French reluctance to at least try to understand English. Our request to speak English was met with a very blunt "No". Anyway, undeterred we set about getting our money's worth for the €10 each that we paid. The view was great too!

Well fed we finished our packing to be ready in time for the taxi to take us to Geneva. We spent the afternoon with Andre - Rose's mentor for her doctorate - and Rea Meheus who live in Prévessin-Moens a small village in France but 10 minutes from Geneva. After a great, mostly home grown meal we went into Geneva to see the WHO and UN buildings, plus other sights. Clockwise - Rose, Andre and Rea; statue to remember land mine damage; statue outside the UNAIDS building; the UN building.

Then they dropped us at the airport and that was that!

Hope my posts have been interesting - till next time. 

The Penultimate Day

Our last full day in Annecy was spent enjoying the "Old Town & its Churches" walk. There is always the concern that one church looks very much the same as the next, but if you take the time there are many features that make each one different and the guide we have has proven invaluable in supplying pertinent information needed. 

After an early, somewhat cool start we caught the 8:15 bus into Annecy. We have both taken a bit of strain in the foot department because we both bought new shoes shortly before taking this trip - not a good idea, but it was unavoidable. 

Most of the churches were built in the 16th and 17th century while the last one visited, the Basilica of the Visitation was only built in the first half of the 20th century. Some visuals.........

Supper this evening was a treat; we had planned to go to a local place, the Hotel Restaurant but they were closed on Mondays so we went to the La Station Des Sens the local pizza joint which was a huge surprise. We shared one pizza and one salad that were both amazing. The pizza - Mustang which sounds very un-French but the toppings were super fresh and totally French (Tomate, Mozza ; en fin de cuisson Roquette, Tomates cerises, Speck, Mozza fraîche, Copeaux de parmesan, Pistou, Vinaigre balsamique.) A real treat! 

The 7th Day

I had noticed earlier on in the week that the Museé-Chateau were offering free entry on Sunday, so we decided to take advantage of that. We made an early start in order to catch the 8:15 bus into town (the old feet are tiring) and even packed a breakfast to eat in the park. Well, we now know the busses don't run on Sunday's.

The Museé was a treat. Dating from the 13th century and renovated a few times before eventually being a military garrison until the 1950's when it was reclaimed and made a museum. We spent the whole day there except the 2 hours when they close for lunch.

When we got back to Veyrier du Lac we went down to the lake to enjoy the sunset as usual. Tomorrow is our last full day and we are already dreading that we have to leave this lovely place and go home. They say home is where the heart is - well my heart is with me in Annecy and her name is Rose.

The 6th Day

We didn't take the decision lightly. We reasoned that the opportunity to experience a Michelin rated restaurant doesn't present itself that often; we accepted that we would have to budget an amount that could feed a family in SA for a week and we knew we had no idea what to expect. So, we threw caution to the wind and booked a table at Auberge du Lac for lunch expecting something outstanding.

We started off on the deck for a drink where we could enjoy the view of the lake and the surrounding mountains but were quickly chased inside when it started to rain. Undeterred we chose a table on the veranda behind the "lapa curtains" with a view over the lake and protected from the rain and wind. 

What we hadn't thought of was that the menu would be in French - OK, we accept that was silly. But, we had hoped at least one of the waiters was an English speaker but found the best English speaker they had was not very good - he tried very hard but there were just too many explanation asked for that soon fried his brain. He did, though find an old English menu that had most of the same items as on the French version which did help us decide.

The first item delivered to us was the Amuse Bouche which consisted of some Gazpacho (Rose assures me my version is better) and some Turnip cream that was new to both of us - I quite liked it but Rose wasn't impressed.

Rose ordered a fish dish (Petite Friture de l'Auberge, Pommes-frites, Maison) because it had a salad and chips, but what she didn't realize was that the fish were tiny ones, fried to a crisp.

I ordered a starter and main - Tomate mozzarella façon Niçoise d'ici followed by Agneau, Le carré Chlorophylle. As you can see in the pictures, the salad was beautiful and really nice, but my lamb had a piece of plastic in it that the chef claimed was a piece of cartilage. Mmmmmm.....

All in all we were underwhelmed. It wasn't bad, but we really expected more.

The 5th Day

Our hosts left some brochures in the apartment for us and one - 4 Discovery Routes - caught our attention. The brochure suggests 4 walks through Annecy and gives a map and explanations of significant points along the route. We did The Canals today. 

Annecy is situated on the Thiou river which is the shortest river in France at only 5 kilometers. The Thiou takes water from the lake and feeds it into the Fier river, a tributary of the Rhône. The Thiou became a series of canals built in the 19th century to aid the development of industry. At some points the canals have been built over as is the case with the St Francois church and in other places has split or had mechanical gates fitted to direct water to the turbines of a large cotton factory. In 1874 a series of "Thiou gates" we're fitted that enabled the lake level to be increased by 20 cm which secured the flow all year round. The Ile St. Joseph, an island in the Thiou housed a textile factory at one stage but is now a children's playground. We followed the river to the outskirts of Annecy before retracing our steps for a well earned lunch and a rest. It was nice having the guide to give context to what we were seeing.

Other options in the brochure are "The Lake" which we have done a few times, "Churches" and "Off the beaten path." We'll see what tomorrow, or the next day brings.

The 4th Day

We moved from les Pensieres to our Airbnb apartment today. We had to vacate les Pensieres at 9 and could only occupy1 Rue de la Voûte at 3 so we had some time for fun.

I took Rose through to the old town Annecy where the best sights are. Being late summer, the gardens are still blooming and there is colour everywhere. The day was clear and the light was most suitable for photography. Here are some of the best.

Lunch was a pizza and a green salad to share, plus a coke and a glass of wine at La Sapaudia. Really pleasant and good value for money.

Once we had settled in to 1 Rue de la Voûte we spent the rest of the afternoon down at the lake chatting and watching the old ladies airing their dried arrangements and a very funny guy sunbathing in front of us who seemed to have a bad case of crabs. 

We forgot to take supper with us like almost everyone else but stayed till the sun dropped below the horizon before returning home to have supper there. We met our hosts, Valerie and Giles and one of their daughters Camille who is in charge of the wi-fi. A lovely family - I think we'll be really happy here.

The 3rd Day

It was Rose's last day of conference so I set about locating our Airbnb accommodation booking a few kilos south of les Pensiers. It is in a village called Veyrier du Lac which is nestled at the base of Mont Veyrier. It turns out the place we'll be spending the next 5 days is really cute - next to a church (how handy), across the road from the city hall and the police and just a short walk from la Paniere which makes it ideally situated. 

I then decided to climb Mont Veyrier which proved a really strenuous treat. Here is the view from the bottom and the top.

 

About an hour and a half later I reached the first stop, Col des Contabandiers, (named after the ancient rouges and smugglers who looted Annecy) dripping with sweat and feeling somewhat exhausted. Imagine my surprise when I got to the top just to find a car park and a perfectly good tarred road giving sweat-free access from the other side. Anyway, the views were worth it. I could even see the snowy peaks of Mont Blanc. 

The round trip took me 5 hours and I enjoyed getting back to a shower and fresh clothes. Rose finished conferencing at 3 and we took a slow stroll along the edge of Lake Annecy and both commented how lovely it'd be if Hartbeespoort Dam could look as good - and Zuma would retire. (He he he). We then had a supper of artisanal cheese and a baguette while watching the sun set over Annecy. 

The 2nd Day

I like to get lost in a new city. Granted, I don't have to try very hard but all the same it is a technique I can recommend. Today I did just that and lost myself in Annecy. Although I had the map vaguely in my head from Google maps, I did manage to visit some sights more than once without realising it straight away. 

Annecy is beautiful - the tourist brochures haven't made the sights look better than they actually are. I was disappointed though that Le Palais de I'lle is being worked on and has scaffolding all around it. I suppose it had to happen some time.

I did have the opportunity to amble through an artisanal market in the city centre but didn't buy anything - maybe next time.

This is a selection of some of the pictures taken today.

The 1st Day

GAlways the hardest, the first day! Driving to ORT, giving your car to a stranger (my insurers say it is OK), shuffling through queue after queue and eventually boarding the flight which was excellent - well done Etihad - then a 3 hour wait in Abu Dhabi followed by the last leg to Geneva. Everything ran according to plan, even our taxi collected us immediately we cleared customs in Geneva!

And then we get to Annecy and it is everything the tourist site say - picturesque, quaint, magnificent views, clear water in the lake and lovely weather. Couldn't have wished for more.

After checking into les Pensieres I took a walk through their gardens and then along the waterfront while Rose attended the opening lecture of her conference. Once I am done posting this I will join her for dinner.

T

EUR/ZAR - the trend continues

Almost an 8% improvement this month. Happy days!

EUR/ZAR - a trend developing?

Experienced travellers tell you not to convert every price you see lest you end up with indigestion from the food and drink. However, isn't there just the slightest trend developing? In the right direction!

We have promised ourselves not to fixate on the Rand cost of goods while in Annecy and we'll see how that goes.

Oh, and can the politicians please keep their traps shut till we get back?

VISA

So Rose and I have been looked at and found to be worthy visitors to France! We have our visas.

I understand that there are people who have evil intentions when visiting a foreign country and that the country concerned has a responsibility to their people to keep their country safe, but still feel uncomfortable when asked to bare everything to a CAPAGO clerk who acts as if she was trained by the Hawks (maybe she was).

Just a comment regarding the role played by CAPAGO, the exclusive agents for visas to France and Italy. When I last visited Italy I got my visa from the embassy in Pretoria; they asked for certain documents, I presented them, paid the visa fee and got my visa a few days later - quite simple. This time I had to go through CAPAGO who charge nearly 40% of the visa fee extra as their service fee. The hoops were the same, the (in)convenience was the same, the service was worse than at the embassy and yet we paid a 40% surcharge. My question is - What value does CAPAGO add?" I cannot see any value-adds. 

I did notice a few value-deducts though - information on the website was inaccurate, the website was jumbled and difficult to navigate and the service was sullen and unfriendly - although they did stick to their 48 hour turnaround.

Anyway, we are free to travel to Annecy now and starting to get excited.

Markets, markets and more markets

The markets of Annecy


Annecy is a city that offers a number of markets where you can go shopping and so be able to eat fresh and buy clothes, accessories and everything you can find a market.
You will find a market day in Annecy from Tuesday to Sunday.

Tuesday
Market to the place of « Romains » 8am to 7pm, market of various products and food
Market in the Old Town : 7am to 1pm food market.
Thursday
From 7am to 1pm, food market in Novel.
Friday
Market in the old town of Annecy from 7am to 1pm.
Saturday
Taine Boulevard, from 7am to 1pm, food market and various products.
Félix Petit street
Nicollet Street
Sunday
From 7am to 1pm, and various food market in the old city.


For more information, contact the trade craft of Annecy +33 450 338 796

Some Background Information

Dates

Depart 25 Sept on Etihad at 19:25

Return 5 Oct on Etihad at 16:30

Conference

Fondation Mérieux Conference : Strategies to increase vaccine acceptance and uptake- 26-28 September 2016

Location

About 

Map

Accommodation

26 September till 28 September

29 September till 4 October