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.