Annecy and Geneva

Trip Start May 19, 2008
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38
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Trip End Ongoing


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Where I stayed
Annecy Hostel (Hostelling Internatinal)

Flag of France  , Rhône-Alpes,
Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Kyle and I are back from our weekend get-a-way to Annecy. We had a good time...though the weather didn't exactly match the forcast from weather.com! It was cool and rained a few times, but still enjoyed our time. Annecy is located at the base of the foothills to the Alps, so it was very hilly and mountainy and with really good views of the snow covered Alps. Very pretty, and apparently very popular in the summer (for water sports in the crystal clear lakes) and the winter (for skiing.) We spent time exploring the old town in Annecy that was so much like a fairytale with cobblestone roads, narrow passage ways, canals with swans, bridges, and a great farmers market on Sunday. We also took a 1 hr. bus to Geneva, Switzerland. We couldn't resist! Also a nice city, but obviously much larger. Had excellent fondue for lunch, then treated ourselves to Swiss chocolate. Yum & yum. In Annecy we stayed at a youth hostel that was just out of town and up a series of steep hills, it was in a really pretty wooded area that we explored when it wasn't raining. When it was raining, we enjoyed the views from the hostels library, and did some reading. Kyle read a murder-mystery book in a day, and I'm still reading Eat Pray Love....I LOVE it!!

Had to switch trains in Paris like always, but this time from two different stations. We had to speed walk for an hour and then run the last 10 minutes, the Parisians looked at us like we had just robbed a bank. No one runs in Paris. Oh well, we made it.
 
A note for anyone reading this who wants to go to Annecy: Despite being very popular in the summer in winter, those are clearly the best seasons to visit. The fall colors were gorgeous, but other than walking through the woods, there wasn't much else to do. Of course it was great to just relax, read, walk through town, enjoy the woods, and eat! Sunday morning also offered a fantastic market in the heart of old town.
 
With the holidays approaching, Kyle and I are left feeling a little blue. What is it going to be like when we wake up on Christmas day and it's just...us. And no self-respecting American should have to Google "Thanksgiving 2008" just to figure out what day it falls on. But at the grocery store this afternoon, I felt a tickle of reassurance when I spotted a perfectly wrapped bundle of cranberries. Just days ago, I broke the news to my holiday spirit that I probably wouldn't be making anything with cranberries this season. No cranberry stuffing, salads, or little sugared sweets. The crate of OceanSpray cranberries wasn't going to arrive. But there they were, nestled between the pomegranates and the leeches.  Holding them in my hands, I read: "Origine: USA." My God. Up until now, I thought Kyle and I were the only things in France that were made in America. And what did I pay? 3.00 euros for 200 grams. Can't you get a pound for $1.99 in the US?  Oh well.
 
And walking home with my groceries, I actually saw a woman get her high heel stuck in the cobblestone road. I KNEW that had to happen sooner or later. She actually had to tug pretty hard to get her shoe out...and that's why I don't wear pumps to the market.
 
 
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pampampam
pampampam on

chilling
I once saw a woman snap the heel of her pump. It sounded like a breaking bone. I still shiver when I think of it.

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