Thursday, June 6: Day 45 – I Lake Annecy

I didn’t know what to expect when we decided to spend five days in Annecy. All that we knew prior to our journey was that we would be traveling by rail through the south of France. We would choose stops along the way.

I had read an article in the app GPSmycity written by a professional volleyball player originally from the USA. I told her that we would love to see some professional volleyball. Christy Swagerty told me that they are not in season at this time but if our travels take us to Annecy, there is a HUGE grass volleyball tournament in which many professionals participate. Spectators are free.

Interested…but never heard of Annecy. Where is it? Is it on the way? With a quick internet search of photos calling it “The Venice of the Alps” and a Google map locating it on our route, we booked an Airbnb.

Most places were taken, but Rob found a good one but it didn’t have internet. We learned that it is also the weekend prior to The International Animated Film Festival. (When we arrived, our host told us that we are only the 4th couple to have stayed in the apartment and it did indeed have internet. It must be a typo that he will definitely fix!!! We are assuming that it is why it was available.) Here is the view:

WOW!!! It is beautiful here. It is all about the outdoors!!! Annecy is positioned at the base of a mountain by an aquamarine colored lake. Lac d’Annecy is known as the purest lake in Europe.

The crystal clear lake allows you to see rocks on the bottom AND water diving birds all the way down!!

I stop to take pictures every few steps as each picture is more breathtaking than the last.

We walked through the charming Old Town along the picturesque canals.

This bridge is called Pont Des Amours. I imagine that there have been many wedding proposals uttered here.

There were some very impressive bird houses. They look like high rise apartments.

We went to buy groceries at the local market as we will be making meals at home. My favorite indulgence was Rose Jelly. It is a pale pink color and makes my peanut butter taste (and smell) oh so fancy.We have heard it said that you can spot an American in the grocery store if they are buying peanut butter. You can count on it!!!