We may soon be running out of interesting and new places to visit in the vicinity of F’s hometown. Each time we travel east to my in-laws’, we’ve always borrow one of their cars on one of the afternoons and explore places within an hour or less of driving time. The distance that we’re stretching, however, is getting longer and longer. We may have to start doing day trips rather than an afternoon away…
Our most recent trip to the hometown saw us driving out along the coastline and sought out Piriac-sur-Mer, a quaint village on the peninsular of Guérande. The centre of the village is pedestrianised, making it very pleasant to visit on foot, down along the main streets and continue along the sea wall, past the parked boats and yachts, and a well-loved merry-go-round which (sadly) danced to the tunes of the 80s.
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We had two hours to kill after returning our Vélonecy bikes following a day of bike-about Lake Annecy and retrieving our bags from Marc’s cellar. With tickets back to Paris via Chambéry, when we spotted a regional train due to leave for Chambéry pretty much right away, we did not hesitate jumping on it. That should give us time to quickly explore the historical capital of Savoy, buy something for dinner, and grab the capital-bound TGV.
Located in a valley surrounded by mountains, the medieval section of the town is within a short walk away from the train station. It is compact and can be easily visited on foot within an hour or two. The many heraldry-based flags hung conferred an atmosphere of the past, and I was half-expecting some knights to ride down the streets in armours and all set to joust each other! It was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday evening when we were there, with few people and even less traffic around.
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Final day in Annecy came around far too quickly, but like any good troopers, we made the most of it. After checking out and depositing our backpack into Marc’s cellar to be retrieved later (it is somewhat inconvenient that the train station does not have a locker facility), we went over to the office of Vélonecy to take out a couple of their chainless yet 7 speed-equipped Classique urban bikes. As we travelled to Annecy by train, our SNCF tickets scored us the equivalent of local resident’s rate of €5 per day.
Our plan was to cycle the entire lake, having seen good bike lanes stretching to the villages next to Annecy. When we mentioned this to Marc and Marie, they assured us that this would be very doable, but with a small caveat – there will be a stretch where we would be on the road with the rest of the traffic without the benefit of bike lanes. Undeterred, we went ahead with this excursion.
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The rain just wouldn’t let up. We were supposed to roam the famous market that lined the streets of the old town and canals of Annecy, but we ended up staying in for a grasse mat’ and read in bed. Eventually, we had to brave the weather and headed out, since we had a lunch reservation at La Ciboulette. We took the long way round so we could at least catch a glimpse of the market.
Slightly drenched after our walk, we stepped into a visibly posh restaurant with opulent interior, charming paintings, antique decorative pieces, and actual silver salt-and-pepper shakers and butter dish awaited us at the table which we were assigned. The couple at our neighbouring table were clearly in celebratory mood: a bottle of champagne with two long-stem flutes had just been brought over by the sommelier.
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Morning of Day 2 in Annecy, we woke up early to be greeted by grey sky and drizzles, but undeterred, we put on our walking gear and headed in the direction of Semnoz. Based on direction given to us by Marc, the Église de la Visitation was our key landmark, and continuing along the avenue de la Visitation, we came to the starting point of our intended hike.
Multiple options of varying distance were available and we opted for a 3.5 hours (blue) circuit, figuring that’d get us back in Annecy for a late lunch. If we’d wanted a route with higher elevation, the 2.5 hours (red) circuit would be ideal, but Marc warned us that with recent rainfall, it may be just a tad too slippery without hiking sticks to aid us.
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A couple of days prior to our departure to Annecy, I was in a small panic. The couple of restaurants I’ve researched on and tried to reserve tables for were closed for the week when we would be in town, and compounded with the presence of the labour day bank holiday, I needed new alternatives quickly. I looked into Gault & Millau and was happy to find a highly recommended restaurant (5 toques!) in the historic centre with a clever name to boot.
20/Vins is a play on the perfect score of 20/20 within the French system and the word wine. It is primarily a wine bar, but hey, coupled with delicious food, we’ve got a winner on hand, no? I guess that would be too good to be true. Our Airbnb hosts had never heard of this place, and Marc has experience in the wine industry, even if his main business focus is on Sino-Franco business-relationship consultancy…
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As soon as we stood across the Palais de l’Isle, I semi-regretted my decision to travel ultra-light in the photography gear department. With only a 40 mm fix lens, there was no way I could fit the frame to capture what I wanted. On the other hand, it means I ought to take on the challenge and work with what I have. Get creative, so to speak.
A former capital of the County of Geneva, Annecy is today one of the most expensive cities to live in (pricing comparable to major French cities) despite its village feel. This is perhaps unsurprising, given its abundance of charm and natural setting, yet blessed with quick and direct access to economically-affluent cities such as Geneva and Paris. Should one wishes to gain a wee bit more privacy and away from tourists’ path, there are several other towns around the lake as alternatives.
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Ahead of my starting a new job this week, F and I decided to take a short trip to Annecy. It has been on our to-visit list for a while now, each time intending to travel in the summer but we always, somehow, ended up elsewhere. Figuring this would be as good a time as others, we bought a pair of last minute train tickets and off we went. We’re living the moment :)
What a relaxing yet active four days that we had, despite the less-than-sunny weather that we encountered. Whenever the sun escaped from the cloud cover and shone brightly, we couldn’t help but sighed with contentment. F would certainly need no further encouragement to move here immediately should an opportunity to do so arises!
Each day, without fail, we would walk along the lake, stopping every few meters and feasted the grandeur with our eyes. The ever changing lights of the sky, the simmering lake with its crystal clear water, the white-dusted hill tops from fresh snow gathering at the summits, and afar, the adventurous souls paragliding above the lake. We’ve walked from Annecy to both villages on its left (Annecy-le-Vieux) and right (Sévrier), and back, loving every (windy) minutes of it.
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On our way towards Parc Montsouris and Cité U recently, F and I traversed avenue Reille into a small street just off the Réservoirs de Montsouris. We entered what could only be described as the most beautiful Parisian countryside. Don’t get me wrong; there are other charming places within Paris, including Villa Santos-Dumont and the Thermopyles, but neither rivalled the exquisite Square de Montsouris. (We’ll explore the few other luscious streets nearby another time.)
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With a blink of an eye, it has been three months since F and I moved into our current place, located on a small street, on the first floor, and with a vis-à-vis. We are settling in well, and while I continue to add little touches here and there to make it more home-y, we do miss our former bright and luminous fourth-floor open-view apartment near Montparnasse. For a want of some sense of (natural and green) space, we escaped to St Germain-en-Laye on Sunday afternoon.
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