Hi, and welcome to our look at Annecy
part of our 2018 'Tour de France'
No, not on a bike, in a car
As always, we'd love you to subscribe
so you don't miss any of our future travels
Annecy is in the east of the country
close to the Swiss border
We were heading north from Villefranche-sur-Mer
and opted to take the scenic route
through pretty little towns and villages
taken in the amazing landscape
and stunning scenery
as we worked our way towards
Annecy
We headed out after breakfast
with a journey of around about 450km
or 280 miles
estimating that it takes 6-7 hours
so we arrived late afternoon
So after a quick freshen up
we head out to discover town
This is about 4:30 on a Sunday afternoon
We decided to amble along, following the river
towards the lake, exploring as we go along
So why am I telling you all this?
Well the truth is, we were both
disappointed at the end of the day
and we couldn't put our finger on why
Do you suffer from that?
Perhaps our expectations were too high?
Anyway tomorrow is another day
Let's see how that turns out
So after a good night's sleep
a lovely cup of coffee and a pastry in a local cafe
We set off to explore the town
Now it may have been
the water flowing through the town
the clear blue skies
but we just had a completely different impression
the next day
Yeah there may have been tourists
and lots of us but
it was still nice to walk around, to stroll around
To find quiet spaces to stop and just take a break
So if you didn't know
Annecy is in the Savoie region of France
nestled against the French Alps
And like so many regions of France
it has its own unique identity
with its own regional wines and cheeses
The other thing to know is that
the old town of Annecy
the bit you're going to want to explore
and up to the lake, it is not a big walk
it's not that large
and the other good news is
being on a lake's edge, it's reasonably flat
I say reasonably but we'll get to that in a little while
As you can see some of the squares are quite quiet
and in the very center there's few roads
Now it does get a little busier by the river Thiou
where you'll find a good selection of
restaurants, bars and gift shops
After a short stroll through town
we come across this beautiful park
on the edge of the lake
and you may have noticed
I'm avoiding trying to pronounce some of these places
Canal du Vasse?
and Janis and I are still trying to figure out
why we were so negative yesterday
because today we're just loving the place
And this is the Pont Des Amours
or the love bridge
I think I prefer it in the French
In case you were wondering what time of year this was
this is the 10th of September
I'm not sure if it's unseasonably warm
but that it's around about 30 degrees centigrade
or mid 80s fahrenheit
but all in all it's pretty spectacular
and then we get to the lake
and wow, doesn't it just look amazing?
crystal clear, fed by waters flowing off the alps
and don't those mountains provide a stunning backdrop
and of course, you can enjoy the lake
you can hire a pedalo, take out a powerboat
or even take a cruise on the lake
I'm sorry to say we didn't do any of those
we took the car out and did a lap of the lake
and that'll be a later video if you're interested
once again don't forget to subscribe
It also seems really popular to cycle around the lake
you can easily hire a bike
and there's dedicated cycle paths to make it safer
So after enjoying the lake views we decided
to head back towards town via quayside
Now, do you remember I said this town was flat?
well that up on the hillside is the Château d’Annecy
and we'll be visiting that shortly
but now let's wander back towards the old town
and this place really is as pretty as a postcard
and it's used to welcome a fair amount of guests
I guess in the height of the summer season
it's going to be pretty busy
but it looks like it can handle it
and this is the 12th-century Palais de l’Isle
once a courthouse and prison
It's now home to the Annecy History Museum
So I said it was flat
well there's a little climb
up to the Château d’Annecy, but it's well worth it
the full entrance price is around 5-6 euros
but for that you get access to the museum
also the history of the lake
but best of all
the views from up on the chateau are pretty impressive
Then we discovered one of our favorite things
a traditional food market
Set out on the bustling Rue Sainte-Claire
it was just lovely to explore all the local produce
Is anyone else a huge fan of these markets?
We might pick up some fruit or dried sausage
but rarely cheese, it doesn't sit in the car that well
Mmmmm nougat, who can resist it eh?
Now after a day on our feet, and in this heat
I might have stopped for a beer
So what's your thoughts then?
Is Annecy the place for you?
leave us a comment we'd love to know
Well that wraps up our visit to Annecy
I hope you like what we put together
thanks so much for watching
and why not pick up our video on Villefranche-sur-Mer
