Jul 30, 2012 - Fun in Annecy

Had our hearts set on bicycle riding today on a bike path Rick Steves recommended but we had a challenge finding a bike rental shop. The first one we tried was not open today but a taxi guy told us of another one. There we rented 2 good bikes, 2 helmets, one basket and 1 lock. After practicing riding in a small park area, we boarded a tour boat at 10:15 to ride around two-thirds of Lake Annecy, getting off in the tiny town of Duindt. From there we rode the 7 miles back into town. After getting off the boat at 11:40 we found a tiny bakery in...

Apr 22, 2012 - Chatel to Annecy

We have now eaten more cheese in a week than ever before in our lives. Remember that dinner I mentioned up in the snow at the end of a day on the slopes. Well first there was the big lunch. Then the cheese dinner - I can't remember what it is called but it's a bowl of melted cheese eaten with potatoes (4) and a range of charcuterie and salad. All the local farmers make their own cheese (and charcuterie) and it is the specialty of the region, called Abondance. They make more money from the cheese than from milk. Then our first meal in Annecy...

Aug 25, 2011 - Annecy

Today we packed a picnic & set off for a 1.5hr drive to Annecy, a village built in the 12th century. The drive was beautiful & the town itself very picturesque. Only downside was that with 2 young boys in tow we couldn't explore all the little touristy but gorgeous gift shops along the way. Did manage to have a look at the local chocolate maker though & the exquisite creations they made. Boys were allowed 1 chocolate on a lollypop stick each & we walked out $10aud poorer. Ouch ! They enjoyed it though !!! There is a big lake at Annecy where...

Jul 17, 2011 - Annecy, France

July 17, 2011 Our Paris recap: • Watch for Gypsy scams: the “dropped gold ring” or the “deaf/mute” girls with clipboards (Google them to see how they operate) • Book major attractions ahead of your visit (Eiffel tower, etc.) • Allow enough time for attractions like the Catacombs, etc. • Instead of the Palace of Versailles, consider the less-known and less-crowded Vaux-le-Vicomte southeast of Paris • Our favourites found on this visit were Montmartre and the St. Martin Canal Tour At our 9:30 departure time, Benjamin’s brother, Maxime,...

May 24, 2011 - Geneva - Annecy

After our night in our luxury tent we decided to hit the road and get breakfast on the way. Yes you guessed we ended up going through Geneva again stuck in traffic, with no where to park. Oh week no breeky for us. We just wanted to get out of the place. We headed to Annecy which is on a lake just south of Geneva. Two of the cycling group were there for a week and we arranged to catch up with them. What a great place. Full of pensioners but who cares! The prices were right and no load hoods yahooing around! Found a park ok and no traffic...

Mar 19, 2011 - Band Trip to France and Spain

Arrived in Geneva, Switzerland and got on our bus right away to drive to Annecy, France. Stayed there for about 3 hours. We got to walk around and got our first crepes. They were amazing. We ate them in this teeny little place because it was raining outside. Then we walked around to this big gathering of people. It was some kind of festival that day, so there were a bunch of people dressed up in extravagant costumes with masks on. The people were all watching them go up on stage. We waved to some people on a boat nearby and they waved back....

Mar 13, 2011 - Annecy

So last weekend I decided to spend in Grenoble since we had been so busy lately with school stuff, and I had a lot of work to get done on group presentations. All we do here are group presentations. I mean, it’s nice to not actually have to do assignments, but it does get a bit tiring to always be organizing with a bunch of people when we all end up leaving everything to the last minute. So Kelly and I had planned on going to Montpellier on Sunday, but when I got home from going out Saturday night for some reason I thought to check the...

Oct 23, 2009 - Annecy

Left around 0930 and then spent a magical daz y- each hour full of surpises. Our route took us through the French Alps and we gradually climbed up, over and through the mountains. For a few hours we were surrounded by snow and it was clear that the roads had been ploughed clear the previous day- obviously the past two dasy of bad weather had dumped a considerable amount of snow everywhere. The trees were all colours still and lined the roads and valleys. Some of the route was extremely windy in fact one road was closed so we ended up taking...

Jul 23, 2009 - Le Tour Continued

The rules, history, characters, drama, wonder and popularity of Le Tour de France makes for fascinating reading but it is not the purpose of this blog to throw too much of that kind of information around. If a dedicated reader of this humble missive wishes to learn more a good place to start is to go to www.letour.fr and if you can’t read French, German or Spanish then perhaps you can click on the British flag which will present it in our lingo. The all important 18th stage individual time trial has been scheduled in Annecy, a picture...

Jun 8, 2009 - Séjour à Annecy

Je suis arrivé à Annecy vendredi. Heureusement que j’ai un GPS car pour traverser la villes, cela aurait été toute une galère. Le fameux lac d’Annecy est au pied des Alpes. D’un coté, il y a de belles montagnes qui se jettent dans le lac. La couleur du lac est turqoise ; comme dans les pays chaud. J’ai trouvé un camping qui se nomme « familiale ». Il porte son nom car il est petit assez loin de la route principale et on ne retrouve pas les activités des gros campings (piscine, etc.). Le prix est également plus abordable. Il n’y a qu’une...

May 3, 2009 - Val to Annecy

This morning we packed up and sadly left our 2 bedroom villa in Val and the slopes, and headed off on what we thooght was a sensible route to Geneva, via Chamonix in the Alps. so we left Val and saw Tignes village, and the beautiful lake (dam) it is on and drove off up a mountain pass road that was to lead us first to Tyrol Italy then into Chamonix France through the Mt Blanc tunnel then to Switzerland..... So, picture this 5 mad kiwis in Peugeot, red tourist number plates driving up nearly single lane mountain pass in the middle of no...

May 1, 2009 - Provence, France

PROVENCE,FRANCE (Travel Tips are bolded) Upon arrival in Annecy, France, with some help from the locals and following our nose, we arrived at the Hotel L’Imperial Palace, located right on the lake looking out to the French Alps, that we had previously found on the internet. We were not too hopeful about finding a room as the internet had said no rooms were available and it was a Friday and May 1st, a special holiday in France. In addition, upon arrival we found out that there was going to be a car rally that weekend. However, Harman’s...