Visiting Annecy

[26 April]

Annecy is small and unlike the other cities (Tours and Lyon) we visited this trip, quite limited in what there is to do and see. But what it might lack in cultural amenities the town more than makes for with it's location and stunning scenery.

Getting around. Walking is commonplace since the key parts of the city are easy to get around on foot. Public transportation is unnecessary for the casual traveler. 

Accommodation. Our apartment was located just a three blocks from the train station, one block from the TI and two blocks from the lakefront.  Picking somewhere close to city center is wise. Driving particularly in high season must be messy and parking at a premium I should think.

Food. Lots of touristic restaurants, as you might expect, many of them serving pretty much the same type of food. And probably way too many gelaterie, which are also very popular. We ate at Le Zinc et Raoul  and thought the food OK but our experience at L'Estaminet was only average if not a below par.

Stuff to do. A stop at the TI office is really very helpful. The Gorges du Fier is a must-see and can accessed via a handy little bus tour which can be arranged through the folks at the TI. A boat cruise on the lake is very nice and we thought  also a must-see. Otherwise it's just being out-of-doors that is the main attraction here. Lots of biking and walking/hiking.

photo courtesy of the Tourist Information Office

Visiting Lyon

[24 April]

Lyon is a city worth spending at least several days exploring its history, culture and sense of self. A full week might be even better.

Arrival. I would suggest not coming by car; construction seems to be everywhere at least in the city center and traffic snarls are routine. If you come by air there is an express tram that comes right to the main train station, which is itself close to the city center. Coming by train is probably the best move. Taxis, Ubers and public transport are close at hand. Plus public transport is superb.

Where to stay. I'd recommend finding a place be it a hotel or apartment on presqu'île. It's right in the heart of the city and close to just about everything the casual traveler or tourist could want or need. It's also very convenient  to all public transport.

Lyon City Card. Is it worth it? If you're staying for several days the short answer is yes.  Any less time in the city and the answer is maybe, depending on what you're hoping to do. 

If you don't opt for the Lyon City Card, which includes unlimited use of the public transport system, the ticketing system is easy to access and use. Goes just about everywhere the tourist needs to go. Ticket kiosks are user-friendly, although we came across one that was buggy when we tried the English language feature. Switching to French it worked fine.

We purchased the 72-hour pass and with our 10% discount (show your air/train ticket) the cost came to just about €100. Based on the places we visited and the various public transport used we would've spent €178 without the card. Not too shabby.

The TI on Place Bellecour is very helpful with tons of information; they can also schedule certain tours, etc.

Food was another matter. We had good food at Kaia, lousy pizza at Nobile Forno and an average meal at Badahourian at Les Halles. Otherwise we ate at home, which was fine. I suspect part of our issue was Lyonnais cuisine itself: too heavy for us by and large. Also, mussels and oysters were really big here which we tend to pass by when given the chance.

photo courtesy of the Tourist Information Office

Off to Paris and Home

 [22-23 April]

We were packed and ready to go by 9:00am. After last-minute tidying up we left the apartment keys on the table, hauled our bags down the two flights of stairs and walked the 10 minutes or so to the train station. Our train was on time and we got right on board without jostling with crowds. 

The train ride back to Lyon was smooth and quick and we enjoyed the scenery just as much as on our way to Annecy. We made a point of looking out for the Gorges du Fier on our way out of town. That was pretty cool.

Our train arrived in Lyon on time and since we had a couple of hours before our connection to Paris we grabbed a bite of lunch.

Our TGV high-speed train to Paris arrived on schedule at platform G and boy was it packed!. Our luck held out though and our assigned coach stopped right in front of where we were standing! We walked on, stowed our bags and headed up to the top deck and our seats.

The ride was fast, really fast, and we pulled into the Gare de Lyon in Paris on time (5:00pm). After making our way out of the station we called for an Uber and off through Paris rush-hour traffic to Charles de Gaulle Airport and our hotel for the night.

Our driver dropped us off at Terminal 3, and we walked the few hundred meters to our hotel where we spent the night. It gave us an opportunity to recharge our batteries (i.e., have a glass of wine and a tasty last meal in France) before the next day of flying west and home. 

fish and chips for me

chicken Caesar salad for Susie

Up early and out of the hotel we walked to the nearby CDGVAL inter-terminal train and got off at Terminal 2E. After checking in we made our way through the never-ending security/passport control stations before finding our gate in the new concourse M.

Our flight to Detroit took just a shade over 8 hours and we arrived a bit early. Oh, and we did skip the onboard food service, thank you very much. It looked terrible. 

We were now in hoofing stage since our transfer time was short, only about 1 hour 40 minutes. Since we were coming into the USA from elsewhere we had to claim our bags and go through security again. We first zipped through passport control (thank you Global Pass!), grabbed our bags, handed them off to the re-check luggage people and then through that last security check. It was then darting from concourse A to B, but we made it with plenty of time to spare for our flight to Grand Rapids and home.

Our kind neighbor Don Trap was waiting for us as soon as we landed. 

After leaving Paris that morning we were back in our home in Michigan that same day. Complaining about queueing and waiting and the stress of flying, all perfectly understandable, really pales next to that simple fact. 

It's good to be home.

Day 2 in Annecy

 [21 April]

It's our last full day in Annecy and we did pretty much nothing at all. It was overcast and chilly most of the day which precluded renting bikes for a spin along the lake. The weather and the fact that the next two days of traveling promise to be tiring and stressful we opted to just hang around and relax.

But one can take relaxation for just so long and we had to get out. We bundled up and trolled down to the lakefront along part of the promenade and home to a warm apartment.

Tonight its chicken and potatoes in the oven with blanched broccoli. I miss my cooking, gotta say. 

Susan claims if we lived here she would never be able to take her eyes off this view

looking back to where we started our stroll

Tomorrow we leave midmorning by train to Lyon and connect to Paris then Uber to our hotel by the airport. Wednesday we fly back to the US via Detroit. 

Day 1 in Annecy Afternoon

The afternoon began somewhat inauspiciously. We queued up for the wrong boat. But it wasn't our fault, really. There were two different lake cruise boats tied up one behind the other. They each had a signboard at the beginning of the gangway listing the very same cruises and times. 

As time came to board and we noticed a mass of humanity queueing up at the larger of the two boats, (the one where we weren't), I checked with the nearby ticket office for confirmation. Yep we were trying to get on the wrong boat. So we scurried over to the end of the very long line and awaited the boarding process.

At 1:30 the boarding began and we opted to find a place inside -- which was just as well since there was no seating up topside, just limited standing room. 

We enjoyed beautiful views from the lake and were pleasantly surprised to see many hang gliders at work. On the return portion of the cruise we would see some 16 in various stages of descent. Amazing! In the video you can see them close to landing.  

a château near the village of Duingt

backing in towards the dock

the Annecy château in the background and the Libellule restaurant lake cruiser

off we go leaving room for the next herd

We made our way back home to relax until supper time. We had booked dinner at L'Estaminet in the heart of the old city and found it easily, notwithstanding the crowds. The food was so-so: Susan had "fresh" lake perch which she concluded was a bit fishy and I had carbonade flamande, a Belgian beef stew that was neither Belgian nor stew. The meat was half fat and gristle and that's about all one can say about it. 

We did stop for gelato on the way home and that was good. 

Tomorrow we relax in the morning and see what the weather brings.

Day 1 in Annecy Morning

 [20 April, Easter Sunday]

OK, so our morning wasn't actually spent in Annecy per se. Still the bus said Annecy City Tour. . .

We had our tickets in hand for a bus trip to Gorges du Fier and Chateau Montrottier. It was raining lightly as we finished our breakfast and then made the five-minute walk to the town's Hôtel de Ville. There we joined a few other tourists also waiting for the bus to take us to the gorge. Numerous vendors were undaunted by the weather as they were setting up for the day's big market of mostly gimcracks and geegaws with some food.

The bus arrived right on time, and our little group of maybe 16 or so got aboard and out of the cold rain.

It was a pretty quick drive out of greater Annecy and through the green countryside. As we pulled into the parking lot I noticed a restaurant I had seen from the train the day before -- and indeed we would see several trains speeding through the valley as we walked to and from the gorge.

parking lot

Once off the bus, our fearless driver lead us on a short walk to the gorge.

entering the gorge site

This was nothing short of amazing! Built in 1869 the foot bridge is some 252 meters long, attached to the rock walls and cantilevered over the gorge. Imagine the Narrows in Zion Canyon having a footbridge built some 25 meters above the canyon floor. . .  whoa! 

A bit scary for some -- in fact one couple got only a few yards onto the foot bridge before turning around. We passed another couple that had gotten part way when they stopped, the man kissed his partner and turned back while she forged ahead.

This portion of the Fier River raged below us on its way to the Rhone. 

exiting the footbridge

We strolled a short while until time to return via the way we came. . .

We had a half hour or so before we had to be back at the bus, so we enjoyed delicious coffees (latte and espresso only 2 euros each!) in the small cafe/boutique overlooking the entrance to the gorge. (The restaurant had also been built in 1869.)

nice toilettes

Once we were all back at the bus it was off to the next stop, the nearby Château Montrottier, which we could see from the walk to the gorge:

The château visit was very pleasant, although for the guided portion, our guide spoke mostly in French. We visited only two rooms with our guide where he discussed and highlighted some of the artifacts on display. Full of French weaponry, armor and some Napoleon artifacts in one room and many artifacts from Africa and Asia in the other, it was quite an amazing look at what the château owners (those who acquired it in the 19th century) had amassed over time. There was little discussion of the centuries of history of the château.

We were then left to explore on our own and a number of other rooms open to the public were of 19th century vintage as well.

Overall it was a lovely location and the sun had come out at last! Plus we were provided with fantastic views of the countryside and mountains beyond. There was also an Easter egg hunt underway with kids scampering all over chased by harried parents. Pretty cool we thought.

the keep or donjon in the center, built in the 13th century

Victor our guide

hunting for eggs

the weapons room

The donjon or keep was open to anyone who wanted to climb the stairs to the top -- something we wisely opted not to do.

entrance to the donjon

the grand hall

Wisteria

lily pond with goldfish

one can never have enough pictures of castles

The bus dropped us back where we began the morning  and we strolled through the market, abuzz with activity. 

We particularly enjoyed a laugh with the fellow selling nougat.

local cheeses among the trinkets and clothes

looking out to the lakefront, our next goal

past all the lunches in full swing

We strolled over to the lakefront promenade until time to board our boat for a lake cruise.