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.