Day 28. Annecy

Today started with a trip to Semnoz due to a recommendation from Marc, who owns the house we are staying in. He says the views are fantastic and on a clear day you can see Mont Blanc.

It’s a 25 minute drive from Seynod along a steep and torturous road. We saw many cyclists with their head down, puffing their way up the hill. The reward of the view at the top is completely worth it.

We pulled in to enjoy the scenery beside a camper van who had decided to park horizontally and then position a chair next to it, meaning that there was hardly any space for anyone else who wanted to park and look at the view. But such things do not deter us and we pulled up extremely close to said chair, earning a very grumpy look from the person sitting in it. Heh, heh, heh! 😈

The view was spectacular. Mont Blanc was kind to us and we saw it in all its glory, surrounded by other peaks with only a few clouds shrouding them.

The camper van got its own back on us on the way back by driving at a snails pace in front of us all the way down the hill. Never mind, we were not in a rush.

A quick cup of tea and a cake at home, then back out to Annecy.

Marc also informed us about the free bus you can catch into town and told us where the bus stop was. Marc has been a total gem to be honest. He’s been a mine of information and so helpful.

Catching the bus gave us a different perspective on Annecy. Very interesting to see the locals and not just tourists. We are staying in a suburb called Seynod. It looks quite new and it’s very tidily laid out. There is quite a mix of cultures here which is interesting to see.

Once we arrived in Annecy, it was straight into the tourist hustle and bustle but not unpleasant.

We had wanted to hire some electric bikes to ride round the lake but when we got there the bike shop was shut until 4pm.

This is what I don’t understand about France. It’s a tourist town, people want to do stuff ALL DAY, not just during the hours that suit you. Zoot alors!!

We hired a pedalo instead (they were open all day, at least someone has an entrepreneurial spirit) which to my mind was much more fun anyway. I inadvertently jumped in the steering side of the boat and after a shaky start, thoroughly enjoyed being in control.

Next, a bit of shopping then home.

Tomorrow we set off again for our final overnight stay of the holiday. This time we are staying in a place called Arc-en-Barrois, and our accommodation is set in a deer park. Looking forward to that, but also sad that our trip is coming to an end.