Our home for 6 weeks, Annecy is an amazing out-door oriented city with culture about as French as they come. On arrival to our apartment, the owners greeted us with a gift of local wine and cheese and offered recommendations for all of the important things we might need (boulangerie, fromagerie, boucherie – apparently that’s 90% of what you need). The city is nestled in at the north end of Lac D’Annecy. Looking south-east from a huge waterfront promenade, the Alps begin; while looking behind you (over the city), the foothills roll away into the Rhone valley. It’s quite the spot.
Our arrival in early September meant the days were still hot, so afternoons were often spent at the beach (the lake is chilly but refreshing). As September unfolded, the days got a bit shorter and cooler so we transitioned from the lake to the activities surrounding it – namely cycling, hiking and exploring the old town (especially the markets on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays). Cycling in particular is very popular (the Tour de France regularly includes stages in and around the lake) with a designated path that almost encircles the lake and bicycle lanes throughout the city. Bikes are simply part of the fabric of this city.
We selected this spot to spend a longer stretch of time based on this reputation of a very active, out-door oriented town. As we progress through our trip, we expect to have a combination of places we travel through quickly (classic tourist travel) and others where we spend more time (long enough to get bored with the tourist stuff and dig a little deeper into the local culture). The extended time also allows us to bring back something resembling a routine which helps everyone recharge with so much time away from home.
With several weeks in this spot, I’ll update later with the things we found, but so far this is a great spot.