Annecy

Though money-wise and time-wise it wasn't my best idea to go to Annecy the weekend after I finished, it also turned out to be one of the best weekends I've had this year. Annecy is a small French town in the alps near Geneva, and famous for the beautiful Lake Annecy, which is (I believe) the third biggest lake in France, and did not disappoint on any level.

It took me four hours to get there from Avignon, and I arrived on Friday lunchtime, met by Paige's friends Adam and Jenny. It was raining so we did some cafe hopping, some shopping and then settled down in a little wine cave with a bottle of red wine to wait for Paige to finish work.

my first view of Annecy

After two glasses of red wine, coupled with the four hours sleep I had managed the night before I was fairly dead on my feet by the time we made it back to Paige's apartment but we had a quick turn around and got showered and ready for a night out at the opening night of Pop-Plage, one of the only clubs in Annecy which was right on the edge of the lake. It was 11 by the time we made it to another girls apartment for predrinks, and 2 by the time we had walked all the way to the club. We left at half 4 and made it back to Paige's at half 5, where we fell into bed and slept until 11 the next day. 

Saturday the weather dawned a little grey but with the promise of some blue skies coming through, so we had a late balcony breakfast, and wandered off into the town to wander through the beautiful old town of Annecy. It was one of the most beautiful French towns I've seen, with much alpine influence, and the view of the snow capped alps that surround it. It was stunningly well kept and landscaped with some of the most amazing public flower beds I've ever seen. 

We took a boat trip in the afternoon, as the sun started to come out for us, round lake Annecy, and learnt a little about the lake- that it can get down to two degrees in winter and never freezes, yet up to 25 in summer. The water is so clear and crystal blue it is a swimmers paradise. But it was cold on the lake so a chocolate crepe was absolutely necessary to warm up before we walked back to Paige's apartment. A leisurely tea finished around half nine and our intention was to get changed and go back out for a drink or two but somehow we ended up in our pyjamas, in bed, fast asleep.

Sunday- my last day- and Easter Sunday- we picked up an array of eggs, cheese, bread and pastry at the market and set off walking round the lake to meet my friend Emily, from York, who is also working in Annecy this year. She lives and works on the other side of the lake, in the posh bit, and her apartment has a balcony with a lake view so it was a perfect spot to lay out our spoils, make cups of tea and have a slow breakfast of eggs and soldiers, reblohon and bread, pain au chocolat, pain aux raisin, croissants and je ne sais quoi. We ended up sitting on the balcony from 11 that morning until 7 in the evening, only moving to get more blankets and tea, and then Paige and I set off back to the main town. There we stopped for some wine and beer and then wandered back to hers to fall into bed before another early start for my train the next day. 

It was a lovely weekend and such a good celebration of the end of this experience, I couldn't have asked for a better way or a better place in which to spend it.