Beautiful Annecy

We've been waiting for a nice day to take a trip to Annecy, and yesterday we finally got it. Blue skies, sunshine and 20 degrees - even in mid-October - it was perfect and we had a lovely day out. Andy played squash first thing in the morning while I took the rabbit to the vets (she's very much on the mend, described by the vet as 'the perfect patient'), and after the customary Saturday-morning-croissant, we set off for Annecy around 11.30am. Our sat-nav, affectionately known as Shaun (as many of you who have met him will know), excelled in taking us up the most weird and windy back-roads to avoid the expensive Geneva-Annecy toll road, which despite the short distance will set you back 20 euros for a return trip.

Annecy is known for its beautiful crystal-clear lake, the canal that runs through the old town and its picturesque old buildings, and it certainly didn't disappoint. It's a stunningly beautiful place, very fairytale-esque, and with such good weather we had one of the nicest days we've had since coming here. One of the most famous views of the town is that of the old prison, which floats in the middle of the canal, flanked by colourful old houses and cafes on either side. A swan obligingly swam up the canal for us just as I was capturing this lovely vista:

The canal and the old prison (left)

Unfortunately, we arrived just in time for lunch (shame), so after a brief wander through the old town, we stopped off at one of the many outdoor cafes (in mid-October!) for a Savoyarde treat: tartiflette.

Tartiflette: totally delicious and absolutely no calories

Sometimes your mouth just isn't big enough...

YUM

We were pretty lazy tourists, it has to be said. We looked up and admired the castle, but decided against taking the steep climb up to see it properly. Instead, we walked off our lunch with a saunter around the pretty old town with its many shops and cafes, and then headed out to see the lake.

Bump goes to Annecy

Old town streets

Aside from the clear blue water, the lake is striking for being flanked by some amazing cliffs which Andy spent a while gazing at longingly, trying to work out how accessible they might be for climbing. 

It's pretty rare for me to convince Andy to spend a day wandering aimlessly around a pretty place, as good weather usually = climbing. But his little legs were worn out from his squash matches of the last few days so I made the most of our day of unhurried wandering, and we made a detour on the way home to visit the Gorges du Fier. This huge river gorge features some impressive rock erosion, and gets extra points for a big sign advertising 'Marmite du Geant' - not to be confused with the giant's jar of yeast extract, it's actually a huge hole in the rocks, named after a giant's cooking pot. Sadly the bridge that takes you around the rocks and across the gorge was closed for the winter, but what we saw from the entrance looked fairly impressive. One to take bump to next spring I think.

Gorges du Fier