Annecy straddles the River Thiou, fed by beautiful Lake Annecy
Two and a half hours east of Lyon, by train, things begin to look very Alpine. Especially as we reach the lovely town of Annecy, on the northern tip of sparkling Lake Annecy. This strategic juncture was the home of the Counts of Geneva in the 13th century, followed by the Counts of Savoy from the 14th century.
The third largest lake in France, Lake Annecy boasts some of Europe’s cleanest water. The town began attracting tourists in the late 19th century, thanks to the pristine waters, pastel-colored buildings, and lush alpine scenery.
Fortunately for us, the heat spell broke while we were here. On the first day the town felt unbearably hot and crowded. The second day we got enough relief to enjoy a bike ride around the 26 mile circumference of the lake, including a lunch stop at a truly fantastic restaurant, followed by a late afternoon at our hotel pool. By day 3 we were wearing sweaters.
Jim celebrates the clean cool waters of Lake Annecy
That’s me biking along the beautiful lake
On our first day it was so hot we couldn’t stand to eat lunch at any of the ubiquitous outdoor restaurants. So we went into a well air-conditioned place, where I ordered some kind of steak known as “Café de Paris.” I had no idea that this steak, originating from a restaurant in Geneva, comes swimming in a massive pool of butter, intensely flavored by garlic, herbs, and anchovies. It was amazing!
The castle of the Counts of Savoy
Along the River Thiou
Me again, riding through the beautiful countryside around the lake
The view from our balcony
The same view, the next day when things cooled off and a brief storm rolled into town
At the fancy lakeside hotel where we stopped for a glorious lunch during our bike ride around the lake
That glorious lunch
Lunch on our pleasantly cool last day. We are seated just at the edge of the restaurant in a very atmospheric courtyard…
…where this is my view when I look up
There is a lot of boating and other lake activities going on here
One last look at the wonderful town