Putting the ‘oh’ in Chateau!
Waking up in Annecy this morning, we felt like we were still in a fairy tale. We loved our quirky hotel with the eclectic decor The code for the door that was really 0274OK but looked a whole lot like it said something else - maybe a subliminal message?
Sky-writers were out in force, smudging the bright, blue sky with white streaks. Part of the lake that narrows to flow through Annecy’s town centre comes down a shady channel of overhanging plane trees, with little wooden boats bobbing on the clearest blue water. As we watched from the little bridge that spanned the channel, two white swans swam elegantly by. Just as we were admiring the swans, Rossco felt in his pocket and realised he’d dropped the ticket from the car park. We retraced our steps, praying we’d somehow find it and then Rossco spotted it just tucked under a tree root! An amazing answer to prayer! It even had the car regos on it so we knew it was ours.
Past the little bridge, the lake opened up to a huge expanse of blue and a wide tree-lined path around its shore was a prime spot for morning joggers. Paddle boarders and paddle boats were lining up for some time on the water and amongst the dog walkers and promenading prams was a guy so intensely focused on his tai chi, his red fan flapping rhythmically as he opened and shut it in time with his choreographed moves, he was oblivious to all around him. There was even a little designated spot for pooches to paddle.
It was a bit of a hike up to the basilique but worth it for the view. It would have been a crime to have left Annecy having not sampled an ice cream from at least one of their 450 ice-cream shops (give or take a hundred) When in Annecy….
After a failed attempt at visiting a chateau that had its big gates shut, despite advertising it was open for business, we drove around the stunning lakeside road and found a second chateau to visit. Château de Menthon was spectacular! Its gardens and the château itself were just incredibly maintained. While waiting for our tour guide, I walked down to the boundary fence with some American girls and we all squealed with delight when we saw the view! It was magnifique!
This home had been in the hands of the one family, the Menthons, since the 10th century and had an interesting mix of old and modern art inside. Some local artists were using it as a gallery to display their artworks while at the same time, centuries old tapestries, paintings and mosaics (one of some fish, dated back to the first century AD!) The family portraits hung proudly on the walls (one of them a dead-ringer for Doug Mulray), along with the family motto: “Partout Menthon, toujours Menthon!" which translates to "Menthon everywhere, Menthon always!". Simple but effective. They had 12,000 books in their library room and sweeping vies of theAnnecy Lake and the rolling green hills.
Our tour guide looked like a young Céline Dion and was hilarious. Ours was only the second tour she’d done in English and let’s just say her English was still a work in progress. She apologised at the outset for her “terrible French accent” but on the contrary, it was a great French accent. It was the English accent that was the terrible one. Considering it was only her 2nd time, she did so well and whenever she’d forget a word - “Ow you say…?” The whole tour group came, en masse, to her aid, almost shouting the word she was looking for, in unison. At the end, she thanked us for all our help.
Leaving the chateau, we headed for the hills..big, big hills. It was exciting to finally have a clear view of Mont Blanc and to see the gleaming white snow on its peak. It looked so amazing contrasted with the greenest grass.
We arrived at the pretty Alpine town of Chamonix and checked our bags into our hotel, which has seriously great mountain views and a little balcony. This is the kind of town where you’d feel quite at home bursting into a yodel as you’re casually walking down the street. The tourists here all look fit, wear hiking shoes and are decked out in North Face and Kathmandu clothes. These are not stroll through the mountains kind of folk, no, they mean business.
We had a delicious French dinner watching the sun set over Mont Blanc and feeling grateful for the one jacket I packed just in case.
