Annecy

Gipatik: 11.08.2023

Hello my friends and greetings from France,

I continued my via ferrata tour and headed to Annecy, where I spontaneously tried a campsite. Luckily, I was there relatively early and managed to get a spot.

The campsite wasn't the cheapest at €30.20 per night (without electricity), but it had a rooftop pool with a pretty nice view. To be honest, I was too lazy and happy to have gotten a spot to drive to another campsite.

So, after having a quick snack, darkening the car windows, and setting up the table and chair for later, I treated myself to a swim in the pool. Well, to be exact, I swam only one lap before the trouble at the pool became too much for me and I headed to the shower. After a short search, I went to the nearby village to buy bread, with the aim of swimming in the lake (without many people).

I found a spot and settled down with my freshly bought pain au chocolat and devoured the delicious sweet treat.

Afterwards, I took a few strokes in the water. Thanks to my diving goggles, I was able to spot some perch and a few mussels. I even saw a sunken pedal boat. I don't think it was intentional for it to end up down there, but it doesn't seem to bother anyone.

Since I wanted to be in Annecy super early the next morning, I promptly made my way back. After finding out that the buses around the lake are free until the end of August, I took the bus back to the campsite and saved some effort and time.

I wish I had a bike with me, it would make getting around much easier.

After a delicious dinner, it was time to get to bed early. A little anecdote about my French skills: I know the basics, so I usually understand what people want from me, but I can only reply in short and not very eloquent sentences. When I was brushing my teeth that evening and innocently going about my business, an old lady (around 80 to 90) came out of the toilet cabin. I already knew the lady from politely greeting her at the campsite and I found her really cute. So, the lady came out of the cabin, washed her hands, started a conversation, and what can I say, I have never been so grateful for having a toothbrush in my mouth. I simply didn't understand the lady's first few sentences and with my toothbrush in my mouth, I just smiled, nodded politely, and seemed interested. I didn't want to disappoint the lady who spoke to me so kindly and tell her that I didn't understand a word of what she just said. Just before she left, she told me that the campsite is like her own living room and she knows where everything is. I smiled again, nodded, and waved goodbye nicely. My toothbrush time had already finished a few minutes ago, but I just couldn't break the lady's heart.

The next morning, the alarm went off at 6:20. After a quick shower and a quick breakfast, I gathered my things and headed to the city.

It was still relatively empty and I managed to find a parking space in the city center. I could park there until 2:30 PM for €4.20.

The swans were still sleeping when I arrived in the city. But it had the advantage that there weren't many people around yet and I could comfortably explore the city center. In general, the French seem to like to sleep in - the attractions usually get busier around midday or early afternoon. An advantage for me.

The small paths along the canals are adorned with flower boxes and are really beautiful to look at. Overall, it's a very idyllic city with an extremely pleasant climate, as the canals and the lake help to cool down the temperature.

As I said, I was very glad that I was out so early.

But what the French can simply do is baking! In all variations - small, long, thin, thick, square, sweet, salty, savory. Simply delicious!

On the way to the casino, I also spotted a coot taking care of itself at the edge.

To get to the casino, you continue walking along the promenade with an incredible view of the lake and the mountain ranges in the background.

Since I had arranged to have lunch with a stranger through the NomadHer app (where solo female travelers meet and share tips), I had to make my way back to the city center to the meeting point.

The lunch with Charlotte was really great. She is currently working in Annecy and is originally from Brittany (France). We had a lot of fun for 1.5 hours, and after a visit to the castle and another church, I went back to the car so that I could meet Jakob, an old school friend, in Grenoble.