Annecy, and Christmas Markets

Annecy, seen from the castle on the hill.

Ah, it’s been a while since our last post. We’ve been settled in at home, enjoying the warm fall weather and preparing—mentally, at least—for our upcoming trip back to the States. Lately the temperatures have been dropping in Montpellier; we’ve been cranking up the heat even as we worry about the energy consumption. We figured we needed to get out of town, to someplace even colder: the delightful town of Annecy, at the foot of the Alps.

It’s north of us, almost to the Swiss border. Three of us went on this little jaunt, including our good friend and travel companion, Debra. Rather than flying or driving, we took the TGV (Très Grande Vitesse), France’s high-speed train, which was a fun experience all by itself.

 

Debra and Paula, at the new, huge, deserted Sud de France station.

The train left from the new station in Montpellier, a bit outside the city near the airport. It’s a huge station and mostly deserted, having been completed just in time for the pandemic lockdown. (While we would have preferred to leave from the station just a short walk from our apartment, the intercity trains tend leave from the new station; eventually only the locals will come into town.)

Paula aboard our first class car; those are our seats in the lower right.

The train itself was fantastic! First class tickets were only very slightly more expensive, and came with  wider seats and fewer people. The three of us sat together across a little table, and we had the bonus of a nearly-empty car. It was a quick and very pleasurable ride up to the city of Lyon, where we changed trains for a smaller and slower local. But again, it was nearly empty and we enjoyed winding our way through the foothills. And, the station in Annecy is in the middle of town. Along the short walk to our lodgings we marveled at the shops (Le Libraire Imaginaire, The Imaginary Bookstore… Really?), the setting (canals; a lake; mountains!), and the season (Christmas decorations!).

 

Classic view of a canal in the old city.

Canals running past the colorful old buildings were endlessly attractive.

Annecy’s location at the head of a long quiet lake at the foot of the Alps, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, gives it a strong mountain vibe. It’s too low (about 1000 feet elevation) to be a ski town, but it’s on the road to the mountains!

 

Our first day, on the bridge over the gray, placid lake.

The town is incredibly picturesque, with its canals and lake. In the evenings, though, what got our attention were the Christmas markets. Every city in France—heck, every city in Europe—has a Christmas market, including Montpellier, where we live. Somehow, though, the ones in Annecy seemed more lively than the one in Montpellier. More interesting. Brighter and fresher!

 

A Christmas market in Annecy.

Raclette, being served at the Christmas market.

Annecy has three or four small Christmas markets, all fit within a few blocks. It was quite a joy to discover each one and its distinct flavor. We took particular interest in the vin chaud (warm wine). Each of the markets had a vendor or two with huge copper kettles set over small burners, with red and white wine, cider (alcoholic), and spiced apple juice. And that became the start of our evening promenades, sampling the vin chaud.

This was our dinner one night: pasta served out of a bowl carved from a wheel of parmigiana!

 

This repurposed gondola car is a link to the ski trails. More importantly, it's a cute place to rest, or enjoy a vin chaud from the nearby market!

Our first night we went to a restaurant offering the local specialty, raclette. We’d heard of this very special dish and were anxious to try it out. 

Us, in the raclette restaurant. The cheese and the heater are to the right.

A half-wheel of cheese is placed in a special holder with an electric heating element. The surface of the cheese melts, and when it’s good and runny the surface is scraped, oozing melted cheese onto a plate. Normally it’s eaten over boiled potatoes, but other vegetables, or charcuterie (prepared meats like ham or sausage) can also be used. (And what kind of cheese is used? Why, it’s called Raclette d´Annecy. Hope that helps!) 

Scraping the melted cheese...

I can easily imagine people in times past pulling a cheese and potatoes from the cellar, in the middle of winter with the snows all around. It’s a real comfort, this kind of food! 

At that same meal we also tried a true fondue (from the past participle of the French verb fondre, to melt), stirring bits of hearty bread around in pots of melted cheese with long-handled forks. It was all very good—and completely satisfied our desires for cheese for the next few days!.

 

This door opened on a tunnel that lead to the elevator to our upstairs apartment. The owner told us the residence had been in his family for three generations.

The days may have been dark and overcast, but the nights were full of color!

THE classic photo of Annecy! This medieval castle sits in the middle of the canal, in the middle of town.

One of several boulangeries in the old town.

Every day we found new cutesy nooks.

We devoted one day to walking along the lake shoreline. We didn’t get very far, actually. All the travel photos show flowers, and grass, and sunny skies. This time of year, though, it was cold with a heavy overcast. We did enjoy our walk, though, and the views down the lake with the snowy mountains in the near distance. But it was chilly and we were glad to get back and settled into our favorite café for—yup, a warming glass of vin chaud.

 

There were a few flowers left this late in the year!

Debra and Paula admire the view down the lake on a Chilly December afternoon.

Our trip was short, but we were very pleased with our stay in this endlessly charming town. (Causing Paula to wonder, Is it possible to die of cuteness?)

 

Colorful during the day, even under the heavy overcast...

...but Christmas lights made nighttime in the city very special!

Debra and Paula have fun with fall(ing) leaves.

We had a bit of a glitch on the trip home: a train strike! No trains for the return trip, but fortunately there was a bus, direct to Montpellier. It took longer, and we saw far more of urban back streets than we cared to, but it was warm and comfortable. We’d payed a bit extra for front-row seats, so we sat right behind that giant picture window with a fine view of the road ahead. 

Shortly after dark we were back in the relative warmth of Montpellier, pleased with our trip and glad to be home.

 

Our panoramic view from the bus as we head south from Annecy.

 

In a few days we will be leaving the chill of Montpellier for our winter quarters in Seville, Spain, as we do every December. We’ll be connecting up there with friends, and our daughter, Nina, and her husband Riki. Stay tuned!

 

Looking down the length of the lake, snow-covered mountains and all.