Annecy

On Saturday, I went to Annecy! Annecy is a mid-sized city in the Haute-Savoie department of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, in eastern France. It sits on the coast of Lake Annecy. It's about a two hour bus ride from Lyon. Or at least it should be. My bus left at 8:30 a.m., and we soon ran into traffic. The bus driver warned us that if the traffic kept up, we might have to stop for a break; apparently France requires that buses cannot drive for more than three hours without giving passengers a 30 minute break. Around 10 a.m.--when we should have been arriving--I checked Google Maps and realized we were still over an hour away from Annecy. About 45 minutes away from the city, we did end up stopping at a rest stop/park. The little park had a barely functioning coffee kiosk, vending machines, bathrooms (one without toilet paper, one without soap, and one that had both but was always occupied), and some cute climbing structures and in-ground trampolines. There was also an incredible view of a lake and mountains. The 30 minutes passed quickly as my traveling companions and I used the restrooms, attempted to get coffee, bounced on the trampolines, and snapped photos of the view.

After arriving in Annecy, we wandered around the city center. Known as the Venice of the Alps, Annecy has winding cobblestone streets, pastel buildings, and occasional canals. We shopped a little, and I got a postcard. For lunch, we had gaufres de Liège (Liège waffles); I got mine with Nutella. We also tried mulled wine. Then we found our way to the Palais de l'Île, the Pont des Amours, and the Jardins de l'Europe on the coast of the lake. We took a brief rest to grab coffees before visiting the Château d'Annecy and the Basilique de la Visitation. For dinner, we stopped at a little sandwich place, where you could choose your own combination of meat and cheese. I got raclette and ham, and it was the most incredible ham and cheese sandwich I've ever had. Then we waited at a boba shop, where I got a chocolate milkshake, until our bus was ready to leave. Luckily, on the way home, the ride only took two hours!