Right Out of a Storybook

Today, my friend Danielle and I visited Annecy, a small town near the border of Switzerland. We got to the train station at 7 in the morning, just as the sun was rising, and took a bus to the small town two hours northeast of Lyon.

When we arrived, it was chilly and quiet. We walked from the train station, where the bus had dropped us off, to the center of the town where we found a café to have breakfast. After some hot coffee, eggs, and bacon, we were ready to take on the town! By then, there were more people wandering up and down the canals and the sun began to peek out from behind the clouds.

Breakfast time!

First, we headed to the big farmer's market. It was absolutely incredible! Several times bigger than the one I've been to on the quai in Lyon, there were producteurs selling all kinds of things. We passed a stand that was selling at least 15 different types of olives, another with fresh produce and zucchini bigger than my forearm, and another with a huge variety of sausage/salami that you could taste-test! Having a hard time resisting all the delicious foods, we decided to buy some tomme cheese, strawberries, and salami we could eat for lunch.

Olive stand on one of the bridges of the canal

Fresh produce at the farmer's market

Les saucisscons!

Our most exciting find was a beautiful, small bakery with supersized pastries! There, we bought some warm, fresh bread and an enormous meringue.

We spent another hour wandering the streets, marveling at the beautiful doors and adorable houses we passed.  We met several friendly storekeepers, an old man who worked at a tea store and a proud macaron-maker (he made ancien macarons, which are made out of just almond paste, fruit, and honey). We also came across a street artist who was painting canvasses with spray paint! His methods reminded me a lot of Theo's so I had to stop and admire his work, which opened a conversation between us. He was extremely kind and curious, excited to hear that my brother did a similar type of art.

After some more exploring, the sun had come out and it was time to enjoy our farmer's market finds!

Our little picnic

Following our picnic, we rented a pedal-boat and made our way out into Lac d'Annecy. The view was breathless, to say the least.

Before we knew it, it was mid-afternoon and we had to catch our train back to Lyon.

Annecy is one of my favorite places I have ever been to. With its beautiful and old buildings on the canal, its flower boxes hanging from windows, and the town's seemingly leisurely way of life, it is not only charming, but quickly gives you a familiar sense of homeyness. I hope to return many more times before the end of the year to this mini paradise.