Annecy and Lyon

Last weekend I was lucky enough to go to a place tottttalllyyy different from Barcelona, and from Paris. I went to Annecy, which is located in France about 30 minutes by car from Geneva. It was breathtaking! The town, or rather a small city, is situated right on the edge of a 40 km big lake that butts up against a small mountain range, which I checked to make sure, were the Alps! One or two of the mountains we could see actually had snow on it already!

I went to Annecy with my uncle who was in town for a trip. We were able to meet up in Paris and take the train down together. The train ride was not long... probably three hours from Paris to Annecy, with two stops I believe. Gotta love the TGV! Anyway, so the entire ride, once we got south of Lyon was so pretty! Mountains, hills, craigs, gorges and the like.

So, in Annecy we met up with some of my uncle's friends who live there. I believe he and my aunt met Cecile while spectating at the Tour de France in 2004 and have gotten to know her and her family very well over the past years. I know that Ray and Shaun (my uncle and aunt) enjoy visiting them in Annecy whenever they're in France, and I was thrilled to also be able to visit and meet them! It was so great to be able to see the town with people who have lived there their whole lives. It was also a great oppotunity to speak more French. I don't think I noted any difference in their accents from Parisian French.

We had a great dinner on a hill overlooking the city and the lake on Saturday night and then spent the night in a hotel fromwhich there was a view of the lake as well!! And then Sunday morning, after Daylght Savings, we hopped on a train, Ray, Cecile and I to Lyon where we got to visit the basilica and see the town a little bit before heading just north of the city for lunch.

We had lunch at the restaurant of Paul Bocuse, one of the greatest chefs in the histroy of French cuisine, and of culinary history in general. It was a superb meal. The black truffle and foie gras soup was a particular highlight...! I was so full that I didn't eat dinner that night or breakfast the next day! My uncle took us there because he wanted us to have been there while Bocuse was still alive... I think he's pushing 82 now. And! We got to meet him! AND even better... got a picture with him! It was a great way to end the weekend. The restaurant was very colorful as you can see... Lots of beautiful red and gold coloring... very warm. And delicious.