Annecy

Bon Jour Mes Amies,

The storm blew over and we had a brilliant late summer day.  It was a good time to visit the Alps.  The term alp seems to be from an Indo-European root meaning shiny.  I did not in fact see any shiny snow capped peaks, but I had a great day out.
Annecy makes a long day trip from Lyon.  The train ride is two hours which is pretty much my limit for day trips.  SNCF offered a bus option.  I did not chose it.
The Rhone area is flat, but after we passed our first stop Amberieu, the country grew hilly and then I spotted granite cliffs.  The train began to climb through canyons of steep granite walls with swiftly flowing rivers and intriguing looking villages.  A lot of the ride was spectacular.  The track runs right beside blue gray Lake Bourget for quite a while on the way to Aix les Bains.  After our stop there we climbed some more and at length fetched up at Annecy.
What a lovely place! Of course I almost immediately got lost when leaving the train station because of a combination of confusing google map directions and misleading signs, but I eventually made my way to Tourist Information where I obtained a map and instructions from a young man so charming, I wanted to bring him back with me.
Annecy has a lake also called Annecy, and that is where I headed first to stroll along the shore.  Of course a lot of other people had the same idea. Annecy is very touristy, but I think none the worse for it.  Boats offer tours of the lake, or people who know how to sail can rent boats.  I just walked along.
Then I explored the old town.  There are a lot of wonderful pedestrianized streets, covered passage ways, arcades, bridges, parks, and fountains.  I poked around the historic sights, but mostly I just wandered around and licked windows.
Something happened on the train back, but since my French is limited to Bonjour, I have no idea what it was.  The transit police showed up in our carriage, and folks they are Serious and Armed to the Teeth.  There was a lot of talking, but as far as I can tell no one was taken into custody.
Dinner is something simple because I got back later.  I pulled out my Pain Polaine and spread one slice with Cervelle de Canut and cut another slice in half with one half rillettes and the other Pont L'Eveque.  The wine is some cheapo--ahem--thrifty rose I pulled off the shelf that is actually rather good.  It's made from the grapes of Bordeaux and bears a AOC designation.