Chambery

Bon Jour Mes Amies,

I set off for the Alps again today.  I have getting to the train station down to a science.  There's a short cut through the giant shopping mall that I use coming and going.  I always make sure to arrive at the station in good time because I need to get my tickets and the wait in line can be uncertain.  I don't understand how or why it takes some people forty-five minutes to buy a ticket.  Most of the SNCF counter folk speak a little English, so that helps, but I know how to ask for the kind of ticket I want in French if need be.
I had a very pleasant day out.  I do have to confess to disappointment with the scenery on the way to Chambery after the landscape on the way to Annecy.  We passed mile after mile of industrial parks and Courbousiervilles.  Ugly.  I saw some nice rivers and fertile fields, but nothing especially alpine.  A common crop is maize.  I have not seen many vineyards.  I'm guessing they are north of here in Beaujolais land.
At length we arrived in Chambery.  Fortunately the Tourist Information Office was well sign posted and easy to get to because the directions I got from google maps were---odd.  I was instructed to cross a non existent pedestrian footbridge for example.  But I got a nice map of the town and set off to explore.
There are no great historical sights in Chambery. It's just a pretty town.  Like Annecy Chambery is proud of its heritage as part of Savoy.  This was especially evident today in the number of Italian grocery stores in Chambery, as Savoy although French speaking, was once a possession of the Kings of Sardinia-Piedmont.
There are some nice old churches and a castle.  The latter was closed, but I peeked in.  Almost all of the historic center is pedestrianized.  Annecy has a more beautiful setting, but as it happens I liked Chambery better as a city.  The streets and places are wider, and it has a more open feel.  It was also much less of a tourist carnival.  The buildings are elegant, and almost around every corner stands a statue or a fountain or both.
In addition there are some really old narrow streets and covered passages winding through walls of stone buildings something I find irresistible--lots of fun in late summer.  I am guessing that they would be pretty bleak in winter.
Also the public toilets are free.  Sometimes this matters!
Dinner is left overs.  I don't have much time left in Lyon, so I am enjoying the last of the foie gras de canard.  It's so good!  I have some sparkling wine to go with it, and then I will eat the rest of the pastilla.  I looked it up on the internet and the non-meat part of the filling is ground almonds.  No wonder it tasted so rich.  And almonds are so healthful.  I am sure they make up for all the sugar in this dish.
A demain.