Awoke to another beautiful day on the Lake. Appreciating every day!
Ron was on the phone with our bank for about 30-minutes, so the morning was especially slow. They had noted "suspicious activity" on our account and cancelled our debit card. What a dilemma when that is what we were using for cash on our travels. Ron was furious, as he had notified the bank before we left of our travel plans. I suggested they Fed-Ex one to us, but they said they couldn't do it for ten days - so we would have been in Italy or Spain with no certain address, and not trusting our card to float around. Long, convoluted story, but it seems a temporary solution has been worked out. Let's hope so.
By then it was so late, we decided to skip breakfast.
We thought about driving around the Lake to Montreux on the Swiss side, but when I looked at restaurants on-line, and found a simple croque-monsieur was 25 SwF, a lasagna was 26 SwF, and a burger of some kind was 35 SwF, we decided to stay in France (which is expensive enough).
Around 11 AM we set out to drive to Annecy, another of our favorite towns in the Savoy region.
We knew not many restaurants were open on Monday, but didn't realize how dire it would really be. After rejecting the one we had set the GPS for, we walked several blocks, and ended up at La Coupole on the edge of the Old City, and near the car park. Hate to take "pot luck", but there were so few choices. Luckily, the restaurant was fine. Waiter spoke a smidgeon of English and was helpful. Ron had the menu of the day, a large salad with chicken and egg followed by pork filet on tagliatelle. He said you really had to like tomato sauce, as the dish was smothered with it. I just had a delicious foie gras pate and good bread. The prices of wine are a shock to the system after Scotland. There they offered you a choice of a small, medium, or large glass. Here it is a tiny glass for about what the large cost in Edinburgh.
Annecy is often referred to as "The Venice of the Alps". It is an incredibly picturesque place. The Old City was built at the foot of a chateau, and is primarily pedestrian only, as it is crisscrossed with canals and the Thiou River all flowing from Lake Annecy. The banks are lined with shops, cafes, bars, and restaurants. Because of my walking problems, we were limited to the very edge of The Old City.
When we returned to the parking garage, another car had parked so close to the driver's side that Ron could not get in. He had to climb over the console.
We drove along Lake Annecy, known as the cleanest lake in Europe because of strict environmental restrictions. Apparently it was almost destroyed by pollution, but the towns and villages joined together to bring it back in the 1960's. It is the most gorgeous shade of turquoise. Because the temperature had climbed into the 70's, the park along the shore was filled with sunbathers, and a few brave people were actually in the water.
As we drove into Evian, we decided to go up into the hills to the Neuvecelle area, where the Hotel Royal, is located. The Royal, along with its sister hotel, The Ermitage, make up the Evian Resort. The resort is situated on 47-acres of the most beautiful, immaculately manicured grounds. It is one of the most stunning old-world style hotels we've ever seen. We stayed there a few times years ago. The first time, Ron had gone in to inquire about the price, and came out saying "You won't believe it" Turns out he forgot we had left Switzerland, and was converting the cost as if it were Swiss Francs rather than French Francs - making it appear about ten times more costly than it was. After I pointed out that we were in France, he went back in and took the room.
The views are superb, and the décor (totally renovated in 2015) with numerous arches, domes, and frescoes is elegantly beautiful.
After one round of drinks (served with cashews and almonds), it was time to return to reality. We drove back to the Hilton, and Ron pulled into the driveway to the parking garage. Fortunately, I seem to remember a few more words of French than he does. A huge sign above the opening read "SORTIE" which means "EXIT". It took some maneuvering and backing up to get out of that spot.
After finding the correct entrance, we went up to the lounge for a FREE beverage and snack, and then to our room to watch the enormous flock of birds flying in to roost for the night. They look and sound like crows. We also watched the French version of "The Wall". Surprising how many of the multiple answers we can decipher. Maybe we could learn this language, after all, but somehow I don't think so. The pronunciation eludes us!
Ron was on the phone with our bank for about 30-minutes, so the morning was especially slow. They had noted "suspicious activity" on our account and cancelled our debit card. What a dilemma when that is what we were using for cash on our travels. Ron was furious, as he had notified the bank before we left of our travel plans. I suggested they Fed-Ex one to us, but they said they couldn't do it for ten days - so we would have been in Italy or Spain with no certain address, and not trusting our card to float around. Long, convoluted story, but it seems a temporary solution has been worked out. Let's hope so.
By then it was so late, we decided to skip breakfast.
We thought about driving around the Lake to Montreux on the Swiss side, but when I looked at restaurants on-line, and found a simple croque-monsieur was 25 SwF, a lasagna was 26 SwF, and a burger of some kind was 35 SwF, we decided to stay in France (which is expensive enough).
Around 11 AM we set out to drive to Annecy, another of our favorite towns in the Savoy region.
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| Our Renault Scenic |
Annecy is often referred to as "The Venice of the Alps". It is an incredibly picturesque place. The Old City was built at the foot of a chateau, and is primarily pedestrian only, as it is crisscrossed with canals and the Thiou River all flowing from Lake Annecy. The banks are lined with shops, cafes, bars, and restaurants. Because of my walking problems, we were limited to the very edge of The Old City.
When we returned to the parking garage, another car had parked so close to the driver's side that Ron could not get in. He had to climb over the console.
We drove along Lake Annecy, known as the cleanest lake in Europe because of strict environmental restrictions. Apparently it was almost destroyed by pollution, but the towns and villages joined together to bring it back in the 1960's. It is the most gorgeous shade of turquoise. Because the temperature had climbed into the 70's, the park along the shore was filled with sunbathers, and a few brave people were actually in the water.
As we drove into Evian, we decided to go up into the hills to the Neuvecelle area, where the Hotel Royal, is located. The Royal, along with its sister hotel, The Ermitage, make up the Evian Resort. The resort is situated on 47-acres of the most beautiful, immaculately manicured grounds. It is one of the most stunning old-world style hotels we've ever seen. We stayed there a few times years ago. The first time, Ron had gone in to inquire about the price, and came out saying "You won't believe it" Turns out he forgot we had left Switzerland, and was converting the cost as if it were Swiss Francs rather than French Francs - making it appear about ten times more costly than it was. After I pointed out that we were in France, he went back in and took the room.
The views are superb, and the décor (totally renovated in 2015) with numerous arches, domes, and frescoes is elegantly beautiful.
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| View from terrace where we had a drink |
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| In the bar |
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| A Salon (one of the lounge areas) |
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| Waiting for car |
After one round of drinks (served with cashews and almonds), it was time to return to reality. We drove back to the Hilton, and Ron pulled into the driveway to the parking garage. Fortunately, I seem to remember a few more words of French than he does. A huge sign above the opening read "SORTIE" which means "EXIT". It took some maneuvering and backing up to get out of that spot.
After finding the correct entrance, we went up to the lounge for a FREE beverage and snack, and then to our room to watch the enormous flock of birds flying in to roost for the night. They look and sound like crows. We also watched the French version of "The Wall". Surprising how many of the multiple answers we can decipher. Maybe we could learn this language, after all, but somehow I don't think so. The pronunciation eludes us!
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