On Saturday, when we went to Annecy, they were celebrating the Retour des Alpages, which is when the animals (mostly sheep) would return from the mountains just before winter. It is an important tradition in Annecy and has been celebrated for many many years, however, it is now more culturally important rather than economically important. Anyway, for the Fêtes Des Alpages they have a parade and lots of "exhibit" sort of things where they show how they used to cut wood or make bread back in the day. There were also lots of souvenir and food stands and random enclosures with cows and goats. Emily and I explored the town, took lots of pictures, ate lunch by the canal, and napped by the lake. It was quite an enjoyable day.
Left: the canal in Annecy
Right: me chilling by the Lac d'Annecy
The next day, we went to Chamonix, which is a small town on the French side of Mount Blanc. It is also quite beautiful, but it in a different way than Annecy. Emily says it's similar to Vail, Colorado, but French... and with more British tourists. There wasn't much to do except wander around and eat a lot, which is what we did, but it was pretty relaxing and enjoyable. It was chilly there, but in a refreshing way. Apparently, Chamonix/Mt. Blanc is the #2 tourist spot in France. Mt. Saint Michel is #1. We did not go up into the mountains because even with a group rate it costs 35euro, but we still could see Mt. Blanc and the glacier pretty well, as well as the many people who were doing parapente.
(Chamonix w/ Mt. Blanc in the background)
Parapente is the French word for para-gliding. Emily actually did parapente on Friday (she's quite busy isn't she?). She said it was a blast, but I'm glad I stayed at home. I don't like heights very much.
Donc, I'll try to keep everyone updated on future adventures that we have coming up. Emily says she really doesn't like planning trips because it's too stressful. I'm pretty excited though because all I have to do is stay in her backpack.
A bientôt!
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