Annecy, France

Annecy is a small lakeside town in France that is only an hour away by bus from Geneva. I have a friend, Jeff, with whom I had the pleasure of working together in the States who is from Annecy. Having once met his father, Guy, when he came to the States for a visit, I exchanged emails through Jeff that we would stop for a visit.

From the time Jeff’s mother, Anne Marie, picked us up from the bus station, till Guy dropped us off at the Geneva Airport the next afternoon, we had the pleasure of spending the most wonderful time together at their house and around the quaint town of Annecy.

With wide-open arms, we received a warm welcome from Anne Marie with two French style kisses on our cheeks (in Switzerland, the greeting is done with three kisses). She first took us on a scenic route through the town, stopping at a lakeside resort, then picked up a loaf of bread (almost a daily occurrence in France), even pointing out the place where Jeff had biked to school, near the bakery. This photo was taken in front of Jeff’s house after having a wonderful Quiche lunch Anne Marie cooked for us. We were about to leave, to take a walk through town, when a neighbor (next to Joanne) stopped by to say hello.

Anne Marie and Guy took us on a walk thru the passages and alleyways of the old town of Annecy.

The buildings and houses from the medieval periods exuded charms and added to the history and stories told by Anne Marie.

The scene of cafes seemed to be out of the painting “Café Terrace At Night” by Van Gogh.

We were on the bridge near the Palais de l’Isle jail (old jailhouse), the symbol and centerpiece of the town. Cafés and restaurants lined the canal for a relaxing atmosphere.

A special thanks goes to Anne Marie and Guy for inviting us to stay in their home in the beautiful town of Annecy. We got to see first hand, all of the love that Guy and Anne Marie put into the house to make it a special and comfortable home for Jeff to grow up in. With a home like that, I can see why Jeff would want to return to Annecy every chance he gets. I must also add that Joanne thought Guy was the funniest French man she had ever met. I now know where Jeff got his humor. I’ll echo what Anne Marie said about our spending time together; it was ‘superb’.