ANNECY

If you're ever in France's Savoie region, Annecy is a place to visit. Old Town (ville de veille) is beautiful with canals lined with flowers and outdoor cafes. Just sit down and ordered the "plat du jour" (easy!) or try a snack. (We're told that at night the streets are lined with strings of lights.) Besides the Chateau d'Annecy and Palais De L'Isle, there's not much else in terms of "touristy" landmarks. It's really a place to relax and take in the atmosphere.

The Chateau d'Annecy sits atop a hill (located on a limestone spur of the Semnoz mountain) and is a nice little hike through the town. It overlooks the town rooftops and Lake Annecy. The chateau dates back to the 13th century with 3 different towers. The Counts of Geneva (1394) and then the Dukes of Savoy (until the 18th century) made this chateau their official residence. It also houses Musee d'Annecy (Museum of Annecy), which relates much of the history of the town.

The Palais de L'Isle, a former prison, is on an island in the middle of the main canal (Thiou Canal). During the 12th century this former fortified house was the center of the first domain held by the De L'Isle family. The prison is now a small museum.

There's a nice park along the lake. Our tour took a boat cruise up the lake. There are some really great homes in the area. There were paragliders in the distance. After Jim played a little 'football' with some little kids, the bus took us back to Annecy.

Then on to Chamonix!