Annecy is Europe's Magic Kingdom

Last night, I heard an young blonde tourist declare that she felt like she was "in Disneyland!" While I knew exactly what she meant, I felt a little embarrassed for my fellow American. It is just so difficult to grasp the history of this magical place. Even our 374 year old house in Medfield is but a fresh pup compared to the old dog structures here. We haven't seen a single building made of wood yet. The history here is immune to the vagaries of fires and floods, weather and bulldozers. Thousands of years before that lovely girl from Utah boarded the plane with her parents, the citizens of these French Alps were hard at work creating these fortresses, castles, and residences with their thick walls and fenestrations that remain open (still without screens, but retrofitted with swinging windows in and ancient shutters out).

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After a short rest yesterday, we explored the city again, walking down to the lake along the canal. We choose an outdoor cafe for dinner where we ordered off the menu and received unexpected, but delicious, meals. My French is weak and the waiter did not speak English, but, c'est bon! I had a salad and potato and cheese casserole (served in the baking crock where the cheese browned and burned a bit on the edges creating the most excellent chewy, salty, cheesy, heavenly bites) and Steve also had some kind of cheesy casserole with meat and potatoes.

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Lights from the restaurants and shops lit up the canal, revealing a whole new beauty to this bustling little town, now hushed and cool in the Alpine breeze. We got back to the apartment by midnight and fell into a deep sleep after our 24 hour day.

#Annecy #France #FrenchAlps