Categories
2011 Europe

25-31 July 2011: France

Monday, 25 July 2011: Uriage-les-Bains -> Annecy

This is really strange we actually have nowhere to go.  For the last month we have had a map which we have followed to see as much cycling as possible and now we are at a loss as to what to do.  After a look at the map we decide to head up to Annecy, so say our goodbyes to everyone and jump in the car.  We are heading to Annecy which is on the Lac d’Annecy and supposedly surrounded by mountains and one of the purest lakes in the world.

We arrive there to find the place is packed.  On a further review of the Lonely Planet it does state that in July and August there town can be heaving with summer visitors.  The Aires de Camping is tucked away and badly sign-posted so instead we pull up at the nearest camping spot hoping for somewhere to stay and luckily there is a spare spot for two nights, so we snap it up.  The traffic in the town was a nightmare so Scott was frazzled and this is a good spot close to the lake and only 2kms back into town.  It is on a main road, so road noise as an issue, but we were knackered enough not to even notice. 

Tuesday, 26 July 2011: Annecy

Up and out of the van and started our walk into Annecy.  The lake is beautiful and so clear, there is no rubbish, and everything is clean and tidy.  There is even what you may call beaches (white sand along with lifeguards); some of them public, some private, but the lake is definitely the centre of the activities in this region.  We continue walking into the medieval part of town which today is a huge produce market, the biggest we have encountered so far. 

 

Sun and sightseeing - holidays at last
Sun and sightseeing - holidays at last

 

 

We buy a couple of bits and pieces, but it is hard to focus as there is so much to look at and see.  Behind the market stalls are loads of cafes etc which tend to face onto the canals (Canal du Thiou and Canal du Vasse) that flow through the town.  The architecture is beautifully maintained and there are loads of little alleyways and areas to wander through.  We get a map from the local TIC and head down to the lakefront to eat our picnic, just watching the world go by.  This is a fantastic spot and you can see how it has become so popular.  It is currently in the bid to host the Winter Olympics 2018 and I would have thought it would have a good chance with all the facilities nearby.

After wandering back to the motorhome, Scott decided to go for a job, so I took the opportunity to sit in the sun and read my book (yes there is a surprise, but it has been hard to get much reading done following the tour and I feel bad at letting Natalie down with all the updates for www.ourbookclub.net.au).  Lots of people pull into the campsite but it is now full, so the lady sends them off somewhere up the road (not sure where as we figure they would also be full). 

Tuesday, 26 July 2011: Annecy -> Chamonix

We have decided to visit Chamonix and see the snow resort areas in summer.  The weather is relatively warm and there is even some sun around so we are hopefully of some great views.  The drive to Chamonix is something else, talk about hairpin bends and it is exhausting for Scott and I (I tend to sit on the side with the drop off).  Chamonix is only at 1037 metres but there are loads of chair lifts etc to get up to various mountains including Mont Blanc.  For all you film buffs, Chamonix was used in The world Is Not Enough (Bond 007) for his ski chase. 

After taking a wrong turn in town and driving through the tiny streets, we find the Aires de Camping spot and pitch up.  We walk back into town and get some maps and information.  The weather isn’t too bad, but it is a bit cloudy so after a lunch in the main piazza, we take the opt instead for the train to the Mer de Glace (1913 metres) which is France’s largest glacier and also has a ice cave (Grotte de la Mer de Glace) which is reached via the train, cable car and then 400 steps down (and in reverse). The train takes approximately 20 minutes and was built 100 years ago, designed on a rack and pinion system.   

 

Nowhere near as good as the glaciers in South America
Nowhere near as good as the glaciers in South America

 

 

The glacier isn’t the most spectacular we have seen and it is receding quite quickly so until you get up close you can’t really see the stunning colours of the ice. 

 

Disco ice cave?
Disco ice cave?

 

 

Inside the ice cave sculptors have created carvings and they are lit up plus there are some information boards about how it was discovered etc, then comes the lengthy walk back up all those stairs. 

 

Why does everything I do involve stairs
Why does everything I do involve stairs

 

 

On the train on the way back down the mountain we felt left out as we didn’t have our icepicks and ropes, so had to do with a backpack and feeling seriously under prepared for the next ice age.  It starts to rain on our way back, so we wander through town and bought some new clothes (magically we have lost a bit of weight since arriving, so purchased something that fits better) and the Icebreaker shop had a sale.

Wednesday, 27 July 2011 to Thursday 28 July 2011: Chamonix

After waking up at 2:45am with some youths doing bog laps etc nearby we got up to find that the rain had not helped the weather and the clouds were now down to the town with no view whatsoever of anything else.  We are going to hang around and see if it improves, so walk around the town, but even though the clouds do start to improve slightly it certainly doesn’t clear so now we have a conundrum with what to do.  We did find a bookstore and purchased a French dictionary as the language here is hard going, so about time we started to learn some more words.  Of course the weather continued to be crap all day and even the cable car people wouldn’t sell us a ticket as there was no view.  We decamped to a local bar for a drink and watched the world race by under umbrellas etc.

After another relatively restless night we got up and the sky was clear on the Mont Blanc side of the mountains so we headed off to the cable car and the long trek up to the top of the mountain.  It has snowed yesterday so everything looked picture postcard perfect and we spent ages wandering around the different levels that you can access. 

 

Yes Scott that is snow
Yes Scott that is snow

 

 

L’aiguille du Midi is approximately 3842m and you can get a 360 degree paranormal of the surrounding mountains including Mont Blanc at 4810m.  The idea for a more accessible way to Mont Blanc started in 1909 with the work commencing in 1911.  The Col du Midi was finally reached by a service line in 1940 and in 1966 you could reach the summit, not a small feat of engineering by any means. 

 

Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc

 

 

To get away from the crowds you need to be an alpinist and I don’t fancy strapping myself to the side of a cliff by a small rope.  We did watch some of the alpinist and climbing groups heading off with ice picks etc into the distance and then decided to catch the cable car back down and decided head off to our next destination of Beaune. 

Beaune is about 6 hours away not using the motorways, but after an hour we gave up the back roads for the Peage which cut approximately 2 hours off the journey.  We headed to the municipal campsite (Camping Lescent Vignes) where there was a queue and we were lucky to get a spot.  We set up camp and was just sitting down to the a glass of wine when we released the people next door were listening to the cricket, so went over and introduced ourselves to Linda and Eric and ended up spending the evening trying out some localish wines and snacks.  So nice to be somewhere warm.

Friday, 29 July 2011 and Saturday, 30 July 2011:  Beaune  

After finally leaving the mountains, today we walk into Beaune which is level and actually warm with the sun shining.  We walk into the local markets and purchase our salad ingredients along with a variety of different cheeses and salami (for Scott of course).  It is great the variety of the local markets and from local producers, if only Australia could provide a small percentage of these ingredients we would be in heaven.  After buying our obligatory baguette we drop our shopping off at Vinnie and continue back into town.  Beaune is a medieval town and supposedly the unofficial capital of the Cote d’Ore and hence a haven for wine tasting.  When we arrive back into the old city which is enclosed by stone ramparts, the food market and the antiques market are both in the final throes of packing up, so we sit down to lunch and watch the world go buy with a small carafe of local wines each. 

A beautiful lunch spot to watch the world go by
A beautiful lunch spot to watch the world go by

Subsequently replete and refreshed we head to Patriarche Pere et Fils for some wine tasting.  You are taking through the sales spiel of how the cellars came to be and then get to meander and wander through the kilometres of underground cellars (the largest in Burgundy) which house from 3m to 5m bottles (with the oldest from 1904). 

If only it was our cellar
If only it was our cellar

At the end of the cellars you get to sample 13 different varieties of wine and purchase them if you want, luckily for us there weren’t to our taste – if that could be possible! although we did try them all.  We eventually made it back to Vinnie.

The old and new mingle quite well
The old and new mingle quite well

We decided to stay an extra night, so left most people packing up and headed back into the town for a walk around the walls and ramparts which make a lovely stroll with lots of interesting buildings, laneways and courtyards to stick your nose into.  We had lunch in the centre of the medieval streets so we could enjoy both the sun and the atmosphere.  After lunch we continued exploring the town which is an ideal place to start walking tours and there is also a huge Athenaeum de la Vigne et du Vin (bookshop) with everything wine/cooking to keep you occupied and indulged.

The ramparts
The ramparts

Sunday, 31 July 2011:  Noyers-Sur-Surein

Back on the road today and off to Noyers-Sur-Serein which is a medieval village.  On the drive we pass the usual French countryside of Chateaux and more Chateaux, even deciding to stop at one village which looked beautiful, only to find that it is shut today.

We find a parking/camping spot near the river and pique-nique (yes that is the French word for picnic) and join the other motorhomes who have set up camp there.  As there is no municipal campsite, this looks like an ideal alternative and free.  We have lunch underneath the trees before heading into the local tourist information and getting a map. 

Not a bad view from our free campspot
Not a bad view from our free campspot

Noyers is surrounded by pastureland with a river (Serein) on one side.  The town is fortified by 13th century stone ramparts and battlements with two stone gateways leading in and out of the main part of the village.  Inbetween you have everything you need for the picture postcard town – cobble roads, half timbered houses, laneways, 15-16th century gables houses and stone archways. 

Amazing they are still standing
Amazing they are still standing

The map from the tourist office provides an itinerary and some highlights of the different architecture, so we followed that as it seemed the best way to see the different building methods from the middle ages to the 18th century and you depart from the Place de L’Hotel de Ville which is where we were standing.  At the far side of the town is the ruined chateau which we thought strangely wouldn’t be so ruined.  We climbed a million steps up to find literary a pile of rocks and some restoration work being completed, but were unsure as to why anybody was bothering restoring it as the restoration works looked terrible.  So after walking up and following some trails that provided some glimpses of the town, we ventured across the ramparts and through the Chemin des Fosses to the River Serein and a streamside walk where you can see the remaining towers. 

The village from the chateau ruins
The village from the chateau ruins

On return to Vinnie we are surrounded by a group of pensioners playing Petonque (or Boules) and getting very lively, although the rules did seem a bit random at times.  Our idyllic spot was only spoilt by the sounds of the church bells which apparently kept Scott awake most of the night!