Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Annecy and Chamonix

I arrived in Annecy and I was lost as soon as I got off the train hahahaha. Nothing ever changes. I walked along with my backpack on and I finally made it to the old part of town which looked very touristic but also very beautiful. These really friendly guys drew a map for me showing me where the hostel was located. I had to climb a big hill to get there which almost broke my back? I left my bags there and proceeded to explore the town.





I walked part way around the lake which is very beautiful but also very touristic. I sat down for a while just watching the lake and then walked back through the old part of town. The buildings are so old and so beautiful that it really makes you think that it must be one of the most beautiful towns in the world.

I met Carissa in the hostel and the following day we went out exploring the town together and we went up to see the old castle and church together as well as walking through the markets area of town. It has nice views of Annecy lake from where we stayed and it is a really lovely city to visit. Carissa is a really positive person and its good to talk with another traveller about her experiences. Also I met Dan and Natasha, two travellers from Canada who were really easy going and we had dinner and drank some wine together.



The next day I arrived in Chamonix. I arrived quite late and as it was a sunday the public transport had stopped running. Not knowing this, a drunk guy had told me to wait and that there was a late bus but after waiting for thirty minutes, I decided to walk up to the hostel. It was agonizing to climb the mountain with my bag back on. I swear I think I must be crazy sometimes to have even attempted this. This lovely swiss lady saw me struggling up the highway with my bags and she pulled over and gave me a lift. How nice is that? I wondered if French people would do the same. I would like to think so!



What a beautiful town as I walked towards the hostel I noticed the beauty of the area. So stunning and I love seeing snow as i havent seen it often in my life. Once in switzerland and ince in Berlin. The following morning I awoke early and over breakfast I chatted with a mother and daughter from Norway. The girl had had an accident and fallen down a hill resulting in stitches and cuts to her head. The mother told me that when she saw her daughter rolling down the hill she thought that the girl would be dead.



I then did a bit of a trek by myself and also walked around the town of Chamonix. This is my type of town and I loved it there very much. It was a shame that I couldnt stay longer as it is beautiful to see a town surrounded by mountains. I met a lovely Australian couple at the railway station and we talked about travel for quite a while. They had just travelled to South America so we talked about our travels there.



2 comments:

iwmpop said...

Hello Paul!
I live in the South of France, between Nimes and Montpellier - it's called Vauvert, and is in the Camargue!
I have many friends in the Upper Savoy area, and in May I was happy to go and pass some time in one of their mountain chalets (nothing to do with the one's Tourists rent!)
If you're interested, have a look at the various sites available on:
http:www//webspawner.com/users/mrlemarquis/index.html
there are loads of photos available!
(I'm "mr. le marquis" by the way - a title given to me by the French due to my way of living!)
I'm actually Scottish by birth, with over 40 years in Germany, and now some 16 years here in Southern France! European, you see!

Anonymous said...

Mmm...it's sounds close from switzerland ! Nice pictures !