Annecy part two

The weather turned and we woke to some light rain. We decided to visit the Annecy Musee-Chateau. The turreted castle was once the home to the Counts of Geneva but the first section was the story of St Francis de Sales who was once the Bishop of Annecy. The other sections contained art works, information regarding the lake and the wildlife that live in and around it as well as modern sculpture. Cliff went off for a long walk up in the hills above the town. It took him through a National Park with lovely Forrest and spectacular views. I on the other hand Skyped Michelle and then went shopping which I enjoyed except for a sandwich I brought and a capachino which had whipped cream piled up high and the ham and cheese sandwich was coated with a Creme de Menthe flavour, it was horrible.

We had a lovely Swiss style dinner with Marie one night. We had a great discussion and lovely wine together with ham, gherkins, potatoes and a special cheese which is melted in a machine. Very nice indeed. 

Our visit to Geneva in Switzerland was enjoyable but not as good as Annecy for beauty. We walked to the lake with its water jet and then onto the Old Town and looked inside St Peter's Cathedral which was the centre for the Reformation and has a seat used by John Calvin. The Reformation Wall was next in our sight which was in a lovely big park. This wall depicts reliefs of influential characters involved in the Protestant Reformation in 1536. We then walked to the Carouge section of the city with its bohemian atmosphere, artists, craftsmen, one-off shops, cafe and restaurants. We were a bit tired as we headed back to our bus for the return journey.

A local bus took us up to Le Grand Bornand which in winter is a ski village (elevation 1000m). What a spectacular view to the surrounding mountains. We had lunch in a lovely cafe and walked through the town appreciating its alpine swiss chalet housing. It was a magical sight even without any snow. 

On the Saturday before we left for London we spend a fantastic day with Marie visiting first the Paccard Musee where for over 200 years the Paccard family has made bells. We watched a video showing how they were made then joined a tour ( in French but Marie translated for us) through the workshop where they are made. It was really interesting and I have a new respect for bells as I now know how much hard work goes into making them and getting the right sound. Truly remarkable.

We had planned to visit the Chateau of Menthon but stopped first to have lunch in a picturesque restaurant on the Lake called Auberge du Lac. The sun was shinning and the water looked magnificent while we ate our white bait meal and enjoyed the view. 

The Chateau with its three massive medieval towers was built by the de Menthon family who have lived there for over 1000 years. Generations of the family have added their touches over the years and we had a very theatrical tour by local theatre students who dressed up for their roles. Once again it was in French but Marie was kind enough to give us a summary in English which was most appreciated. Saint Bernard de Menthon who is widely known for his famous rescue dogs lived in the castle from 1008 to 1081. The family still live there but part of the castle is used for tours on weekends during summer. The library houses 12,000 pre 1800 volumes which is remarkable as they weren't destroyed in the French Revolution. This was due to the fact that the area inwhich the castle stands was the part of Geneva. The Pilgims room where the lords received pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compestela to name one, was furnished with paintings of Saint Bernard and displayed a Celtic bronze sword dating back to 900 B.C. 

On our return home we stopped at the same restaurant for a drink. A perfect end to a perfect day. Thank you so much Marie for your generosity and warmth. 

The end came so quickly and as we headed off to the bus terminal we waved goodbye to Marie and dragged our bags once more onwards to our next destination. As a final gesture from the town we witnessed the start of a road race as police bikes came past us with a huge group of runners behind them. Annecy is a place of much beauty and grace and we hope to return one day.