Spectacular Annecy

 It's good to have clever and kind friends.  It is to a number of such friends that Glenn and I owe a spectacular weekend in the mountain- and lake-side town of Annecy.  

First, our friend (and PSE PhD student) Eric suggested that we purchase the SNCF discount rail cards.  We took his advice, which spurred us to start thinking about weekend trips away.  Then our long-time friend (and my grad school roommate) Clara sent me an article she found about beautiful places to visit in France other than Paris.  The photo of Annecy caught my eye, and Glenn and I decided that should be the first destination with our discount rail card.  Finally, after looking up Annecy on Google Maps, we realized that it was quite close to Geneva, where two other friends of ours from MIT, Dana and Krishna, were staying for the year.  We reached out to them, and they were happy to drive down to meet us for the day.  

The weather looked dismal all week, but by Friday, the forecast had turned optimistic for the weekend, cool but mostly sunny.  We corresponded with Dana and Krishna and decided on a hike.  (Glenn and I are typically up for a hike, and Sandy always is, so it was an easy decision for us.)  Our friends had not only been to Annecy multiple times, but they had driven in the area--and had a car with them this year--so we were not restricted just to hikes starting in the city.  Krishna suggested one where we could drive into the mountains and park at the trailhead.  His description of the trail was a fairly steep climb initially, followed by a longer, more level walk along a ridge, with the payoff being some spectacular views.  And, oh my, there was a big payoff. 

Below are a few views from the hike, from the valley it skirted with snow-covered peaks in the background, to Lake Annecy seen through bare pine trees. 

At times the peaks seemed impossibly steep, almost making it difficult to comprehend the geometry of the place.  There were many instances where I turned my head and caught a glimpse of a rock face or tree-covered slope that just seemed to be someplace where it shouldn't be.

The path was well-marked and just the right amount of rugged.  There was a bit of scrambing over rocks and a fair amount of walking over exposed trunks, but also long stretches of smoother surface.  There was one stretch where the path was hugging a rock face and we hung onto a thick metal cord bolted into the rock face for stability.  

We stopped in a high meadow for a break and a snack.  Without any coordination, we seem to have brought exactly the same snack components:  bread, cheese, nuts, chocolate, and dried fruit.  (I guess that's the standard hiker's quintet--certainly that's exactly what we always bring on a hike, plus dog treats, too, of course.)  

After the exhiliarating hike, Dana and Krishna asked if we wanted to drive back to town on the same route or take an alternative route around a mountain over a pass that might give us a view of Mont Blanc.  Well, how could we say no?  Here are two views from the pass, which is apparently a popular place to spectate on the Tour de France.   

We did have a view of a somewhat-cloud-obscured Mount Blanc, off in the distance (but no photo--I guess I was photoed-out after taking so many on the hike).  

We drove back into town and finished the day with an dinner of outstanding fondue and raclette, charcuterie, salad, and a carafe of red wine, at a table overlooking one of Annecy's picturesque canals.  And a toast, which may have been to sabbaticals--a worthy subject of toasts--but could have also been to clever and kind friends.