Oh My Gosh – Not sure what happened to this post so here it goes !!!
A grey day with a little rain greeted us for our day in the French Alps. As we drove closer it was obvious our day was going to be a challenge – although our yearly stop at the huge French Supermarket in Sallanches provided a great insight into local food and the huge variety on offer.
Mountain food of potatoes, bacon onion and delicious cheeses made into Tartiflette had been prepared and cooked specially for us, followed my favourite Myrtle Tarts. Views of the snow capped peaks and of course Mt Blanc were certainly compromised. It’s one of those days where we look at the weather forecast, tweak the program and make the most of time available.
Returning back to Yvoire we wended our way high on the plateau opposite to where we had our mountain lunch. Hugging the hill in an area called Plateau d’Assy, where many huge buildings were once used for TB clinics and for the patients to enjoy the cool mountain air. We came up to visit Notre Dame de Toute Grace a modern looking church, but built in 1950’s for the sanatorium patients . The church is decorated with beautiful stain glass windows by masters of modern art and signed by some of the greatest artists like Matisse and Chagall.
The sun shone brilliantly for the next two days and our market day in Annecy certainly requires dry weather. As usual everyone excelled themselves with purchases from the local market that we then shared for lunch. Whole cooked chickens, terrine en croute, ham, salads, cherry tomatoes, pesto, cheeses with crusty French bread and delicious raspberries, fresh figs, strawberries and greengages. This lunch is always such fun and provides an opportunity to shop and not just look at the local market .
The following morning was a Bluebird day for mountain viewing. Mt Blanc looked majestic, glowed in the bright sunlight and backed by a beautiful cloudless blue sky. The king of the mountains towers over the town of Chamonix which was busy the hundreds of walkers, paragliders and cyclists who were obviously here for the stunning landscape and huge variety of activities. Even the most anxious in the tour group rode the gondolier half way and most continued up to the Brevant in a Cabine. We sat and enjoyed lunch in Chamonix beside the river and the many colourful flower displays that the French do so well. It was so pleasant and I couldn’t help thinking ‘ this is what Queenstown used to like.
Our base is Yvoire a romantic medieval, small French town on Lac Lémann the shores of lake Geneva 24 km North if Geneva. Flowers drip from pots and hang from posts all over the village which makes it a very popular place to visit especially in weekends by locals on the lake ferry boat from Geneva. Villa Cecile hotel is a luxurious oasis where our late afternoons could be spent around the pool, or being spoilt with a massage. The food here is excellent and eating outside each night under the awning of the outdoor dining room was especially nice. Heaters went on if there was a slight chill in the air and glass wall came up to keep out any wind – not that we had any. This is always a favourite visit for me – eating ‘Fish and Chips lake style or gooey cheese fondue and waking each morning to the smell of French pastries is all pretty special. Cecile and her team welcome another NZ group with friendliness and are forever helpful.
