Annecy is a picture perfect postcard right in front of your eyes! They call it the Venice of Alps and I always wondered why… The moment I landed in Annecy, a thunderous applause of an unimaginable standing ovation filled up my senses. I pinched myself and joyfully assured my stunned senses…yes this is the Venice of Alps. I was so smitten with the beauty of this Alpine town that I planted the iconic gondola in Annecy’s canals, and experienced the ‘Venice of Alps’.
I really believe that alpine towns are the most underrated destinations of Europe. With beauty roving in every corner of these towns, you would feel like a kid in a candy store. For me, alpine towns were the ultimate destination ever since I travelled to Austria and Switzerland about four years ago. Naturally, Annecy was love at first sight! As I maundered around the cobbled streets and flower decked canals, I came across the most scenic sight, Lac d’Annecy. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains, the turquoise blue waters of the lake made me feel like I was back in Switzerland!! It was almost as if the world’s most beautiful canvas had come to life…
After taking it all in, my culinary drive took me to Annecy’s farmers market in the Old Town. Another magical world greeted me with vivacious energy and aromatic extravagance. The ocean of fresh produce, coffee and food stalls swept me like a tidal wave. Honestly, I was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of people there! Reading my face expression, someone in the crowd said “grab a bite, it will settle after midday”. That’s when I realised that the market packs up then, so I looked around for a while and headed to devour the famous raclette (semi hard Swiss cheese) at Le Freti. Raclette to Annecy is what baguette is to Paris. Due to its close proximity to Switzerland, raclette rules Annecy. They cut the cheese wheel in half and place the cut side towards the fire. As and when it melts, the cheese is scraped off onto a plate, served with meat or potatoes. If you are a cheese lover, this is heaven for you!
After lunch, it was dessert time. Annecy is filled with ice cream parlours so we got a scoop to save us from the scorching heat!
After having two food comas, Coralie and I headed to the lake and rented a pedal boat to burn off the calories! I remember Coralie being so green about it. I had to actually force her but once we started paddle boating facing the picturesque landscape, she did say it was the best experience of the trip.
Later we spent our evening lazing around at Jardins de l’ Europe before catching our bus back to Lyon. In the end, I would highly recommend to add Annecy to your bucket list and discover the hidden jewels of the beautiful alpine town!
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