You guys. I'm back at it again! This time though, things have slowed down quite a bit. We've finally arrived in picturesque Annecy, France. This small city is located in the French Alps region & is considerably more perfect than its northern city sister, Paris. The location difference between these two cities is equivalent to traveling from Maryland down to South Carolina. Super easy to get to!
We left Paris around 6:00am & took the train for transportation. To be specific, we took the TGV Train. It saved us a lot of time instead of flying (or even driving) & it was super easy to find our way around the train station. Travel Tip: Instead of relying on planes or worrying about having to rush through the airport to your gate, take advantage of Europe's impressive train system. These things are super awesome: they go pretty much everywhere on the entire continent, you get the opportunity to check out the country side & see things you might've miss from the sky, plus you have a chance to feel like Harry Potter (although, no train is cooler than the Hogwarts Express). You can even buy month passes if you're staying for a while! Who doesn't love riding on trains? This guy does!
Once we got down to Annecy, our next task was to find our hotel. Since Annecy is such a small city, you can literally walk anywhere & everywhere. Our hotel was only about a mile away from the train station so we kept up the momentum & decided to walk! Travel Tip: No matter where you are traveling to, if you are not packing with a backpack, always be sure your suitcase can survive the walk. I'm talking about surviving the flights, the rolling of the wheels, slamming it down wherever. The whole sha-bang. It's important that if you are only bringing a suitcase instead of a hiking backpack, that you purchase a hard-case, 4 wheeled one. Because this trip required a lot of walking, that meant our suitcases had to endure just as much. And we all know Europe isn't totally up to date with paved streets! I made sure I had a trusted suitcase brand along with me so I used a Samsonite Hardside Spinner Suitcase (say that 5 times fast). This thing was a beast! The wheels hold up strong against the rough, cobblestone streets/sidewalks & the zippers on it lock so anything you have inside of it stays protected. Plus it's a hard-sided suitcase! I brought home 3 bottles of Italian wine plus some Swiss chocolates in this thing & everything survived 3 flights coming back. Holla!
Getting back on track, we made it to our hotel, Splendid Hotel. It sat facing a main canal that runs through the city & had sweet balcony views! We actually arrived too early & our rooms weren't ready yet so we checked out what was surrounding the area. The entire city was so old & picturesque, it felt fake! That's how surreal it was to be there in person. I kept thinking we were walking around Busch Gardens. I had to keep reminding myself where I was at all times to help me realize I was actually in Europe. Real. Europe. At the edge of Annecy lies a lake called Lake Annecy (original name, I know). It's an amazing color palate of blues, teals, & greens and goes as far out as the eye can see. Plus it helps having the French Alps in the background. I mean, come on!
Once we finally got settled into our rooms, we hadn't actually planned to do anything vital while we were here (it was like this from here on out & we weren't complaining). So with that said, we walked around everywhere & took in the sights & smells of all of the scenery & cafes we passed by. We even went out on the lake on a paddle boat. It was so nice to be out there & relax after what all we did in Paris & the traveling we did to get here. I was soaking up ALL the rays these next 2 days!
We continued this laid-back streak all the way into our next stop: Kandersteg, Switzerland. A small mountain town consisting of breathtaking Swiss Alps views, cow bells, & sweet sweet chocolate. Our hike around the area is nothing short of spectacular. It's a location you'll
definitely want to see!
However, in the meantime, thanks for reading & enjoy these images!
