Day 19: Annecy

Today I traveled from Chamonix to Paris. This is my final destination. After today there are only two days left before I head home.

This hurts my soul. I mean, there definitely are things I miss. My cats and my washer/dryer rank pretty high on that list right now.

But I’m not at all stoked for this amazing adventure to come to an end. I could quite happily keep going if money and circumstance allowed. There’s so much more I want to see and do.

It is amusing to me that I am in Paris, but I don’t yet have any pictures of Paris to post.

My hotel in Chamonix, Hotel L’Arve, was fantastic in every way except for being in close proximity to the area’s nightlife. I didn’t get to sleep until after the bars closed at 2 AM.

Otherwise, though, the hotel was great, and the staff was magnificent.

There was, in particular, one front desk employee with whom I enjoyed a number of fun conversations.

In fact, when we chatted a bit last night my travel plans for today came up. I mentioned I was going to take the bus to St Gervais, and from there, a regional train to Annecy. From Annecy, I had tickets for the 12:30 PM TGV (the high-speed train) to Paris.

Upon hearing that I was going to Annecy but did not have plans to explore the town, the blood left her face. She gasped and laid a hand across her chest. I don’t know what her exact words were, but roughly translated I’d assume it was something like, “Are you fucking kidding me? No. You’re not doing it that way. That’s fucking nuts.”

She informed me that taking a bus and a train to Annecy as I’d planned to do made no sense. There is a bus from Chamonix to Annecy that would get me there faster and more easily.

Also, according to my new friend, I absolutely had to spend some time wandering around Annecy. It would be a crime to miss it.

I was game for taking her up on the suggestion. It wasn’t like I had anything to lose except a couple more hours of sleep. I did not know at the time that I would be kept awake until 2 AM, but so it goes sometimes.

We went online and bought a ticket for me for a 7 AM bus. This would get me to Annecy at 8:30 AM, thus giving me four hours to wander and explore Annecy before boarding the TGV to Paris.

This is why I am currently in Paris for the first time, but all of my favorite photos from the day are from a cute town about 30 miles south of Geneva.

When I arrived in Paris, I successfully navigated the subway system and found my hotel. By the time I checked in, it was dinnertime and I was exhausted. I had an easy dinner near my hotel and I plan to pass out for the night shortly.

Don’t worry, though. I’m sure I’ll wind up with more Paris photos than I know what to do with tomorrow.

For now, though, behold the beauty that is Annecy.

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