Thoiry to Annecy France via Geneva Switzerland

Thursday 24th November 2022
Happy birthday Paul, Hope you have a great day.
The sky is a little blue this morning so we drive back to in to Geneva for a walk around the city. It is quite a lovely city but I am disappointed to not see it under lights last night. We walked along the waterfront, through the Christmas Markets in the park, passed the fountain again and then into the city centre. We saw the cathedral, the town hall, many fancy shops, lots of specialty chocolate shops (we even went in one and bought 10 chocolates for 12.20CHF, about 2AUD each). David said he would have to say “They are very good chocolates” swiftly followed by “They are also very over-priced”. Hehehe! Surprise, surprise. It was a lovely walk as we just meandered around the city, happening upon the tourist spots along the way. We returned to the car park which was located in a very good spot but at a cost as usual. Only 10CHF for 3 hours. As always David doesn’t like this cost, but for me it is about the ease of doing what we want. We could have parked for free at CERN and done Park and Ride but that cost more and was more time consuming. So I see it as a win, win situation, I just need to blindfold DB when I pay for the parking. Mind you, this holidays he has been a lot more accepting of extra costs, which is amazing. The parking station was a very tight squeeze, don’t know how we got out of there without any damage.

We then drove to a little town called Annecy in France. A place with fond memories from 2014. We enjoyed a walk around the Old Town plus the Christmas markets. We tried a Sugared Bretzel which was quite nice, a lot nicer than the savoury ones. Then headed home to our apartment for dinner.

We are struggling with a decision as to where we will head next. Tomorrow’s forecast is for rain so our walk to La Tournette summit at Montmin is out, which is a shame. That was a revisit to a summit we didn’t reach last time because of the weather and we were running out of time. Also there may be snow at the top. Oh well, when we went to sleep a decision had not been made. We are getting worse. We think we may have left our run to Portugal a little late.

: The snow-capped mountain view at last night’s home in Thoiry France..

: This is how tight the parking is in the du Mont Blanc parking station right in the heart of Geneva city centre..

: ..they even have car charging stations in them..

: David is doing a little window shopping at the most expensive shops..

: ..he so loves all the watches..

: ..maybe not this one, its price tag reads 50,000CHF which equals 78,000AUD. I don’t think it will be my Christmas gift this year..

: The Flower Clock – Geneva is recognised all around the world for it’s watch making tradition, being the mother of high-end watchmaking. To pay tribute to this honour, Geneva created the biggest clock in the world, made from flowers..

: Geneva Flower Clock, named L’horloge fleurie in French, created in 1955, soon became world famous, one of the main attraction of the city. Interestingly, clock always look different, as they are made of various flowers which bloom in different times in the year..

: As we walk along the waterfront we can see the Jet d’Eau again..

: ..and wander through the Christmas markets..

: ..to the The bronze ‘Four Seasons Fountain’ in the English Garden, it is covered in Christmas lights and surrounded by market stalls..

: ..some Christmas trees waiting to be finished..

: ..they now have their stand attached ready for sale..

: A close-up of Le Jet d’Eau and the mountains in the background….

: Some information about Le Jet d’Eau..

: ..a rainbow of its own making..

: ..the lovely waterfront and beautiful foreshore buildings..

: Some beautiful buildings in Geneva’s Main Street..

: Palais de Justice

: Reformation Wall was inaugurated in 1909 in Geneva, Switzerland. It honours many of the main individuals, events, and documents of the Protestant Reformation by depicting them in statues..

: The Grand Theatre..

: Our little bag of 10 chocolates, they were very yummy, melt in your mouth chocolate..

: The bust of Henry Dunant..

: L’ancien Arsenal – Compact artillery museum with a collection of vintage cannons, plus colorful, battle-themed mosaics.

: St. Pierre Cathedral in Geneva, Switzerland, was built as a Roman Catholic cathedral, but became a Reformed Protestant Church of Geneva church during the Reformation. It is known as the adopted home church of John Calvin, one of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation..

: ..The main building is 64m long and its altar was very plain..

: ..and it has a huge pipe organ..

: ..and some ornate seating..

: ..the Chapelle des Macchabées was added to the original building.

: The exterior of the Cathedral from a different angle..

: ..one last look at the Jet d’Eau as we leave Geneva, the sky is a beautiful blue now. We have avoided the rain again..

: ..a rainbow lorikeet on the lift of the parking garage, a reminder of home..

: ..this shall be interesting, no possible way for DB to get in the car. He held the passenger door open and I contorted my way in, jumped over to the drivers side and managed to reverse..

: Not sure how this driver will get in his car.

: Oh no! – last time we headed through the Mont Blanc tunnel it cost about 50 Euro, lucky we weren’t headed that way today..

: ..Our first French toll gates, every country they are a little different and the first one or two are a big learning curve..

: Some lovely flower boxes in the little town of Annecy..

: ..as we walk through the narrow streets..

: ..of the Old Town..

: The Château d’Annecy is a restored castle which dominates the old French town of Annecy in the Haute-Savoie département. It was bought by the town, restored and transformed into a museum, le musée-château d’Annecy..

: The Church of Notre-Dame-de-Liesse was founded and constructed in the 14th century by the counts of Geneva, Amedee III and Count Robert.

: The Thiou is a short river in the city of Annecy

: Palais de L’isle – Picturesque medieval castle & prison in the middle of the Thiou Canal, now an art & history museum..

: looking along the river Thiou with restaurant strip on the left..

: ..as we walk through the Christmas markets with food and gift stalls as well as Gluwein (hot wine), a Christmas tradition..

: Église Saint-Maurice is a Roman Catholic church. It is the oldest church in Annecy. It was originally built as a chapel of a Dominican convent in 1422, sponsored by Cardinal Jean-Allarmet de Brogny. The church has a Gothic style architecture.

: A big Christmas decoration..

: ..and a snow bear..

: ..and santas elves..

: ..these are pedestrian lights that turn green when you can cross the road..

: A close-up of Notre Dame de Liesse..

: From Thoiry in France to Geneva Switzerland for a 3 hour walk and then south to Annecy France. A short drive of only 70km and a night time walk in Annecy.