France July 2007 Page 5 Annecy

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JOURNEYS BY PAUL

Page 5

Annecy

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July 14 Bastille Day Annecy I'm in Annecy, a town situated on Lac Annecy in the Alps. It is Bastille Day today, the French equivalent of our Independence Day. July 14, 1789, Parisian citizens began the French Revolution by 'storming' the Bastille. From my hotel room, I heard a lot of fireworks last night around midnight so I hope I didn't miss the celebrations that I anticipate tonight. Maybe there'll be a good display over the Lake. The lake here is supposed to be the purest lake in Europe (or is it just in France?). Yesterday I rented a bike and rode along the southern shore to a little past the end of the lake (about 15 miles). And the whenever I stopped and checked out the water, it was crystal clear. It was almost 90 degrees yesterday but it didn't seem hot until I would stop riding and take a break. But I always found some tree shade or waterfront park where I could rest and watch the happenings on the lake. Sunbathers were abundant on the public grassy shores, and there were many sailboats and motorboats. Most of the boats were up around the Annecy area, and, as you got farther away from the town, they thinned out. (I'm trying not to use too many apostrophes.) I had a picnic of items bought at the Friday morning market; ie sun-dried tomatoes, olives, raspberries and pistachios. Near the far end of the lake was a paragliding landing strip, and, at three peaks that surrounded the lake, you could see paragliders hovering around, working thermals. Eventually they would lose lift, and many would come to land where I watched. I filmed a couple landings, and you can see them in my 'bike ride' video.

This town is quite nice. The pictures will show that it is medieval, with cobblestone walkways, arches and pastel middle-ages architecture. What it also has are several canals running through it. You cross a few streets, tuck through an archway and, voila, there is a river rushing under your feet. Very Venice-esque. Although there are a lot of tourists here, you can avoid them whenever you want by just leaving the several 'old town' main streets where there are beaucoup de street restaurants, creperies and, of course, ice cream stands (glaciers). There is a large green park right outside of town along the water's edge and today there were lots of people sunbathing in bathing suits on the grassy 'beach.' I was able to take refuge on a park bench in the shade of some trees and study French for while. The temperature cools off pleasantly when you get into the shade. I talked for a little while to a couple from Holland who are traveling around on their 2 week vacation in a camper. That's a popular way to vacation for Europeans. They are staying in one of the campgrounds along the lake about 10 km south of Annecy. They have two one-year old babies with them. They told me that tomorrow the Tour de France cyclists will be passing by on the road along the northern edge of the lake. But they won't be going fast tomorrow, they said. I don't know how the Tour de France works. Maybe they're just going to sightsee tomorrow. By the way, the cost of gasoline here in France is roughly $8 U.S. a gallon.

My hotel (Hotel Central) is very nice. I'm in the biggest room I've ever had in France. And it's quiet. I've gotten two great nights sleep here so far. Because of the heat in the afternoon, I usually come to my room and read or make web entries (can't log on in my room, though), and maybe take a short nap until around 7 p.m. When I emerge from my room at that time, it's a new world out there. The streets are less crowded (except for the street cafe streets), and the temperature has dropped almost 20 degrees. It's not completely dark until 10 p.m. Tonight I hope to stay out a little later, and get to see some fireworks and other celebrations. I'll keep you posted. Tomorrow I've got a hotel room booked in Dijon, northwest of Lyon. I've got to make a connection in Lyon.

Some people have asked about the movie editing on the movies I've posted on You Tube. I'm downloading the individual clips onto my laptop. Then I'm using Window Movie Maker to do all the titles and editing. A few have asked how long I'm going to stay in France, and where I'm going next. All I know is that when I get tired of it, I'll head home. Of course, there has to be availability on my return flight (and so far I haven't even looked at return flights). But you know me. I could decide to leave France with a day's (or less) notice. And as to where I'm going....I can say that I'm definitely going to Dijon tomorrow because I gave them a credit card number to reserve the room. Oh, and since Orange, I've been calling ahead on the phone from info I've gotten from my Lonely Planet guide book to reserve rooms. It makes life easier...like when I came here and rang the bell. I told them on the interphone I came for a room and they said "Sorry, complet (we're full)". I told them I had a reservation. They asked me what my name was, and, when I told them, they answered, "Okay, Monsieur Ogier, entrez-vous." "I'm somebody! (quote from The Jerk)

Later that day I emerged from my hotel at about 9 pm in the hope of viewing some fireworks, and, when I walked out onto the street, I entered a horde of people moving slowly en masse toward Lake Annecy. I entered the mass, and was slowly ushered down the street all the way to the big, grassy park adjacent the lake. Apparently there was going to be some sort of celebration for Bastille Day. At 10:30, the fireworks over the lake began. At first, they weren't that great, and I was ready to say to myself how much better the fireworks displays are at home at Hampton Beach on Wednesday nights. But then they just kept going and going. And there were some displays that I had never seen before. The thousands of people all spread out on the grass would clap at each impending finale. But there were at least five of these 'impending' finales before the final finale came. And I'm telling you, it was superb (as they say in France). The entire display was probably twice as good as I've seen anywhere else. Afterward, huge halogen lights illuminated the park, and the people got up off their blankets and portable chairs and slowly moved en masse (again) out onto the streets. I hadn't seen so many people in one place since Woodstock, and then the only fireworks were in our heads, man. (I didn't really go to Woodstock. But I did see it at the drive-in theater a year later.) To get back to my hotel, I entered the 'zombie' mass and slowly moved in the desired direction. "Next stop, s'il vous plait."

Speaking of masses, this morning I was hoping to experience a nice, peaceful, final morning in Annecy at my morning cafe but indeed there was yet another 'marche' (market) filling up the streets. (I forgot to write anything about Friday's market but I posted a whole gallery of pics of it to the left.) So enough is enough. How many markets and hordes of shoppers must I endure? What is quaint when you first get to these foreign cities becomes tedious if overdone. Oh yeah, last night when I tried to eat at one of the hundred outdoor cafes, I couldn't find a decent (ie. not too expensive) one with an empty table. And the streets were so full of people (mainly French), I was beginning to experience a 'crowd overload' that equaled the 45 minutes I spent at Oktoberfest three years ago. But in fairness to Annecy, the crowds were due to the Bastille Day fireworks, so I'm sure that Spring or Fall would be a great time to visit here. And the fireworks were worth putting up with the temporary crowds.

So now I'm on a train to Dijon, the mustard capital of the universe (according to the Lonely Planet guide book). I'll be there in an hour. There's no air conditioning and it's a little hot, but not as humid as it was in Annecy.

thanks for reading,

Paul Ogier