Walking into a Storybook: Annecy

The chatty evening concierge at our Paris hotel told us that Annecy is "the most wonderful." He called it a storybook town. Today we took a bullet train from Paris to Annecy, near the French Alps. Four hours speeding through the French countryside at 190 mph, past farms, through small towns. We actually went right past (saw it out the window) the Taize Community, thinking of the peaceful Taize services we've held in Reedley. Then we started to climb up into a different landscape, gorges and rivers and cliffs. Annecy is not high, only about 1350 feet, but it's near the northern French Alps. This "storybook town" sits at the north end of beautiful Lake Annecy. Our concierge was right about this place. It is like wandering into a medieval story where it's all narrow passageways, cobblestone streets, pastel-colored houses, an old castle, and a winding river -- and it all looks out on a crystal clear lake with mountains in the background.

For dinner we had raclette. It was either going to be that or fondue. This is the Alps and they love their cheeses. So do I, for sire. Raclette: melting cheese, new potatoes, cornichons (tiny dill pickles), pickled onions, and an assortment of vegetables.

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