July 10, 2015 We have a "rest day" to tour the area near our hotel.  Rob Beach gave us a different motorcycle to try out.  This one is a grey R1200.  Mark liked the smoothness and addition power.  Odile liked the larger saddle bags.

Old Town Annecy

Market vendors in Old Town Annecy

 There is a market in Old Town Annecy on Tuesdays and Fridays.  Since today is a Friday, that was our first stop.  One thing the Europeans do well is that they treat motorcycle parking almost identically to bicycle parking.  So instead of paying for parking like the cars must do, we can park for free!

Cheese vendor at the market

We walked around the Old Town- outdoor market, searching for fruit, cheese, and dessert for a picnic dinner this evening from our hotel room balcony.  This was complicated by the fact that our French speaking-ability is limited.  Odile can translate printed French with some accuracy, however speaking French at the speed of the natives is a lot more challenging.  Eventually we were able to purchase 2 types of cheese, cherries, apricots, and for dessert: nougat au chocolat.  We had to bargain on the nougat.  We asked for 100 grams.  He estimated, cut, and wrapped it.  When it was weighed it was 200 grams and we refused it.  After some bartering, we took the 200 grams, but paid for about 150 grams.

Filling water bottles from a fountain in Old Town Annecy.

The Castle of Annecy used from the 12th - 16th century.

Crepes make a great lunch!

It was starting to get warm, so we went for a ride up to Col de la Forclaz, which is a mountain pass with some beautiful views from the small road.  Rob Beach suggested this ride because it is a popular para-sailing location, which was beautiful to see on this gorgeously clear day.  We enjoyed a lunch of crepes while we watched the para-sailers.

Lac d'Annecy from Semnoz

Mount Blanc from Station Semnoz

The ride was so much fun that we then followed signs to Col de Leschaux and then found more signs that led us to Station Semnoz at an elevation of 1600+ meters. The top of Semnoz (a ski resort) has views of the Alps including Mount Blanc.  It was a cloudless day and the views were spectacular in 360 degrees N, S, E, and W.

Click here for a map of where we traveled on our "rest day" today.

We bought some wine on the way back to the hotel.  We were hot from the ride, so we jumped into the lake from the hotel's private beach.  Lac d'Annecy is a crystal clear snow-fed lake that is a beautiful green color.  The water was cool, but no colder than a typical USA lake.  It was a refreshing way to end a fun-filled day in France.

Yes, Lac d'Annecy is THAT green!  Beautiful.

Tonight we have cheeses, fruits, wines and nougat au chocolat from the patio table of our hotel room.  What could be a better ending to a beautiful day!

Tomorrow we enjoy another French breakfast buffet before driving on to Embrun, France via 9 passes in the French Alps.  Hmmmmm...