Annecy, Venice of the French Alps

Tucked away in the French Alps, midway between Geneva, Switzerland and Aosta, Italy lies the classicly beautiful Annecy (French pronunciation: ansi). According to Wikipedia, Annecy is the largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in southeastern France. Sometimes referred to as 'Venice of the Alps', this nickname comes from the meandering flower-lined waterways of the three canals and the Thiou River running through it. Annecy was awarded the Golden Flower Award in 2015, given to the nine most-flowered cities in France.

Annecy's history dates back to Roman times, having changed hands between the neighboring countries of Switzerland and Italy during the middle ages. In the 1400s, the Savoie Region came under control of the Italian Savoys, from 1416 onwards. In the 1500s, Annecy developed into a major city of the Counter-Reformation, becoming known as the of 'Rome of the Alps'. Haute Savoie didn't become French until 1860, when Haute Savoie was given to the French in exchange for help in unifying Italy into one country.

Annecy experienced an industrial development in the 19th century with silk manufacturing. Since the end of the 19th century, Annecy developed tourism focusing on cultural attractions surrounding its history, its castle and a fine art museum opening in 1956. The old part of the city, Vieux Annecy quickly became the hub for tourism, with local Haute Savoie restaurants and boutiques becoming very popular.

The most spectacular natural aspect of Annecy, however, is Lac Annecy, ranked the cleanest in Europe. With its transparent jade color, against a backdrop of the angular French Alps, it is a nature-lovers paradise. Attracting all kinds of adventure-seekers, from alpinists, to paragliding, to hiking, or biking, take your pick and enjoy any level of these activities, with guides galore to teach you how.

If you only have a few days, here are a few ideas to get you started.

1) La Libellule, i.e, the Dragonfly, is a bateau mouche (riverboat cruise) like Paris, with a glass-encased dome to enjoy a gourmet dining extravaganza while cruising around Lake Annecy. No, it's not a tourist trap; the French take their dining very seriously, and La Libellule is no exception. You can choose between a single course, 3 or 5 courses, depending on your budget, and the size of your stomach! I found the menu to be very affordable for the quality of food served. Here's a sample menu:

Main Course: Monkfish - Vanille, Creme Anglaise

Dessert - Red Fruit Mousse, Raspberries, Strawberries

Wine - Alsace Pinot Gris AOP - Zimmermann

Pouilly Fumé AOP - Cédric Bardin

The Libellule leaves the port in Vieux Annecy at 12:30 sharp so be there early to allow

time to get on board. Also, be sure to get your ticket in advance online, as they are very busy during high season, and sell out quickly, especially on weekends. We chose during the week so it was much less crowded, and not quite the tourist season.

Service was excellent, and so was the food, all carefully prepared by Chef Philippe Chirat. The weather was glorious, and lunch was served perfectly by the polite waitstaff. I had a very engaging political discussion with Mongi, the head barman, as we cruised around the lake. Since we were encased in a glass dome, we could see the scenic shores of Lake Annecy around us. We could also go above deck and wave at the sailboats which was great fun and a nice break during the copious menu.

2) Lunch in Vieux Annecy at Le P'tit Zinc, a bistro in Vieux Annecy. We were looking for seafood, and Vivian wanted vegetarian, so we stopped at Le P'tit Zinc, and sat on the patio in front of the restaurant. Viv chose Mussels and fries, I chose a cold crayfish salad and Pierre/Dave chose local perch fish. We enjoyed the excellent preparation paired with quality local wine as we compared the differences between living in Boston and Annecy.

3) Tour of Lac Annecy. Since Viv and Dave had attempted to bike around Lac Annecy, we completed the trip by car, making an unscheduled stop at the Auberge du Père Bise, a 3-star restaurant par excellence. Soft drinks and tea helped digest our generous lunch and Pierre thoroughly enjoyed drooling over the menu for future reference.

Le Père Bise was recently renovated and just reopened late last year. Now owned and operated by the best chef in France, Chef Jean Suplice, his excellent menu and stylist renovations were turning heads throughout France. I was impressed with the fact that his menu now includes a bistro with a simpler menu at an affordable price. I mentally added this to my bucket list, as it was within reason to accomplish.

Our friends were staying at the Imperial Palace, so we marveled at the Art Deco interiors as we dropped them off. The hotel was built in 1913 of the Belle Epoque and typified buildings made in that time period. Complete with casino, public gardens and a beach, it drew the attention of many celebrities including Winston Churchill, Edith Piaf and Charlie Chaplin.

Heading home, we reminisced about our time in Boston and how different our lives now were. Much simpler, and in some ways better quality. Still, I still miss the good ole days in Boston.