Old World Charm and Moon Boots: Stories From the Land of Cheese

Upon approaching the Swiss-French border, we realized that we were passport-less. Back we went, grumbling all the way. An hour later, we set out again on our day trip (unfortunately, the approach was already taking most of the day). We arrived in Annecy, circled around to find a place to park and then began to explore. Did I mention that rain poured upon us for the entire journey and indeed day? Yup, happy birthday to me.

The tour books would describe Annecy as a city that has maintained an “old-world feel,” and I’m not inclined to argue with them. The canals and colonnaded shopping coupled with the Alps and lake make it a charming place to spend a day. Brad and I chose one of the plentiful sidewalk cafes and had a delightful birthday lunch, waiting for the rain to go away. My salmon was scrumptious and Addi seemed to agree as she nursed happily in our picturesque, but wet, setting. Unfortunately, Mother Nature continued to vent, so we stuck to the sheltered shopping, peeking out at the canals and the old-world charm, unaffected by the rain. I’m sure the Alps were beautiful, but the fog was so thick that we couldn’t see a thing. Besides, my sights were firmly fixed on a selection of soon-to-be-mine decadent French chocolates and my very cool birthday gift—a stackable silver ring.

Despite the relentless rain, we considered the day a success. Tycho spent the night at camp and was thrilled to see me the next morning. He gave me a muddy greeting as I paid the proprietor, who was still in her moon boots. Unfortunately, in true Tycho form, he did not want to get in the back of our station wagon. Yes, we have a station wagon people. But at least it’s a VW, and there’s plenty of space for Tycho to sit in the back—when he feels like getting in, that is.

So, picture this: my 110-pound dog is resisting the trunk and fighting me as I try to force him in. He’s pulling on his leash and “giving me the paw” (he puts his big, meaty paw over the leash when he doesn’t want to go). So, “the paw” is in full effect and the owner sees me struggling. She comes over to help me tug. No good. Tycho throws himself in the mud. Now I’m getting really annoyed because I can’t get this dog to do what I say and this lady can’t understand what I am saying. Suddenly, she jumps in the trunk on all fours like a dog, and starts saying, “Tee-co allez! Tee-co allez!” which means “come on!” My thoughts exactly.

Tycho actually bought it and hopped in the back. Despite the language barrier, we were both cracking up. Belly laughs, moon boots, and castration: bringing the people of the world together. Some things just don’t need translation.


Other columns in the series:

Stories From the Land of Cheese: How Do You Say “Vomit” in French?

Stories from the Land of Cheese: You Can Get Lost in These Holes


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