The quaint old town is a perfect place for a stroll, with its mix of boutiques and tourist shops all set on cobble stone streets. Strolling under the stone colonnaded streets makes shopping in the old town a unique experience. And cafés abound, hurrah! In addition to the abundance of cafés (as if you need another reason to check out Annecy) there is an old prison called Palais de l’Isle (which now houses regional cultural items) in the middle of the canal that runs through the old town.
Chamonix
About one and a half hours away, this town in France is at the base of Mont Blanc. It’s funny—I can see Mont Blanc when I am walking our dog Tycho and it too always makes me stop and send up a little prayer of thanks. That huge white glacier is just amazing. But, when I was up close, of course it’s still amazing, but I somehow lost the thing. You know when you are used to one view and then it changes? When in Chamonix, mountains surrounded us, and I just lost the thing. Random, I know. At home, we have the view that was made famous by the Mont Blanc pens—you know, that big snowy peak that looks like the kind of triangle mountain that you would draw as a kid? That’s what I’ve grown to know and love. Still, you could get used to this view too.
Chamonix is not only a great place to soak up a panoramic view of the French Alps; it is a great place to people-watch too. The two main streets are pedestrian areas and run adjacent to the River l’Arve. The juxtaposition of cobblestone, snowy peaks, and crystal clear water running through the heart of Chamonix acts as the perfect antidote to the abundance of tourist shops and ski goods stores.
Ski bums and vacationers just hang out on the open terraces by day, sipping hot bevis and enjoying the Alpine sun. There’s plenty of hanging out by night too—Chamonix has tons of bars and nightclubs.
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