Day Fifty Eight: Annecy, France

We got into Annecy last night long after the sun had set. The host of our Airbnb sent her niece to pick us up from the bus station, which was a provided a pretty sketchy introduction to the city semi-late at night. Luckily we didn’t have to wait too long and the girl that picked us up was super nice. As she was driving us past the lake, I noticed a huge dark shadow looming over the water: it was the mountain range adding an even darker layer to the night view. We got to our Airbnb, and even though we couldn’t see much in the dark, we bundled up, made tea, and sat out on our balcony. I drank a Coke I bought to use a store’s bathroom, and that mixed with the peaceful, relaxing atmosphere once again reminded me of being at my grandparents’ house in the Texas hill country.

We realized our view of the lake and mountains faces the east, so we attempted to wake up for sunrise this morning despite being so tired yesterday. Surprisingly, we were up and by the water on time! Unfortunately, there was such thick fog around the mountain that we couldn’t see the sun at all. The fog, colorful trees, cute French houses, lake, and outline of the mountains still made for a nice morning walk. Unsurprisingly, I was still really tired after this so we went back to rest a little bit more in an attempt to have a better day. I slept, took a seriously needed shower, and then we headed out to the main part of Annecy for breakfast. The bus doesn’t run very often from our part of town, so instead of waiting for one to pick us up, we decided to walk the 45 minutes to town on a path right along the edge of the lake.Our time in the city today was short but much-loved. We were both still really tired to the point where we knew it was going to be difficult to enjoy ourselves so we decided not to push ourselves too hard today. We still have Saturday and most of Sunday before we have to head back, so there’s no reason to rush our nice weekend trip. We were kicked out of one cafe because apparently it was reservation only, but we found our way to another one where I satisfied one of my American cravings which, I’m glad to say, I’ve done very rarely since leaving home. I got pancakes, fruit, and a cappuccino. We saw the palace in the river, a famous landmark of Annecy, the cozy shops and streets in the heart of the city, and then walked through a huge park to sit by the lake once again. After my roommate actually fell asleep by the water and I was close to joining her, we decided to get up and find a grocery store to make dinner for ourselves at the Airbnb. We got soup, bread, cheese, green tea, yogurt, and she got some wine, then we headed back to relax and enjoy the view from our temporary home. When we got back, we watched a movie, then I went on the balcony to read for a while. I still love my book, although it’s turning into more of a therapy session than I was ready for. Definitely still worth it though; I love her attitudes toward life and the power of her story. It’s giving me a lot to think about with myself and with my writing for this project.Eventually, I decided to come in and study for my teaching certification test which is actually proving to be very difficult and frustrating. I have a lot more studying to do before I’m ready to take the test; it’s honestly discouraging me quite a bit, but I’m going to keep at it and give it my best shot. I worked on that for a few hours, then got dinner ready for the two of us. The soup was delicious, we picked two with different blends of fall vegetables. One goal I have for when I come home is to make more soup. It’s so cozy and delicious, and it’s really easy to make healthy! My roommate cleaned up while I continued to study, and now I’m on a break to write this post.

I’m not sure what tomorrow is going to bring or what we’ll decide to do, and I kind of love that. I’m glad that we’re able to be spontaneous and take care of ourselves and listen to what we feel is best for each moment. I love that we can sit out on our balcony and just enjoy the slowness, the quiet of good company and breathtaking views, and not feel like we’re missing anything. This city is beautiful, our Airbnb feels like a vacation in the mountains, and I know that if we keep following this spirit of “hygge,” we’re going to keep up this wonderful weekend.