Annecy Part 1

Another exciting fast train this time aimed at Geneva. These trains really are superb and make the Sydney to Melbourne rattler look a bit sad really.

We quickly arrived at the foot of the Alps and then had to slow down as we wound our way up through the mountains passing over some impressive bridges.

So we hit another country, Switzerland, and stepped off the plane in Geneve. We had booked a car to drive around for a fortnight so I left Delia, Ben and Maja sitting in a park and walked with Finley to fetch the car. It didn't look too far on the map.

Maps can be deceiving.

Must have been 5kms and I carried Finley the whole way to the slightly grimier side of Geneva (Switzerland never gets really grimy!) to arrive at an empty office on some vacant car lot.

“Where's the car pappa?”

Good question.

I walked around the car lot a bit and then decided I would use my mobile phone. This was a big decision as I had absent mindedly left my phone on whilst in Thailand and had subsequently found out I had a bill in the several hundreds for the privilege. I don't want to say which mobile phone company, but suffice to say, there are THREE chances of me renewing my contract with them: buckleys, bugger all and no effing way.

Criminals.

So I called the car hire mob and a very polite chap informed me, I should have received an email about a week prior telling me the car hire company had been taken over by another and I should pick up the car from, you guessed it, about 300 metres from where Delia, Ben and Maja were sitting.( who had a self decsribed hard time people watching the French Swiss)

“No I didn't receive the email. Would you kindly send a taxi to fetch me as I'm quite pissed off?”

Didn't think so.

It really did take a long time

So eventually Finley and I made it back to the gang via a lovely tram (didn't buy a ticket, HA! That'll teach 'em) and picked up the quite sporty SEAT (Spanish Volkswagen) which was VERY cosy.

We jumped in the car and headed off south to Annecy 50kms south of Geneva to meet our friends Simon and Rachelle and their 2 kids Milli and Finn, who've been living in Switzerland for 3 years.

For some reason Annecy kept cropping up in conversations after Simon and Rachelle suggested meeting there 6 months ago. Patti Sarell recently showed his film at the Annecy Film Festival and when we got there it finally twigged I had heard about Annecy from Paul Kelly in about 1986. His song “So Blue” mentions Lac d'Annecy. (Also the place of the time trial for a recent 2010 tour de France)

And no wonder.

What a stunning place is Annecy.

Wonderful lanes and canals

Even some swans!