All About Annecy!

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After spending seven hours in an airplane, it was a relief to land  and meet up with the Lenoble family.  Although we were a bit nervous about travelling without our parents and pretty jetlagged, we were excited to start our French adventure!   

Arriving in France

The family lives in a town called AnnecyHaute Savoie which is in the northeast part of France, close to the Swiss border.  Haute Savoie is one of the 96 departments in mainland France.  A department is the second level of the administrative division in the country, similar to our municipal government.  Since Annecy is the biggest city in the department, it is the capital of Haute Savoie.  

The Lenoble family is made up of Virginie, Jacques, Zoé, Juline, and Mina the dog.

Enjoying a meal together
The Lenoble family’s dog

Where they live is absolutely gorgeous! They are a two minute walk from Lake Annecy, which is one of most beautiful lakes I have ever seen.  In fact, Lake Annecy is one of the cleanest lakes in Europe due to strict environmental regulations. 

Lake Annecy
Playing games by the lake
An afternoon by the lake

They are also a five minute bike ride from the old medieval town, Annecy-le-Vieux.  We had a lot of fun biking through the old town at night, swimming in the lake, and having picnics near the water.

We also had to chance to learn about two nearby castles, the Château de Ruphy in Duingt and the Château de Menthon-Saint-Bernard.  The Château de Ruphy in Duingt is really interesting because although it is considered a historical monument, it is not open for visitors as there are people living there.  This castle reminded me of the Carcassonne castle in France because of the tall towers and how easy they are to defend due to their locations.

Chateau de Ruphy in Duingt

The other castle, the Château de Menthon-Saint-Bernard, has a cool story associated with its name.  It is said that St. Bernard of Menthon, the patron saint of skiers and and mountaineers, was born in this castle.  This saint is known for building hospices and a monastery in the Alps to help travellers who were getting lost in the snow.  The monks who lived in the monastery had big dogs with them to help them find these travellers, and these dogs later became known as St. Bernards.  It is also said that this castle was the inspiration for the design of some of Disney’s princess castles.

Chateau de Menton-Saint-Bernard

This was my second time participating in an exchange.  Back in 2016, I did a trip with my choir to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories.  It wasn’t really scary because I was with a large group of people I knew, everyone spoke English, and I was still in Canada.  Going to France was a bit scary, but also exciting, because we were 7 000 km away from home and nobody spoke English.  The town of Annecy was the perfect place to learn and practise our French.

We had such a great time exploring and discovering Annecy and getting a better understanding of the country.  This exchange was a lot of fun and I am so grateful that we were able to spend our time in such a beautiful location with incredible people.

Eating dinner on the terrace

 


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Comments

8 responses to “All About Annecy!”

  1. Beautiful Scenery and Photos!

    1. Mikhaila Avatar

      Hi Baba,

      Thank you! Annecy is so beautiful, it’s easy to take great photos!

  2. Love your report, makes me want to see the area in person, such beautiful scenery and the lovely old buildings. Looks like you all had a lot of fun. Great idea to add a map😀

    1. Mikhaila Avatar

      Hi Oma,

      We did have a great time! Annecy is a really nice place to visit!

  3. Je suis d’accord ANNECY c’est beau mais je préfère TORONTO

    1. Bonjour Juline,

      Notre voyage était très amusant! Nous avons aimé Annecy beaucoup!

  4. Zoé d' Annecy Avatar
    Zoé d’ Annecy

    ANNECY est super beau avec toutes ces plages magnifiques.
    TORONTO aussi est beau avec les pécheurs qui pêchent le matin.
    Les châteaux sont très beau après une balade en vélo.
    Zoé d’annecy

    1. Bonjour Zoé,

      Annecy est très beau! Notre voyage était super!

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