Blonde and Abroad: The Tales of a SoCal Girl Living la Vie Parisienne: France Trip Part #1: Annecy

Upon finishing my academic semester, I embarked on a

2 week regional tour of France to see and experience the other

parts of this country I had not gotten a chance to visit and had heard

positive things about. What's more, I found this trip to be in

line with my goals for this semester as I truly wanted to

know and experience Paris and France first and foremost

before visiting and traveling to other European countries.

One must remember that Paris is not all that France has to offer:

France is home to many diverse regions and cultures apart from Paris, and thus,

I planned my trip accordingly in attempt to expose myself to some of them.

I began in Annecy, a small, medieval lake-side village in the French Alps,

then went to Lyon in the Rhone Valley, Avignon and Arles

in Provence, and lastly visited several sea-side towns in the Cote d'Azur

before taking the TGV back to Paris for the weekend and returning to

California the following Monday. While I was alone

for the first two cities (Aaron would join me later), I nonetheless

had a very nice and leisurely time and was able

to reflect a lot on my semester, my summer plans, and

what I wanted to accomplish my senior year.

Overall, this trip was full of many fun and memorable experiences and

was, for me, the perfect way to end my semester abroad in France.

MONDAY, MAY 18TH

After taking a night train to Annecy, I arrived quite early in the
morning and thus profited from the empty streets and crisp and clear
morning.

Annecy is often called "The Venice of France"
as there are a few canals that separate the little islands

This building, which as you may remark is shaped as a boat,
served as a mint for the dukes of Geneva in the 14th century,
a legal courtroom in the 16th century, and a prison
in the 17-18th centuries for the dukes of Savoie.

Annecy's most famous feature: its lake

An elderly couple was very kind to take a few pictures
of me, but note that these are few and far between.

An example of France's mark of approval in regards to our wines

My youth hostel's backyard

and dog!

For the rest of the day, I rented a bike to complete
a 20 mile circuit around the lake. This bike tour
was one of the most picturesque of my life as I
truly had the chance to see and experience the lake's
beauty.

Since I took a train to reach Annecy, I was able to rent
a bike for the full day for 5 euros from the train station.
The catch? the down-payment in the case that
something happened to the bike was 250 euros.
But fortunately, nothing did happen.

While I do love Pomona's field, I
was slightly jealous of theirs'...

Since biking is very, very popular and intense here in Annecy,
bikers have their own well-paved paths that even pedestrians
are not allowed to use!

Apart from biking and water sports, the other popular
sporty and outdoor activity is paragliding.
During my tour around the lake, I
must have saw around 30 paragliders
gliding through the cloudless blue sky.

When traveling alone, one or two selflies is acceptable

Taking a two hour nap in the shade

Okay....
Very stupidly, I did not put on any sunscreen on my body
and thus, finished my bike tour unable to move my legs
and arms. Not only was I in pain for the following few days,
but as I write this blog two weeks later, I am still
peeling and have horrific farmer tans.
Word to the wise: always wear sunscreen in Annecy
and in other sunny places.