Flitting across St. Hilaire and Annecy
The drive to Annecy was a visual treat. It was great to sit back and watch the change in scenery. After many toll booths tunnels in the mountains and super highway roads we left the lavender fields and the wildflowers and rugged hillsides behind an begun to see more gently undulating grassy hillsides and healthy pink and white cows grazing in the fields. Phillipe pointed many good flying areas en route. We made a quick stop at St Hilaire the site of the famous Coupe Icare festival to meet up with friends. We watched the gliders fly and gawked at the famous ramp takeoff which we have seen in many a PG video.
We reached Agnes’s place in Annecy in the evening. Her apartment was located in a wonderful old house and the view of the lake from the balcony was stunning. Drinking wine on Agnes’s balcony overlooking the famous lake at Annecy we watched a storm blow up from the mountains and dramatically make its way over the lake bringing us welcome relief from the summer’s heat.
The next day we explored the lake shore and old Annecy with its picturesque canals, bridges and quaint buildings and had an interesting meal in little restaurant. That evening we met up with Sunil and gang got into Philippe’s VW van and made an 800 odd km journey across the breadth of France to Nieul le Dolent for Francois and Gwen’s wedding.
We drove across the breadth of France from East to West passing through Mt Cleremont Ferrand > Riem > Aubuson > Gueret > Bellac > Poiters > Fontenay le Compte until we reached Nieul Le Dolent on the Atlantic coast.
And once more noticed a distinct change in the landscape. The middle country is known for its extinct volcanoes called puys and mineral water. I kept flipping through my guide book to understand where we were and what it meant every now and then my excitement. I found that that Vercingetorix the famed chief often mentioned in Astrix comics and the great battle of Gergovia was near Clermont Ferrand
Click on flynirvana in Annecy to see more pix