Visiting the most beautiful lake in France!

Lake Annecy. If you haven't been go, and if you have been, go again. Be prepared for endless activities, breathtaking vistas and a beautiful little town.

After a very anti-climatic first week in Flora and at the end of an 8 hour drive, we were exhausted. It was 9 at night as we drove into Annecy. We had a vague idea of where to stay, and as it had been a long day, we were both starting to crash. We found an aire, completely by chance, right on the waterfront in Annecy. There were two spaces free, which is very understandable due to what we would soon find out was an amazing location.

As we slid the side door open that morning, and the cold air rushed in, we were finally greeted by the unbelievable view that had eluded us due to the cover of darkness. The mountains were lit up by the morning sun and there was an early morning mist hovering just above the water.

We got our bikes down and began to cycle. Lake Annecy's cycle path hugs one side of the lake and is a straight 20km. It is very well maintained and completely flat which makes for a wonderful bike ride.

On our cycle, we passed big and small houses, fields and nature reserves that were all framed by the lake and mountains. We stopped at a small nature reserve that has a jetty which leads straight out into the water. Undeniably beautiful and very peaceful.

After dinner, we cycled a little way down the promenade and caught the sun as it disappeared, staining the mountain tops bright red.

We then cycled back, past the van and into Annecy. We parked up the bikes and walked through tiny winding cobbled streets lined by beautiful old buildings that were lit up in the yellow glow of the streetlights. Busy cafes and restaurants spilled out into the streets which were filled with tourists and locals alike. It was gorgeous.

We walked for an hour around the town before cycling back to the van for the evening.

The following morning, we got up early to try to catch the sun as it rose over the mountain. We cycled down to the nature reserve. Our fingers and toes froze due to the chill in the air. We gave up after waiting forty minutes and still no sign of the sun and headed back to warm our fingers and fill our bellies in the van.