So Di and Kerry and Indiana are on their way back home. I can’t believe how quickly three weeks can go by.
Hopefully you have memories that will stay with you forever. Just to be sure I thought I’d put one down in print….
On a perfect crisp morning we sat by the canal in the glorious sunshine in Annecy. Kerry and I ordered our grand café au lait avec beaucoup de lait while Di and Indi each had a delicious hot chocolate.
We secretly scoffed down the pain au chocolates we had bought in the markets in the old town from the man who gave me a lesson in French.
Our panier (basket) was filled to overflowing with all of the fresh vegetables and fruit we bought from the market stalls. The Tuesday morning market in the cobblestone streets of the old town continues as it has for generations – with all the providors of the region bringing their wares to town. The locals gather and catch up with the news as they jostle for their jambon cru, gruyere and crevettes. We tracked down the Comte – our favourite local cheese of the moment and bought a decent tranche of it (in fact I’m still trying to get through it!).
While we sat by the canal warming ourselves in the sun we took a little mental snapshot of the moment – right there beside the Palais de L’ile and the Church of St Francis (I think) which have stood proudly at the mouth of the Thiou River since the 1300s (or thereabouts). In the background, the rugged mountains cut across the blue sky (as old as the hills remember!). We noticed how the buildings lining the canal were just perfectly imperfect with their crooked half timbered walls, chimney peaks here and there and crumbling steps leading down to the shallow water. And even though summer is long gone, the flower boxes are still a mass of colourful blooms.
We declared it the perfect moment. Right there, right then. We didn’t want it to ever end. So ladies, pour yourself a coffee or a chocolate, sit back and close your eyes and let’s go back to our happy place all over again. Sante!
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