On October 24th we began a fall academic vacation called 'Vacances de Toussaints' and we'll go back to work on November 5th. 'Toussaints' translates into 'All Saints'; it's a vacation centered around November 1st, a day to celebrate/honor those who have passed. People take chrysanthemums to the cemeteries and along with other types of flowers. It's no surprise that the eve of Touissant is Halloween, a night when the children of our community spend their time scaring away evil spirits, to allow the souls/spirits of our loved ones to revisit. Consequently, the kids get candy in return for such a task...
Other than relaxing and not setting my alarm, I went to Geneva, Switzerland and Annecy, France. In Switzerland I met up with Molly, we stayed at the nicest hostel I have ever seen (and for the best price), we saw all of Geneva's highlights and more; The Jet d'Eau, Nations Unie (UN), Botanical Gardens, the Old City, the Flower Clock, St.Pierre's Cathedral, Reformation Wall, and the Giant Chess Game. We also made time to stop at one of Geneva's finest 'chocolatiers' to indulge in Swiss chocolate goodness. Unfortunately you won't be receiving a gift of chocolate from me in the mail as th
ree truffles cost me $10.
After two (three for Molly) busy and expensive days in Geneva we started out for Annecy by bus. It was a beautiful ride! We wound through the mountainsides, ears popping and everything. Once we arrived in Annecy we struggled to find the 'auberge de jeunesse' or 'hostel', as it was located at the top of a small mountain and the directions from their website were very unclear. We finally hu
ffed and puffed our way to our economical lodging, dropped off our stuff, and began exploring right away. A day earlier we decided that we'd treat ourselves to 'crêpes' while in Annecy, after all of our frugal meals in Geneva, and plus both of us had yet to satiate our 'crêpes' cravings. So, we found a 'crêperie' where we could sit on the patio to people-watch while we ate. I won't even go into describing the meal because you'll just become jealous about how good the food is in France.
Lunch, check. Taking in the beauty of the lake, next on the list. Lac d'Annecy is the purest and most natural lake in Europe, it really is. I had never seen clearer lake water, anywhere until Annecy. So, naturally we signed up for a boat ride that would take us on a tour of the periphery and make the lake a little less clear ;) (It was an unforgettable and hilarious moment as we pulled away from the dock in a motorized boat whose exhaust was very strong "Lake Annecy is the purest and most natural..." as we rode off into the clear blue water haha). This city is definitely a place I could live, it is so relaxing and beautiful with castles and large summer homes scattered on the lakefront.
On our last day
we decided to go hiking, which was the perfect way to wrap up the trip. We found a map and headed toward the top of the mountain. Unfortunately to get to the top it would have taken 5 hours, we only had 3 to spare, so we stayed on a trail that took us up, down, and around, where we could enjoy the colors of fall and the sound of nature.
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