Paradise is a pedalo

Jodi took us to a hidden gem of a town: Annecy. It's about a two hour drive from Morzine, but it was worth it! It has a beautiful lake with water the colour of the Caribbean and mountains circling it. The lake then funnels into a river that flows through the town (as seen above) The river is lined with restaurants, ice cream shops (!!), cafes, you name it! 

...the lake, complete with a fountain and PEDALOS! It's clearly a thriving business - when you equip your pedalo with either deck chairs or water slides, get ready for a fun-filled, sun-soaked day on the water! By the time we finally docked our pleasure craft, the lake was full of pedalos, some shaped like ferraris, some full of suntanning nudists. Life is good in Annecy. 

A bakery we stumbled upon on the pedestrian streets winding alongside the river. Though it's hard to tell from the photo, the bottom row are 'maxi' size - that pain au chocolat on the left is literally a foot long, and only 2.50 euros! What a steal. They must get a lot of American tourists looking for supersized treats...

Another shot of the lake from a castle high up at the top of the town. I was so excited to find another castle, but it turned out to be a contemporary art gallery, so sadly there were no restored throne rooms or dungeons. But the view was certainly worth the entrance fee. 

Tom enjoying our panini picnic lunch on the deck of our yacht.

And the piece de resistance: the water slide! We probably had the most fun on the lake for that one hour - the possibilities were pretty endless, and far too many photos were taken! We were certainly the envy of the people who only opted for deck chairs on their pedalos, and Jodi was most definitely Queen of the Slide.

And finally, one last shot of Annecy, complete with swans. 

The next day we ventured to Chamonix Mont-Blanc, home of the famous ski resort and glacier. I took probably 50 photos, but none could really capture the enormity of the many jagged peaks; it is truly awe-inspiring. When we first arrived, it was really cloudy, but after lunch, the sun came out and we were graced with a view of the peak (not in this photo: check out below) It still amazes me that there can still be snow! That fact became very real when an avalanche occurred today, killing a group of mountaineers - I wouldn't think that could happen in July. 

Another shot of Mont Blanc, as seen from the town (we'd just finished our ice cream cones!)

I love the old advertising posters - they are all over the tourist shops, but they have an enduring charm. 

An old viaduct over the highway heading home.