Wishful thinking pup!!!
Heaven!
Je T'aime Les Légumes
...and I was horrified when I bought my first chicken in England and the scaly bit of the legs were left on...
You can't really tell in this photo, but the beet root in the right hand corner is the size of a brain!
Purple beans? C'est bon!
Richard Belzer (Law & Order SVU) in disguise?
The Palais de l'Isle (old prison), was built in the 12th century. It is the symbol of the town and is most photographed image of Annecy.
Annecy is twinned with:
* Bayreuth, Bavaria, Germany
* Cheltenham, United Kingdom
* Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia
* Venice, Italy
It is a very stylish city with many fashionable shops and restaurants. We spotted a Subway in Annecy. We had a few when I lived in England, but I wouldn't have expected to find them in France. I was curious to know if they used the same bread as in the US (they do in the UK), or if the French would demand firmer baguettes in which they were more accustomed to. However, I was not curious enough to actually find out. We also spotted a McDonalds. Not pictured - for obvious reasons.
I couldn't resist stuffing my pockets with left over bread from lunch to take back to the moorhen that I had made friends with earlier that morning. In the process, attracted two swans and some ducks. Hey, when away from home, do as the tourists will do!
For more information on Annecy, please click the following link: http://www.annecy.fr/
This was my very first macaron, and if I'm honest, the iridescent lavender flecks on the top also added to appeal of a blue colored bite sized treat. The blue macaron, as I had hoped, turned out to be violet... and violet perfection it was: not too perfumey, yet not too sweet. It was absolutely divine. The meringue part was nice and light - crunchy on the outside and chewy in the inside, and the filling more like a mousse texture. It has almost been a month now since I put that little blue dream of a confection in my mouth, and I remember it like it was 5 minutes ago. It was a perfect introduction to the macaron, and set the bar high. I am only wishing that I could have one right now... sigh...
Perrier Menthe is a brilliantly colored, very refreshing drink that is popular in cafes and bars across France. It is a mixture of Perrier (or any sparkling water / soda water) mixed with Mint Syrup. I would guess the ratio is about 7 (water) to 1 (syrup).
After lunch we headed off to Talloires, a small town and commune of the Haute-Savoie département. A popular tourist spot, it has also been referred to as "most romantic village" in France. It is a beautiful town, and was sunny and warm that afternoon - which sent us quickly looking for liquid refreshments. We found a quaint little bar in which J was excited to discover offered Wi-Fi (pronounced Wee-Fee, of course).
Enter the Perrier Menthe, which completely quenched my thirst.
The entire area was full of hang gliders. We noticed about 10 in one area, all with different color gliders. It looked like the sky was raining Crayola drops!
With the Alpine mountains in the backdrop, and the town sitting on a lake, you can see why this is THE ideal tourist spot.
The water was so blue and clear, it looked as though the boats were floating on air.
For more information on L'Auberge du Pere Bise, please click the link to their website: http://www.perebise.com/
Our first full day there, we drove into the mountains to have lunch at this lovely restaurant with breathtaking views of the lake. The restaurant was Châlet la Pricaz and is located in Forclaz, which offers these stunning views of Lac d'Annecy:
The most popular dish that day seemed to be the Tartiflette: a Savoyard gratin consisting of potatoes, cheese, and some kind of meat such as bacon. Traditionally, the cheese in tartiflette is Reblochon*, and it is believe that the dish was launched in the 1980's by the Reblochon trade union in an attempt to increase sales of the cheese.
Châlet la Pricaz's presentation was brilliant, a simple piece of wood, with the dish of baked gratin, a sealed jar with nicely dressed salad greens, and a couple slices of jambon fumé de Savoie that were the best I've ever tasted: nice and thick with an earthly smoked flavor.
This was our first official "proper" meal out in France, and I was not disappointed. The presentation, coupled with the flavors and view created a perfect afternoon in France that I will always cherish. It will definitely go down as one of my all time favorite food memories.
Now I'm not sure if it is traditional of all tartiflette, this one was topped with thinly sliced bread. Here is a close up for you to enjoy... in the upcoming months, I will try to perfect my own version and will post the results when I do.
J opted for the meat platter:
Again, I was so struck by the simple presentation: luscious meats, massive cornichons, and a dab of butter - all served on a plank of wood! While J's parents and I opted for a nice bottle of Apremont, J opted for a local brew:
* Reblochon is a nutty tasting, soft washed-rind cheese French cheese from the Alps region of Savoie, made from raw cow's milk. The cow breeds best for producing the milk needed for this cheese are the Abondance, Tarentaise and the Montbéliard. The owners of Châlet la Pricaz make their own Reblochon nearby from the milk of their Tarine cows. (photos of the cows to be added to this posting in the upcoming week)
For more info (including a menu and more photos) of Châlet la Pricaz, please click the following link: http://www.lapricaz.com/
Our Menu Choices:
Me: Gratin de la ferme, jambon fumé de Savoie, salade de saison 18.00€
J: Ecorce de charcuterie, confiture d’oignon jaune paille, beurre de ferme 16.00€
Chalet La Pricaz Restaurant avec vue panoramique sur le Lac d' Annecy depuis le Col de la Forclaz
Tèl: 04.50.60.72.61 Fax: 04.50.60.71.31
E-mail:lapricaz@aliceadsl.fr
Our gite was in a villaged called Verthier. Verthier a tiny village at the southern end of Lake Annecy. The gite was just up the road from the chapel in the center of this photo, and as far as the house on the righ: anyone that has grapes growing on the side of their house is alright by me!
This was the place that we called home our first week. It was a lovely Alpine style building with fabulous views of the mountains and a portion of Lac Annecy. We even had the comfort of Sky News!
Verthier proved to be the perfect location - private and away from heavy traffic, yet close enough to civilization and great mountain walks.
The first full morning we were in France, we stopped to have a coffee and were joined by this interesting lizard. Poor thing had lost it's tail pretty high up, then it looks like it wasn't healing properly and it sprouted two. Needless to say, I found it way more fascinating than I should have...
Annecy Cinéma Italien 2008 
After returning home, a friend at work who is from Miami said that La Carreta is actually a popular restaurant, with several locations around Miami.
With lovely food filled bellies, we headed back to our terminal for a few pre-flight-nerve-calming drinks. Just after the security check was part of the AIDS quilt. I had never seen it in person before, but it was quite profound. The most overwhelming square that caught my eye was all brown with a black and white framed photo of a dog in the center. It was a photo of the man-that-died's dog that he had left behind. Strangely enough I didn't get a photo of that square, but here is a glimpse of what I did see:
After that, we moved on to the Sam Adams Brewhouse and heard that sad news that Paul Newman had passed away. Sadly, I'm more familiar with his food products than I am his work in films. Several excellent Gin and Tonics later - and one spotting of a woman who looked very much like the lady in the 1997 BT advert whom cheerfully squealed "we're going to Mex-EEE-co" - i was ready to take on that horrendous flight.
Horrendous it was, and I will spare you the details but it was all worthwhile as I was in FRANCE! My favorite place in the world - and I was going to experience different parts that I had never been to before.
Our first official day consisted of a 6 hour drive to Annecy, stopping for a cheerful lunch at the Autogrill. The long, uncomfortable flight was completely worth it once I laid eyes on this automotive gem:
Yes, my friends, you are seeing this correctly: it is a Bon Jovi addition VW! I have heard of their existence, my sister-in-law had one (not by choice, might I stress) in the late '90s. This spotting made my trip worthwhile on day one. I had seen all I needed to see and didn't mind if my trip had to end. That was until we got to our gite and I saw the view:
