Afternoon in Chambéry

After a few days of wind and clouds, we've had an incredibly beautiful and sunny week. While Boston is being buried in yet another snow-calypse, or snow-maggedon, here in the Juras, we've gotten nothing but some flocons here and there. I am praying for a bit of snow in February so we can go alpine and cross-country skiing and maybe snowshoeing too.

Anyway, I'm digressing. On Wednesday, R was seeking a study break and suggested we take a daytrip to Chambéry, a town south of Aix-les-Bains and Lac du Bourget. Even though it's only 1.5 hours away, we still hadn't visited it yet because we're always drawn to Aix and the lake and because R hadn't remembered it being such a nice town. Happily, we were surprised to find it had cleaned up really nice since his last visit 10 years ago. Chambéry is the old Capital city of the Counts of Savoie, and is now the Prefecture of the Savoie département. It's a pretty Savoyard city of 60,000 people, with many independent boutiques, and a wonderful old city dating from the 14th century.


So what will I remember of Chambéry?

Geneva's Escalade

After a hearty breakfast of omelets with wild mushrooms (ones I dried from this fall's harvest), R, J and I dressed warmly for our trip to Geneva. Every year, around this time, Geneva remembers and celebrates the brave Genevoise who fought off a surprise attack in 1602. On that cold December night 408 years ago, the Genevoise banded together to overthrow the troops of the Duke of Savoy (Charles Emmanuel II) and his brother-in-law (Philip III of Spain) who coveted Geneva for themselves.

The city all lit up in lights, near the Pont du Mont Blanc.





On the L'Escalade Wikipedia page, you'll see a pic of "A soldier in the commemorative parade". I think I got a picture with this exact same guy on Sunday (see below - had to crop myself out because my eyes were closed)!

Autumn in Annecy