Following the Path of the Tour de France, Near Annecy

Life is good from the perspective of my lovely balcony looking out over the lake.

We’ve settled into a rhythm here in our cozy hotel. We’re doing ‘demi-pension’ which means we eat breakfast and dinner here, very easy and ‘en famille’, like being a part of the family. This is a small, family run hotel.

Yesterday, Landon did a four hour bike ride straight up a mountain–one of the ‘stages’ of the Tour de France from a few years ago. I was happy to do an easy one hour trip on the bike path around the lake, then go to Annecy for the open market and then a spa.

Ooh, la la, I spent 2 1/2 hours being pampered as only the French know how to do it. First a ‘hammam’ or steam room, to relax, then a ‘gommage’ where I was scrubbed with ocean salts, then a ‘bain bouillant’ where I sat in a bubbling bath, then some kind of a massage table that was like a water bed with jets, then a 45 minute massage. I was so relaxed after, I almost didn’t make it back.

We’re across the lake from Annecy, so we can either bike, take a bus or taxi or take a water taxi, which I did yesterday. Totally fun. It was just a little speed boat that a guy takes people back and forth in and we whipped across the lake in no time–about 10 minutes.

It’s fully summer here and France is officially ‘en vacances’ so it’s busy. Today, I rode all the way around the lake–2 hours of riding, and Landon went up another mountain. I’m getting more brave about riding with cars, but I still don’t like it. I sing to myself to give myself courage as the cars whiz past. But still, I think I’m the only female cyclist out there my age, as far as I can tell, so, well, that’s something, I tell myself when I’m trying to be brave.

This afternoon is lunch, swimming, relaxing–we’re really on vacation and it feels wonderful.

A few photos from yesterday: the open market in Annecy and a shot of the lake from the water taxi as we sped along.