Has Annecy left the seventies?
One of the things I love about living in the French Alps is the slow pace of life and a feeling of community and security. It sometimes feels like Haute Savoie is stuck in the seventies, with the same shopping …
One of the things I love about living in the French Alps is the slow pace of life and a feeling of community and security. It sometimes feels like Haute Savoie is stuck in the seventies, with the same shopping …
Last year, the big roundabout between Thônes and Alex that links Annecy to La Clusaz and surrounds was merely a steep mound of grass that locals would sometimes drive over the top of for fun. It’s unusual to find a …
The cow bells are out in La Clusaz this weekend, with the FIS cross-country (ski du fond) world cup taking place in Les Confins. Pictured are the front-runners of the men’s 15km race on their third lap of the course. …
Continuing on from other great French terms and business names that don’t translate well in English, such as Milk et Bousse (manure) dairy farm, Shag Café and Lad’s (sic) Services of La Clusaz, pictured is Le Farto fromagerie in Thônes. …
Every December in Saint Jean de Sixt, the local pompiers (firemen and women) knock on the doors of homes all over the village to sell their calendars. Given that these are the people that will save you from a burning …
Happy New Year! Sorry it’s been a while. I’m now (hopefully!) back to regular posting. Pictured is a photo I took while I was driving from Annecy back to Saint Jean de Sixt yesterday. The big rock is Le Parmelan, …
Pictured is the sunrise over Saint Jean de Sixt on Christmas Eve. I have not enhanced these colours: it really was that good. At a time of year when the silly season is in full swing and people flock to …
Pictured are some walkie talkies, or, as they’re known in France, talkie walkies. The French are proud of their language, and rightly so, and they go out of their way to create new words so the English language doesn’t take …
Public services in France, like most countries, vary in quality and accessibility. This advertisement in Annecy displays the faces of local public servants — lovely smiling faces, like Sebastien’s, above. Just last week, I had a positive experience at the …
Pictured is the Saint Jean de Sixt roundabout and the back of the Beauregard peak of La Clusaz in the background, as well as a truck being filled with snow to dump in the river. Yes, there’s been so much …