Lunch in the French Alps in Pictures

It seems that with the craziness of my last few days in France I forgot to blog about anything not having to do with music lyrics. Not at all surprising but shameful all the same.

So now, stuck in my office in downtown Manhattan, on a gorgeous day that I can’t take advantage of, I give you a perfect day in France, also known as skipping French class to go have lunch in the Alps.

Skiing anyone?

Gorgeous view everywhere you turn. No really - everywhere.

restaurant on a mountain - you know as per usual

view while eating lunch. Not too shabby

Drinking the local wine. Part of my "cultural education". See? I WAS working!

There are no words necessary. I mean, come on. Mountains, wine, steak. Happiness.

And now I’m stuck in an office, at a desk, in the city. I love you New York, but sometimes France wins.

Annecy – A Little Piece of Heaven in the Alps

So, I’m in love.  I have been in Annecy for a total of three days and I really have no desire to ever leave.

To say the town is beautiful is an absolute understatement. Between it’s medieval old town, the canals, the stunning lake, and the beauty of the Alps popping up everywhere you turn, it is truly one of the most beautiful places you’ll ever visit. And now that I’ve been here I am kicking myself for never having gone before.

When I lived in Lyon for a year numerous people told me to visit Annecy, telling me how beautiful it was, to go skiing on the weekend, or to go in the summer so I could swim in the lake. And like a typical “local” at the time I put it off again and again, assuming I would make time, and then never did.

What was I thinking?

The town is small enough to be charming but also big enough to feel like everything you need is at your disposal which is always a big plus. Then there’s the people, sweet and friendly, but most impressively active. I’ve seen people outside running – for fun! For actual exercise! French people don’t do that. But apparently in Annecy they do. They ski, they snowshoe, they run, they bicycle. They’re very active people! It’s quite impressive and for an American it’s strangely comforting.

Regardless of all of these things, the beauty of Annecy is where all its seduction lies. If you love France, the people, the food, the way of life you’re in danger of never leaving if you come to Annecy. It’s that gorgeous. Combine that with being a short travel distance to Geneva, Italy, and Lyon and you can’t  ask for a better location in France.

Here are some photos from my first few days here:

the medieval prison

the prison at night

Yup, that’s where I am. Going back to New York City is dropping lower and lower on the list everyday.

Next up, the joys of French classes, a French cooking experience, and a steak frites lunch atop a mountain in the Alps. Ahhhhhh….

The Joys of Malaga

My one full day in Malaga resulted in a lot of lovely networking, a lot of tourist visits, and more drinking than I ever expected.

The day started out with the necessary meetings and information exchanges with all our partners and was followed by me spending the entire day in downtown Malaga by myself doing the touristy thing before meeting back up with my lovely colleague for dinner. I toured the cathedral, I went to the Picasso museum (oh my god), I had the Malagan version of a cosmo…it was a perfectly lovely day.

Much like Nice in France, Malaga is a typical European beach town – palm trees, cafes, lots of drinking…a little bit of heaven in the simplest terms. I do have to say that in terms of food, Malaga wins over Nice hands down. When I was in Nice I found the food quite dissapointing unless you REALLY wanted to pay for good food. Normal cafes and restaurants catered to tourists and because of that the quality of food suffered. But in Malaga the food was excellent. To be fair, I had a local taking me to dinner, which always helps, but overall Malaga wins for ultimate beach relaxation. Here are a few photos from my trip:

my adorable studio. Shame no one was traveling with me!

Welcome gift from my Malagan colleagues. You have no idea how happy I was to see that little bottle of wine.

my terrace

Malagan wine, sweet, much like Port.

tapa -salmon on crunchy bread. I never eat salmon anymore because all the salom in the states tastes funny because of the quality. But the salmon in Spain is so amazingly fresh it's all I've been eating!

mmmm - fresh chicken and ham salad for lunch. Everything is so fresh!

gorgeous

so many beautiful little streets

The Malagan version of a cosmo...hmmmmm....

view of the cathedral while drinking my "cocktail"

the cathedral at night from the harbor

Tapas dinner!

tapa on the house - cheese, tomato, and eggplant yumminess. So HAPPY.

this is a very typical Malagan digestif but I have no idea what it is called! Tastes a lot like Calvados though so I was happy. Great way to say goodbye to Malaga!

While the trip was short it was certainly lovely and I would definitely come back again. You really can’t go wrong with taking a little time off in the south of Spain…I mean, really. Who can complain?

Next up, the redemption of Madrid and back to France for one whole week!

A Week in Annecy

It’s official, I am going to Annecy for a week in March.

Our partners in Chamonix never got back to me, which from a professional point of view was a big mistake and will not be taken lightly when recommending where my clients should be going, but in terms of my own travel I’m just happy to go somewhere and Annecy sounds perfectly lovely.

Known as the “Venice of Savoie” and dating back to 3000 B.C. Annecy is supposed to be as picturesque as French towns come. I was constantly told to visit there when I lived in Lyon but of course never found the time. Why is it that going places is so much less appealing when they’re only an hour away?

It looks like I will also be visiting Chambery for a day while I’m there and it sounds like there will be plenty of cultural activities and excursions to keep me busy on top of my three hours a day of French class. All in all it’s looking to be quite a busy week in France for me when you look at everything I need to take advantage of and “experience” for work. I believe this was described to me as a vacation but it sounds like I’ll need a week of rest just to recover from it. That being said, I am very much not complaining and can’t wait to check in to my little studio and spend a much needed week in France.

I plan to update the blog while I’m there with pictures and general observations of all things French so do stay tuned. And of course if you have any insights, recommendations (especially food!), or suggestions to offer on Annecy please let me know.

Here are a few pics of Annecy, we’ll see if the ones I take compare when I get there!

Yeah…kinda can’t wait.