Annecy, France

Annecy is another medieval town 40 kilometres south of Geneva, but in France.  Connections from Lausanne were smooth and quick, except for a half hour wait, and another change of trains in Aix-les-Bains.
Leaving the YWAM base at 8:48 am, we were in Annecy at 12:00 noon, just in time to find something to eat.  Our eyes caught a woman selling crepes at a hole-in-the-wall shop.  The counter only had two stools, so we took our crepes and salad and, for dessert, a "crepe marron," spread with sweet chestnut paste, outside. Balancing our paper plates on our laps we watched crowds of people milling about.
"Something's going on here", says Terry.  "There're so many people."
I turned to ask a little old lady who shared our bench.  To my surprise she answered in English.
"The cows are coming home from the meadows."
"Oh!"
  I couldn't believe we'd stumbled on another of these festivals.  The little Scottish lady thought she had missed the parade, so we asked directions to the "vieille ville" (old town).  We'd already strolled along the lakefront, where a curved bridge spanned the beginning of a canal that reached further inland. There were people, but it looked like a normal, sunny afternoon venue. We thought we would explore the Old Town in the same leisurely way.

We made our way in the direction indicated; all of a sudden the crowds were thick. At the entrance to a little street were demonstrations like an old fashioned threshing machine, sheep shearing, and basket making.

 

Passing by booths selling crafts made of wood, and homemade delicacies of the region, we realized people were beginning to stand in one spot.  Perhaps this was where the parade would pass by.  At first it looked like a parade route.  We could still see the defining cobblestones of the road at our feet. After waiting and waiting an hour, the crowds got thicker and thicker.  At first the crowd looked about 3 deep; by the end of the parade it was almost 10 people deep. 
"How could a parade pass by here," I thought, "Let alone huge cows?"
The following picture shows just how crowded it was.

The parade passes through the crowd

Can you see me in the picture?  Terry hated the crowds, so climbed up on a fence surrounding a cross cut saw demonstration, from where he had a fine vantage point.  I was glad to be close up for my shots, though.  Here are a few of the interesting people and animals that passed by my face. 

A genuine organ grinder

Brass band

a smiling Swiss face

A "Search and Rescue" St. Bernard

Blowing the alpenhorn

"Les oies!" cry the children delightedly

 Ringing huge bells


After the parade we were swept along with the crowds  along the picturesque canal.

Annecy is called the "Venice of Savoie" .  Although it's in the French Alps, it's dissected by small canals and streams running out of Lac Annecy.

I was glad to take part in the traditional Farmer's Festival, and see more colourful costumes and regional specialties.  Terry was just glad to get out of the crowds, but he went along with my choice, having given me free rein to plan our weekend outings.  What a blessing to have sunshine,   although the air is feeling a bit crisper.  Home about 13 hours later.

We missed the campfire at the Base.  I wanted to see how they put chocolate into their bread dough wrapped around a stick, cooked in the fire. Of course it's not called bannock.  Must be the Swiss version of S'mores!