I’m sitting here, relaxing under our awning and the rain that had threatened for the past couple of afternoons has finally arrived. I love the smell of rain after a number of dry sunny days, there is no smell quite like it, more especially as we have all our chores done and the laundry is already dry. It is only a gentle shower barely enough to keep the dust down, but we are enjoying the freshness it brings. The birds seem to be more vocal as they enjoy the cooling in temperatures. It has been quite warm and a lot sunnier since our arrival on Saturday, we’ve even slept at night with the window open the last couple of nights.

The campsite is less busy this evening, we had a full house over the weekend but the bank holiday madness (Pentecost weekend) is over and now we have space all around us to see across the little stream, that runs along one side of the campground, to the meadow beyond. And the bike path that passes nearby is just waiting to be explored. We’ve already biked the path that rounds the lake but we will have lots of time over the coming week to explore it in more detail. 

The lake I refer to is Lake Annecy and she is a stunner! Nestled in the Northern Alps surrounded by snow-capped jagged peaks on all sides, the lake is fed by mountain streams of crystal clear water and is known as the cleanest in Europe. It has a lake shore drive and a network of bike paths that go around its 42km circumference and branch off up into the mountains for those with extra lung capacity and strong climbing legs, but I’m told the views are worth the effort and I’ll let you know later this week.

For now we are going to enjoy a whole nine days in one place and getting to know the area and the many sights and scenes it has to offer. There are beautiful hiking and mountain biking trails and skiing in winter. The south end of the lake appears to be a playground for those of the paragliding fraternity and sailing and water sports abound. Medieval towns built on canals, markets, castles and waterfalls also await us in the coming days and I can’t wait to explore it all.

Check out my Instagram page for some additional photos and videos I took of the area so far.