Annecy

My friend Shannon and I took a day trip to a gorgeous French city called Annecy (which just happens to be a candidate for the Winter Games in 2018).

The Palais de l'Isle is an old prison (12th century) that appears
to be floating in the middle of the canal. It's the symbol of Annecy.

Me standing on the Pont des Amours,
with the beautiful lac d'Annecy in the background.Annecy.

Stopping to smell the roses.

We hiked up to this stunning Catholic church above the city.

One of the best (and most entertaining) parts of our day was discovering 30
or so adorable Italian nuns in the tiny gift shop of the church. They were on a
sort of pilgrimage, visiting the places where Francois de Sales (the saint
associated with their congregation in Torino) preached. The nuns were all crammed up by the register like kids in a candy store, excited to buy
pictures of their saint, while attempting to communicate in French.
My friend Shannon commented, "You'd think nuns would be a little
more orderly than this." I shrugged my shoulders and gave an explanation:
"True. But they're Italian." :) They warmed my heart. Ca m'a fait du bien.