ANNECY AGAIN

So off we set for Annecy again, the prefecture to be precise, this is the third time I've been to exchange my South African licence for a French one, what a performance.  But we got to see Annecy which I love and the sun was shining.

Trying to find a bench 

We sat next to this flower pot, on a bench, I made sandwiches 

The biscuit factory....................

 Sorry to break it to you but the biscuits were really awful, and I paid 9€ for 5, Manu said they tasted of dust.

Love the packaging though, the tins are fab.

THE WEEKEND

We went up to Ville le Grande on the Swiss border to visit with friends this weekend.  Did you know if you are walking in the countryside and you happen to wonder into Swiss territory and are caught without ID you face a fine.  Yip the customs are patrolling regularly.  So many people trafficking along the fields of the frontier.  Keeps the customs in a job I suppose.  The dad of our friend told us he once had friends visiting and they had just filled up their car with groceries in France and took the little roads home which wonder through Switzerland.  They were stopped and fined for having groceries from France on the other side of the border undeclared.  Seriously butter and yogurt obviously a problem.  Too funny although he didn't think so at the time.

That's Switzerland at the end of the road, so you can see how you wonder into another country.

French Vines, Haute Savoie wine

Le Saleve, which has a huge ski lift taking you to the top, you have a fab. view of Geneva from up there, hopefully will do this with my mother in August.

French Church

French cows

French rainbow

SPRING...... IN

Lilac from a friends garden

My balcony

Walking in Combloux with my mother-in-law...........

A week discovering different food..................

 These are craquelin from Brittany, normally big ones are eaten for breakfast with jam and toast they are little crisp Yorkshire pudding thingies, but dry.  I put little Aperivrais cheeses on each one and chucked them in the oven for a few minutes.  They were really nice.

My favorite, Walnut tart, this was 6.50€ from the baker.

And these are Asperge de bois, little mini asparagus from the woods, we pan fried them in garlic, butter and lemon juice.  Really fresh taste.

GENEVA

Spring seems to pushing through but with quiet a lot of wet weather in between.  We managed to have a bbq for Easter Sunday though, down at the river with the neighbours.  Manu was still away so I did the Easter hunt in the woods for a change.

Yesterday I went to vote, my voting station of choice was Geneva, as Paris is a five hour train journey from here and 500€ return.  So off we set, it took twenty minutes, we arrived at the mission to see four smiley South African faces inside, I left all warm and fuzzy.  Only 189 people registered to vote at the mission.  I was the only one from France.  Hope the other South African's abroad showed up at their places to vote our corrupt government out of office.

 The mission

 I wonder how long the mark will take to wash off?

 Jet d'eau

We always seem to go to Geneva in grumpy weather.

And speaking of Geneva we were there last Sunday too.  My eldest was off for the first time on his own to Paris.  His Grandmother's gift to him for his 10th birthday.  We booked him on the Junior and Company line from Geneva to Paris, where she met him at the Gare de Lyon.  They are having a great time but you'll have to wait till he gets back for photos.  The company has three animators who accompany the kids (in green) and they ended up with 32 kids that day.  All of them go in the same carriage and it was fun and games all the way apparently.

 The little one stayed behind hence the un impressed look

Is that the train you are going on Sam?

Off they go.  This is France by the way, although we had to go to the station in Switzerland, you walk through a tunnel, through customs and onto French territory to catch a FRENCH train to France. 

 All a little confusing.

As Geneva is the worst place to drive we parked at the top of Geneva (as it runs downhill to the lake) and caught a bus to the station. But the parking is opposite the Natural History Museum so we had an hour to walk around.  They had an exhibition on birds, it was extremely well done.

 Bird nests from all over the world and these were from the Kruger Park

 Bird egg boxes, actually wall paper made to look like boxes - so clever

After we went walking through Geneva, really pretty with all the flowers coming out for Spring.

 Benjamin in front of the Jet

 The Swiss seem to love their luxurious cars

 A chocolate shop with chocolate bugs

 And this is Muget AKA Lilly of the Valley, everyone celebrates the first of May with a bunch of Muget, except these are all in chocolate.

 Typical street with the tram lines running down the middle, no cars allowed expect if you are my husband and it's the middle of the night - told you I hate driving in Geneva.

This blossom seemed to have taken over this tree

 The remembrance garden

 Little streets near the church

Called the Reformation Wall, it is 100 m long and depicts various Protestant people from across Europe. These are William Farel, John Calvin, Theodore Beza, and John Knox. 

This little guy was won by Benjamin in lottery at school.  He is a little baker with his croissant and baguette. 

He WAS delicious.