Annecy

This past weekend, Guillaume (our program coordinator and generally awesome young local) planned a trip to a near-by city and cheese factory to help us get to know the region before classes start.  It was included in our tuition, so everyone went.

We started at the “Fromagerie du Val d’Aillon,” a 100% natural cheese factory literally on top of a mountain.  We took a bus, and it wound all the way to the top.  After arriving at the factory, we were led to the top floor of the pictured building where we got a presentation by one of the cheese-makers.  There was a big glass sky-light-like piece of glass through which we could watch a woman making cheese while we listened to the history and the workings of the factory.  It was fascinating, and I even asked questions in French.  The factory (which isn’t really an accurate word for this place) is purely a coop of the local farmers.  They do everything by hand, and don’t really have a manager.  They just all have their separate jobs, and fill in for other people when their help is needed.  I thought it was interesting that the French government protects the entire process, from start to finish.  That means that they (legally) protect the grass the cows eat, the mountains where they live, the cheese plant itself, etc.  We even got to see the cellar where the cheese ages!  It smells funky, but I was glad that we got to see it.

Next, we traveled to Annecy, a city on the other side of the mountain.  Guillaume called it “The Venice of France” because it has a huge lake on the edge and a canal running throughout the city.  It was beautiful in a very European way.  The buildings were charming, classic, and colorful.  The first thing we did, being students who just left a cheese factory at 1:00pm, is found a place to eat.  We weighed our options, and my group of 6 decided on a small crêperie.  It was so delicious!  I had a crêpe with mushrooms, ham, and Emmenthal cheese.  Yum.

After eating, we had just short of 4 hours to shop, relax, and discover the city.  It was well-spend window shopping, photo taking, park napping, French speaking, paddle boat watching, and ice cream eating.  Although it was a very touristy city, I would go back for another day trip some time.  It was a charming city.