Bike: Annecy to Albertville, 29 miles, 1100 feet of climb
Accommodation: Gites de France les Ecureuils (Airbnb), hosts Fabienne and Gerard. Less than one mile to Albertville center, less than one mile to the medieval village of Conflans. Two-bedroom apartment on top floor of family home, separate entrance, kitchen, wifi, garage for bikes, washer available but not in unit. The apartment is older but very clean and comfortable. Fabienne and Gerard are wonderful, friendly, kind hosts.
Almost all of our climb was in the last three-quarters of a mile, up the steep switchbacks from the center of Albertville to our gite. What a pleasant ride we had!
The weather was perfect, and the trail followed Lake Annecy for miles and miles. It was Sunday, the trail was packed with every type of biker, from families with babies to old people with ebikes and saddlebags. We felt like we were on a rolling holiday picnic. We stopped frequently to drink water and munch on snacks. I am still exhausted from the last week of travel, so I just tucked in behind Ken and let him run the show.
We arrived in Albertville early in the afternoon and spotted a very nice looking restaurant right off the trail. They had an open table in the shade, a menu of the day for 19 euros, and we were in there. (It is so rare to find a nice place open on a Sunday midday; what a treat!)
Our waiter was the nicest young man. He even complimented me on my accent when I ordered l'eau du robinet (tap water) in French. (You must understand that most, and I mean most, of the time, the French do not understand a word I say. My accent is awful. But I have been working on it. And I do appreciate his kind compliment!)
Anyway, we ordered the menu of the day, and were blown away with a special hors d'oeuvre of pureed carrot with anchovies, followed by an outstanding meal. While we ate, other bikers came and went, and the sun grew hotter.
After lunch and our steep climb up the hill, our host Fabienne greeted us from her balcony, helped us store the bikes in her garage, and showed us up the steep steps to our spacious and comfortable gite. We opened the windows, showered, and fell asleep. We woke up around 21:00 and dug through our bags for snacks, then fell back to sleep.
This was our first stay in Albertville. From here, we go up into the alps to Moutiers, where we will stay for three days. When we leave Moutiers, we come back to Albertville for another night, before dropping down to Grenoble. But I get ahead of myself...
 |
| Leaving Annecy. The town, the lake, and the bike trail were all beautiful. |
 |
| Snacks on the way. The bikeway was well supplied with rest areas. |
