A year ago, We visited the kingdom of the French Alps, through many must-see spots. We saw the lovely, turquoise Lake Annecy. We visited the incredibly sweet Chamonix and took the cable cars up to Mont Blanc. It was wow. It was spectacular and very special.
But this time, after a fairly long trip in the Swiss Alps, we felt like finding some rest. Enjoying the peace and abundance that only the countryside can offer. French Knows how to give. The views are already there, all we have to do is come. So we came.
Our apartment in the town of Vacheresse
We chose in advance. Sweet apartment in the town of Vacheresse No human tongue can express it.
I had a feeling it would be something special.
A sweet apartment on Pinterest levels. Lots of thought put into the little details.
The girls entered their room, and a minute later they came out dressed in a variety of costumes that were waiting in a box in the room. The whole house is dressed with sweetness and grace. Giant teddy bears, carpets and curtains. What can I say? A house. An Alpine house made of wood and lace.
The owner of the apartment, Jacqueline, one of the sweetest and gentlest women we met, gave us jam made from yellow mirabelle plums from her garden. (Do you know them? If not, look for them in the markets when you're in Europe. They're small, yellow, and sweet, and they'll put them in a brown paper bag for you, otherwise they don't taste good.)
We immediately connected and announced that we would be guests from hell, meaning we would never want to leave.
We decided that we deserved to take it easy and indulge in excessive hedonistic laziness now, during the last three days of our family trip.
The nearest supermarket is a 15-minute drive away, and we sampled it every morning. Because why would we eat a baguette from yesterday?
Pfff. No thanks.
Recommended places to stay near Vacheresse
If the apartment in Vacheresse is not available, here are some other good options:
The magnificent nature of the French Alps
With Jacqueline's help, we discovered that in this part of the Alps, there are trails to hike everywhere, hiking trails for the whole family, she said. Of course, she didn't take into account our sprain and laziness at this stage of the trip.
In any case, almost everywhere there are trails that lead to spectacular and exciting nature, and simply. Full of green. Full of trees, some of which already boast spots of fallen leaves. Not something grandiose, like huge mountains, turquoise lakes, etc., but stunning and soul-warming and we felt a peace that we almost didn't find on this entire vacation.
We sat on the patio at the entrance to the house. We listened to the bells of the sheep in the nearby hills. We breathed in the smell of the village. Truly healing for the soul.
Based on Jacqueline's recommendation, we modeled two small tracks, featuring our hero vehicle. It was a resounding success.
A trip near Vacheresse
Stock up on a variety of delicious snacks to have in the car, in case of any trouble that may come, water, and chocolate in a thermos if you want to indulge, fruits, vegetables, and a spare hand. After all, it's a fifteen-minute drive. (Traveling is a business that requires a lot of feeding, and all the time).
Write in the word "refuge de bise", polish the camera lens, and off you go.
It's very important to look away from your phones at this point. It's worth the supreme effort.
The whole road is strewn with magic. Little pavilions, cows and their bells, and greenery everywhere you look. At the end of the road, which is simply stunning, is a small barn, and a host of farm animals, indifferent because their lives are so good.
We arrived at sunset when the local farmers were bringing the animals from the pasture into their shelter.
We watched the farmers blow a big whistle. A few moments later we saw in the distance a small family of donkeys, also wearing bells, skipping excitedly from the surrounding hills and forests, home to the manger. This is exactly what our family looks like when they are called to the table. Wow, happiness.
The local dairy farmers invited us into the small barn.
The barn is spotless, and the cows are lined up in two rows facing the wall, where the manger is full of goodies, and their bottoms are lined up toward the center of the room. Imagine this terrifying route, as the whole family slowly and reverently passes between two rows of plump cow bottoms. Fortunately, the cows weren't too excited to see us, and we got through the whole thing safely and without any unnecessary, stinking injuries.
By the way, there is also an inn and a restaurant on site, if you are interested.
Lake of the Alpagnes
The second route, also fifteen minutes away from our apartment, is no less beautiful.
Jacquelinush said that this is a path to a beautiful small lake, which can be circumnavigated.
Type in Google from scratch: lac des alpagnes.
We use the ziplining procedure as on the previous route and travel with great pleasure.
Around the lake and on the way to it, there are huge Alpine houses, originally intended for two poor families. Today they are usually used by well-to-do families, or as B&Bs and vacation homes. These houses are very old, and we were fascinated to see that the renovated houses also have the year the house was built engraved or carved on them (your ears will fly when you see what year it is from. Your great-great-great-grandfather hadn't even thought about being born yet) and next to it is also engraved the year the house was renovated or rebuilt. The lake itself is also sweet and there is a surrounding path and a small bridge.
For the bourgeois among you, there are restaurants and even an alpine inn on site, as a reminder, here it is FranceMake a reservation in advance and remember what the dining hours are in French restaurants.
As far as I understand, there are also hotels and chalets right in the middle of nature, on the trails themselves.
From the lake, there are trails for walkers, and trails for families who are struggling.
I have a feeling that if we weren't the latter type, + my sprain, we would have discovered spectacular nature on these many trails.
Too bad, but we left something for the next round.
Evian (Evian Les Bains)
When we weren't having fun, we visited the town of Evien. (Yes, the one from the water bottles), which has a nice little market on Wednesdays I think, a casino and a laid-back atmosphere, Lake Geneva, which on the French side is called Lake Geneva. There's also a sweet little promenade running parallel to the lake's shore promenade, and that's it.
(In my opinion, not a very fascinating place. Too pompous and bourgeois for my rural soul).
Recommended places to stay in Evian
The Francophile's Note: As a child, I had the opportunity to live in the town of Evian for about a week, and I actually remember it as a magical town from which we went on many trips. It also has an excellent spa, and quite a few people come there to enjoy the mineral waters there.
If you take my advice and decide to live in this town, here are some recommended hotels:
Hôtel Continental – Boutique Hôtel (** stars)
Yvoir
The town of Yvoir. This is a town that we really liked. The medieval times are beautiful like a jewel. A delightful smell throughout the town from the many restaurants throughout the town. Access to the lake and boating if you want, a relaxed atmosphere of the good life. And ice cream is a plus. Its disadvantage, due to its proximity to Switzerland, is that the prices there are disguised as Swiss prices, but the wonderful atmosphere makes up for it. (By the way, for those interested, I also had my eye on a Michelin restaurant with a beautiful view of the lake. The smell was wonderful, at least until we arrived)
Recommended places to stay in Yivoir
Hotel Restaurant Du Port (**** stars)
Hotel Restaurant Le Jules Verne (**** stars)
And for those who find the hotels there a bit expensive, here are two apartments that aren't bad at all:
One evening we were invited by Jacqueline and her husband Richard for a pre-dinner aperitif. Their home is a renovated barn or cowshed and the result is spectacular. We couldn't stop raving about how charming the house was. We chatted for a while and shared stories about our love of nature and our travels around the world.
They told from their point of view about beautiful France, about its advantages (croissant in the morning) and its disadvantages (people are square and immediately similar to each other and a little boring, because everything is too beautiful and toffee). We noticed that with us it is exactly the opposite. The disadvantages - no croissant in the morning. There is also no proper baguette. The advantage - everyone here is different and colorful. And it is not boring for a moment. We left this vacation in love.
If Switzerland left a bit of a bitter taste due to a severe lack of human warmth, then Jacqueline and Richard restored our faith in humanity. Their beautiful way of life, full of the desire to be happy, infected us with this goodness and left us thirsty for more.
Birds of prey show
It is also worth noting that there is a bird of prey show in the town of Sciez, which is also a short drive away, but like most attractions in the area, the show was closed. You have to come during the tourist season to experience such things, and mid-September is not considered tourist season by the French.
We also missed the crazy Omega-fantasticable, which is undergoing renovations and preparations for the winter tourist season, and a host of other attractions and cable cars that are closed. I suspect that those traveling in July and August will find many more attractions in this part of the Alps as well.
In conclusion, after you have seen everything in the center of the French Alps, and you want to fall in love, to taste a little of real village life, not touristy, not too ornate, full of charm and peace for the soul, I highly recommend this area because it is wonderful, andEspecially about Jacqueline and Richard's apartment.
Sounds lovely, an idea for the next trip 🙂