Living in a 13th Century Apartment; Annecy, France, Je t'aime ❤

I remember the first time I watched Disney's Beauty & The Beast back in 1991. There is this scene in the very beginning of the movie where "Belle" sings about life in her little French town. How nothing changes, and everything is the same everyday.

This is exactly what it feels like to be in Le Vieil Annecy (Annecy Old Town).

Somehow, I snagged us an apartment in a tower on the Pont Morens Bridge built sometime in the late 1290's for our stay here. Unbeknownst to us, this historic monument is one of the oldest, and sought after historic sites of the city. And we were staying right over top of it!! #dude

The entire Old Town is closed off to vehicles, so we had to find parking for our "Monster Truck" (aka the 4Runner) about a 10-15 min walk away in what must have been the last outdoor parking spot in the area for kilometers! So, with all of our luggage, groceries, and the dogs, we started the walk into Old Town Annecy.

Boy, did we stand out.

But wait - It gets even better. We arrive at our destination, and are met with 'the stairs' of our 13th century apartment.

OMG.

We're talking stairs made of stone that (in many places) are so worn away you really, REALLY need to be sure of your footing. The dogs didn't even know what to make of these (and the smells too I'm sure!). Our door wasn't even a rectangle it was so old. It was a irregular quadrilateral. (It had no two side that were equal, and there were no right angles)

So welcome friends! You have arrived in Le Vieil Annecy :-)

The renovation on the inside was fantastic - there was enough of the 'old' to make it cozy and charming, but enough of the 'new' to make everything 'easy'. I loved sitting by the old windows overlooking the Thiou Canal. Even though the cobblestone streets were busy with people, the crystalline glacial waters flowing along the canal was so relaxing and peaceful to listen to....

Homemade Cassoulet :-)

And boy-oh-boy did I have fun cooking!! The Old Town Market made my heart (and creativity) sing!! For context, I gave myself 100 Euros, and ...I think I spent it all...with zero regrets.

The farmers were the sellers at the many, many fruit & vegetable stands (you could tell by the stories told by their hands), and there was so much selection for saucisson sec, fish, cheese, pate, fois gras, bread, baked goods, olives, pickles, tapenades...my heart was singing!!! It was the perfect way to transition between Spain and Switzerland. And my French is really, really improving!! (Having lived Victoria so for many years, I think I that I had genuinely forgotten that I actually DO speak French)

Ah, I want to spend more time in France..."on ni voit bien qu'avec le coeur"

❤