Lac d'Annecy

They have weird trees here.

This is by the lake (Lac Annecy) on Saturday afternoon. Lots of people picnicking and sunbathing on the grass.

This lake is supposedly the cleanest lake in the world because of the strict environmental laws in the area. Look, I even got a swan in the picture!

They call Annecy the "Venice of France," but I'm sure the rivers are not as extensive as in Venice. It was kind of surreal seeing people sunbathing by the lake with the snow-capped mountains in the background. Whenever we're sunbathing or swimming, that means that there's sand and waves and an infinite horizon. I'm not sure if I'm going to see the beach or not on this trip, but I kinda miss it right now.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Annecy is one of the candidates to host the 2018 Winter Olympics. They have signs posted all over the city. My teacher said it's in competition with Munich and Korea. Also, there's supposed to be a marathon event happening this Sunday. I'll update you guys if there's anything cool. 

Before getting to Annecy, I planned on making day and/or weekend trips from Annecy to nearby towns like Geneva, Lyon or Nice. There's Lake Geneva in Geneva and wine tasting and vineyard tours in Lyon. Also, I found out that Annecy is the paragliding capital of the world. I thought I budgeted enough to do these things, but I didn't take into account the dollar to euro conversion (oh well). Anywa, I've been very good at not buying anything unnecessary because just the thought of lugging it around is painful. BUT, I'm going to go shopping this weekend because I feel like a slob compared to these chic Europeans. Just something small to make me happy!