Autum with Chalet Largo / Marmotte |
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 With
its snow capped mountains and its clear Alpine
Lakes Haute Savoie is one of the most beautiful
parts of Europe.After the bustle of the school summer holidays the gradual changes of autumn show themselves in the glorious colours of the leaves on the forested slopes. Autumn is harvest time for wine and mushrooms. |
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 Haute
Savoie has a fascinating history and there are castles
and museums to visit all the year round.
Many of these are still privately owned. This area was not part
of France during the French revolution so the
ruling classes kept their property as well as their heads.The Chateau de Thorens (right) is where the official Act was signed that eventually ceded Haute Savoie to France from the Duchy of Savoie following a plebiscite in 1860. |
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 Nearly
all the towns have kept a part of their historic architecture
in the centres, many of them in car-free zones.
They have become a pleasure to walk around and take in the atmosphere
of bygone ages.Local markets, established hundreds of years ago still trade in cobbled courtyards. There is a major antiques market in the medieval part of Annecy on the last Saturday of each month. It sells everything from trinkets to major works of art and furniture. The shops are housed in covered arcades and range from stylish boutiques to specialist cheese shops. |
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 Lakes
Leman, Annecy and Bourget are the three most important
in the French Alps.Lake Annecy is reputed to be the cleanest lake in Europe and exits through narrow canals in the old city creating "the Venice of the Alps". Lake Bourget is the largest lake in France and has the historic city of Aix les Bains on its banks whilst Lac Leman, also known as Lake Geneva, is one of the biggest in Europe. All have beaches and water sports, ferries across them serving the towns and villages around the edges and peaceful spots where all you can hear is the lapping of the water. |
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