Le Déserts, France

Today I drove the 60km from Faverges to LeDesérts. The drive commenced with a beautiful roundabout, as I bypassed the Golf de Giez Lac d'Annecy. Naturally, I couldn't pass up this opportunity to play a few holes. This was my first time playing golf out of the country, and what time it was. Rental clubs didn't do much to help my score, but it was more about the experience this time anyway.

http://www.1golf.eu/images/golfclubs/golf-de-giez-lac-d-annecy_025233_full.jpg

Before long, I was back on the road, navigating the D-911 (ominous, isn't it?) and the D-912 for the majority of the way to Le Déserts. The drive split the middle of Réserve Nationale de Chasse des Bauges and the Parc Naturel Régional du Massif des Bauges. The map shows the entire drive as consumed by green, and my real life surroundings were no different.

http://www.encyclopedie-gratuite.fr/Definition/nature/image/massif-bauges-3.jpg

Upon arriving at Les Déserts, we immediately headed out for a hike to visit the Mont Outhéran Spring just outside of town. It was a pleasant stroll with breathtaking scenery, requiring a round trip of 8 miles. I took pictures:

http://s7.wklcdn.com/image_13/398834/2465646/956147_full.jpg

I definitely wish that I had brought my climbing gear. I head over to Le Margériaz to have some lunch. It is a small bed and breakfast type place in the middle of the town. I like my lunch, and time there so much. I decide to stay for the remainder of the day, have dinner there, and spend the night.

During my time there I get to try a new sport, ski joering:

http://www.jura-tourism.com/images/upload/portfolio_img/ski_joering.jpg

I eat and sleep like a King, acquiring some much needed rejuvenation for my travels tomorrow, as I spent another relaxing night in a quaint, welcoming community.

http://www.flowersway.com/var/user/b/J/photo7.jpg

How cool is that place?

Faverges, France

I depart the beautiful Chamonix, France in order to head Southwest on the D1212 to Faverges, France. The fact that the journey is only 70km doesn't mean that it will be easy. I will be travelling through the Alps towards the Massif Central. It is a locale known for volcanic activity and inclement weather, which is perfect for a ski fiend like myself.

Along the way I will pass through Notre-Dame-de-Bellecombe, where it will be extremely difficult for me to continue on; they have quite a few ski resorts that're notorious for powder. Another French town that lives and breaths skiing and/or all things snow. It seems like a pretty awesome place since everything seems to be skiing related. See the picture below:

I also pass Ugine along the D1212, another quaint town of about 8,000 year-round inhabitants. Another gem along the way to my destination.

I arrive at Faverges, the valley below the Alps, a welcome change to the mountainous terrain of days past. Strangely enough, Faverges is a region famous for its archaeology:

Faverges, also known as Haute Savoie, is the neighbor to the Viuz and Le Thovey digs, both of which have provided valuable insight to researchers regarding the Gallo-Roman times (http://www.sav.org). Yet another exemplification of France's rich cultural heritage. So, naturally, I visited the above pictured museum, to nerd out and acquire more Jeopardy! knowledge. I'm coming for you, Alex Trebek. I could go on and on about how the Roman-ruled Gaul serves as a point of reference for the other Roman ruled communities of Antiquity since it is one of the more known (thanks to the likes of Viuz and Le Thovey). Though I feel as though I am losing my readership, so I digress.

According to sav.org, Lake Annecy used to extend right up to Faverges during the Ice Ages, so I feel it is only logical to give it a visit. I took pictures:

Now that is a panorama. This is a tourist trap, and it makes sense considering the scenery, swimming, and water sports playground that Lake Annecy is. Lake Annecy is predominantly glacial melt, so I brought my wetsuit (it's also winter). This lake is also rumored to be the "cleanest lake in Europe", primarily due to strict environmental regulations.

Lake Annecy also inspired (or should I say impressed?) Cezanne in 1896:

After a day packed with tourism, I go back to Faverges to sleep on one of the 16,455 couches available for surfing in the Rhone-Alpes region (http://www.couchsurfing.org/search/in/map/45.8619,6.45147,45.6319,6.13561,10/mode/L). Before sleep I get an authentic French cooking lesson while I taste local wine.

The Beginning

I shall begin my journey in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, skiing. Not many outdoor enthusiast can avoid the allure of Mont Blanc, and I am no exception. Such a dramatic location will serve as the perfect springboard into my excursion through France. In addition to Chamonix's impressive, panoramic qualities, it is a place whose history reaches back nearly one thousand years, consisting of 16 villages and hamlets. Skiing is always an effective way to communicate with the local people, since most people love chatting up a foreigner who shares their same passion. The long lift rides need to be filled with something, don't they?

So, I will climb up with someone I meet on the chairlift that enjoys backcountry skiing (hopefully they have adequate avalanche training), and then ski down terrain similar to this:

Then I will go back and unwind at one of the many delightful villages in the region, like so:

After enjoying the plethora of adventure/cultural pursuits Chamonix-Mont-Blanc has to offer, I will proceed westward.

I will first head to Annecy, at the Northern tip of the lake with which it shares a name. From the to Chambery to Tenay and further Westward in the most roundabout way possible.