Paragliding at Lac d’Annecy

My husband and I share a birthday. Which is not especially fun for me, but very convenient for him 😉.

We were at Annecy for our last birthday. We didn’t plan it that way, we simply happened to visit some friends who bought a chalet there, and invited us over for the weekend.

Before that, I knew Annecy as a stop on the TGV Neige on the way to the French Alps.

It turned out to be a lovely town, with a beautiful lake surrounded by craggy mountain peaks, flower-lined canals and medieval buildings.

We had a great time there, but most importantly, we decided to give ourselves the best birthday gift; a tandem paragliding tour over the dazzling Lake Annecy and the mountains that surround it. It was the perfect way to see the beauty of the region from a different perspective, from almost 800 meters above.

We both have done paragliding before, over the gorgeous Ölüdeniz in our native Turkey; but it was at least a decade, a few injuries and some unmentionable kilos ago.

Our local friends suggested K2 Ecole Parapente, so we made reservations before we could change our minds. (Ok, my mind)

Needless to say, I was feeling a little anxious when we reached the take-off area located at the legendary Col de la Forclaz.

I shouldn’t have worried. After the take off, all was well again; all my anxiety melted away, replaced by a sense of peace. And a rush of adrenaline.

And how I loved it!

When you are up in the air, you are absolutely free. There is nothing quite like the feeling of soaring through the air, free from the constraints of gravity. You feel like you can touch the clouds and reach out to the horizon.

When you are paragliding, you are one with the nature, open to the elements. It’s surprisingly quiet up there, the only sounds are the wind in your ears and the whoosh of the air through your paraglider. Not to count the sound of your own cries, when your pilot decides to spice up the experience with some acrobatic moves.

When we landed, the sense of accomplishment was something else; the feeling that I can still ‘do’ things like this was the real gift.

Annecy is full of fun things to do, and lovely spots to discover.

Its Vieille Ville (old town) with cobbled streets, winding canals and pastel-colored houses is a tourist attraction, with many little cafes along the canals. Overlooking the city, the medieval Château d’Annecy, once home to the Counts of Geneva, is a museum today. There are large parks nearby, where one can relax and watch the world go by.

It’s also a cycling paradise. The route around the lake is very scenic, with little parks and stopovers every few kilometers. We’ve also saw cyclists en route to the Col de la Forclaz. I applaud their perseverence, whether they were preparing for Tour de France or not.

We toured around the lake, swam in it, drove up the hills, visited the Vieille Ville, and spent a couple of hours at the Château de Menthon.

Owned by the same family for more than 1000 years, it is said to be the inspiration for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. The family can trace their roots to Saint Bernard de Menthon, the protector of the Alpine villagers and skiers.

And of course, we visited some lovely restaurants and enjoyed the summer version of the Savoyarde cuisine.

Our favourites were Chez Ma Cousine and Petit Paradis by the lake and Le Balcon du Lac at Col de la Forclaz. Both have breath taking views and serve delicious food.

In short, we gave ourselves the perfect present : memories.

Here’s to years to come and making more memories. I wonder what comes next ?