Annecy

There are advantages to not being able to sit in the car for long periods of time! I stop regularly and plan short trips with overnight stays and have discovered some magical places as a result.

Annecy was one of those places.....................

Arriving in the evening just before the shoe shop next door to the hotel closed, it was the last day of the sale too! an auspicious start.

The centre of Annecy is medieval and the narrow streets are interlaced with narrow canals.

 That lead down to the lake sheltered by mountains.

 It was a warm evening and the streets were full.....................

So were the restaurants...................

With really inviting interiors...................;

Some people had their own little dining spaces!

I imagine that these streets have been thronging with people enjoying themselves, dining, shopping and watching the street performers like this for centuries. The medieval buildings seem to welcome people in.
They are as handsome now as when they were built. The huge stones are carved with care on even the humbles buildings and they seem to become an integral part of the town, not just something 'plonked' down for a few years. It is hard not to compare them with the awful 'sheds' springing up on the outskirts of every French town and city, that can be built in a few weeks and that look dreadful after a few years. Why do we create such ugliness now?

I heard a radio programme years ago about medieval building that said that when they built something they believed that it should become an integral part of the landscape forever and that this informed the way they designed their buildings and even structures like wall to keep livestock in. (I think it was on Radio 4 and I wish I could listen to it again!) I think they succeeded and that is why the ancient town centres are so popular.  I just wish that they weren't ringed with ugly buildings, as if once that bit has been protected the rest doesn't matter.
I just find it interesting that people still gravitate to ancient buildings, to enjoy the beauty and magic of them. I think we could still learn an awful lot from the medieval town planners and masons.
I'm not against modern buildings, I'm a great fan of Norman Foster, he manages to create exciting structures that do make your heart leap while adding something to their surroundings, but he is exceptional.