Sunday 12th April to Monday 13th April La Clayette & Annecy, France
As promised Sunday was another long driving day. We initially pinned Macon in the Satnav but as we drew closer we picked a little free village aire in La Clayette, to the left of Macon and northwest of Lyon.
Sadly, in the middle of the day the rain caught us up and stayed with us. Yep, just stayed with us.
There wasn’t much to see on the drive as we were using the toll roads to cut down on the journey time. It also helps as you don’t get so distracted and wander off course 
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La Clayette is a pretty little place. The Aire has two free electric pitches and all services are free. It’s next to a lorry park which had about 3 hgv’s parked up when we arrived. They weren’t very noisy when they left this morning so that wasn’t a problem.
Due to the inclement And cold weather we didn’t venture out and discover the town for ourselves, but did read good things about it.
This morning we decided to do some shopping in the local supermarket to repay the community for their kindness. As we drove away from the Aire we noticed the beautiful castle we had read about. Just a stone’s throw from our parking spot! Oh well.
We had to go round twice looking for the supermarket. It was there, in plain sight. We just didn’t see it 
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Food and fuel were purchased and off we went again. Heading towards Genoa.
Today we thought we would visit Annecy. A beautiful lake and town close to the border of Switzerland and Geneva.
Most of the car parks have height barriers in the town, so we were very lucky to snag the last space in a little Aire just outside the old town.. a 20min walk away.
The walk into town took us along the banks of the lake, the water is so clear and crisp. We could understand why the area is a very popular destination in the summer. All activities for fun on the water are available including boat tours. There’s a great cycle path and bikes for hire if you didn’t want to take your own.
The parks and gardens so far on our trip have been just beautiful. The colours of the flowers make it hard to resist a smile in their favour. Well done to these communities, their efforts are appreciated.
Meg was very happy for the walk but not so happy that I had put her in her equafleece coat. It’s so much better in a small van to not have a very wet dog!
She does draw lots of attention when she wears it though, lots of aah’s and smiles. We know secretly she’s happy to be warm and dry, not that she’d admit it to her doggy friends .
Arriving into the old town we were reminded of Colmar, very similar in appearance.
The rivers running through the town had very strong currents, it was funny watching the ducks whiz by, as if they were taking part in a race.
As always, we arrived when a lot of scaffolding was blocking the views of some of the buildings 
but there was still a lot to see. Cobbled streets and paths, mainly pedestrianised, led us through a labrynth of shops and hostelries.
Considering the time of year and the weather, we were surprised to see so many other tourists. I shivered when i saw a lot of them eating ice-cream 
, my hands were freezing and that was the last thing on my mind.
Having said that, when we stopped for refreshments, Parker ordered a coffee and I had a small blonde beer – obviously not that cold eh? .
It’s safe to say that we need to come back when the sun is shining, then we will have the enthusiasm to climb the hill to visit the gorgeous castle.
In the meantime we’ll continue our journey. We didn’t want to stay in the car park tonight, its a little on the rough side 
– even though the notice says 24hr max stay, there was evidence of longterm living. Instead we have driven 20mins or so out of the town to a small Aire that is in the midst of renovation.
Its going to look fab when its finished with a visitors centre and a lovely park. I’m hoping the rain will have eased off by the morning so that Meg can have a wander before we head out again.
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