Day 31-34, June 27-30 - Chambery, France
Day 31-32, June 27-28
We’re in the chateau apartment with no way to leave to go anywhere, so we rested because it was still friggin’ hot. The humidity subsided a little on our last day – Sunday, June 28, so we ambled over the bridge to the lakeshore where there was a nice breeze and some shade. We purchased a VPN so we could splurge The Bear series. We started watching The Testament of Anna Lee, a film about the founder of the Shaker movement. We watched only about half of it, as it was a little weird regardless of what reviewers determined. Roger Ebert gave it 3 stars out of 4: “It is most certainly an expert display of craft: the script is generally nimble, the visuals are stunning, and the choreography is moving. But it is bloated in history and starving for persona.” So say, Roger Ebert.
Beth enjoying some swimming on Lake Geneva - it was nice enough to get out of the apartment.
Day 33, June 29
We got up this morning early and did our duties in terms of vacating the chateau apartment: empty the trash, gather the dirty linens, put all the glassware, etc. in place and took off for another travel day. We no longer know what to expect on a travel day, since we have no idea of what we’re doing. But this was an exceptional travel day!
We got to the train station around 9:15 am, thanks to Jean Marc who picked us up as promised. His electronic device to take credit cards weren’t working so he told us to contact him again when we’re back in Evian July 6 to pay him. He was a sweetheart, and we’ll contact him when we arrive back in Evian for sure.
Train was on time – we left at 10:21 am for Chambery; only one change in Bellegarde. Train travel is SO EASY; it’s air conditioned, for one thing. We were successful in finding our platform in Bellegarde for Chambery, and we headed up to the foothills of the Alps.
Passed by Lac Bourget, an alpine lake that was recognized as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2015. It’s a post-glacial lake and was formed at the end of the last glacial period, the Wurm glaciation, approximately 19,000 years ago. It has a surface are of nearly 11,000 acres; it stretches lengthwise for about 11 miles; its width varies between a mile and a little over two miles with an average depth of 279 feet with the maximum at 475 feet. So Lake Bourget is considered the largest natural lake of glacial origin in France, but not the largest natural lake of all origins, which is Lake Hourtin-Carcans in Girone.
It was beautiful, and the train ran right alongside it for nearly its entire length.
It was hot, and there is a “mobile” air conditioner in the apartment so we fired the puppy up. Cooled things down considerably. We then went to do some errands before our friends Jae and Boots arrived from Angers around 7 pm. A few groceries – coffee and pastries for the next morning, beer and wine for the evening after supper.
Boots had made a reservation at a restaurant near here for 7:45 pm; they arrived around 7:20 pm, unloaded their luggage and we went to supper in an air-conditioned restaurant. We all had burgers (go figure), wxcept Beth, who had jambon with melon, and a salade Savoyard.
When we emerged from the restaurant, there were black clouds and lightning! We returned to our apartment, drank some wine, and I stayed on the terrace to watch the lightning. The others went to bed.
Day 34, June 30
It was glorious when we got up this morning: very little humidity and temps in the mid-70s. We lazed around until about 9 am, then wandered over to a market near the apartment to get groceries and such. Another thing to love about Europe: they have these wonderful markets of fresh produce, meat, fish, cheese – everything you might want. We decided that each couple would be responsible for one meal within the next two nights we’re here. Boots doesn’t eat beef, so we decided to get pork chops, boil some potatoes and do a watermelon/cucumber/feta salad with balsamic glaze.
We returned to the apartment after getting everything we needed. Everyone read – I took a nap – and we took off again around 1:30 pm to ride the tourist train around town to see the city and learn about it.
Chambery has medieval origins. Its name is said to derive from an ancient lord of the town, known as “Cambarius.” It was built next to a former defensive fort around the tenth century. It then passed to the Italian Dukes of Savoy in the late 13th century, who made it their capital until the second half of the 16th century, at which time the capital was transferred to Turin. We saw the Castle of the Dukes of Savoy. It currently is the seat of the Préfecture and Département of Savoie.
The Chateau de Chambery, originally built in the 13th century, served as the residence of the Dukes of Savoy. As the capital of the County of Savoy, Chambery flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries. It was during this period that it became an important cultural and political center. The Cathedral of Saint-François-de-Sales, constructed in the 15th century, has stunning Baroque elements and symbolizes the city's importance as a religious hub during the Renaissance.
We passed by the Fontaine des Elephants, a fountain built in 1838, that stands as a proud emblem of the city. Adorned with four elephants, it commemorates the visit of the Duke of Savoy to India.
Chambery has a troubled history and changed hands between France and Italy from 1536 to 1742 before the Spaniards occupied the city. The city in the Napoleonic age was again incorporated into the French territory (as was much of Italy), but was returned to the Savoy in 1815 following the Treaty of Paris. Chambery was part of the Savoy until 1861, when it was ceded permanently to France.
There were other “landmarks” we passed: Carre Curial, which was a former 19th-century Napoleonic barracks which has been transformed into a business and cultural center; and the Cathedrale Saint-Francois-de-Sales, built in the 15th century by the Franciscans (it became a cathedral in 1779).
Everyone except me went shopping. I found a nice shaded restaurant and had a beer.
Went back to the apartment to rest, then we took off around 6:15 pm to witness the Parade of Violins, which was a violin band by the company La Vagabonde that paraded in the pedestrian streets of Chambery. La Vagabonde is a local organization created in 2020; its mission is to develop partnerships with cultural stakeholders and organizations to support the creation and dissemination of live performances, foster encounters with diverse artistic fields and develop initiatives in support of and with amateur practice.
La Vagabonde continued the evening in the Château courtyard with the Jadayel concert, a unique dialogue between East and West by the Béla Quartet and the Sabîl Duo. We didn’t attend; we went back and ate our supper around 7:30 pm.
Our compatriots – who are younger than us – went to the concert. We stayed at the apartment, I finished the blog and Beth and I went to bed. We are tired puppies.
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