3 Days, 4 Towns, So Good

This past weekend we jetted to the alps for a final hurrah before school started up (it just started yesterday).  Yes, I just got to say "we jetted to the alps" as if it is no big deal.  This is a special amazing time in our lives, I get it and am so grateful.  Aghhhh!  We do things like "jet to the alps".  La vie est belle.

We hit Lausanne and Geneva in Switzerland, and Chamonix and Annecy in France.  4 towns in 3 days was a bit much - only because each town we visited we didn't want to leave.

Lausanne is the Olympic Capital of the World, the IOC sits there, as well as the Olympic Museum.  This gorgeous town sits right on Lac Leman (aka Lake Geneva).  I had been once before, in the summer of 2000, and always dreamed of returning one day with Oliver - I knew he'd love it.

1960...Squaw Valley...you know we love this!  (Remember quote-gate).

 The torch from 1960...

 Before there was go pro...

High Jump world record height...amazing amazing...

 View from the museum steps...

This felt so cool.  

 The swiss are so organized, including their gardening style...

 We had to rent a boat with a slide...because...well....we just had to....it was like a floating bakfiets...good to keep my daily pedal going...

Partly cloudy never looked so cool...

As you can see above, Lausanne isn't hard on the eyes.  For more pix, run with me there.  

Annecy was love at first site for all of us.  We want to move there ASAP.  We have seen a lot of beautiful places but something about Annecy hit us different than anywhere else we have been.  We were only there about 90 minutes.  I think we should probably go back before doing anything too drastic.  But based on our 90 minute stopover, it seemed to be the right balance of mountains, town, lake, frenchness, charm, funk, ice cream shops, gardens, proximity to major airport, fresh air, culture...oooh la la.

 P doesn't look as excited as I was about that tartiflette on my plate...

Somehow we also managed to find the worst thing in town...this toilet option...when my sweet girl needed to go potty..."real bad"...not awesome...although I do love that orange tile work (silver lining...).

Chamonix...oh Chamonix.  We have a rule for our time in Europe - we don't intend to repeat a destination twice, since our time here is short.  For Chamonix (and probably Annecy) that rule felt easy to break.  Although we were just there last December, Chamonix is a different place in the summer than in the winter.  By that logic, no rule was broken.

 This garden blew minds.  It was amazing.

For more pix of Cham, run with me.   For sweet pix of vintage O loving Chamonix, click here.  

Geneva was cool if you like big cities on lakes (what is not to like?!).  We were really only there one evening, for dinner, as we passed by it on a drive from Chamonix to Lausanne.  I'd go back.  To shop and sit by the lake, any day.

 I love this lane at the Geneva airport.

This trip was a last summer getaway before school started, but there was another reason to make the trip as well.  I told you we would be there, and we were.  Super Rory completed another amazing race and we were at the finish line.  The topic of race day deserves its own post.  Coming soon.  Spoiler alert: she CRUSHED the race!!!!