The Charm of Wisteria

Wisteria seems to grow well in the Geneva area and surrounds. It adorns many homes, providing color, beauty and shade.









Wisteria in the Parc des Bastions in Geneva, Switzerland, makes this wall even more interesting.





The way the vines spread out enhances the flowing shape and accessibility of the flowers.









The purple flowers hang like bunches of sparkling grapes.




















In Annecy, France, there is a magnificent white wisteria vine on one of the buildings along the canal.








Looking at it from the other side you can see that it has grown up three balcony levels.





















It's massive with flowers covering the wall almost entirely.











It gives the same fairy-like quality that Art Nouveau can give. I love the way the reflections of the water from the canal play with the white flowers.
The trunk almost gives the impression of having a living being hidden within it, perhaps a fairy that emerges when we're not looking. Whatever, it certainly has character and seems to speak of something old.


The vines knot together, making it appear to be one whole trunk.










Looking up through the blossoms gives the ultimate view of its delicate finery.

Basilique de la Visitation, Annecy, France Part II

Continuing from where we left off in Part I, Francois de Sales and Jeanne de Chantal are buried in the Basilique de la Visitation.











Here you can see both sides of the Basilique, with the mountains on the left, the extension of buildings on the right, and the big circular drive in front. Click on images to see larger.





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There are interesting stonework and archways, with ornate wooden doors.

















The steps leading up to the front door are impressive, as is the huge stone archway.




Looking all the way up gives a sense of the scale of the building.












The carving in the stone is beautiful.


The main door is decorative while maintaining a pleasant simplicity.









The Basilique has a grandeur that projects solidity and grace. It's possible to almost imagine a lion sitting there in its form, with the two front legs as the structure on either side of the huge front archway and the body behind as the central part of the building.






On the right of this photo is the side entrance into the Basilique. This is the one we entered. There are fabulous, huge marble columns spanning the inside. There is a feeling of large space and luxury of attention to every detail and yet there's a simple basic atmosphere to it. The coolness inside was extremely nice after our walk up the hill in the summer heat.

Part of this extension is used as a shop.






The Basilique is well worth a visit if you're in Annecy.

Basilique de la Visitation, Annecy, France Part I

A couple of weeks ago we had family visiting, and one of the places we went to see was Annecy. This time we also went up above the town to see the Basilique de la Visitation. (See DweezelJazz blog posts, Parts I-V for more about the town of Annecy.)



Surrounded by lots of greenery and trees we walked up the hill towards the Basilique.













It was a warm day and the cool shading over the steep stairs was very nice.











Looking up from the stairs we caught a glimpse of the Basilique.



Emerging at the top into clear sunlight this is the view.










At eye level, the stonework and arches are interesting.This section almost feels like a moat with its circular walls.















Walking a little further out and back, more of the building can be seen.


It was built in the early 1900s alongside the original monastery mother-house of the Order of the Visitation, founded in 1610 by Francois de Sales and Jeanne de Chantal.

Stay tuned to see more of the Basilique.

A Vist To Annecy Castle, France, Part V

The castle, Chateau d'Annecy, can be seen when looking up over the rooftops of old town Annecy, France.





The castle was built over a succession of centuries; construction started in the 12th century and continued right through to the 16th century. The oldest part of the castle is now known as the "The Queen's Tower", which can be seen in this photo on the right.

Next to this tower is the entrance into the castle courtyard.





On entering the courtyard, looking straight ahead, "Perriere's Tower" can be seen.The construction of this tower began in 1445 under Duke Louis of Savoy to replace an earlier keep.















The castle has been restored and was bought by the town and is now used as a museum.



The entrance to the museum is through the open archway that you can see in the building on the left.














There are lots of interesting rooms to see and some very quaint small rooms, some are even hexagonal-shaped, letting in lots of light.









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Some windows have built in alcoves enabling you to sit and take your time looking out at the view.




And on a practical note, it's rather interesting (if somewhat amusing to mention here) to see the commodities available in the castle in times past.





The stone floors and walls are beautiful to look at.









The rooftops of the old town can be seen from the castle windows. You might recognize the building with the wisteria on the building facade down by the Canal du Thiou. You can see what the old town down by the Canal is like in two previous posts: Walking Along The Canal du Thiou In Annecy, France, Part I and Part II.




There's a great view looking out from the Queen's Tower over the courtyard. For more photos of the Lake see The Lake In Annecy, France, Part III.

























Coming back out of the castle museum we are once again in the courtyard.











.The rooftops of the houses directly below the castle are full of character and interest.A feel for the expanse of the buildings and the courtyard can be appreciated by looking back down the courtyard towards the Queen's Tower and the entrance, with the archway into the museum now on the right.













A closer view of the Queen's Tower shows the old stonework and wall.








On the way out, or the way in, depending when you choose to look up and back...

...you can see the turret with the hexagonal-shaped room shown earlier from the inside.







And the small building that now serves as the entrance ticket office is intriguing.

As you can see from the posts, Parts I-V, about Annecy, the town has a lot to offer and is a great place to visit. I always enjoy going there. And of course, it's also very beautiful at night when all the buildings are lit up.

The Back Streets of the Old Town Annecy, France, Part IV

There are a number of artists selling their paintings of the local scenery. The artist with his setup here is at the bridge with the view directly onto the Palais de L'isle -- a prime spot. The fellow there on the day we passed by was a really fantastic artist. One of his paintings would definitely make a great souvenir and lovely addition to any wall.




Crossing the bridge leads to the narrow streets of the Old Town of Annecy. They are full of cafes and restaurants and many small shops.





There are hat stores, clothes shops, souvenirs and all manner of items for purchase.


It's fun to pop into them just to see the variety and craftsmanship. There's no end to the creative imagination behind the items that it's possible to buy.

The buildings follow one after the other in continuous succession, but each one different with its own unique character. They lead to a spacious sunlit square.

Turning round and looking back the way we came you can see, in the background, the mountains that are on the other side of Annecy Lake.














There are many restaurants with tables outside, making for a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

It's bright and cheery in the sun and the fountain gives a nice sound and a refreshing feeling.In the far right hand corner of the square there's a quaint and appealing cafe.




Here is an arch leading out of the older part of the town.












Taking some of the streets that go uphill there are some interesting and beautiful buildings. This mustard color house is very warm looking and inviting, and the texture almost makes it look good enough to eat - well, on second thought, maybe not!










Looking up another one of the hills gives a further view of the houses and buildings of the town. On the right hand side of this street is a small park with very nice flowers and trees. It's a peaceful place, and the shade is welcome during the hot day climbing the rather steep gradient.









At the top we're rewarded with a magnificent view of the Basilica of the Visitation. The order of it's monastery was founded at Annecy by Saint Francis of Sales and Saint Jeanne of Chantal in 1610.


Near here, turning around and walking in the opposite direction, is Annecy Castle, which will be our next and last trip in this sequence to Annecy.

The Lake In Annecy, France Part III

Lac D'Annecy, Annecy Lake, is a beautiful place to stroll around. After walking around the more enclosed streets of the Old Town it makes for a great treat to get out into the open spaces by the lake.




Continuing the entire way along the canal, shortly after reaching the Palace of the Island, or the Old Prison, as it is often called, the walkway opens out onto the lake.



The vistas looking toward the mountains are beautiful.





There are small cruise boats that go round the lake, and this one here has its mascot very close, tagging along behind; Le Cygne means 'The Swan'.














It's also possible to rent individual boats to go out on the water to see the views.













There are boats docked everywhere.









The water is an amazing sparkling turquoise color. The small island gives it an exotic atmosphere.
Walking along the path is very refreshing, with park and greenery on one side, water on the other, and lake and mountains all around.



Returning in the direction of town and turning right along the bay, the path comes to a bridge called the 'Bridge of Love', Le Pont des Amours, crossing a canal inlet. Looking down the canal there is a magnificent tree-lined view with very quaint boats moored along it.Further along there are even pedalo boats for anyone energetic wanting to have fun splashing and getting around on their own steam.



This is also a perfect place for a picnic, and to laze around on the grass, enjoying the scenery and the sun.



Looking up the hill behind the town, the fifteenth century Church of Saint-Maurice can be seen.














After taking some time by the lake it makes for an interesting contrast to go back into the narrow streets to explore the shops and architecture on the old street behind the canal. Stay tuned to go there next time!

Walking Along The Canal du Thiou In Annecy, France Part II

One of my egg tempera paintings was inspired by a small restaurant along this section of the Canal in Annecy. You can see more of my paintings at DweezelJazz Art.Moving a bit further up the Canal towards the lake there are more bridges crossing over. Through the archways it's possible to see the street in the old town that passes behind the Canal length, where there are still more shops and restaurants. This is a very interesting area and we went there after investigating the full length of the Canal front.Looking to the left from here begins the Palais de L'Isle, which translates 'Palace of the Island', which was built in the twelfth century.



It served as a palace, administrative headquarters, a courthouse, a Mint, and then a jail from the Middle Ages until the mid-eighteen hundreds.



The last time it served again as a jail was during World War II.












The entrance leading in from the Canal is rather eerie.The courtyard gives the palace more charm, making it perhaps more enticing as a place to live.










This is a spectacular sight, seeing the triangular structure jut out in the middle of the Canal.And right alongside this amazing monument to history, we decided to refortify ourselves at an excellent creperie. You can get the most delicious chocolate and banana crepe here I've ever tasted; and my companions agree wholeheartedly!

Walking Along The Canal du Thiou In Annecy, France Part I

Annecy is a town in the Rhone-Alps region dating from at least the eleventh century. Its history involves both the counts of Geneva and the princes of the House of Savoy and later it was conquered and absorbed by France.

The Old Town is not only a great place to visit, it's also a fantastic place to eat.



This watergate was designed by the engineer Sadi Carnot. We started at this point along the Canal du Thiou, and had a really great meal next to it, at the restuarant you can see there.

Pleasantly full and content, we meandered along the canal towards the direction of the lake.There are many lodgings pressed close together in a myriad of different styles and colors.














This interesting assortment of tightly packed buildings continues up the canal, with bridges passing from one side to the other at regular intervals.

There are some very interesting facades with picturesque entryways leading directly from the canal.














And there are intriguing inlets and structures of buildings.



















In every direction quaint restaurants, cafes, and small shops beckon for visitors to enter. There is something for every possible taste and fancy.





We wandered in and out looking everywhere, before making our way down the rest of the canal, where there are even more interesting things to see.