Turin - The Shroud, Sacra di San Michele, and dinner

Brian showed up at our hotel about 10am and walked us to their apartment and reminded us of the city-three-step required to dodge dog droppings.  He then gave us a tour of his apartment and we said hello to his wife and 3 wonderful children.  We then headed to a duomo and saw the a copy of the Shroud of Turin and then saw the box that contains the actual shroud.  Renee had heard that it will be on display sometime in 2015.  After that we stopped by the largest street market in Italy and I bought a hat.  We also walked through the fish market, pungent, but beautiful with dozens and dozens of verities of fresh fish and sea food.  Lunch was a quick stop at a donar kabab place and then we Brian drove all of us to Sacra di San Michele a few miles outside the city.  I am glad Brian was driving, city traffic followed by miles of 1.5 lane wide switchbacks with two way traffic.  The reward was an 11th century abbey and spectacular views of the city.  We then headed back to he city for dinner.  It was great to see Bran again and is wife and lovely children (they have been in Italy on an international assignment for a year and are doing great). It was great to have such a lovely family show us around Turin.
  

Annecy France to Turin Italy - Please pay toll

We left Annecy in the morning and drove around part of the lake, giving us a close up view of the villages we saw during the boat ride. At one point they were distinct villages, but with growth they have merged into a continues string of houses. I would have loved to bike the lake, the area we drove had a dedicated bike bath. As the road left the lake it became hairpin turns and switchbacks up the mountains. It was clear to me who the real bikers were, the road had a %5 grade for miles and some of the bikers were maintaining a good pace. Abut 30k outside of Annecy we left the bikers behind and picked up a French toll road, well maintained, 81mph speed-limit and many tunnels instead of switchbacks and $40 in tolls. The weather once again turned from nice to high winds and sudden downpours. One of the tunnels took us under Mt Blanc for a mere toll of $60. From the tunnel it was a short drive to Italy and Turin Italy. To my surprise and confusion many of the main roads in Turin have side “alleyways” which have parking and are used for left and right turns. Not sure just how many traffic laws I violated, but watching the locals I was in good company. Once we made it safely to our hotel we met up with a friend and co-worker for a short walk around Turin and dinner. Many of the roads have covered sidewalks so even with the rain walking was nice.

Annecy France, Day 2

We had a full day to walking around Annecy and took the boat tour around the lake. The day started with my normal pastry and café au lait search. The boat tour was in French and “English”, but both Renee and I understood more of the French (but his English was still better than my French). We then hiked up to the castle and walked the entire old town. Many richly colored buildings in the old town make for beautiful views as you as you turn corners. We then stopped back at the hotel and headed to a bookstore and Renee was lost for an hour (and could have stayed for the day), and I may managed to seek in an espresso or two while she was looking at French books.

Annecy France, Day 1

The drive from Besancon to Annecy was rainy and mostly uneventful.  The scenery along the route is beautiful, but with rain and driving at 80+mph I did not get to see much we also past through many tunnels some over 2 miles long.  We arrived in Annecy to a maze of one-way streets, the GPS was worth every penny!  We checked into Hotel Alexandra and it's nice, friendly and clean and about the size of a bed.  Ou car is parked 200 yards away.  We arrived about 3pm and have been walking around since.  We stopped for dinner at a pizzeria and it was good, we walked a few more miles and no it's time to unwind and have a last wine for the day.

Drive day - from Rothenburg, Germany to Besancon France

So today was the start of driving to Annecy France, we put in about 500k of driving (300+ miles) with many short stops along the way.  We stopped in Baden Baden for a few supplies and a short walk around the town.  We visited Stiftskirche Church and saw a 15c crucifix  
 
The drive was through part of the black forest and it brought back many memories from our life here.  We then crossed the border into France and it still has a "going home" feeling to it.  We hit a gas station for a bathroom break and coffee to help me make the trip.  We got stuck looking at books, food and other "essentials of life", even the French gas stations have more educational material than most stores in the US.  We then checked out or Ibis hotel (small, clean and friendly staff and not much else to say about it) and then headed into Besancon (a 6 mile drive).  About 2 hours later still looking for a place to part and a restaurant I decided I had enough of one ways that are 6 feet wide (about 2 inches more than the car).  We stopped at a grocery store and had a dinner and purchased supplies and were back to the hotel before 10pm.  I enjoyed mot of the day, but I am looking forward to less driving and more sight-seeing.

Rothenburg, Germany: If you don't like the weather wait a minute.

Renee and I sent another wonderful day in Rothenburg, It started with a hearty German breakfast of hard rolls, meats, cheeses, yogurt, boiled eggs and strong black coffee.  Although less than ideal for a low carb, low animal protean diabetic, I loved it.  That gave me the strength to walk a few miles to a grocery store (most of the time was looking for one) and back to the hotel in pouring rain. Then we headed into the old town with raincoats and umbrellas in hand.  It was sunny for first hour.  We had a very nice lunch at an Italian restaurant, Renee having minestrone soup and a salad and I having a salad and spinach omelet.  We then waited in the pouring rain for a walking tour.  The sun and rain mixed it up for the entire 90 minute tour which was well worth the time.  We then got coffee and started looking for a craftsmen's museum.  A house that dates from 12c with period furniture, a nice 20 minute diversion.   We found quick dinner and looked for a bakeshop (for me) and walked back to the hotel in sun and rain.

A long long day with many rewards.

It's been a long long day, it started in Detroit followed by this in Charlotte, NC

The food on the US Air was the worst ever, the kid behind Renee was throwing up, otherwise an uneventful flight.  The flight was followed by renting a car and multiple traffic jams trying to get around Germany.  Light rain and lots of accidents.  It's been a few years since I drove a stick shift and a few more years since I drove in Germany, and I am glad I was not the root cause of any of the traffic problems.  Once we got going we stopped in Wurzburg Germany to stretch our legs before getting back on the road.

While on the road we "remembered" the hard way that nothing but gas stations are open.  No chance to buy water or fruit for the drive or our hotel room.  We did make it to Rothenburg where we found our hotel, walked a few miles around town, had coffee and tea outside and then walked some more and then had a nice dinner.  I then when out and walked some more and had a beer.  I'm now back in the hotel with Renee and all is well in the world.

I did a 7:30 walk of the fortified wall around Rothenburg, what a great way to see the city.