Postcard from Europe, volume 1: Annecy - postmarked 04 March 2023

The majority of my travels in the past years has seen me spend each vacation in only one or two countries, before returning home. I turned this habit on its head this time by visiting, in order, Lyon, Annecy, Chamonix, Milano, Basel, Metz, Lichfield, St-Helens and London, with day trips to Martigny, Liverpool, Llundenon and Conwy. Thirteen cities in five countries in five weeks. 

I am accustomed to, and enjoy, the smaller cities having an Old Town, with their pedestrian-only streets and lanes, most often dating back over 500 years. Because they are free of cars, we usually see crowds of people shopping for basic necessities and otherwise, or sitting in the outdoor cafés for a meal, a smoke, or drinks.

What surprised me recently is that the larger cities have caught on. What were previously downtown streets and boulevards have been completely converted to pedestrian-only shopping districts. Even in Milano, Liverpool and London, all of these being large cities, we can walk around freely, not just on one shopping street, but on a network of many wide criss-crossing downtown streets, the roads completely converted to stone or tile, so that there are no longer distinctions apparent between streets and sidewalks. What is remarkable is that, day and night, there are thousands of people, tourists and locals alike, who are buzzing about everywhere. Buskers are entertaining folks with their performances, musicians with their songs, and magicians with their sleight of hand.

It's difficult for me to understand why Montreal doesn't do the same: eliminating the cars, street and sidewalk from Ste-Catherine Street would do wonders for business, from what I have seen multiple times in Europe. 

Before beginning three weeks of intense skiing in the Alps, I thought it practical to chill for the first three days immediately after arriving overseas, in order to get over jet lag, and only afterward make our way to Chamonix. Two days in Lyon, where our plane touched down, followed by 24 hours in Annecy, a quaint town that I had traveled through by bus frequently over the years, when connecting between the airport in Geneva and the ski resorts in the Alps. I had so many times made a mental note that I must spend time one day in this village, which lies along the impressive Lac Annecy. That day finally arrived as we disembarked from the train that brought us here from Lyon.

 

I found it odd, when booking our hotel two weeks before that so many of the town's hotels and inns were sold out. And then, when going for a walk into the Old Town, why were there throngs of people strolling in every direction? Was this typical for an early spring Saturday afternoon in Annecy? It didn't take very long for the answer to reveal itself: this weekend, Annecy was hosting its annual Venetian Carnaval, a two-and-a-half-day outdoor show of costumed and masked actors, who dress the parts of famous personalities of the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s European history. 

Annecy has been called the Alpine Venetia for centuries, with its canals crossing the historic town, hence the idea for a Venetian carnival. What serendipitous luck that our one-day stopover coincided with this amazing annual feast for the eyes. The very elaborate and colourful handmade costumes and masks are so intricately detailed that one needs to see each actor up close for several minutes to fully appreciate what is happening. I can speculate that each costume must have cost a couple of thousand dollars to construct and sew. 

I suppose there are about 200 such actors and actresses playing the parts of Marie Antoinette, Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier, or King Louis XV. During the two weekend afternoons, all the actors parade, in slow motion, along the lakeside, ultimately traversing a stage where they are introduced by an M.C., their characters briefly described, all in French, bien-sûr. There are thousands of spectators, nearly all taking photos. None of the actors speak a word. They mingle in the huge park adjacent to the lake after they've paraded, giving everybody additional photo opportunities. Finally, they slowly scatter, most of them strolling through the Old Town, only a few minutes away, for more photos or selfies with the personages, and just plain gazing.

I am always inspired by creative geniuses that imagine, in their minds, what can be accomplished. Some portion of them realize their dreams, possibly after many setbacks and rejections from the ruling or funding decision-makers. And then only a smaller portion of these events or shows do I manage to attend or witness by happenstance. Perhaps it is now time for me to actively seek out such marvelous expositions of creativity.

Barry