When I posted last month after visiting Venice, travel looked a lot more feasible and inviting than it does now. In November, I had plans to take a Christmas Market River Cruise on the Danube. By early December, a holiday blending of Delta Surges and Omicron Oozes sent a death blow to Christmas markets all over Europe.
Luckily for my wallet, Ama Waterways has a decent cancellation policy. I was able to cancel the cruise and get full credit towards another cruise in 2022 or 2023. So, stay tuned for what I decide to do on that front. My other luck was making a new friend in the wonderful Sarah who lives in the Jura region of France. She invited me to spend Christmas in her beautiful town of Seyssel and explore the area.
On 18 December, I headed first to Paris. There was an art exhibit I wanted to see.
As the saying goes, Paris is always a good idea. This holds for the Christmas season as well. I did hope to see wonderful light installations and fabulous decorations, and on this, and only this, I was a bit disappointed. There were lights, but nothing that made you go “ooohhhhhhhhhh!” Walking around after dark did make for some pretty night shots.
The exhibit I saw was the Morozov Collection. It is a collection of French and Russian modern and impressionist art that, according to those who write about such things, is unlikely ever to be repeated. It was worth the trip to Paris (for me, being only 2 hours away now). There were a lot of works by people we’ve all heard of (Renoir, Monet, Matisse, etc.) and some new names I look forward to seeing in some other museums. The real jewel was one of Van Gogh’s final works, The Prisoners. Very sad when you learn he was in the asylum just before he painted it and only two months before ending his own life. It’s a powerful piece.
The museum, The Louis Vitton Foundation, is a work of art in itself. Designed by Frank Gehry, the style is familiar. Yes, he’s the same guy that did buidlings/structures in Barcelona, New York, Chicago, Bilbao and more. It would be great to return here to see it on a less gray day.
After a few days in Paris, I headed South and East to the Jura region. This picturesque area is at the foot of the Alps and is a great place to visit.
On my first morning, I was up early and took a walk down the hill to the town of Seyssel and the skies greeted me with a lovely picture.
After my walk, the wonderful Sara loaned me her car to head off to Annecy. Four hours is NOT enough time in this special town. I could easily spend a couple of days exploring all the small streets and, yes, canals. I am looking forward to visiting this special town again. Maybe in Spring?
Annecy also had a small Christmas market that was fun to walk around. The rockin’ elves in the town put everyone in the Christmas spirit. Hit play if it doesn’t start automatically. I promise, it’s a short video.
There is something about snow and the holidays. I know this is Northern Hemisphere bias, but during the holidays I will admit to bias. Especially when you get to experience them around mountains like this. It did not snow while I was there, but the recently fallen (and now melting) snow did create for some challenging driving at higher altitudes. Sarah’s little Opel was not designed for what we asked of it one one day and we got stuck. I should have taken a picture of the car stuck on the ice, but just walking on it was hard enough. I wasn’t about to try to walk with the camera. We eventually got out, using fallen tree branches as traction and myself as weight in the back. Lesson learned…well, maybe. The scenery was spectacular and our little adventure made for great story telling.
The fearless Opel 
The Fearless Sarah 
My last couple of days were a wonderful mixture of Christmas eve celebrations in Genevea and the lights of Seyssel and a quick daytrip for lunch to Chamonix. Christmas eve was beautifully clear and crisp, making night shots perfect and Chamonix is a great place to really feel like it’s winter. I got to try my first raclette (a dish of melted cheese, charcuterie and potatoes) and see some amazing vistas.
Click on the arrows for a quick slide show.
Now, on this last day of 2021, looking back, it wasn’t so bad. I got to a few new places, made new friends and, stayed healthy. I think we all look forward to a world-wide improvement in health, welfare and travel for the new year. Please stay safe, love your family and friends, and keep looking for reasons to expand your horizons. I hope to have some interesting things to share with you, but don’t want to jynx anything now.
Much love to all.
