“Tell me the story
about how the moon loved the sun so much…
…that she died every night, just to let him breathe”
A twist on Hanako Ishii’s quote
She was the type to fall in love with the sun and everything that was beautifully unreachable. She’s not bubbly like the sun, for life has brought too much sorrow. A sensitive soul that experienced too much before it was ready, her smile no longer reaches her eyes.
“Can you truly smile again after such sadness?” she asks, “can you light up the day like the sun?”
I’m not a bubbly person. I am complex, deep and sometimes withdrawn and because of this, I wouldn’t say I could be described as bubbly all the time. Yes, I feel happiness, excitement and all those feelings, but overall I am more melancholic.
I think everyone feels these kind of insecurities every so often and as corny as it sounds, you just have to accept being you and focus on the positive things you can bring to someone’s life. So instead of shining like the sun for everyone, I muster up whatever light I have and shine like the moon for the special people in my life, quietly in the background to light up their darkest hours.
She’s a traveller. A wonderer. The winding canals pique her interest to discover every hidden corner of this beautiful town. She gets lost amongst the artisan markets, the boutiques, French cuisine, a smiling face, the blooming flowers.
Where someone gets lost, they open themselves up to being found and just like that the winding streets and gushing canals start calling her, leading her. As she follows, a calm walk breaks into a brisk jog as the pull gets stronger, faster.
A sudden stop. She’s here and all is silent. A wide open space where rolling mountains frame an aqua lake that disappears beneath the fog and into the horizon. There’s nothing but the sound of rowboats lapping the waves. It is peaceful, it is still.
Suddenly she’s not lost. She is found. She is free.
Welcome to Annecy
Okay, so if I’m being really honest I went to France with the hope of being swept away by a romantic French boy and living happily forever after, sailing on a white yacht along the Côte d’Azur.
Turns out things didn’t happen that way, but instead my heart was beyond fulfilled with other things.
When you think of France, you tend to think of Paris and whilst Paris is beautiful, there is so much more to France than just Paris. France surprised me and kept me guessing but most of all, it was beautifully picturesque in it’s every facet.
Annecy is no different – it’s absolutely gorgeous and relatively unheard of which means less tourists! Bonus :D
How to get there
If you’re travelling from Paris, getting to Annecy is really easy. There is a direct TVG from Paris to Annecy which takes approximately 4 hours.
I on the other hand came from Cassis, which is a slightly more complicated journey. Even though Cassis is closer to Annecy than Paris (I recommend going by car if you have one, it will save you half the time) there is no direct train, which meant quite a few train transfers:
Cassis to Marseille St Charles
Marseille St Charles to Lyon Part-Dieu
Lyon Part-Dieu to Annecy
I recommend you book via Trainline – it will work out the entire journey under one ticket, plus you can download the app and have everything stored on your phone in one place; super handy when you have multiple tickets from travelling all over Europe/France.
The trip in total took approximately 4.5 hours and cost €51, but the earlier you book in advanced, the cheaper!
Where to stay
I had booked a place on AirBnB for my stay in Annecy which was adequate for one night, but I probably wouldn’t stay there again. My main reason for this was that the apartment was located outside of the old town and even though it was only a 10-15min walk into the old town, it just wasn’t the same. I highly recommend finding a place inside the old town.
WHat to discover
I only spent about a day in Annecy, which was definitely not enough. In any case here are my recommendations:
1. Vieille Ville – Located on the Thiou river, the old town of Annecy is gorgeous with it’s historic medieval architecture, canals and blooming florals. I encourage you to discover every nook and cranny of the little passageways and admire the beautiful architecture – remember to take pics! On Tuesdays, there is a fresh food market adding an extra burst of colour to the streets, along with numerous boulangeries, patisseries and artisan food shops.
2. Palais de l’Île – Possibly the most famous landmark in Annecy, I was so so so sad that it was under construction when I visited. Regardless, you must go and take a photo – this spot is one of the most photographed spots in France. Through its history, the Palais de I’lle has been a palace, prison, warehouse, barracks and today it exists as an exhibition space detailing the history of Annecy’s architecture, so you can have all sorts of fun browsing old courtrooms, dungeons, cells and a chapel.
Under construction :'(
3. Chateau d’Annecy – Due to time constraints, I didn’t get a chance to go inside the castle, but I made my way up to admire the terrace views. If you’re wondering what’s inside, you’ll find a museum depicting the lives of the rulers of Savoy.
4. Lake Annecy – Possibly the most beautiful lake I have seen in my life so far, Lake Annecy has crystal clear waters and is framed by snow capped mountains. Surrounding the lake is a vast expanse of parkland, where you’ll find numerous groups of youths chilling and playing sports by the lake. Next time I plan to ride the little paddle boats across the lake.
5. While you’re strolling around Lake Annecy, make sure to visit the Jardins de l’Europe. During my walk through the gardens, I stumbled across a beautiful building which ended up being a hotel called L’Imperial Palace.
If you’re able to spend more time in Annecy, there are many water sports, lake/canal cruises, hikes in the mountains and a number of other activities to do by the lake.
View of Chateau d’Annecy from the Jardins de l’Europe
6. Eat!! I will continue this in the next section, but there are just so many good thing to try around every corner. Just eat everything.
Where to fill the belly
Lunch – L’auberge du Lyonnais
Overall Rating: ★★★.5
Nice food, absolutely beautiful location, friendly and prompt service – wait staff speak English.
DINNER – L’APPART DU DIX-SEPT
Overall Rating: ★★★★
Nice homely food – desert was particularly delicious! Funky interior with it’s own vibe going on, the restaurant itself is hidden, located up a staircase inside one of the beautiful old town buildings – it was great to be able to go inside of one! Friendly service – wait staff speak English.
SNACKs – Glacier artisanal La Fabbrica di Gelato
Overall Rating: ★★★★
This place instantly stood out for me because of the creative ways in which they sold their gelato. The display was so cute that I couldn’t go past these gelato pops!
If there’s one fashion item I always, always get compliments on it’s this one. No matter if it’s from people at work or randoms at a cafe. I actually purchased this top quite a while ago, but I still love wearing it – and I still get the compliments. Why you ask?
I think it has a lot to do with rockin’ your own personal style. I guess Siree and I have always branded ourselves as “fashion” bloggers, but I believe the correct term is that we’re style bloggers. We love to share our personal style with you guys, regardless of whether it’s the latest thing in fashion and we hope you guys enjoy it too.
The great thing about having your own style is that it never goes out of fashion. And at the same time we never have to be on top of the latest “fashion” or adopt trends we don’t like just for the sake of staying relevant and timely on our blog.
Unlike Siree, I have a serious lack of winter clothes! I find winter too cold that I often opt for comfort rather than style (I know, the blasphemy!).
It’s still pretty cold in Sydney and during one of my winter hauls, I found these cute polkadot pants from Zara. Loving the vintage vibes, I bought them! Also on sale (and also from Zara) I found my new favourite blouse. The photos don’t show it that well, but it’s a really nice, casual-chic looking blouse and I absolutely love the tiny button detailing.
On a side note, this was the last shoot I did in my apartment! Two weekends ago I moved back home with the ‘rents for a myriad of different reasons – my apartment block was going to be knocked down at some point in the near future, my house mate was moving out and finding a new one is a tedious and terrible process and also, I’m going to France in a month and the prospect of paying rent while being on holiday with the possibility of not having a house mate – or a new one that I would know nothing about – wasn’t a pleasant one.
So here I am, feeling like I’ve taken a step back in life, but marching on full forward regardless.
I love how magical this shoot turned out! I got this maxi dress from a cute little pop up store in Bondi called The Cherry Shop. I absolutely love the details on this dress especially the little shell-like buttons that line down the center and diverge into the split.
The shoes perfectly match this dress and I love how much detail has gone into these sandals. There are so many different textures and materials used, yet the shoes still remain relatively simple looking. If you’re interested, these little numbers were from Aldo.
If there is anything I find myself slightly obsessing over these days it’s lipsticks. I don’t know if it’s a coming of age thing now that I’m past my mid twenties but seriously, give me them all. I have no time for sticky glosses, only a one time intense affair with colour, thank you.
Whilst I feel like a complete poser in the above pout shots, it’s really all for your benefit. Behind the above illusion are naturally thin lips and no one wants to see that in a lipstick review. Just be thankful I didn’t go all Kylie Jenner on you. Besides dear readers, I’m wearing lipstick, let me flaunt it!
Colour: ✩✩✩✩
Intense colour that lasts. A good matte finish but not as good as my MAC Ruby Woo.
Texture: ✩✩✩
Love the light velvety feel of this formula, it’s a pleasure to wear and glides on with ease. My lips feel soft and moisturised, which is refreshing for a matte lipstick.
Unfortunately, this formula is unforgiving if your lips are not perfectly smooth, tending to gather in cracks or dry skin and accentuating them. This formula lacks the coverage that some other lipsticks provide.
Packaging: ✩✩✩
I think the packaging is really cute and funky, and definitely suits a younger vibe well. Whilst I prefer to carry a more elegant looking lipstick on my nights out, there is a nice, casual, everyday feel about this packaging.
My bag tends to be a permanent home for my favourite lipsticks and they are often mistreated in and abouts the other items thrown into my bag. It really is a game of survival for my lipsticks and I typically prefer a magnetic cap (not a feature of 3CE lip crayons) to ensure the lids don’t fall off.
Run by two travel and lifestyle bloggers, The Hidden Thimble focus’ on creating truthful and in-depth travel guides, food & beauty reviews. Enjoy drool-worthy photography from around the world!
