Before I arrived in Évian-les-Bains I expected nothing. Literally nothing. I thought all this city could ever offer was their famous fresh water. Fortunately, there were more than that. Unlike Paris, Evian was actually a very peaceful city. I'm not sure about the exact population of this town, but it was certainly not a crowded place like many others in France. It was a very slow moving city, people were so calm, everyone seem to take their time in everything they do and extremely laid-back. Everywhere you go, you'll see people walking their dogs, children running around, old couple having picnic and simply enjoying the landscape.
The environment was extraordinary. The weather during the summer was terrific; on a good day, all you really need are a pair of short, a t-shirt and a jacket.The city itself was throughly soothing, subtle and definitely not a city for young people. The town was rather quiet and nothing too crazy. Most of their houses were made out of stone with small wooden balconies. The streets were very narrow and all kind of trees and flowers bloomed along both side of the road. Small corner shops, cafes and restaurants existed in every corner of the street for both locals and tourists to enjoy. It's a perfect location for any get-away vacation, far from all the craziness in big cities. It's more like a place where you'd go to loosen up and relax, a place where you can really close your eyes and worry about nothing. This city was exceedingly breathtaking, it was so beautiful that I wish I could freeze the time.
I stayed at Savoy Hôtel Evian and enjoyed it a lot. I'll be in Europe for almost a month, so if I actually stay at some luxurious hotel then without a doubt, I'll be so broke by the time I go home. I think it's unnecessary to stay anywhere expensive anyway, because if you're actually traveling, you will spent most of my day outside, see all the attractions and do all kind of outdoor activities so, you'll only really need your room to sleep. Having said that, if you're rich and have the money to spare then go for extravagant hotel if you want to, I'm sure it will be worth it, especially for city like Evian. Anyway, I liked this hotel so much, because it the room was very big its price (It was 150 Euros a night), it was really clean and the staff were extremely friendly. They got amazing capuccino for breakfast! I didn't know it was possible for a low-price hotel's coffee to taste that awesome. The hotel located in the heart of Evian, in front of Lac Geneva (Léman), a few minutes walk from the Thermals and Casino of Evian, one of the most walkable area in the city. There were many restaurants surrounded the hotel and small neighbours on every corners. The neighbourhood were so cute, they were small shops which sell all sort of thing everywhere; from a keychain to beautiful art works.
While I was walking through 2 rue Nationale, I ran into an adorable art Gallery that runs by Sonia Laden. She was one talented artist. Her art works consisted of human-like cartoon characters. She explores famous paintings from history (e.g. The Mona Lisa) by combining her own ideas and the original piece together, created a new form of art work which I would say similar to appropriation arts. Her works were mostly done with dry pastels. I purchased a print of "The Venus Bouchticelli", because the original piece will probably cost over a thousand euros so obviously, I couldn't afford it (well, not now at least ;P). It's a very beautiful print nonetheless. The artist was really friendly and so down to earth, it was amazing that I got a chance to meet to her.
I dined at La Ferme des Alpes (literally two minutes walk from my hotel), a very cute wooden restaurant that gave a unique feel of Evian-les-Bains' olden days. The restaurant had a cottage style, warm decorations which conveyed a very present atmosphere. The waiters were really sociable and outstandingly friendly. They provided great service, although it was pretty slowly but I guess that was just the pace of this city. Nevertheless, their food were extremely delicious. I'm one of those people that prefer to try out diverse kind of food and different type of restaurant however, La Ferme des Alpes was so good that I had to go back again the second night. I ordered Charcuterie de Savoyard, simply because that is what they're famous for. It was a very mouth-watering meal. It just melty into my mouth like silk, it was not too salty and perfect to paired with a glass of white wine. The second night, I ordered Salade des Aravis and it didn't disappoint me one bit. Their cheese was so rich, so full, very dense but super chewy at the same time. It was overall a very great restaurant and I highly recommend it!
I also visited Yvoire, which was 30 minutes away from Evian, located on the French side of Lac Geneva. Like many other small towns, when you don't expect much from them, they tend to surprise you with the most incredible scenery to see and history to learn. Yvoire just happened to be one of those. I visited church of St Pancras and The Garden of Five Sense, which were splendid! I honestly was so shocked at how admirable this town was. Stone houses with adorable balconies, charming flowery streets, cute little cafes around every corner of each road and amazing clear water. It was definitely a horticultural town. It's one of those city that you can truly take a breath of fresh air. The scenery was more than words could ever say. Every corner of the road will surprise you with similar aura, yet different in so many ways. I think it's a perfect day trip if you're either in Evian or Geneva, because not only that it would be a short ride but this town will seriously calm single cell in your body. It was that awesome.
Initially, I was on the way to visit Geneva in Switzerland, but I'm really glad I stopped by. Not only that I got to see more places, but I actually enjoyed myself and I haven't felt truly relaxed in a very long time. I can seriously imagine little old me living here in the next 50 years or so :) I think sometimes the journey to where you wanted to go is better than the final destination itself, so never be afraid to make any unanticipated decision that may cross your path.
❤
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