After a busy day yesterday, we decided to sleep in for a while and get down to breakfast just before they closed up at 0930h. This worked well, and then we caught a bit more sleep after we returned and put the Do Not Distrub sign on the door. So by 1100h, we were ready and raring to face another day!

Today we would head north to the other big lake in the region, Lac de Bourget, on which Aix-les-Bains is located. But we would head up the other side of the lake to Abbaye d'Hautecombe. As we neared the area where the Abbaye is located, we checked Google Maps and received the message that the Abbaye was closed between noon and 1400h each day (we later learned that this was for the daily noon Mass). So we took our time, and when we arrived we headed down towards the lake, where we found a series of jetties and a ferry terminal. The view of the Abbaye from the jetties gave a feeling for the isolation of the site.

Behind this dock area, we saw an old wagon, and the use of this area in years gone by became a little clearer. We had read that in the early days, access to the Abbaye was mainly by water, so this area must have been where people and supplies arrived, with goods unloaded onto the wagon for the 200m trip up the hill to the main Abbaye buildings.

While we were down by the lake, and with an hour yet to pass before the Abbaye opened after Mass, Rita decided to take a break from the heat and find a shady place to relax. And we were very fortunate to find an old tree trunk and some grass right next to the water, with a good view of the Abbaye.

We also found a large building, which looked like a stone storage shed that was now being used for an art exhibition. Under this building, near the jetties, we found a little channel from the lake that went under the building and was fronted by huge iron gates. By going under the building from another entrance, we could see that the area behind the gates was actually a small dock, with stairs and lifting slings.

Rita decided to do some serious relaxing, and before long she was off with the fairies!

As 1400h rolled around, I woke Rita and we headed up the hill to the Abbaye entrance, and bought our tickets for the tour of the Chapel. We were then asked to wait a little while until the next tour started. The detail on the outside of the chapel promised an interesting experience.

After a little while, we were invited into the chapel entrance and the audioguides were explained to us. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos inside, so I grabbed the one below from the internet to illustrate what we saw as we entered the main chapel. The detail was incredible, with so much to look at, at various scales from the grand to the minute. The netting above us was to provide protection from the ongoing renovation works.

After about an hour, including some time in the gift shop, we left the Abbaye, satisfied with what we had seen and heard. As we headed back to the car, I captured this view over a stone wall of the roof of the old living quarters and the mountains on the other side of the lake, which I thought made an interesting juxtposition.

However, on walking up to the wall and holding the camera up above it, I got a third dimension to this juxtaposition, with all the tents being used as living quarters for the many pilgrims who make the trip to this ecumenical centre for workshops and religious experiences.

We left the Abbaye around 1600h and headed north, because I'd seen a map on a noticeboard at the Abbaye that indicated that there was a canal connecting Lac de Bourget with the Upper Rhone, near the town of Chanaz. Since I never expected to see anything canal-related on this daytrip, I thought we should not miss the opportunity.

So we drove north along the lake till we reached the village of Portout, then turned left to follow the Canal de Savière to Chanaz. The canal was much bigger than I expected, and crystal clear. There were lots of canoes and paddle-boards, and a couple of larger tourist boats, but no private barges since the Upper Rhone is disconnected from the main river/canal system by the multiple hydro-electric power stations on the river (with no locks incorporated in the barrages). We stopped just short of Chanaz to wait for one of the tourist boats to come by (methinks the paddle-wheel was not doing anything to power the boat).

We then continued into Chanaz, and realised that it is a large tourist town, with lots of cafes and restaurants, a large camping ground, and many people renting electric boats. The view from the bridge over the canal was stunning.

After a cold drink at the local hotel, we went for a walk around town, and the last I saw of Rita was as she entered a brocante on the edge of town. She later appeared carrying a guitar!

We stayed in Chanaz for a couple of hours, and then started on our way home, intending to go down the eastern side of Lac Bourget, where the road clings to the edge of the lake. Just before joining that road, we saw a tank painted as a pigeonairre, and Rita insisted we turn around and get a photo, as inspiration for a mural on the side of our steelband rehearsal room back in Taggerty.

We then continued the trip home, battling our way through the hordes of people out again in the heat, determined to swim in the lake.