22 CRUSEILLES.
tached rock, and forms a picturesque object
on approaching the town. In former
times this small town was the scene
of many contests, being situated in a pass
which commands the entry from Geneva
into the western part of Savoy. It was
necessary to rest our horses after the heavy
ascent up Mount Sion, and as we did not expect
to arrive at Chateau Duing in time for
dinner, we determined to take some refreshment
ourselves. We had here a specimen of
the accommodations that may be expected
in a country inn in Savoy. The bill of fare
was not unpromising. Soup, boiled beef,
fried potatoes, roast veal, and asparagus, a
desert of cheese, cakes and apples, with
wine and coffee ; for all which the charge
for two persons was only three franks eight
sous, or two shillings and ten pence, English.
This sounds very well, but in reality
a more tantalizing repast could scarcelybe
imagined. The soup was little more than
hot water, with slices of bread and lumps
of butter floating at top. The boiled bee;f
a miserable morsel, concocted to stringy
fibres. The fried potatoes were not amiss,
but the veal was a small plate of very inferior
meat. The asparagus consisted of
eight heads of that vegetable, ranged in
ANNECY.
due order. The wine, coffee, and desert
did not dishonour the other parts of the
repast, which was served up in a dirty bedchamber.
From Cruseilles the descent to Annecy
is rapid, the road making repeated zigzags
and windings, like those on the Semplon.
Several bridges are thrown over the
ravines,to shorten and facilitate the descent.
One of these, called the Pont de la Caille,
is higher and much longer than Highgate
archway, which it resembles. It is so narrow
and so slightly built, that it seemed
unable to resist the force of the mountain
torrents or falling stones, to which it is frequently
exposed : it had been recently much
injured, and we found it impassable ; this
obliged us to make a circuitous detour along
the ravine before we could regain the main
road. These valleys and ravines were
beautifully wooded, and exhibited a great
variety of striking and picturesque landscapes.
In about two hours and a half after
leaving Cruseilles, we descended into a
fertile plain, and soon entered the city of
Annecy, situated at the northern extremity
of the lake. The architecture throughout
c 4