How to Do the France the Outdoorsy Way: Climbing, Hiking, Swimming

(Bloomberg) -- At the moment, all of our plans are on hold. But that doesn’t mean here at Bloomberg Pursuits we’re not planning the experiences we’ll rush out to enjoy when it’s safe to do so. We’re sharing our ideas with you in the hopes that they will help inspire you—and we’d love to hear what you are daydreaming about, too. Send us your  ideas at daydreams@bloomberg.net, and we’ll flesh some of them out for this column.

It’s been more than 13 years since I traded suburban Philadelphia for Paris’ densely populated 11th arrondissement. Paris is always a good idea, as the adage goes, and I certainly wasn’t the first writer to agree. (See Hemingway, Stein, and every post-grad with a literature degree.)

Now, as a self-employed journalist and author, I call my 688-square-foot apartment off Place de la République my office, two rambunctious cats my colleagues, and Café Oberkampf, a few blocks over—with its excellent coffee and tahini dark chocolate cookies—my conference room. You’d think quarantine wouldn’t be so challenging, given my adeptness at remote work. But these days my husband has invaded the office, the conference room is closed indefinitely, and just like the cats, we have no clue what day it is.

Beautiful France, which has suffered more than 175,000 cases and 19,744 deaths, is scheduled to begin a gradual re-opening starting on May 11. And over the past weeks of confinement, I’ve been dreaming about nature—specifically, a wide-open outdoor utopia in the Savoie region of France. Like many of my neighbors, all I want to do is frolic.

Specifically, my imagination sends me wedging my bare toes into a sandbank on the edge of the serpentine Lake Annecy, a place I’ve visited before, but only once, and very briefly, almost five years ago on a rest stop en route to the ski town of La Clusaz. Those few hours left an indelible impression of the area’s translucent waters, its crisp air, and the neck-craning beauty of the surrounding Alps glowing in the afternoon sun. This is what freedom feels like, I thought then—and remind myself now. 

If Annecy is where my mind goes to find relief from cramped urban confinement, it’s also the first place on my list to visit as soon as the high-speed trains resume their regular service and the country’s shuttered businesses make their comeback. Its pull reminds me that as a travel writer crisscrossing the globe, I’ve too long overlooked the beauty on my own doorstep. Considering that coronavirus has afforded the environment a deeply needed restart, Lake Annecy and the French countryside may even be more beautiful than I remember. Cue the Sound of Music soundtrack—I’m heading to the hills. 

Part One: Annecy

The journey will start on the eastern shores of Lake Annecy in Talloires. The beautifully preserved Alpine village is home to a property and culinary destination, Auberge du Père Bise, that I have dreamed of visiting since 2018, when I first read about its revival. Founded in 1903 as a modest inn, it’s now a five-star beacon of French hospitality built around a Michelin two-star restaurant. At its helm are 40-year-old chef Jean Sulpice and his wife, Magali, who purchased the property in 2016 and spent two years resorting its every nook and cranny with the help of Parisian designer (and Annecy native) Emilie Bonaventure. 

Unlike the urban spaces she’s most famous for—she designed chef Gregory Marchand’s much-loved Frenchie restaurants in Paris and London—Bonaventure’s botany-inspired vision for the 23-room hotel is all about bringing the outdoors in. It showcases the property’s lakeside and bay views through glass-paneled dining and common areas and augments them with tranquil, natural colors. Throughout the property are herbariums, plant-inspired wall prints, abstract nature photography, and vividly patterned Pierre Frey upholstery. 

It’s not only a feast for the eyes. The waterfront restaurant has become a destination unto itself, focusing on Savoie specialties such as lake fish, milk-fed lamb, and the best Alpine cheeses. After weeks of my minimalist rice-beans-and-pasta routine, a meal here will feel like nothing short of a rebirth. And yes, my husband and I will burn some of it off, too—the area surrounding the property offers enough outdoor activities to replenish all the endorphins we’ve been missing (yoga! trekking! kayaking!). It’ll be the perfect warmup for our hermit bodies before ratcheting up our adventures an hour east, in the premier ski town of Megève. 

Part Two: Into the Mountains

Megève in summer? You bet. The cable cars run year-round, bringing visitors far above wildflower meadows for spectacular views of the always ice-capped Mont Blanc. The ski slopes become hiking trails—a boon for my avid rock-climber husband—and mountainside hotels such as the 30-year-old, rustic-chic Les Fermes de Marie are equally appealing when you walk, rather than ski, your way through the rolling surrounds. 

When the owners, Jocelyne and Jean-Louis Sibuet, set up this collection of nine wooden chalets (made from reclaimed farmhouse timbers) in 1989, they effectively kicked off a transformation in Megève, turning it into not only a five-star destination but a relaxed one—a departure from the stiffness of the usual high-end accommodations in the area. Rooms and common spaces were designed by Jocelyne in quintessential Alpine style—lots of wood, sheepskins, antler decor, plush fabrics, and cozy corners for lounging. If we’re lucky, we’ll get to share a glass and a chat with the Sibuets themselves; they’re often found socializing with guests. 

In town, we’ll make sure to visit the new specialty grocer L’Epicerie des Fermes to pick up picnic provisions, from cheese and wine to fresh produce and such condiments as house-made mountain honey. What a novel idea: nonapocalyptic grocery shopping! 

At night, we’ll go for something far fancier: a meal at Flocons de Sel, Megève’s legendary three-star restaurant and hotel. Chef Emmanuel Renaut, a beloved fixture of the Savoie dining landscape, takes daily jaunts into the hillside searching for herbs and plants to weave into his constantly changing, terroir-focused menus (garlic- and linden-rubbed Aveyron lamb, anyone?). It would be the perfect capstone to our Alps getaway before heading south to Provence’s verdant Luberon valley.

Part Three: Ascents and Descents

If I’ve been itching to get outdoors as a mildly outdoorsy urbanite, my husband has been pining for the crag, as the rock face is called in climber parlance, with an intensity I have rarely seen in our 13 years as a couple. As a nonclimber curious about the sport’s cultlike appeal and the pristine settings, this sedentary period may be just the motivation I need to learn. That will bring us to Buoux, one of France’s preeminent climbing capitals.

We will spend hours outdoors along the sun-drenched limestone and sandstone cliffs—I, a diligent if completely ungainly student; he, exhibiting honorable patience—before making the short drive to Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt, a tiny medieval village perched on an outcrop overlooking the Alpilles mountains. We’ll go to eat, of course: This is where Lise Kvan and Eric Montéléon, a talented young chef duo from Paris, set up their first restaurant, le Saint-Hubert, in an 18th century inn last June. How did they get here? It’s where they landed after RVing across France for a year, in search of the country’s leading farmers, winemakers, cheesemakers, and food artisans. 

The first time I visited, the couple was 10 days out from their inauguration and weren’t ready to cook for guests. But having eaten their food in Paris and followed their adventure on the road, I know what I can expect when I return. It will be market-driven, bright and modern cooking. It will be perfectly Provençal in spirit, prepared with the utmost affection. With a few clinking glasses and the hum of conversation around us, we will know that life à la française has clicked back into place. 

Want to plan your own adventure in France once the pandemic subsides? Reach out to the team at TrufflePig to make it happen. And consider a donation to Institut Pasteur, an iconic French health-care nonprofit that’s following in its namesake’s footsteps in hopes of developing a coronavirus vaccine.

For more daydreaming about France, check out:

The Best Pastries in Paris, According to Top Chefs
Your Travel Guide to Burgundy Wine Country
The Business Travel Guide to Paris
Got $1,000 a Night to Spend in Paris? Try One of These Hotels
Europe's Richest Man Spends $1 Billion on a Department Store
Bordeaux's Legendary Chateaux Are Now Open for Meals and Sleepovers

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