Grenoble

Tuesday we had a leisurely morning, slept in, and then had a walking tour of the old and central part of town by Jamie, Jenna's cousin. We picked up tickets at the tourist office for a few things we wanted to do, and then had a delicious coffee (la russe) in a bowl.

Jenna and I then took the funicular (or téléphérique in French) to the top of La Bastille, a fortress on a hill at the south end of the Chartreuse mountain range. It was so cold and rainy that we didn't enjoy the outdoors much, and went directly into the restaurant to sip on some vin rouge. We could see the city of Grenoble and were purposefully there from daytime to nighttime to enjoy both views. Unfortunately because of the weather we couldn't see any of the mountains in the distance. It's kind of sad being at the foot of the Alps and not being able to see them. Apparently you can even seen Mont Blanc from their balcony on a clear day. Warren (Jamie's husband) showed us some photos they took just a week ago. Breathtaking views that the weather is not allowing us to enjoy.

On the way back down we decided to try a pizza place along the river. Apparently there are a ton, and some of them are just fronts for mafioso activity. Or at least they used to be. We found a legit restaurant and had tasty pizza. But first we stopped in a Cuban bar that was playing Brazilian music. I asked if they had any French beer and the bartender laughed at me. A similar reaction Sophie gave me when I asked her the same question. I know the French aren't known for their beer but I still want to try it! We had a Belgian beer at the bar, and then amazing pizza at a restaurant nearby.

I had been looking for a chardonnay to toast to my mom all day, with no luck. So Jenna messaged Jamie to ask where we could find some, and she put a bottle in the fridge for us. So when Jenna and I got home we all toasted to my mom and her birthday. It was nice, and the wine was really good. My mom would have loved it.

A little while later Jamie gave us options of what we could do (watch a movie, play Just Dance). Just Dance? What's that? I soon found out. So fun. Jenna and I worked up a sweat and off our pizza. Then Jamie and one of her four daughters came and joined in.

Around 10pm we heard a lot of noise from the street, and found out later from Warren that they were celebrating France's qualification into the World Cup.