I am sitting on a pillow, with my back against the radiator – I am gloriously warm right now! This afternoon was mostly sunny, and I sat in the sun streaming through the salon windows doing homework, until my reading caused my eyelids to droop, then I took a nap. All and all, this has been a swell weekend!
Thursday night, a local DJ invited all of the American students to “Back to the Future” – a gig he was playing in downtown Grenoble. He’s friends with Bryan’s host brother, which is the connection to American students! Quite a few of us met up downtown and found the place. It was a late night, but we all had a good time hanging out and dancing to electronica music.
Fridays, I only have vocabulary class at 10:30, so I not only did I get to sleep in, but I also got to hang out with mes amis the afternoon. We went to a great kebab shop in downtown, right by the McDonalds – which we’ve all sworn off, though Annie was yearning for a chocolate milkshake! The food was delicious – very Mediterranean: shaved, roasted lamb, focaccia bread, salad with red onions and tomatoes, fries, and tzatziki sauce. It wasn’t horribly overpriced either! Bryan, Adrian, and I then headed to the apartment where Adrian’s host family lives, to do homework, which I am pleased to say I actually accomplished! However, on the way there, we walked by a bookshop with cartons of books out front labeled: €1 par 2 livres – 2 books for 1 euro! I had to look!!! I found this beautiful old book, which happened to be Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in French. I couldn’t resist – I love old books, especially handsome old books, and especially classics, plus it’s in French! So, I got a screaming deal on a fabulous book, plus another one for free! I’m still excited!
Saturday morning, we met up with Paul like most weekends, for an outing. However, this time we left the city limits! We met up between 11 and 11:30 at the bus station (Gare Routière). Claire thought I was crazy for leaving the house an hour early, but I explained that I wasn’t sure of how to get where I was going, so I preferred to be early. She understood, but asked me when I got home if I’d been early – I was about a half an hour early! But I explored the area a bit, and then saw Paul, who was a few minutes early, and waited with him for everyone else to show up. We took the 11:45 bus to Vizille, a village southeast of Grenoble. There, we had lunch at an alpine/Asian themed pizzeria, before visiting the Chateau de Vizille. Originally built for the noblesse, it became the summer vacation house for the presidents of the French Republic, up through de Gaulle. Now, the building houses la Musée de la Révolution Française, and the grounds are a beautiful public park. Entrance to the museum is free, though there are headsets to rent and the obligatory gift shop. We spent some over an hour wandering through the chateau, regarding paintings, sculpture, and artifacts pertaining to the French Revolution. My favorite, for its obscurity, was a painting of a man drawing Marie-Antoinette as she’d being carted past his window to her execution – bizarre.
We had just enough time after buying postcards at the gift shop, to stop for ice cream. Those of us who thought everyone else was crazy for eating ice cream when it was so cold had hot chocolate, or tea instead. I’ll wait for warmer weather for cold treats, thanks! Then we caught the bus back to Grenoble. Paul’s beautiful rental car took some of us home – those of us who live outside downtown. Paul and Victor are much more than just professors, they both defy straightforward definitions. I’ll be sad when Paul leaves, and very excited when Victor get here! If only Paul wouldn’t continue to assign us homework after he leaves – that’s just wrong! Oh well, I’ve realized that writing in French is one of the best ways to learn vocabulary and practice syntax – my journal is in French, I hope I can read it after a few years have gone by!
Well, I have classes tomorrow, so I’d bettered get to bed. My plan for the morning is: wake up, Pilates workout, shower, breakfast, to the university by 10:30. As long as I don’t hit snooze, all will go as planned – when does that ever happen?!
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