March 04, 2011: Grenoble - Jet Lag (Still), Sunshine, Shopping

Still jetlagged - I went back to bed a couple of hours after Mark left for work. Which meant I was still sleeping when a woman came by to change the linens - it turns out that we get fresh sheets and towels every Friday. Which is great, but it was a bit embarrassing to stumble downstairs bleary-eyed and not be able to explain myself in French.

I was going to finally shop at the nearby outdoor farmer's market, but by the time I got there at 2:00 it had closed down. So instead I went for a walk up to the river. It was gorgeously sunny - so much so that I took off my gloves and unzipped my jacket.

It was nice to finally see more of the downtown than the route from our apartment to the train station. As I had assumed it is lovely - beautiful old buildings, quaint pedestrian-only streets, and a tremendous multitude of restaurants of all types. The river was wide, lightly turquoise and fairly placid. I passed under the télépherique that carries people up the mountain to the Bastille - looks like fun! I crossed over the river on one of the many bridges, then crossed back again. I stopped in at a tourism office - surprisingly few pamphlets there. I also stopped in at Maison de la Montagne, where I got a bit of information about hiking in the area.

Then back to Monoprix for another round of shopping - I'm slowly acquiring all the household items I won't be able to get at the market (like dishwasher soap, paper towels, etc). I correctly guessed when the cashier asked if I had an affinity card, and pulled it out (I had just filled out the form for one the day before).

Supper was roasted potatoes tossed with fresh spinach and dressing (made from an interesting mustard with nettle tips and balsamic vinegar) with the other half of the cassoulet. I realize now that we had just eaten the sausage portion of the cassoulet the night before - in spooning it out I discovered that there was an entire duck leg still buried, complete with the bone. Delicious.

 

Our apartment - a beautiful old building, with about 20 units

 

 Ontario Restaurant! You can't see it for the reflection, but on the window it says "Salmon & Steak Country"

 

Probably the prettiest bridge over the river

 

The télépherique

 

A fountain with crazy bat-winged creatures - I'll have to find out more about this