Conquering the French Alps

So in between the two summer sessions, I decided to be bold and go off on my own to the French Alps.  Everyone else was going to either Barcelona or Paris, but I was dying to be out of the city for a little while, so I struck off on my own for what proved to be a one-in-a-lifetime experience.  I arrived in Grenoble on Saturday, and hung out in town getting ready for the next day.  On Sunday, I took the bus to a tiny town in the Vercors National Park, South of Grenoble, and took to the mountain on the first trail I found.  Monday, I ventured out to the Chartreuse National Park, where I did the same.  The physical beauty of these mountains and valleys was absolutely magnificent--the sheer magnitude was truly awe inspiring.  It was a little scary to travel by myself, but it turned out to be one of the greatest experiences I've ever had.  

(P.s, in a bit of a good news/bad news turn, one of my friends dropped his laptop off his desk over the weekend.  The good news there is that he gave me his internet cable, since he obviously won't be using it anymore.  So, I'm connected once again!)

*p.p.s. obviously, I've totally screwed up the formatting on this post.  I still can't figure out how to do pictures with captions.  Anybody with a blog, advice would be greatly appreciated.  (Nathan, if you're reading this, that means you.  Your pictures and captions are perfect.)

 

I could see this other side of this mountain from my Hostel room, and it was just calling me.  On Sunday I took the bus up to a little mountain town and searched until I found a trail up to the summit.  

Some sights from along the alpine trail.  The thing about the French Alps is that there's no where to go but up, so suffice it to say it was strenuous.  But the reward was worth it--I was literally on top of the world, nearly 6000 feet above sea level.  

The next day, I caught the bus (I was the only person on it) up into the Chartreuse region in the North.  In the winter, it's a little ski town, but for now, it was an incredibly lush forest with a great hiking trail along a river.

Some sights along the trail in the Chartreuse

Too bad all the wild strawberries weren't in season.  Fortunately, the wild raspberries were...

Later, when I was waiting in the little town, I made a new curious friend.... Actually, I made two--the second was my bus driver.  The little town of St. Pierre de Chartreuse is 10 km from the middle of nowhere, so I was the only person on the bus going up, and the only person waiting for the bus back in the afternoon.  However, when the bus driver got back on to take us home, we discovered the bus wouldn't start.  I ended up catching a ride back to town with the driver in his own car that he had parked up there.  But anyway, here's my canine friend, who was just so cute, I had to take a picture.  

Avignon, etc.

This week we visited the beautiful neighboring town of Avignon, where we saw the Palais des Papes, great views, and lots of action in town.  I've posted some pics below.  Other highlights of the week--Montpellier is hosting the RadioFrance Music Festival, so I saw a symphony, a pianist, and an opera, all of which were fantastic!  I also got in plenty of excitement before the piano concert, when I was sitting on a bench in front of this huge playground eating a baguette before I had to go in.  Something was kind of going on with this big group of guys in the park like 50 yards away, but I wasn't really paying attention until they actually started fighting--punching, kicking, and then one of them pulled out a knife and stabbed another guy in the leg.  A cop car showed up with 2 cops, but instead of scattering, the guys started trying to beat up the cops, and then more cops came, and started beating them with their baton things, and all the mothers with their poor traumatized children were scattering all over the place.  It was all very dramatic.  I was this close to filming it on my camera for youtube, but I figured it was probably better to give up my front row seat...

Also, the first half of the program is officially over tomorrow, and there's a ton of turnover, so I'll be without internet for a while, at least until late next week, I'm guessing.  I'm going to spend the little break in between sessions in Grenoble, taking day trips to the Vercors, the beautiful mountains around the city.  Miss you all, and I just love getting all your comments! I don't know how to respond to them, but I can chat by e-mail.  I have a blog to keep you updated about what I'm up to, but don't forget to let me know what's going on in your lives!  

Palais des Papes

Festival D'Avignon, the entire month of July is all about the theatre--everyone comes out on the street to show off their talents and lure you into their show.  Try and spot the trumpet player on the merry-go-round.  I also attached a video of another unique sight.  

I know arts and crafts are for kindergartners, but I love this stuff.  I made fresh lavender potpourri (the signature scent of the South) with sprigs from outside our classroom.  The blossoms are tucked on the inside under that ribbon.  They smell amazing!

Nimes/Tour de France

After class on Friday, we took a quick trip to Nimes to check out the ending of one leg of the Tour de France.  The city itself was amazing, with Roman ruins built 2,000 years ago, beautiful gardens with classic statues and fountains, and a spectacular panoramic of Southern France from the highest point in Nimes.  We scoped out a spot in the afternoon for the Tour de France Finale, which was packed.  I had a stroke of luck and managed to wedge myself into this metal trash can ring that didn't have a bag in it, so I was literally right there.  I could have been on YouTube as the person who caused a catastrophic collision at the finish by sticking my camera out too far.  Anyway, it was so exciting!  I had figured the bikers would trickle in over a half hour or so, but it was like, BAM, all at once, with just a few stragglers over the next few minutes.  Check out my video, just ignore all my annoying commentary...