The heat has been a bit overwhelming making me not want to sit at the computer and type. So here is a bit of labored catching up from the weekend. Saturday was a wash as Jon spent the whole day trying to equip us with wifi...still no wifi unfortunately. But Sunday completely made up for it as we made our way a little over an hour North to a town called Annecy. Known for it's crystal clear lake made up of glacier run off and a little over 8 miles long. We walked all along the lake on one side before taking an hour long boat ride out onto the lake to view the city from the water. Amazing amazing views. I can't believe people live along this lake and enjoy that blue view all year long. Just stunning. Of course another favorite part for me was the hundreds of jumpers we saw with their colorful parachutes. There was also a beautiful castle built right in the middle of the lake that was stunning.
We then wandered into town for some lunch and my birthday crepe. It was yet another beautiful set of cobbled walkways through restaurants and shops galore. I would say it ranks as my favorite birthday to date.
Monday Madi and I were so tired we slept most of the day and the heat rising up over 100 was torture. Today we took Jon to work and went straight to la plage. A beach on Lake Terrasse just a few minutes from Jon's work. 4 hours of skipping rocks and swimming we were well tanned and a bit burnt. We hear there are a couple days left of this high heat so Jon and Madi have run to get a fan to try to ease it a bit.
The rest of the week will likely be quiet and close to home and this weekend we are heading for Switzerland! Pics should be wonderful...stay tuned
xoxo
-K
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Friday Night Drive
Last night we took an amazing drive up Dent de Crolles. I took lots of photos but they just can show the immensity of how high we were. The mountain is something around 18,000 feet up and people paraglide off the mountain. There are 3 quaint little towns once you arrive up there. People were in the parks with friends and families. Everyone gathers outside, beautiful weather and daylight well past 10 I'm sure helps. It is so breathtaking here and so much left to discover.
After checking out tripadvisor.com I had found a little restaurant in Grenoble called Pumpkins. I was intrigued to try it as one of the owners is American. So far I can't say we have eaten anything worth writing home about which is odd. Jon says I have to be adventurous and try real French food. I guess that is on the agenda for the weekend.
The thing that amazes me the most is everything is so expensive! Of course for us it is more expensive because of the terrible dollar conversion but people here must make very good money for how much everything costs. A simple dinner for the 3 of us was 56 Euros - equalling about $80.
Today we are hoping to get a shower attachment so that we can take a real shower and not have to hold the handheld. Wifi set up is also on Jon's agenda. And most of all I'm hoping to go cave exploring on Dent de Crolles!!
After checking out tripadvisor.com I had found a little restaurant in Grenoble called Pumpkins. I was intrigued to try it as one of the owners is American. So far I can't say we have eaten anything worth writing home about which is odd. Jon says I have to be adventurous and try real French food. I guess that is on the agenda for the weekend.
The thing that amazes me the most is everything is so expensive! Of course for us it is more expensive because of the terrible dollar conversion but people here must make very good money for how much everything costs. A simple dinner for the 3 of us was 56 Euros - equalling about $80.
Today we are hoping to get a shower attachment so that we can take a real shower and not have to hold the handheld. Wifi set up is also on Jon's agenda. And most of all I'm hoping to go cave exploring on Dent de Crolles!!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
First Week
Well I must admit that I have officially lost track of the day and time. I have never been so reliant on a clock as I am now. Fortunately, there isn't often that I need one so I am not relying on it much. Yesterday Madison and I took the day off from sightseeing, well except for a little hour trip around a church in Bernin where we got some lovely photos.
Today was very rainy so again no sightseeing but it made for a good day for laundry and some itunes downloading of some american shows. We did take a nice walk around our immediate neighborhood and found some parks and beautiful walking trails as well as a pond and some ducks. When Jon got off work we ate in Bernin (which is where he works) at a place he loves for the pizza. The waitress was so nice and was the first person who smiled and wanted to speak english to us. I enjoyed her attempt very much!
This weekend we will venture a little further away from home with Jon's help. I will attempt to go up and video the jumpers off of Dent de Crolles. Hopefully Jon and Madison will be up for a little cave exploring as well.
It is taking a bit of getting used to that I can't speak to anyone here and the amenities or rather lack of amenities of course for all of you that know me...the lack of american tv; but all in all I am so ecstatic to be here and be experiencing this opportunity.
lots of hugs and kisses to those of you at home!
Today was very rainy so again no sightseeing but it made for a good day for laundry and some itunes downloading of some american shows. We did take a nice walk around our immediate neighborhood and found some parks and beautiful walking trails as well as a pond and some ducks. When Jon got off work we ate in Bernin (which is where he works) at a place he loves for the pizza. The waitress was so nice and was the first person who smiled and wanted to speak english to us. I enjoyed her attempt very much!
This weekend we will venture a little further away from home with Jon's help. I will attempt to go up and video the jumpers off of Dent de Crolles. Hopefully Jon and Madison will be up for a little cave exploring as well.
It is taking a bit of getting used to that I can't speak to anyone here and the amenities or rather lack of amenities of course for all of you that know me...the lack of american tv; but all in all I am so ecstatic to be here and be experiencing this opportunity.
lots of hugs and kisses to those of you at home!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Day 2
Madison and I decided to brave the new frontier together today and took Jon to work. We were quite pleased with ourselves that we found our way without incident. We also stopped by Casino, a grocery store much more at our pace and did a bit of shopping to grab some things we had forgotten the night before. We returned to downtown Grenoble for a couple of hours of walking and some fabulous photos. Awaking at 3 in the morning caught up to me by noon and Madison was tired of walking so we returned to the apartment for a very long nap.
Today marked the summer solstice which in France is celebrated by music in the streets to welcome summer. Jon joined us as we returned to the square to enjoy some local culture. The streets and square were packed with people and bands everywhere. Even with the rain people were loitering everywhere visiting and enjoying the different sounds.
What a beautiful night in a beautiful city!
Today marked the summer solstice which in France is celebrated by music in the streets to welcome summer. Jon joined us as we returned to the square to enjoy some local culture. The streets and square were packed with people and bands everywhere. Even with the rain people were loitering everywhere visiting and enjoying the different sounds.
What a beautiful night in a beautiful city!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Day 1
So we arrived in France and checked into our little apartment. Boy the Europeans sure live simpler than we do! We have a nice mini SUV that is diesel which Jon says is better on milage…yay, but it is a stick. Thank heaven driving one comes back like riding a bike.
Our first outing was to Carrefour which is basically the French Walmart. They have absolutely everything there except for baggers or bags. Please bag your own and bring your own bags. Good for the environment. Oh and the unions must work out a good plan for employees because checkers sit while checking…yes as in a chair. The oddest part for me was the pace that everyone was moving. Moving across aisles was like jumping on the freeway and everyone was speeding. I’m not exactly sure what the hurry was all about but I mosied through as if I had nowhere to be…because I didn’t.
We saved the best for last though because we went for dinner in downtown Grenoble. I have seen the squares in movies but was astounded at the stunning beauty of it in person. I am hoping to post photos but that has not been so easy to figure out yet as my uploads won’t work on the usual sites I use. I drove home from Grenoble which was interesting. Lights are very different here and most are replaced by roundabouts but I got us home and at least know my way to the grocery and the freeway so far.
Our first outing was to Carrefour which is basically the French Walmart. They have absolutely everything there except for baggers or bags. Please bag your own and bring your own bags. Good for the environment. Oh and the unions must work out a good plan for employees because checkers sit while checking…yes as in a chair. The oddest part for me was the pace that everyone was moving. Moving across aisles was like jumping on the freeway and everyone was speeding. I’m not exactly sure what the hurry was all about but I mosied through as if I had nowhere to be…because I didn’t.
We saved the best for last though because we went for dinner in downtown Grenoble. I have seen the squares in movies but was astounded at the stunning beauty of it in person. I am hoping to post photos but that has not been so easy to figure out yet as my uploads won’t work on the usual sites I use. I drove home from Grenoble which was interesting. Lights are very different here and most are replaced by roundabouts but I got us home and at least know my way to the grocery and the freeway so far.
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