Grenoble's Bastille

Work as a Language Assistant here has been frantic but fantastic so far. My main task is to work alongside English teachers to compliment their teaching programs and work one-on-one with smaller groups of students to work on their speaking and communicating skills.

About two weeks ago, myself and the 7 other Language Assistants I’m living with attended a workshop in the countryside just outside of Grenoble, a University city of about 500 000. Autrans, a quiet town in the mountains where the workshop was held, was contrasted sharply by the hustle and bustle of the city life in Grenoble.  Both places were beautiful, but I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the city.

A quiet morning in the countryside

Elena and Fiona in Autrans

 

 

One of the main attractions for tourists visiting Grenoble is the “Bastille”. Not to be confused with its more famous counterpart in France, the Bastille of Grenoble is a fortress that sits on a mountain overlooking the city. A cable car runs from its base to the summit and its view, but there are also lovely paths that twist and turn up to the fortress, which give a peak into the complexity of the structure and its historical importance to the city.

The easy way up

A maze of arches and graffiti

Crows resting on the tram cables

One of the Bastille's tunnels

View of Grenoble

Doran

While the last couple of weeks have been dominated by mundane tasks (getting organized with work, setting up bank accounts, Social Security and Health Insurance), they have of course been punctuated by culinary adventures and outdoor pursuits!

This past week’s hike took place almost literally in the backyard of the school at which I teach in Sallanches. After a quick drive up the mountain to some local trails, myself and my friend Fiona (hailing from Scotland), were soon treading carefully on a bed of crisp fall leaves on our way to a refuge in an area called Doran. With only a few minor glitches, the weather here has been impeccable; the heat of summer is lingering, slowly being replaced by morning frosts and cool nights worthy of a cup of steaming cocoa. On our ascent, we were almost completely covered by the forest’s canopy, but would sometimes come across a turn in the switchback trail allowing for a gorgeous view of Mont Blanc and the Valley d’Arve below.

After a few hours of vigorous trekking, we reached our destination: a beautiful alpine meadow spotted with summer cottages, a refuge serving homemade food, and a small chapel built by the local Boy Scouts.  Setting up camp in front of a cottage that was boarded up in preparation of the coming winter, we were treated to a feast of wine, handmade sausages, and various French delicacies. It must be said that the French know how to hike, and they also know how to relax once the hiking is done. I, for one, would hesitate at the thought of packing a heavy bottle of wine into my daypack and lugging it up a mountain!

Here are some shots from our trek up the mountain:

Members of CAF Cluses

Seasonal cottages in the "alpage"

Another beautiful sunny day

Myself and Fiona with a view of Mont Blanc

Because my memory often fails me...

Local watering hole

Christian and Fiona 

 

 

 

 

Annecy and the Alps

I’ve been in France for less than week, and already, I have to say it: AMOUR. Now that the details of life have been sorted out (somewhere to live and transportation), it’s time to enjoy a croissant from a local boulangerie.  The list of people I’ve met here continues to grow at a worrying pace: Mélina, Anna, Margot, Helena, Deirdre, Fiona, Norah (assistants from Mexico, England, Paraguay, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, Germany), Sophie, Claude (two wonderful English teachers who are supervising me), Harvé (the school’s all-around handy man who is trying heroically to fix our internet problem), Yann (the school’s plumber who loves swimming and took me to the local swim club, I’ll be pro before you know it)…and I could go on.

After being ping-ponged around (in my head more than anything), I’ve finally settled into a room at a school in Cluses, still a valley town but about 12km away from Sallanches. The slightly industrial feel the city has is a result of the precision machining plants that are scattered around town. Before such industries were brought into the region, farmers would find themselves unemployed during the winter seasons; Switzerland’s watch industry fueled the development of plants for making tiny parts for watch making in the valley, and the industry grew from there.  Interesting, no?

A highlight of the past week was visiting the beautiful town of Annecy, an hour’s voyage by train, as well as going on a hike with the Cluses chapter of le Club Alpin Français.  We were greeted warmly by this group of outdoors enthusiasts and were privy to some beautiful mountain views that included encounters with the local wildlife. 

Some views from Annecy and the local mountains: