Grenoble, Vizille
After my experiences the night before, I decided I deserved to sleep in before heading out for the day. When I did wake up, I rushed to meet my friends at the second largest market in Grenoble (Marché de L’Estacade). It was nothing like the markets we had experienced before, but it made me really want one like it at home. The vendors were set up under and overpass, some with semi-permanent booths. The posts of the market were painted with bright yellows and beautiful flowers. We saw sausages, cheeses, Thai food, fresh fruits, beautiful vegetables, and frozen fish. I was amazed by the diversity of products, the quality, and the low prices. I picked up peaches, bananas, goat cheese, bread, and olives for under 10 euros.
Clarissa, Jillian, and I met at the market to pick out lunch before we had a picnic at the Château de Vizille. We stopped for coffee along the way and found the 40 minute trip across Grenoble incredibly simple. I was surprised to learn that public transport would take us more than 40 minutes outside the center of town, completely for free with our tram pass. As we traveled through the countryside we were able to enjoy mountains, herds of sheep, and adorable little houses.
We arrived in the village of Vizille, hopped off the bus, and marched into the grounds of the chateau. It was breath taking. There were waterfalls surrounded by blooming flowers, butterflies, and packs of little ducks waddling around the grounds. We settled down in the shade next to one of the many streams to enjoy our picnic. It was a perfect little lunch, very satisfying. When we finished off the bag of cherries we headed off down one of the paths for a lap around the grounds. We enjoyed gorgeous planned gardens full of roses and a series of waterfalls.
Of course, we couldn’t forget that the Château de Vazille hosts the nation’s museum on the French revolution. The museum rests in the chateau because of the village’s history as one of the starting points for the riots that led to the French revolution and the destruction of the French monarchy. We got into the museum for free and spent an hour and a half wandering through halls filled with massive oils paintings and incredibly detailed sculptures. The special exhibit focused on a graphic novel depicting the events of the French revolution. I learned that the French have a certain affinity for comic books, more so than people in the United States.
We left the museum with about an hour and a half to enjoy the grounds before the next bus stopped by, so we decided to search for peacocks that some of our classmates had mentioned. It turns out we walked in the complete wrong direction at first, but it allowed us to see more of the park. It was interesting to see that they gave poney rides out to little kids who came by. We finally did find the peacocks at the back of the park near an animal reserve. There were two beautiful males and several females that were laying eggs.
I was surprised during the visit by the general attitude of the public while we were there. Many people just came by and treated the grounds like an average park. They had lawn games with them, some had a picnic, and others simply napped on a blanket.
Our bus ride back seemed like it went by in the blink of an eye. I fell asleep and enjoyed a 40 minute nap. When we got back to Grenoble, Jillian and I went back to my apartment to try to plan our trip for the next weekend to Marseille and Avignon. Sadly, we discovered it would be over 200 euros to go for two days. Trains were at awful times, food would be added on to the price, and the heat would be over 90 degrees making for miserable sight seeing. We decided it would be better to save our money for the upcoming trip to Italy and perhaps go to Annecy for a swim instead.
For dinner that night Gilbert, Janine, and I had a great meal. We started with melons and slices of charcuterie. Our main course was pasta stuffed with veggies with a light cheese sauce. Janine was feeling full, but Gilbert and I each had a fruit cup.
Mary-Est-En-France 