Sunday
Our last full day in Grenoble passed quickly. Of course, we had to say goodbye to our Airbnb slippers first thing in the morning. Luckily, we were able to leave our bags in the foyer while we were out and about during the day.
Everyone craved another bagel, but agreed that we didn’t want to go back to Bagelstein because they would recognize us from the day before. Instead, we went over to Coffee and Go. This is another American-ish style coffee shop. All of us were thrilled to see they had iced drinks on the menu- Europeans are opposed to iced coffee drinks in general. We all ordered little breakfast sandwiches and drinks and were on our way to the jardin de ville to eat. I was disappointed because the sandwich was certainly pre-made and the drink was wrong.
I thought it was interesting, in the coffee shop I saw a big sign that said “# Laissez nous travailler.” “Let us work.” It seems there’s some pretty strong anti-mask and anti-COVID restriction sentiment in the city.
We wanted to do some shopping and all the stores downtown seemed closed, so I led us over to the shopping mall. Sadly, all the shops there were closed as well. Still, the sun was lovely and we found a little lake beside all the restaurants. We sat down and admired the huge catfish for a while before we started wandering our way back into town for a snack.
Alli and I were still hungry after our dissatisfactory breakfast, so we found a little sushi place that looked good. I got a rainbow roll! Having all this different food throughout the weekend was amazing. I miss getting takeout!
The river path led us to the Museum of Modern Art. There were groups of people spread out across the lawn, sunning themselves. It was so relaxing and peaceful. There were a group of people our age enjoying some beers. We felt inspired and went to pick up our own beverages from Carrefour. I suggested that we sit in the park, just past the museum where there might be fewer people and some cool pieces of art to see.
When 3pm rolled around, it was time to grab the bags and send Maggie and Alli off. I would be staying in the city for my health appointment the next day, but for them it was back to reality. Vacation was over. I still had plenty of time left before curfew at 6, so I decided to wander the town and see some new things.
I remembered from my culture class at the University of Grenoble that there was a neat alleyway full of great street art. I went to go see it. Some of the pieces are below.
Curfew was fast approaching, so I pulled up the other assistant’s address and made my way in that direction. I stumbled upon a cute park and sat there for a few minutes before wandering onward. I picked up a pizza for dinner and went to introduce myself. It was a fun night and I got to know someone new. I’m very grateful to have had a place to stay the night.
Mary-Est-En-France 