Grenoble

L’appréciation est une chose merveilleuse. Cela fait que ce qui est excellent chez les autres nous appartient également.
- Voltaire

My father is one of the biggest attributes to my life in both work ethic and love of travel. If it wasn’t for him always talking about far off places and conjuring picturesque views of the place he grew up, things might have been a little different.

Born on August 1, 1955 in Grenoble, a city in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France, my dads childhood was spent roaming château's, playing in fields where Napoleon Bonaparte crossed, fishing, eating apples in orchards, ice skating on one of the three frozen lakes in the area, and getting into trouble with his best friend Yves. Despite being born in and growing up in France, both of my grandparents were Italian through and through. Hailing from the Bari/Naples regions in southern Italy (I guess ‘south’ is a trend in my family, as I live south as well). In 1966 though, his family made the decision to move to the United States, ending up in Niles, Ohio. A move that I’m forever grateful for despite the uncertainty it caused and the heartaches that I’m sure they went through.

Fast forwarding to my childhood in the 1990’s and being the last of three kids AND the only one who was brought up in the states since birth — eventually my dad had joined the military and my sisters were brought up in Germany and Holland for their formative years — dreaming of far off places was a common occurrence. Especially when bedtime stories consisted of exotic places. It wasn’t until my high school years that I was able to finally visit my dads hometown and let me tell you, it was just as magical as I had envisioned.

Known as the “capital of the Alps” by locals, Grenoble is often missed by first-time travelers to France. While the Eiffel Tower is more iconic, the majesty of the Alps that literally surround the city give you a Sound of Music “hills are alive” moment. It’s a city that holds over 2,000 years of history, starting from its inception as a a Gallic village (aka the Iron Age) through the collapse of the Roman Empire and into the 11th century when the Counts of Albon chose the city from several of their territories in the region and made it the capital. Mostly because of its fortified location at the meeting of the Drac and Isére rivers and proximity to the Alps.

One of the more interesting historical facts about the city is that it was the location of one of the first disturbances that set the scene for the French Revolution. Obviously, like the rest of France, Grenoble was facing financial hardship from the economic crises, however this was the city that sparked the fires of revolution. The solution the royal government came up with was more monetary reforms…. aka taxes. They wanted to enact a tax to deal with debt…. does anyone else see the irony in that? Well luckily the parlements (think of them as various local branches of governance that held judicial powers) did, making them the Robinhood to King John, if you get what I mean. So, the royal government tried to circumvent the lack of support from these local governing agencies by forcing through laws that effectively diminished their power despite the declaration that these laws were illegal. Anyone hear Jean Valjean singing yet?

As tensions continued to rise and the stress of poor harvests and high costs of bread, made worse by the refusal to relinquish any financial burdens on the poor, things weren’t looking good in Grenoble. In June of 1788, a group of 300-400 men and women armed with weapons, from stones to axes, rushed the city gates as the royal government ordered the local army to banish the magistrates within the local parlements. Literal alarm bells were rung as the riot ensued until they seized control of the city from the army. This day is referred to as the “Day of the Tiles,” and shortly after this incident the French Revolution would start. Allowing Grenoble to claim itself as the ‘cradle of the revolution'.

My Visit

A vast majority of the time spent in my dads hometown was visiting relatives in the surrounding areas. However, there are a few distinct places that I want to call attention to that I feel anyone who is looking for an “other than Paris” destination while venturing in France would appreciate. They are also the places that made me fall in love with Southern France.

Vielle Ville (Old Town)

On the bank of the Isère river you’ll find the old town which, like most old towns, can be explored by foot. Of the many restaurants and old buildings you’ll see the Place Grenette, the Grande Rue, the Place St-André, with the Ancien Palais du Parlement du Dauphiné, or the former parliamentary palace for the region. There’s the Halles Ste-Claire and the Place aux Herbes which are market areas and if you’re in any foreign country, their markets are a must. They’re the places you can people watch or feel part of the economy the most. Nothing like watching tourists haggle (or not haggle depending on where you’re at).

If you’re like me and love looking at architecture in the places you travel, in Vielle Ville you’ll find many interesting churches whose structures throw you back to the 13th century.

La Bastille

For those that love getting that unique view of the city from above, this is the place for it. Even though it’s one of the most visited tourist sites, because come on, views are everything, it provides one of my favorites; you get both the town and the surrounding mountains. You literally feel enveloped in the Alps. The Bastille, or fort, dates back to the Middle Ages, remember the Counts of Albon? To that time period. It’s location was important as it’s where the French Alpine frontier and the Kingdom of the Savoy (Italy) met.

There are two ways to get to the top, one requires great outdoor shoes and the other just a short ride via cable car. If you choose the cable car you’ll enjoy a 180° view of the town and the Isère river. Installed in 1875 for freight movement from the quarry below, the cable cars didn’t become a tourist thing until 1934 when the rock quarry was officially abandoned. To get to the top you ride in what locals call les bulles aka bubbles. Once at the top you’ll be able to walk through temporary exhibits, venture through the small military museum, walk the viewing deck, and pay respects to mountain troops of old. There are also two restaurants at the top where you can enjoy a nice beer at a higher altitude. [Side note for the foodies: restaurant du Téléférique, is great and has an overhanging terrace and Le Pèr’Gras – treat yourself to something sweet!]

If you venture up by foot, it takes about 30-45 mins at a leisurely pace to walk up the hill. There are two ways for the climb, divided by a footpath, making up the 205m of vertical ascent. If you’re really an outdoorsy kind of person the second portion is more challenging and might require some equipment. It’s easily one of the best recreational areas and the view you get from any angle is amazing.

La Salette and Château des Herbeys

If it wasn’t for my dads best friend Yves, I would have never known about either these two places. On one of our visits with him he asked for a full day to be set aside. He wanted to take us up to the second sanctioned apparition site in France. Now regardless of you being religious or not, it was a religious experience. Both in the miracle of living and for the views. I say the miracle of living though because to get up to La Salette you have to take many… and I mean many… hair pin curves/turns on a road that is only big enough for one car with two way traffic. I don’t get car sick or even motion sickness. That day, I was as white as the background you’re reading off of. I was ghostly. When we finally got to the top, I got out of the car and sat on the ground wishing it would hug me back. Luckily, Yves had brought soda with him (it’s not pop, I’m from the south y’all) and I was able to recover with a quick sugar boost. I will forever remember that day and have never NOT driven when it comes to windy roads since.

At just an hour and half outside of Grenoble and at an altitude of about 6,000 feet, you’ll find a church. With nothing else around but mountains. To the left of the church you’ll find a statue of the Virgin Mary and two children; a depiction of the Marian apparition. If you want to know more about the story you can read it here. The church itself is simple but has some amazing stained glass.

After we walked around the outdoor area, venturing in and out of the church, we made our way back down. I fared better as I sat in the front, but not by much.

Yves knew how much I loved trying new cuisine so he made a surprise stop at Château des Herbeys that came with a five course gastronomic meal. The château was built in the 17th century and is listed as an historic monument. You can walk around the grounds and enjoy the landscape and deer in the surrounding areas. It was also converted into a hotel so if you choose, you can stay and also enjoy the many outdoor activities the place as to offer.

Château de Vizzile

If you venture south of the city 20 minutes you’ll find yourself in the town of Vizille where you will find more revolution history. It’s the home to the Musée de la Révolution Française that displays rare materials devoted to the revolution. The museum lives in the château that was once the grandest in the area and was built in the 17th century by François de Bonne, duc de Lesdiguières, the last Connétable de France. The château is surround by a hundred hectares (250 acres) of greens, sheets of water and canals, and a hunting park. In July 1788, just a month after the famed “Day of the Tiles” the Assemblée des notables gathered in the salle du jeu de paume, where their discussions led to the new vision of France. This is where opposition to absolutist monarchy finally came out into the open (again cue Les Mis and entre Enjolras).

This was my image of a fairy tale castle. I have always said I wanted to get married here, or at least take some pretty epic photos. My dad used to play in the gardens and often feed the ducks and swans that the pond sees during the warm months.

The Prairie of the Meeting/Laffrey & La Mure

Think of Grenoble as the circular part of a laddle and to get to the handle you venture up the neck and at the top you’ll reach the small towns of La Mure (where their open air market is one of my favorites) and Ponsonnas (where my great uncle/aunt live). However to get there you have to pass through the famed “Prairie of the Meeting,” which is a great spot for picnic or to take in one of the three lakes along the road.

Travel Legacy

With how much I love this place you would think I venture back often. But, I don’t… even though I really should.

The places that my dad ventured when he was a kid shine in my memory much like the sun does in the sky. It’s a place that no one can touch or talk me out of. It’s a place whereI learned to breathe and take in everything around me. It’s a place that allowed me to connect to a part of my dad that was only a figment of my imagination. When he came to the US, it seemed like his connection to the “old world” was severed. It was like when you found out that Santa wasn’t as real as you thought he was, and the magic disappeared. But we keep the magic of that jolly man in a red suit by telling the stories and reliving the feelings. So when those stories of apple eating in lavender fields and flying kites by Napoleon’s head were told, that magic reignited.

Without those stories and that connection, my love of experiencing all the “new” the world has to offer would not be as strong. The newness of the old and the wonder that I feel while wandering is because of the man that loved me first. It’s because of the place I loved first.

“Be the things you loved most about the people who are gone. ”

— Unknown

L’appréciation est une chose merveilleuse. Cela fait que ce qui est excellent chez les autres nous appartient également. - Voltaire