We left Nice by train Saturday afternoon (feb. 6) for Grenoble. For me, this trip was to experience and discover a little more of France. I will be teaching others about this country in the near future, so I had better experience as much as I can.
One thing about France is that is a country known for gastronomy. French are foodies, and each region of France has its own specialties. One thing that I don't love about the Cote D'Azur is its specialties (but I think the Med. outweighed food for me, so I came to Nice) because they are very simple and, well, not creamy. The specialties of Nice include Socca (cornflour crepe), Farcis (stuffed veggies), Pissaladière (caramelized onion tart) and olives. But, in a country that boasts more that 300 types of cheese and uses fresh cream often, I want something creamy and cheesy and fattening!
Well, pretty much the only thing we got to see in Grenoble on Saturday night was some yummy food after checking into the hotel. I ordered a calzone, which was pretty good, but I preferred what MC and Sandra ordered: Seafood Gratin. It was all different types of seafood-- shrimp, mussels, tuna, crab-- in a cream sauce, covered in cheese, and baked. Delicious! I had to order it at a different restaurant Sunday night. Gratins (think potatoes au gratin/scalloped potatoes) are a Grenoble specialty.
Sunday we did some sight-seeing. Grenoble is a beautiful town surrounded by the Alps on each side which were covered in snow. This was a bit of a shock to us girls who are used to the mild Nice weather. But, it was equally beautiful. Grenoble has a large mountain called la Bastille which you can access by télépherique (gondola? I don't know the word in English). So, we wandered for a little while up there, taking in the sights. We warmed up that afternoon in a coffee shop and then went to an art museum. In France, the first Sunday of every month museum visits are free, so this was the first time I've actually taken advantage of that! Saved myself a whole 2€! And, as I said, we found a Brasserie where I ordered the seafood Gratin which was delicious. That night (and the night before) the 3 of us girls squished into a small double bed because the hotel ran out of triple rooms. 
Monday morning we hit another museum with an ancient Roman baptistery and had some cool sepia photos in 3D, and wandered around the old town which had seemed rather dead the day before (typical French Sunday). That afternoon we caught the train for Lyon.
Lyon is the second largest city in France, located in the south-eastern part of the country. Upon arrival we were looking for Rue Victor Hugo, so we found it on a map, took a small tram. We found rue Victor Hugo and it was in a rather sketchy part of town, meanwhile the hotel had said it was central and just a few minutes from the train station. After finding that the Victor Hugo did not have the number we were looking for, we asked a woman who told us we had left Lyon city limits and were now in Villeurbanne (aptly named, urban city). So, we backtracked and realized there were 2 train stations in Lyon. Luckily, the second go-round was a lot smoother with a few metro stops and climbing the exit steps to be plopped directly on our hotel.
Monday night we went out in search of food. We found a cobblestone street lined with many Bouchons (typical Lyonnais restaurants) and settled on one of the cheaper ones. We all got 'formules' which include appetizer, main dish, and dessert. I feasted on salade lyonnaise (with a poached egg, bacon and croutons, yumm!), gratin aux quenelles (fluffy potato gratin) and for dessert a praline tart also lyonnais specialty. Like I said, I definitely took advantage (profité) from these travels to try some good food. Lyon is also known as the gastronomic capital of France, so it had to be done! Monday night we settled in early and "told secrets" like giggly high school girls (including a call to a boyyyy Sandra's french pastry chef friend who moved to Vegas and dotes on her so).
Tuesday morning we were awakened by the office telling us we had been just a little too giggly and the people next door "couldn't sleep all night" (despite the fact we were sleeping by 12) and we had to move rooms. Haha, we were a bit embarassed, but the lady at reception seemed not to care, so we figured it was the people staying next door who were being dumb. Anyways, after moving rooms, getting some coffee, and visiting the tourist office, it was nearly 12. At noon we met up with Tyler Atwood, a friend from Crozet who is studying all year in Lyon. He was a wonderful tour guide who took us out in the wet snow without even a hat! We walked around the city, ate some yummy crêpes, and visited the Fourvière church. I loved the church which had mosaics covering most walls, it was just gorgeous. Fourvière is perched on a mountain though, and so the snow was thicker up there and took the energy right out of us. We went back to the hotel to warm up and rest while Tyler went to class. Later that night we ate dinner at an American diner because we were too lazy to find somewhere cheaper in the cold. I had a turkey club sandwich and it was quite tasty. Then, we met Tyler again at a bar to hang out for a little bit. It was really cool to see a friend from home in France where we're both living. Wednesday brought even colder weather, although drier. We were still quite miserable wearing multiple layers, so we wandered on the other side of the Rhone and then went to the train station early. Wednesday was our last day together, Sandra and MariCarmen continued from Lyon to Strasbourg, Nancy and Metz, and I returned to Nice.
Thus ends Winter vacay part I, if you read ALL of that, thanks for sticking through it, haha. You get a gold star! Part II, or Dad's visit will hopefully be up in a few days. Gros bisous!
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