The Splendid Hotel. Where I lived for my first two weeks in France. Built in the 1930's, it's been in the same family for three generations. I don't care. Living there was a pain in the neck.
The view I had down Rue Thiers from the balcony of my room. It was scenic and quaint and the French girls would ride their bicycles under the window singing their jaunty little bicycle songs. Sometimes in the rain. It was still a pain in the neck. I got religion every time I had to ride the elevator. I had no kitchen. I was living on baguettes and Laughing Cow cheese out of a closet. Ok, maybe it really wasn't that bad.
Splendid Hotel.
Splendid cat (chat).
About mid afternoon in the parking lot of good and evil.
The French. They're the only culture I know of that makes a point of how small the portions of food are. The Petite Dejeuner, or 'small breakfast.' You won't see these at MacDonalds.
Moron in front of the River I'sere. Actually, more to the side of the river.
One of those Inspector Clouseau cars making a slow speed getaway.
The Flagpole Roundabout.
Just down Rue Thiers from the Splendid.
I don't know what went on in the establishment, I didn't check. The picture is cool though because of the movement of the woman and the lighting. Maybe she worked there. Maybe she wasn't even there at all. Maybe she was the ghost of Simone Signoret.
Things around town.
This statue is at the bottom of the steps to the Bastille. Take the elevator, it's a long walk.
For MaeBee.
For Brian.
The Cathedral Of The Dauphins. Started in the 1200's or so. Probably some Cardinals crotch rocket parked out front.
I'll say it again, except for the guilt thing, Catholics have so much more fun than the rest of us.
To the Bastille.
From the top, looking out over Grenoble.
If you're smart, you'll ride this thing to the top, then walk down.
It was right about now that I was beginning to wish I'd returned my overdue library books.
I'm guessing the French used this as an area to practice their retreats.
This tunnel with steps cut into the stone went down at a steep angle for about 200 yards. Kinda like Hoover Dam.
Pausing before climbing back up.
Significant to nothing, this was a cool rig.
There was a spiral staircase that went up through this. The French love their spiral staircases.
Waiting on Rapunzel.
A heroine of the revolution. She looked a lot like my sister-in-law who has a wiener dog.
This picture, actually taken under the big banyan tree in Lahaina, Maui, illustrates how stealthy I can be when the mood strikes.
The pond a block away from my very quiet little apartment in Meylan.
Wind in the willows, oh yes. There are ducks and koi and a muskrat family and something that makes a hell of bleating noise at night.
Tagging, you see a lot of it. This was a bit more arty. Dang kids.
No. Sadly no. But it was a cool poster.
Evil, by any other name.
A real French parking ticket.
I'm guessing it would have been the least of this guys worries.
French trailer hitch. How many jokes can you make up about this picture? The list is extensive. Apparently, this was the Bill Clinton model.
Mondo paella.
My own version.
Yea, that's "help me" written out in shrimp tails. Who knew.
Druids pub.
Hanky, the night the Italians won their 1/4 final World Cup match. He's the one on the left.
Monday night at Druids. All the locals get together and play Irish music. The little guy in the center is a local character. He rides around town on his bicycle selling flowers. He stopped in and sang and danced for a pint.
This was a very lovely Danish woman named Hella. It was her bachelorette party. She's the one in the angel wings. She was finally marrying her boyfriend of 20 or so years the very next day in Denmark. They were going to drive. She and her friends were trashed. I still wonder if they made it.
And in the midst of all the madness, French Boy Scouts.I bought a calendar from them. I hope Scouting will work out better for them than it did for me.
St. Hilarie de Touvet. Just above Grenoble. There's a large hospital here that was used during WWII. It is the gateway to the Chartruese region.
And, this.
Right over the edge of a sheer cliff. Looks like fun. All except for the sheer cliff part.
Chambrechaude. You can see this mountain from all around Grenoble, as well as Chartruese, and probably Cleveland.
Myself, Sean from Austin, and Hanky at a roadside bide-a-wee.
Excelsior!
The cathedral at St. Pierre de Chartruese. I used up about half of a 512 card taking pictures of this thing. Everyone of them came out good.
A spring fed stream in the Chartruese region. This is where all that expensive bottled water comes from.
There are the Mosses. Paul and Patty.
This structure sits over the spring and the water comes out a cistern a ways down the hill.
Or, right out of the rocks.
Bonjourney.
