It has been...

... way too long since I last posted. I will try to give a brief update on what has happened in the last month.

My mom came to visit and we went to Paris and it was awesome. We had a fun vegan thanksgiving dinner with Dallas and Rebecca then watched the SAINTS GAME. WHO DAT?

snow + the Eiffel Tower

Taken by Alyce

It snowed. A lot.

Mia and my first snowman!

I finished my classes!

Went to Lyon with some friends for the Fête des Lumières which was somewhat disappointing but had a few cool parts. 

My friend Adam, from New Orleans, came to visit! We went snowboarding at Alpe-D'Huez.  

View from the hotel

No big deal

Adam and me

on the way down the mountain

The mountain is one of the most popular stages of the Tour de France. It has something like 21 switchbacks (hairpins?). I don't know how they do it.
Snowboarding was a lot harder than I expected. The day we got there I stayed on the bunny slope and bruised my butt a good deal. At the end of the day going straight really, really fast was my specialty. Only slowing down gave me trouble.
The second day I decided slowing down would come with time and I should try harder slopes. When I started going too fast, I decided the best way to stop was just to take myself out. So, that day I became the best at falling. It had snowed the night before and was still snowing that day, so it was like falling on pillows. Or at least that's how it felt until the next day when I was in so much pain I could only assume I had gotten hit by a bus and had amnesia and forgot about it.
Honestly, I am still a little sore right now.
Adam and I had the most incredible fondu meal. Melted cheese, bread, potatoes? Good.
Adam's flight got cancelled so he stayed in Grenoble for two extra nights and got to watch me get a nice lil' fever and stop moving completely. No worries. I am much better now.

My residence is really quiet now ( which I am enjoying). I think there are only 3 people in my hall. Those of us from too far away to easily get home and who aren't currently traveling.

Rebecca is coming tomorrow night and staying until the 28th. Hallelujah for Christmas with friends!

keep your fingers crossed for a white Christmas

Back to ❏ one

When I got back from my trip to Amsterdam and Paris someone had stolen the wheels off my bike! ARGH! Now it is back in my room, motionless.

Once again with no wheels

Last week there were a lot of students protesting the change of retirement age. There were a few days where we would have to circle the buildings of school looking for a door that wasn't blocked.

one of the graffitied buildings on campus

Photos by Catherine Plourde

Lately it has been raining everyday, but I snapped this picture when it was still sunny. I can't wait for it to stop raining so we can see the mountains again!

Grenoble Paris Amsterdam Paris Grenoble

Whew. This strike that's going on is really making things difficult! My train to Paris was canceled so I had to go to the train station, get on any train headed in the right direction and find a seat that wasn't already taken. Successfully managed to do it. 
Danielle vs. SNCF 1-0 

Arrived at Ygael's ( for those reading who do not know Ygael, he was one of my couchsurfers in New Orleans and became a good friend of ours) he lives in a suburb of Paris called Charenton-le-Pont, but you can see the 12 th arrondisement from his window. Soon after I arrived I was reunited with my Bff, Rebecca! The three of us had went to an awesome falafel restaurant, L'as du Falafel. As we ate we walked almost the entire length of Paris. We saw many of the main monuments, and we actually went into the Arcs de Triumph. Inside, there are old pictures of it, close ups of all the carvings, miniature models, etc. And then you can walk around on top of it and have a terrific view of the city. Paris is more beautiful than I expected it to be. All the lights and huge, beautiful, old buildings. Wow.

Monday I met Rebecca at her apartment and we went to the Eiffel Tower. 

cartwheels in front of the TE

We had planned on going to the top, but when we got there the line was far too long, and we really weren't in the mood for lines that day. Then we got gelato at Amorino. I got strawberry, raspberry, mango Rebecca got chocolate, coffee, vanilla. They were all amazing. 

After gelato we were going to go to the modern arts museum but that line was really long as well, so instead we went to the bookstore and got postcards. We went back to Rebecca's where she pretended to do school work for a little while. When Ygael got out of class we met him and two of his friends at a bar on the west side of Paris. 

Tuesday: met Rebecca at her place so we could go to the bus station together. I am writing this on the bus and I am a bit nervous about leaving France. I was told by a few people that if I leave France I won't be able to come back because I don't have my carte de sejour which is like having residency. But then I talked to some other people and they said I shouldn't have a problem. So here I am. On my way to Amsterdam! By the end of this post you will know whether or not I had trouble getting back into the country. Fingers crossed. Knock on wood. Wish upon a star.
Rub Buddha's belly.

Got into Amsterdam and headed to our hostel to meet up with Rebecca's other friends and put our things away. The hostel is 4 stories with an 18 bed dorm and an 8 bed dorm on each floor. We all stayed in 18 bed dorms but I got split up from the group since I reserved my bed later. The hostel is located right around the action. It is about 3 blocks from the red- light district. Which, for what it is, is interesting and a must see for the city. The first night we just wondered around a lot. 
Wednesday our main goal was to go to the Van Gogh museum. Even though it is pretty far from our hostel and slightly raining, we decided to walk so we could see the city; which is awesome!! I hadn't realized how many canals are In the city! There are old house boats lining every canal and there are definitely more bikes than there are cars. I am beyond jealous of their amazing bike lanes! 

Van Gogh was really interesting. We saw lots of pieces that I would have never pegged as his. His style is far more broad that I thought. 


Thursday Rebecca and the three other girls took a boat tour and one of her other friends (Ross ) and I rented bikes and took the ferry to north Amsterdam where we rode for a few miles through the country. It was mostly fields with sheep, cows, goats, and ponies. Every house we passed had a small mote around it.

sheep sheep sheep

bike path

morning commute

 We saw a windmill and a man checking his mail who was seriously wearing wooden clogs! That night we went to a fair and rode the ferris wheel and had a great view of the city. 


Friday: I am currently sitting in the hostel waiting to leave for the bus station. Everyone else had buses leaving earlier. In the day so I have been wondering the streets and eating French fries with ketchup, mayonnaise, and onions... Apparently that's how they do it here.

Made it safely back to France! All the warnings I had about leaving France were wrong. Not one person checked my passport, and even if someone had, I still don't think I would have had any trouble  
I arrived in Paris at the ungodly hour of 6am and immediately fell asleep in Rebecca's bed. That day we had a lovely picnic in a park.

 And that night I went out with Ygael and his two friends from Tennessee who are also studying abroad in Copenhagen and Aix-en-Provence. 

Now I am on my way back to Grenoble after a bit of confusion with time. What I mean is I forgot about/ didn't know about day lit savings time. I was far too early for my train. 
Danielle vs. TGV 2-0           

awesome, ouch, and delicious

Tuesday I finished my bicycle!

isn't she b-e-a-utiful?

Wednesday I fell off my bicycle!

battle wounds

I was on my way to class when a small staircase snuck up on me. After front flipping over my bike and having it land on top of me I didn't think I was hurt much. And I'm not. The cuts on my hands are the worst part. No stitches or anything, just keeping it bandaged for a while. Small scrape on my knee and bumped my chin. Right after I flipped three boys who saw it ran to help, then we were joined by two more people who provided tissues. They took  me to wash my hands and find some temporary bandaids before I went to the health center. I didn't make it to class.

Today I went into town with Mia to go to the bank and to the pharmacy to pick up some bandages we also went to the boulangerie. We decided to treat ourselves to our first, real, French pastries 

mmmmm...

It was a downhill battle, then everything went uphill from there

one of the larger, clearer trails

Today I went on a hike with friend Mia and Rachel. We hadn't really mapped out which mountain we were going to climb, so the day started out (at 7:15!!) as an adventure. When we picked a mountain and found the trail we didn't have any expectation of how long we wanted to hike.
The day was overcast and foggy. When we left our apartments we could hardly see the mountains. The scenery would have been better had it been clearer, but it was still beautiful. The climb up was a mix of tiny paved roads, large clear trails, and super-skinny paths.

breakfast

foggy view (part way up)

There were also things to see close up:

FRENCH SLUGZZ

We walked about 3 hours up and when the trail we were following was almost completely grown over we decided it was time to turn around. Our stomachs agreed. We walked down a bit and found a nice tree in a field to eat lunch under.

Lunch spot view

Now it's time for a bit of homework and SAINTS game!

GO SAINTS!

 Thursday I went on a train tour of Grenoble with two friends,

The train we rode 

Mia and Alex

I can't get over the snowy mountains

I opened a French bank account on Friday! Which just means no crazy ATM fees! woohoo!

Saturday was pretty laid back until the night time when I went a party with a bunch of Spaniards from my hall. The party was hosted by Spanish people as well, so everyone there was at least bilingual and no one was sure which language to speak. 

Even though I stayed out late Saturday night I woke up early Today to go to the marchè (out door market) with Mia. 

Marchè

Seriously awesome. Fresh fruits and veggies, cheese, wine, meats, dairy, everything you could every want. The produce is a lot cheaper here than at the grocery store. It is also convenient it is on Sunday because most everything in France closes on Sundays.

It was a beautiful day, so after we stocked up on fruits and veggies, we enjoyed our baguettes and croissants with tea and coffee

yum yum yuum

Then we did some homework in the sunshine, I cleaned my room, did laundry, cooked a nice dinner, and ended the day with a win from Les Saints!

good weekend.

My stinky cheese is stinking up my room

I feel like the past week has been really busy, but when I sat down to write about it I can't really think of what I have been doing... let's see--
I bought a bike! Well, a bike frame. It came out of this pile. (photo cred. to Catherine)

The place I got it from is called uN p'Tit véLo dAnS La Tête. They have all the tools and (almost all) the extra bike parts I need. I do have to buy my new,used, and beautiful bike some new tires which will cost me about 5x what I paid for my bike (which cost only €10!) But I am beyond excited to have it up and running. Also, A friend and I have also been throwing around the idea of biking to Paris in the spring.
here she is!

When I get it all fixed up you'll really be impressed!

Tuesday I went running with a few people from my hall (Catherine, Benji, Manuel)-- we ran along the Isère River (Photo cred. to Catherine)

Wednesday I went to a two hour free fight/ boxing class with another girl from my hall (Manuella). Unfortunately I don't have pictures from that. It was fun, but I don't think I will be going back.

In other news it rained a lot last week, which means it was snowing in the mountains!!!


I feel like my French is getting a bit better, but today I went to a lecture in the city about the Euro, money, debt, yadda yadda yadda is was impossible to understand.
Also, some bad news, yesterday, I found that I'm not allowed to travel outside of France until I get my visa verified which won't be until the end of November :( That puts a damper on my travel plans for our two week break in October.
Good news: I went to Ikea yesterday to get a few things to make my life more comfortable... such as a comforter, a pan (to cook eggs!!!), a bowl (for cereal yummm), and a rug for my bathroom.

France is starting to feel a bit more homey

OnlyLyon

(^ the theatre)
(< us at the basilica)
Saturday morning I had been invited to go to Lyon! The five of us ( L-R: Me, Mariasole - Italy, Charlotte - Belgium, Barbora - Czech Republic, Barbara - Belgium) that were going met at the train station at 9. I bought a pass reserved for people ages 12-25 that gives a discount of 25%-60% on every train ticket bought. The pass is €49 but it is good for a year and we saved %50 on our tickets to Lyon making them only €9.8 each way!
Once we located the metro we bought day passes and headed into the city! After a quick pain chocolat and a peek into the Cathédrale Saint-Jean we took a walk through a street market along one of the two rivers that runs through the city. Next, we hit up the Opera de Lyon which is open to fee tours on Saturdays. After a lunch of bread and baguette we started climbing the city's streets so we could see evvveeerryyytthhhiinnnggg. We took a bus back into the center of the city and visited the Musée des beaux-arts . Then we headed up the other side of the city to see the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, a large 19th century basilica on the top of Fourvière Hill. Next was the Roman-era Theatre on the Fourvière hill. After that it was time to eat again. This time we decided to spluge on a plat chaud we found a cute restaurant that served food Lyonnais. I got a dish that consisted of salmon covered in some kind of crawfish sauce, cheesy potatoes, a bite of salad, bread, and wine. We were too full to find our way home immediately so we took a stroll through the nightlife of Lyon.
Then it was back on the train and home to Grenoble!

just saying

I took this last night part way up the Fort de La Bastille which is a fort built in the 16th- century. It sits on the northern side of the Isère River and is Grenoble's best known landmark

Alo Grenoble!

Grenoble!!! It took me longer than I expected to find the tram then make my way to my residence hall, but everything worked out in the end. My room is actually quite small but I can see the mountains through my window! Actually, I can see the mountains from literally anywhere in the city.
So far I have managed to find food, buy a cell phone, make a few friends, familiarize myself with a bit of the campus, get the internet in my room (!), and find a place where I can build my own bicycle ( very much similar to Plan B in NOLA)
Monday I was almost an hour late for my first class because I couldn't find the building, but today I was a pro.

Getting there and here

1

I made it to France! Both flights were good. I thought I would be able to sleep on the flight from Charlotte to Paris but instead I watched the new karate kid, always sunny, and ratatouille. I arrived in Paris at 7 am and my couch surfing friend, Jean, met me at the airport. When we got to his apartment, located in a suburb or Paris called Montreuil,  which he shares with 4 (or 5?) people we both took a 3 hour nap. We went with Jeans's cousin to a big flea market so he could buy a mattress for his new apartment. After dropping off the new mattress the three of us went back to Jean's to eat a salad, cheese, and bread.   

Jean and I had been invited to Jean's good friend, Vincent's (also surfed at my house) parent's house for dinner. We met Vincent at his apartment for drinks and more bread and a dried fish snack. When we got to Vincent's parent's place we had appetizers of cheese, crackers, meat slices, spinach bread, cheese wrapped in cooked bell peppers, cantaloupe and dessert wine. Then we moved to the table and had pasta cooked with zucchini and mushrooms and topped with scallops and crawfish, and bread. This was followed by 7 kinds or cheese and more bread and to wrap things up we had a serving fruit and a fruit tart then coffee or tea. By this point I am stuffed and having slept only 3 hours in the past 44 I was falling asleep in my chair (the wine wasn't helping). After dinner Vincent's dad took us back to Jean's where I immediately passed out. 

Today I had to head to Grenoble. Jean wanted to make sure I got on my train so he came with me to the Gare de Lyon in Paris and, because I used and American credit card to make my purchase, I couldn't use the electronic machine to get my ticket so We had to wait in very long lines to get it from a teller. When we finally got it i had about 3 minutes to catch the train. Jean sprinted with me all the way to the car I was supposed to be in. So here I am - on the train the Grenoble, seeing the beautiful countryside sprinkled with farm houses and sunflower fields.