Grenoble Via Ferrata

There's this type of climbing sport in the region called the Via Ferrata.  A via ferrata is specifically a climbing route through mountainous, rocky areas made with a cable that you attach yourself to and metal hand- and footholds strategically placed along the route.  I'd say its a level above belay climbing, but a level below free climbing.  There are always handholds, but you attach yourself to the appropriate places.

This is the start!

In Grenoble, there is a via ferrata that climbs up to the Bastille.  I decided I wanted to try it.  Last Thursday was quite warm, so two friends and I decided to go for it.  One friend was experienced and even owned his own equipment, while the other was a beginner just like me.  We rented our equipment late on Thursday and headed towards the Bastille to check things out.

Scooting along the cable. Photo courtesy of P. Briggs

So there are three main pieces of equipment for the via ferrata.  First is a harness, just like with regular rock climbing.  The next is a unique two rope system with clips on the ends.  The ropes are quite short, about the length of my arm.  Basically you are attached to a cable on the rock face by these ropes.  There are two so that you always have at least one attached, even when changing and working around the cables.  The third piece of equipment is a helmet.  I have to be safe after all!

On the rock in the background. Photo courtesy of P. Briggs

So, the via ferrata ended up being pretty scary.  We climbed to great heights and were responsible for our own safety.  It's a free, open course for anyone to do, and with no one watching to make sure you're doing it right.  I think the scariest parts were going around curves/ corners where you had to straddle the rock.  Another scary part was scooting across a cable hanging high off the ground and finally a wood bridge.  The bridge itself wasn't scary, but my legs were a bit short and I had to do a major stretch over a void just to get onto it.

 So yeah, I got a bit scared, BUT I think I'd try it again! I think that now I know what to expect, it would be easier.  I guess there's quite a few different via ferrata courses in the area.  Maybe I'll have to try another!  Anyways, here's some pretty flowers from our walk aback down the hill; spring has sprung!

Loving the View

Work is still keeping me busy here in Grenoble.  There are two weeks of classes left and lots of grading to accomplish, but soon I'll be on break.  I'm excited to say that after being away from home for the past two Christmas seasons, I'll be returning to spend the holidays with my family in Colorado this year.  So I'll finish classes on Thursday the 17th at 5pm and prepare for my 10am flight the following morning.  I'll be back for two weeks.

Things are going well in Grenoble.  Teaching has had its difficult moments (and by teaching, I really mean just figuring out all the administration and grading), but I find it quite rewarding.  I've gotten some nice feedback from a couple students, and that sure feels good.  It's quite the change from my first day when a student looked me over and walked out of my class before even giving me a chance to speak! 

I feel like I've been able to talk about some exciting things this year, which keeps classes all that more interesting.  I enjoy being able to talk about advanced subjects like the street artist Banksy, short films, Buy Nothing Day (a way to protest Black Friday), and the Tiny House Movement.  I look forward to continuing to push the box next semester.  Next semester's schedule isn't quite finalized, but it looks like I'll be switching some of the extra classes I've taken on from IT students to students studying alpine geography.  I'm figuring out what exactly that is so that I can cater some subjects to their interests!

In other news, the snow has arrived around Grenoble and the ski resorts are open.  I'm waiting until after the holidays to check out the snow myself, but I had friends show me pictures of the beautiful slopes.  It's been cold and sometimes wet in Grenoble itself, but today was beautifully sunny.  Check it out for yourself! I snapped a couple quick pictures on the way into my office this afternoon.

Vacances de Toussaint

I'm on vacation now!  A week of vacation came as a much needed break.  With my new job, I've been working really hard and learning a lot more about teaching.  My time commitment for teaching is definitely a lot more than the past two years, mostly due to the fact that I have more lessons to plan and grading to do.  French grading is based off of a 20 point scale, and besides that, I must follow a consistent grading system for each language level.  In other words, I have to determine the language level of each student (grammar, vocabulary, etc) and give them the corresponding grade.  I'm sure it will get easier, but I collected about 150 papers before the break and am making my way through them quite slowly.

During my break, I've been slowly working my way through those papers, but also taking some time to enjoy myself, eat good food, find some delicious pastries, get outside, watch a couple movies and spend time with people I care about. 

Yesterday I had some visitors come into town, and we made a day of eating and exploring.  We started with a quick walk through the center of town, with its winding pedestrian streets, and then we made our way to lunch at an Indian restaurant.  It was delicious! I had a chicken curry that was really great.  From there, we decided to explore the touristy thing to do in Grenoble: go to the Bastille.  The Bastille is the fort situated on a mountain overlooking Grenoble.  It is in a very strategic location to look over the valley below.  

We took the "bubbles" up to the fort and were welcomed with a beautiful view.  The surrounding trees were changing color and we could see all of Grenoble.  It turned out to be quite cloudy so we couldn't see all of the surrounding mountains except for one white peak jutting above the grey clouds.  We read the informational panels at the top of the Bastille with information on the Olympic Games in the 60's, the rapid expansion of Grenoble (it's a relatively new city and has really grown in the past 60 years), and even about the role of Grenoble in nuclear physics.  

We also explored the surrounding area and found a walkway on the backside of the Bastille that tunneled into the mountain.  In fact, an entire path was dug through the mountain with strategic windows looking onto the Bastille.  Troops at the fort had created this tunnel to help regain the Bastille if it was ever taken by enemy forces.

Eventually we made our way back down the mountain to find some pastries and warm drinks.  I enjoyed a raspberry tart and hot chocolate.  The time changed last Sunday, so night was falling quite quickly.  We called it a day and made it back home.  It's now time to get back to work soon, but for now I'm enjoying my little taste of fall break.

Grenoble Sunday Stroll

I'm enjoying my new apartment here in Grenoble.  I finally unpacked and stashed my suitcase, did some shopping for bed linens and food basics, and started exploring my neighborhood.  I'm living with three French girls about a 20 minute walk from the center of Grenoble where all the action happens with bars, cafes, and winding streets.  I'm right next to two tram lines, which is convenient to get to the university, even though I'd like to get a bike to take advantage of the chance to get some fresh air.  Grenoble itself is very flat and bike-friendly; in fact, it's supposedly the flattest city in France!  So after my first payday, a bike is one of the first things on my shopping list.

Even with Grenoble being flat, the surrounding area is picturesque with mountains closing in the city on all sides.  The city is considered the capital of the French Alps region, and Stendhal, a 19th century French writer, once said of Grenoble, "At the end of every road there is a mountain."  To the north is the Chartreuse mountain range, to the south and west is the Vercours, and to the east is the Belledonne.  I'll admit that I cheated and looked that up just now, but soon I'll know it by heart.  It seems to be a right of passage to know which is which when living in Grenoble.  I get a peak of the Belledonne from my bedroom window when it's not cloudy.

Today is Sunday and I decided to have a nice afternoon stroll.  I walked up the main street (in fact the longest street in France - or it would be if it didn't change names a couple times) and past the fruit and vegetable market that I explored yesterday.  I kept going all the way to the Isere River which runs at the foot of the Bastille, a small fortified mountain that is one of the main tourist attractions of the city.  I crossed the river where I thought I would find a flea market.  Alas there was nothing (the website I saw the information on must be outdated), so I stopped by the supermarket there and picked up a couple things to add to my hoard of fruits and veggies at home.  I continued along the quay, pondering over which pizza restaurant I'd be trying first and when that would be.  There must have been 25 in a row!  I continued meandering along the river, eventually crossing a bridge back to the old city.  Being Sunday, the shops were closed.  However, people were still out and about getting lunch or walking around.  A couple outdoor markets were starting to put their unsold goods back into their vans.  After getting lost and finding myself a couple times I headed back to my apartment (hopefully soon it feels more natural to say "home"!).  At foot of my apartment, I stopped in the bakery and picked up their promotion: 3 croissants and 3 pain au chocolat for 2 euros!  Yum yum.

Now I'm in the for rest of the day, thinking about what I should make with my fresh ingredients.  I'm also trying to prepare myself a bit for the six classes I start this week.  I started my first two last Friday at the IAE business school where I am teaching English to masters IT students.  It started a little awkwardly, but then felt good once we got going.  I hope that the rest of my classes starting this week just keep getting better and better as I go along.  Besides the IT students, I'm also teaching undergraduate students at the urbanism school and a mix of both undergraduate and masters students at the language center on campus.  The language center caters to non-majors, so I'll be teaching students from all different disciplines.  Here's to the start of a good week! Wish me luck!

Bisous,
Danielle