Taking a “week off” might seem ridiculous coming from two people that are currently on a never ending vacation, but it was necessary. August and September were insane. We went from SE Asia to Australia for two weeks road tripping with my mom to camper van life to a self drive safari in Africa to two weeks with Justin’s parents city hopping in Germany and France. That’s three continents, three road trips, countless cities and lots of emotional moments. We were exhausted. There was still red dirt coating things in our suitcase, our pictures were sitting on random memory cards and our bodies needed a break.
We spent an hour talking through our options one afternoon while Justin’s parents were resting in the next room. The mountains – they were calling. That phrase is a little overused, but the only place we wanted to be was in the mountains. Located just a few hours from the Alps, we were determined to find a mountain spot. We needed somewhere that wasn’t expensive and had a last minute apartment we could rent with a washing machine and kitchen. It didn’t appear to be an easy task, but we got lucky.
Two things helped us make our decision:
- This website listing the 15 best mountain towns in Europe. We had a few already on our rough draft itinerary, some we had visited previously and then one that we had not heard anything about.
- This apartment was still available for our dates and was a GREAT DEAL with two balconies and all the things we needed for a productive and relaxing week.
Grenoble, France
This beautiful city in the French Alps has everything. It is surrounded by mountains on all sides with a river running right alongside the old town. The 1968 Olympics were held here, the French Resistance of WW2 had a lot of activity in this city and it is much more affordable to stay than other cities in the Alps.
Things We Loved about Grenoble
Markets
We had a small market just steps away from the front door for snacks and a larger market a few blocks away. This allowed us to have home cooked meals with lots of variety for the first time in a while. It has been a learning experience for us to get used to a smaller variety of produce based on what’s available. It is definitely the best way to do it, but not something we were accustomed to coming from the land of fully stocked grocery stores. In other countries, you get what’s available and you better get there earlier in the day. This area had a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and it was like Christmas.
Patisseries and Boulangeries
If you don’t speak any French, you should know those two words – pastry shop and bakery. We had to balance out all the healthy food with croissants and sweet treats at least a few times. Grenoble did not disappoint in that aspect.
Lots of History
Grenoble has been around for 2,000 years. It has seen a lot. We took two “tourist field trips” while in town.
The Museum of the Resistance
The first was the free museum that highlighted the French Resistance efforts in the area during WWII. It was such a well done museum. There were a ton of exhibits about the heroes that fought against the Nazis in any way they could during the war. They had some very powerful visuals that showed the progression of the Nazis over the years in a way that I had never seen before. Lots of audio clips to listen to and some amazing items to memorialize those that were lost. And did I mention the museum is FREE?
The Bastille
This was a military fort built to protect the area. It offers some of the best views of the area. There are two options to get up – you can take the gondola (one of the oldest in the world) up and back down or you can hike. In our efforts to take the week off from too much, we opted for the gondola and it was really cool. It is their most popular attraction and it’s easy to see why – the views from the top are incredible.
The Gorgeous Buildings & Street Art
This should be obvious – the town is in France after all. Each pastel colored building is prettier than the last. It’s easy to just wander through the winding streets staring up. There is beautiful street art on every corner that adds a little extra color to each block.
Oh, and the Mountains
The apartment we stayed in was on the top floor of a building with a balcony on each side. That meant we could watch the sunrise on one side and the sunset on the other without even leaving.
And then there is this view of Mt Blanc from the top of the Bastille. It’s that giant white blob behind the clouds. While it wasn’t in the cards on this trip, it made us excited to return and ski here.
When we first imagined the mountain relaxation, I pictured a log cabin with a fireplace in the middle of nowhere. That was a little unrealistic with our budget and requirements for laundry and a kitchen. This place turned out to be just perfect. We finished the second season of the Crown, completely unpacked, cleaned and organized everything, plotted out our next few stops and did lots of reading and writing. Plus, there was the benefit of quietly staring out the windows. Grenoble was the perfect spot for us.
When the mountains call, you really should just answer.
