So it's been a long long long time since the last post. I actually took pictures for my 10 sur 10 in November but never got the chance to post them and then today I totally forgot that it was the 10th until like half an hour ago, so I'm gonna start it again in January (if I remember...).

In the last two months lots has happened, so this is gonna be more of a summary with lots of pictures.

November

• Early November, I headed to Lyon for a day to meet up with a friend and to explore the city a bit as I had never been properly before. 
• Started going to the market each weekend with Roberto, and sometimes Marie France as well. It's just a little thing but it's nice to go with somebody :)
• Went out for a meal with Roberto and his Italian friends at one point, who obviously all talk Italian whereas I don't speak/understand it at all...
• As a result, started picking up bits of Italian
• Also been sorting things out for moving very very soon!
• House warming party (specifically for the bathroom) at Marie France's apartment, followed by my first ever attempt at any kind of skiing the next day! We went as a group to do ski du fond (cross country skiing) which was really fun! At first I hated it as I just could not get it, kept falling over and couldn't manage to get up after. But after a little while I slowly started getting it and had a great time in the end. Definitely got to give it another go sometime soon!
• And after skiing, we went and had a cheese fondue chez Fabien with lots of wine! Perfect end to the day!

End of October

Lyon!

The Italian making the pizzas of course!

Cosy

Skiing! For once I managed to enjoy the snow!

Laura et Fabien!

The whole gang!

December

• At the start of December I finally met some family of mine that live no more than 30 minutes away from me! That was really nice, and it's so lovely to know that I have some family close by, especially when they are so kind and welcoming to me despite having never met them before! 
• Last Saturday night, I went to a club with Roberto and some others which was good fun and hilarious. I think I spent most of it laughing, especially at Roberto's dancing...
• Then Sunday I headed to Lyon to visit a friend and see the Fête des Lumières (Festival of Lights) which was nice to see, although it was so crowded. Loved the Parc de Tête D'Or with all the Chinese lanterns and stuff, definitely the prettiest part.
  
• Then next weekend, I'm moving which I am so so excited for! And then soon it's time to head back to the UK, for the first time in 6 months, for Christmas and to see all my friends and family! :) 

These last two months I have also managed to combat my fear of dentists (well just about) which I am so proud of myself for and I managed to enjoy the snow for once! Although not that I could take my gloves off for any more than 5 seconds though.

Can't believe how fast these last 6 months have passed!

Happy holidays!

So it's been a pretty good and busy month once again. Firstly, a few weeks ago I made a last minute decision to go to Italy for the weekend after a friend offered me the chance on Thursday afternoon. I came into work on the Friday morning and just couldn't say no. I did have some doubts about going but I'd never been to Italy before and knew that I'd regret it if I didn't go! So Saturday morning, I left cold and grey Grenoble to head to sunny Savona!

The beach in sunny Savona!

Within about 15 minutes of having entered Italy, we stopped at a service station for our first Italian coffee as Roberto couldn't wait any longer for a taste of home. I don't normally drink a lot of coffee, I like one every now and again, but this weekend I must've had about 5 or 6. Too good! I find the culture behind it really funny though, because at coffee shops in the UK you either sit down with your large coffee, or you take it to go. Whereas in some of the places in Italy they didn't even have seats, just a small sort of bar/counter and you only spend about 2-5 minutes there as the coffee's are all so small that you don't really have time to sit down with it. Much nicer than the big coffees though!
We spent Saturday afternoon in Savona, where we walked by the beach and walked around the town. Also there is a second Sistine chapel in Savona, which is small but it was really beautiful. The decor was so extravagant. Unfortunately you weren't allowed to take photos but it was nice to see. Not really as well known or important as the one in the Vatican City though.
What was also even better about being here was that Roberto lived there for a while and so he knows the town quite well. My own personal tour guide ha! But yeah it was nice, had more coffee and possibly the most important part of the weekend; Italian ice cream!

Italian ice cream! 3 flavours: coconut (as always!), lemon sorbet and the last was some sort of wine or something. 

Then in the evening we went out for dinner in the next town, in a little restaurant called Zû a mâ (http://www.zuama.it) which was really nice. The chef is apparently quite successful but still it wasn't really expensive at all. Then afterwards when we got back to Savona, we walked around a little since the area was so alive with people, and ended up going to a rum bar, where he used to go before, and drinking straight rum. My conclusion from this is that I am still too young and do not have the tastes to really appreciate straight rum haha. Well, at least when it's the first thing you drink! Then we headed back to our rooms and before going to bed I just had to have a bath as I only have a shower in Grenoble and it's just not the same (Becky, if you read this I'm sure you'll understand me here! Haha).
The next day we went to Genova (Genoa/Gênes, whatever you want to call it! I'm going with the Italian name). To me, the town felt quite concentrated with all the little narrow streets going in all directions. But at the same time all of the buildings were so big and grand, that I spent the day feeling like such a tiny, little person!

Little ol' me vs. grand building

Here we basically spent the day walking around, looking for all the little hidden treasures found randomly in the little streets. Although Roberto's favourite part was going to the streets that were filled with prostitutes... His excuse was that it's a part of the culture of the town. Ok then.
Moving on, we had some more good food. He knew of a little, kind of restaurant that was basically a fish and chip shop. I don't know if they actually sold chips, but they had lots of different fish (which is typical here anyway since you're on the coast) such as calamari and then other fish which was covered in BATTER! Normally I prefer meat but I can never turn down a good ol' British fish and chips, which is something that I've had cravings for quite a few times since being in France! And from here, it was just like how the fish is cooked in British fish and chip shops! Oh my word I was in heaven. It was so so yummy! Then a bit later we had a proper lunch where we were sat outside, facing the port with palm trees in view and everything. (At work the next day it was bloody cold and it rained as we walked to the canteen at work. You win some, you lose some).

Our view while eating lunch.

Later on, we headed to the supermarket to stock up on some Italian food supplies before I headed back to Grenoble in Roberto's car with his friend, while we left Roberto in Savona (yes that was the plan ha).
It was such a good weekend for something so last minute. But if I go back to Italy, next time I need to learn at least some words beforehand. I could sometimes understand things people said but I had no idea how to say anything. Yeah ok, I was in Italy with an Italian, so it wasn't that important that I couldn't speak it, at least one of us could. But still it would've been much nicer for me if I could've said some things. He tried to teach me some things in the car, but for a short visit how useful really is it to know how to conjugate essere (to be) and avere (to have) and how to say "My name is...". Ah well, next time. I think the only thing I really remember how to say is dickhead in Italian. Brilliant.

Then last Friday, my fabulous little sister came to stay for the week with me in Grenoble! She didn't get to come with my parents in September, so it was so so so good to see her for the first time since the end of June! Unfortunately I still had to work while she was here, but Friday I went and met her at the station over lunch, and I managed to get Wednesday and Thursday afternoons off to spend with her, even though she went home late Thursday afternoon/evening. On the Saturday, we spent the day in Grenoble. Firstly we went out for lunch and then in the afternoon we went to some wine event called Millesime that was being held in the town centre with Laura, Quentin and Lucas. Nice mix of languages this afternoon, with some English, French and Spanish! Sunday, we headed to Annecy. Unfortunately, it poured it down with rain all day so we ended up not spending all that long there. But we had a coffee and Jess had her first macaroon in a cute little café and we walked around for a little bit. It's still pretty even in the rain!

Monday evening after work, the weather was really good so we went to O'Callaghans (an Irish pub here in Grenoble) for a drink and then we came home and I made some dinner for us both. Tuesday evening, Jess was a babe and re-dyed my hair for me! Then Wednesday we went shopping as the weather wasn't great. And in the evening, we went out for drinks with my work friends, so Jess got to meet Marie-France and Roberto as well as see Laura, Quentin and Fabien again. After drinks we went out for dinner too and funnily all had the same thing. But that was nice, and a new restaurant for me and it's always good to try somewhere new. Then Thursday once I finished work we firstly headed out for some lunch and then we went to the supermarket so that Jess could stock up on some things to take back to the UK. Mid-afternoon I took her to the bus station and had to say goodbye to her as she got the shuttle back to the airport. Won't see her again until Christmas now, waah :( miss her already!
Fortunately I have some good friends, and ended up going out for a drink with a friend last minute that evening so I wasn't sat moping around because she wasn't there anymore (I was happy that my room was now tidy, however).

This weekend's been pretty good too. Yesterday the weather was gorgeous, so I headed up on foot to the bastille and then explored further up which I haven't done before. I spent half an hour or so sunbathing at the top of the mountain which was a nice resting point out of the 5 to 6 hours of walking I did. Also next time I need to count the amount of steps on the walk back down as there are bloody hundreds! As always, I managed to come out a totally different way on my way back down. I don't know how I manage it, but I never end up taking the same route.
Then today, it's been a rainy Sunday leaving me with not much choice of what to do. This morning I went swimming, which is strange for me as it's not something I ever choose to do normally (the lake is different, that involves sunbathing and normally not a lot of swimming). But that was good and I might start going more regularly as I think it'd be a pretty good thing to do. Although I say that now, it probably won't happen.

Anyway, sorry for the lengthy post! I just don't have time to do smaller posts more frequently! I'm a busy bee :)

À la prochaine!
Bisous!

Ce soir je n'arrive pas à bien parler en anglais donc ce poste va être le premier en français. Pour ceux qui ne parlent pas français, ne vous inquietez pas, ce poste ne contient que quelques phrases mais beaucoup de photos! (For those of you who don't speak French, there's no need to worry as this post is mainly going to contain photos!) Sinon, il y a toujours Google Translate si vous en avez vraiment besoin.

Alors, ce poste va être le premier dans une série. La semaine dernière j'ai trouvé ici un projet qui s'appelle 10 sur 10. Le but de ce projet est prendre 10 photos sur le 10 de chaque mois pour documenter notre quotidien. C'est une idée qui m'a vraiment intéressée, donc aujourd'hui je l'ai fait. C'est vrai que ce poste ne va pas être trop intéressant parce que j'ai passé la plupart de ma journée au travail, mais c'est ma vie quotidienne! En plus, il y avait trop de nuages donc il n'était pas possible de prendre un bon photo de la Chartreuse avec la neige sur le sommet :(

Le petit déj!

2 minutes avant de partir pour aller bosser

Près d'arriver au travail

J'ai du aller au fnac pour acheter des nouveaux écouteurs parce que ce matin a vu le fin pour mes anciens. Alors, je suis allée en centre ville.

Même s'il pleut, la place Victor Hugo est toujours joli et plein de couleur!

Malheureusement, cette scène était mieux en réalité

J'ai promené à côté de l'Isère. Je trouve les bâtiments du quartier italien jolis.

L'Isère , avec le télépherique et une vue vers le Vercors.

D'un côté de l'Isère, j'ai trouvé cet endroit. C'était très calme et vert. Vraiment beau!

Si je ne finis pas avec la nourriture, ce n'est pas mon blog! Mon dîner: des crêpes avec un oeuf, du jambon et du comté! Mmn :)

Voilà, c'est le fin de mon premier 10 sur 10. Je pense que le mois prochain sera plus intéressant, surtout parce que le 10 novembre est un dimanche! On verra...

A toute!

Don't really have much to report this time but thought it was about time for a little update.

Into my fourth month of living here now which I can barely believe! It's all going by so quickly! The last few weeks have been quite calm for me compared to early September. But the weather's gradually getting colder as autumn draws upon us and then there was a week when pretty much everyone was ill, so I've been taking it easy as to not get ill myself. And then of course there was the finale of Breaking Bad last weekend, which required most of the weekend, mainly Sunday, to watch the remaining episodes of season 5 so that I could watch the finale on Monday evening after work. I must have watched about 5 hours of it at least on Sunday. No regrets and a day well spent. Also sorted out my room a bit and tried out some French recipe so it wasn't all that lazy.

The weekend before I went back to Crolles/St Hilaire du Touvet, this time with Laura and Quentin, for the big Coupe Icare event (http://www.coupe-icare.org/). It's basically a paragliding event which, I believe, is the biggest in Europe. But it's a big event and lots of people at work said it was a good thing to go and see, so off we went. We were most looking forward to seeing the paragliders in fancy dress - they have a competition, a bit like the Red Bull event where people jump into a lake to see if their creations can fly or whatever - however, unfortunately the weather conditions weren't good enough on the Saturday, the day we went, and so this particular event was cancelled. They managed to do it on the Sunday but we only went on the Saturday. But we did see a loooot of paragliders and some delta planes, and the weather was gorgeous. It was even pretty warm up at St Hilaire du Touvet where it's normally fresher. So yeah, despite not getting to see the costumes like we'd wanted to see, it was still a nice day out.
Then in the evening we went to a colleagues house warming party, even though he's now lived in his appartment for like 6 months or something. His apartment is the nicest thing ever though! Literally like a hotel because it's decorated and designed so well. Definitely a designer apartment, but I guess Italians have good taste for stuff like that! So that evening was nice and chilled out and I got to meet some new people even though we were the youngest people there by a good few years. Even danced a bit of salsa with Roberto! What a babe! Haha!

Otherwise it's been quite calm. Working a lot, which I'm still really enjoying! Honestly don't have any complaints about work at all! Outside of work I've been seeing friends, doing a bit of shopping and relaxing.

Still having an amazing time and don't wanna leave!

A bientôt!

Some dancing "robots" entertaining the crowd in St Hilaire du Touvet

I'm going to wish you all good luck from the outset as this will probably be a long one... I've got just over 2 weeks to cover, and they've been a busy busy busy few weeks! Not really sure where to begin either, but guess I'll just go in chronological order.

So firstly going back to the last week of August, which seems like so long ago now as so much has happened since. I spent the Monday evening at O'Callaghans (too much of a regular thing..) with Antoine and friends since it was his last week in Grenoble and probably the last time I'll see him until the holidays, which is sad because we always had a great time chilling out or going to the mountains or whatever. Also going to miss his crazy antics - see a previous post for post-night out, jumping in plants pictures. But I'm sure the holidays and our next encounter will come around quick enough as time just doesn't stop here.

Then the Wednesday evening, I had my first experience of a co-voiturage trip (car sharing) as a means to get to Lyon for the evening to see New Found Glory! The co-voiturage idea is quite a big thing over here with many websites and things set up for doing and promoting it, whereas I don't really think we have the same thing in the UK, especially with everyone's constant safety concerns. But it was a really good way of getting to and from the gig, rather than having to rely on public transport, and even more so because the guy was also going to the gig himself so we went direct. And also out of this, I've now got a friend in Grenoble who's into similar music as me and a good contact for music events going on here. Awesome! Otherwise yes I did go to the gig on my own and once I got in the venue I didn't actually see the guy I went with until after. But actually I enjoyed going alone because you don't have to worry about where anyone else is and you can have an awesome time without worrying about what anybody else thinks about your dancing or singing or anything. And of course I wasn't the only one there on my own and actually got chatting to a couple of people which was cool. I found it very strange though being in a gig environment with American bands who were obviously talking and singing in English, but then remembering every now and then that I was in France and surrounded by people talking French. Was pretty bizarre. But it was definitely funny when the bands would say something and the crowd just didn't react because they didn't actually understand what was said, which especially happened with the support band We Are The In Crowd. Too funny for me that I think I spent most of their set laughing. But yeah, New Found Glory were obviously awesome! The venue was tiny and there wasn't even a security barrier, which was strange for me having already seen them at Reading fest a few years ago and at Southampton Guildhall last year where there were, of course, barriers and security. This meant that when I got right up centre front, I was literally touching the stage. Too good! And also the French are insane. So many of them getting onto the stage and just throwing themselves into the crowd and some of their forms of moshing and mosh pits and stuff were brilliant. Such an awesome gig and I'm so glad I went even though work the next day wasn't the easiest thing ever. Totally worth it. Check out the video below of My Friend's Over You, the first song they played for their encore. The crowd went mad for this one!

Then I didn't do too much the Thursday evening because I was pretty worn out from the gig as well as work, and Friday evening I basically got ready for my parents first visit to Grenoble, as they were arriving the Saturday morning. 

So my parents arrived about midday on the Saturday. The fact that they drove here from the UK is further proof that my dad is crazy - wouldn't have him any other way though. Literally the best thing to see them and get to spend the whole weekend with them after having not seen them for just over 2 months! Saturday we went out for lunch, and I even got them to try more French style food rather than the usual pizza or McDonalds sort of thing they'd opt for on holiday. Very proud of them haha! Then we explored Grenoble, had a walk around and obviously went up in the télépherique to the Bastille so they could see the views across the city. Then Sunday, we went for a drive just outside of Grenoble and explored some of the mountains which is always a good thing. My parents had the exact same reaction and feelings as when I first went up into some of the mountains. The views are just unbelievable and so beautiful, no matter where you are. Then we went up the funiculaire at Saint-Hilaire-de-Touvet, which is basically a hill train and this one is like the steepest in Europe or something. So there were more gorgeous views from up the top of the mountain there. That was also something that I'd wanted to do as I would always see it on my way to/from Aix Les Bains. Then after that we went back to their hotel and my mum redyed my hair for me as my roots really needed doing. That brought me back down to earth a bit as I realised that they were on holiday but it was still just everyday life for me despite the weekend feeling very much like a holiday. Then the Monday, I went back to work but met up with my parents for lunch to see them for the last time before they left to travel back up through France and enjoy the rest of their week.

Next to the fountain in the Notre Dame area of Grenoble with mum

Funiculaire 

Monday evening, as per, I went to O'Callaghans but this time with Liv, Ellie and Elliot who had just arrived that weekend. Had a few drinks there and then walked around a bit and ended up having a drink in the London Pub too. Nice, casual evening but always good :)

Not much happened on Tuesday, and I originally thought nothing would happen on the Wednesday but I ended up with too much choice of what to do after work instead. I ended up going to the spa for a few hours with Fabien and then we watched a load of Big Bang Theory episodes in French as he's not seen them before. I've definitely seen some of those episodes too many times though, thank you E4.

Then Thursday evening I went to Laura's and we baked a cake for her pot de départ (like a little leaving do) the next morning. We used an English recipe and trying to find some of the ingredients was actually harder than imagined. Does buttermilk exist over here? Who knows! But anyway, we still managed to make the cake successfully and it was pretty good! Better than Fabien's tarte au citron of course!

Friday evening, I hopped on a TGV and headed to PARIS to go and see Lucy! The journey was useful as it gave me the chance to nap and recharge before getting there, and then we had a nice casual evening with some of her friends. The Saturday we got up pretty early as we thought it was better to start early and fit in as much as possible. We started by going to the Sacre Coeur and having a walk around Montmartre. After that, it was almost lunch time so we went to a restaurant called Chartier, which is impressively cheap for being in Paris – paid about 11€ for 2 courses, not bad eh? - and is also set in an old railway station, so it has a wonderful design. It wasn’t much like having lunch in France though as it was all very rushed. The food comes very quickly, within minutes of ordering, and then when you finish they are very quick at clearing up as they obviously want to free up the table for more customers. That’s obviously how they get away with such low prices but still manage to make money. But still, it was nice and the fact that it was quick gave us more time to explore. After lunch we went to the Pompidou centre. I really wanted to go as I wanted to see the Roy Lichtenstein exhibition as he is probably one of the only artists I really know (alongside Gaudi), and I love his work – so simple but pretty striking. The actual building itself definitely sticks out like a sore thumb in a city as beautiful as Paris though! Inside, we firstly went to the Roy Lichtenstein exhibition, which was pretty cool, and then we just had a general walk around the rest of the place. I actually found the whole place really interesting even though I’m not really one to go to museums or galleries, and I think Lucy and I both felt very cultured for the afternoon. So I’m definitely glad we went and had a look around there. After that we briefly passed by Notre Dame and also took a walk to a kind of non-touristic area of Paris that Lucy really likes. Then we headed to the Eiffel Tower which I think just has to be visited if you’re spending any amount of time in Paris. It wasn’t the first time I’ve been - although I still haven’t been up it yet – but it’s still good to just pass by and see such an iconic symbol of the city.

On the escalators in the Pompidou centre

Standard Eiffel tower piccie!

After staying around there for a bit, we headed back to Lucy’s to get changed and get ready for the evening. Time to go and see Paramore for the billionth time, but this time in Paris! Lucy went and met up with some friends for the evening while I headed to Le Zenith – yes I went to a concert on my own again… I quite like it though. My 16 year old self was really excited to go and see them as it had been a while since the last time, but I was worried that I’d be one of the oldest people there. Fortunately I wasn’t and there were quite a few people of a similar age. I just find it funny though how in France they are basically unknown, whereas in the UK everyone has at least heard of them. Anyway, I got there just at the end of the support band’s set (had never heard of them and wasn’t fussed) and the first thing I noticed was the fact that in the middle of the standing area there was a little kiosk selling drinks and snacks, but most surprisingly baguettes! Only in France would you ever find that! Paramore came on not long after and played a mix of songs from their latest self-titled album mixed with some older songs off of the other 3 albums. The concert was really good but I’m definitely starting to outgrow Paramore, as much as I don’t want to admit it. Unfortunately the new songs (except for Part II) just don’t have as much energy and just aren’t as good as the older songs. But they were a big part of my teenage years and All We Know Is Falling is still one of my favourite albums. I’m just not sure if I would go and see them again. Although saying that, I probably would still go just because I could. After the concert, I got back on the metro to go and find Lucy and then not long later we headed home as we were both pretty tired from the day.

Paramoreeee!

The next morning we slept in a bit and then I got the TGV back to Grenoble about midday. By the time I got home that afternoon I was pretty knackered from the week, the weekend and the travelling so I had a nice relaxing evening chez moi.

The second week…
The Monday evening I obviously ended up at O’Callaghans again – definitely too much of a regular thing – but this time with work friends as a way to get everyone together before a few of them leave. Again it was really nice to chill out and have a drink, and then after we went for a meal at a restaurant called Pasta Cosi which was nice.

Tuesday evening, the English lot came over and we made a roast dinner. It was too yummy! Haven’t had a roast in a few months so it was even better. Was also good to chill as it was a lot more relaxed than most of my other evenings recently as I didn’t have to go out and it didn’t include getting home late as most of the other evenings did.

Wednesday evening, I was meant to go out but I was so knackered after work that I got home and napped and then didn’t do much after that.

A similar thing happened on the Thursday as I was meant to go out and meet up with a friend but it was very unorganized and I ended up napping and sleeping much longer than originally planned… oops.

Friday was Laura’s last day at work, very sad times! So to make up for her not being here this week, I ended up spending basically the whole weekend with her. Friday evening was very casual, just having a few drinks and chilling out at a friend’s house. Then Saturday, we had a bbq over lunch, which is possibly the last one of the summer since the weather’s starting to change. But fortunately the weather was so good on Saturday which made a change from the cold week we’d had. Then in the evening we went out for a few drinks. We started at a really casual, chilled out place called Les copains d'abord for a few beers. It's a place I've not been to before but I really liked it. Then at midnight we went to another bar, that I don't know the name of at all, and here we spent the rest of the evening doing shots of TNT which is a mix of Chartreuse (a liqueur produced around here), vodka and orangina. Actually quite nice and something I'm sure my sister will want to try when she visits - alcohol and orangina, I'm sure she'll love it ha. But the strange thing about it was it was still such a casual situation, just sat around chatting, yet we did so many shots.. such a good evening though. I stayed at Laura's that evening as I wasn't going to walk home alone at like 2/3 in the morning, and I ended up having a massive discussion about nuclear power at like 5am with one of the others which was actually really interesting. I'm not too sure why but since I've been here I've found nuclear power more interesting. Possibly due to all the Fukushima stuff going on. But I remember studying it at French A Level and thinking it was the most boring thing ever. Anyway, I headed back home on Sunday. It rained basically all day so I slept a bit more when I got home and then for once I did nothing and just relaxed. 

And then today I felt nice and recharged ready for the working week to begin! :)

Looking forward to seeing what the next few weeks have in store! Already have choice for what to do this weekend and not sure what to choose argh!

I want to congratulate you if you've made it to here. This is one extremely long post haha... I apologise but I guess it does cover like over 2 weeks worth of stuff, so sorry not sorry :)

Hopefully I won't leave it so long next time...

A bientôt!

Despite the weather not being as good as normal, this weekend has been awesome. The weather was still great on Friday, so after work me and Fabien went to the lake and went kayaking. It was so much fun! A great way to spend time on the lake; a great way to spend the evening and it was good to see more of the other side of the lake rather than the Aix-les-Bains side where we normally go. I was so so close to not falling in the lake for once - we often take inflatable mattresses and I don't think I have ever managed not to fall off at least once... - but then when it came to getting out of the kayak, obviously I fell in. Brilliant. Fabien thought it was hilarious and even later in the evening he kept laughing about it.

Afterwards, we got back in the car and headed up into the mountains as he wanted to show me what is most possibly one of the most beautiful views I've seen. It was magnificent. The view over the lake was insane (see picture above and pictures below). I honestly could've happily sat there for a few hours just looking at the view.

The weather forecast for the weekend was really rubbish - all rain and storms. But when we got up on Saturday morning we found that the weather was still pretty good, so we had a bit of breakfast and then headed straight to the lake for a quick swim. For the first time I jumped in first time without any hesitating. So proud of myself haha! Not really too sure why I hesitate normally. Possibly because I don't swim often and so I'm not as strong a swimmer as I was when I was younger. Anyway, so we did a bit of swimming and then headed to a spa afterwards; pourquoi pas. Spent about an hour or so there and it was so nice to just relax and spend a bit of time in the sauna and in the jacuzzi. Also it was good to be inside as it soon started tipping it down outside. Afterwards, I was so relaxed that I'm sure I could've fallen asleep standing up.

The rain and storms continued for the rest of the day so I didn't do too much in the afternoon, but the morning had basically tired me out anyway. I'm currently making my way through all of Breaking Bad, so that was a good way to spend the afternoon.

Again today the weather's not been as bad as expected but it's still not great. So earlier I went to the cinema to see Jeune et Jolie (see trailer below) which I was planning on seeing at some point. It was really good and I'd recommend going to see it! Also despite it all being in French without any subtitles, I didn't find it difficult to follow which I'm hoping means my time spent in France so far has been well worth it already. If you're in France or if you get the chance, go watch it!

So yeah, I'm going to finish this post off here as I'm heading out soon to make the most of the rest of the day.
Hope everyone's had a good weekend!

A bientôt!

One of my favourite things about being in France definitely has to be how cheap a nice bottle of wine is, as well as how often they have a "petit apéro". I love a petit apéro with friends, although it's true that sometimes it ends up being not so petit...

Anyway staying on the subject of wine, I went out with a friend on Tuesday night to a small bar in the city centre. This bar was pretty small and had an intimate atmosphere: a place you go to meet, chat and have a drink with friends and possibly to dance a little. But the best thing about it was that it's basically a wine bar, where they have a wide range of different flavours of wine - from blueberry, to salted caramel, to spiced mango, and many others. I only tried the spiced mango flavour, which was pretty good, so I definitely plan on going back to try some of the others.

But for me, the weirdest thing about it was walking into the bar. The atmosphere was pretty intense as soon as you walked in and it was filled with young people. There's a lot of young people in Grenoble, but everywhere you go you always seem to come across a variety of ages, and normally older people. Even when I went to Nox (a nightclub here in Grenoble), there were quite a few older people or just generally weirdos. Yet in this bar there were only normal, young people. It was great and it was what really made the atmosphere. Got to meet some of Antoine's friends too and it was so good to be out with such a good group of people. And despite it being a Tuesday night, I managed to get up for work without too much trouble the next morning. I don't think some of the others managed so easily though, especially the few who apparently ran around Grenoble, at like 3 in the morning, totally naked. Hmm, great idea... or not.

A bientôt,
Robyn

Rocking the sunglasses in the club look haa

Olivier decided to take a quick dip in the fountain

A good way to describe Tuesday night - Antoine and Olivier after having jumped on/into a bush