Catie Goes to Grenoble: Grenoble inversed

So, finally I was able to find a computer at the library that would recognize my USB drive with all of my photos! The next few posts will be about the second part of my winter vacation.

After getting back from Rome on a long train ride, I spent New Year's in Grenoble with a few friends who live in my residence. On January 3rd, I caught a train to Clermont-Ferrand to commence my 10 day, solo edition voyage. There were a lot of students on the train with me as they were starting school soon. I got to the city early evening and found the 'hostel' after quite a bit of wandering around the dark streets. The hostel I booked turned out to be what I believe was extra student housing that was rented out as a hostel. I actually had my own room with a bathroom and a TV! That is luxury right there. I'll be honest, think that room was nicer that the one I actually live in in Grenoble; the bed was definitely more comfortable. The rooms were very similar in structure though.

'Hostel' - see the TV, 2 chairs, and desk?!

Anyway, I had about 1 full day to explore the city. Most of the places were actually closed because it was a Monday, and a lot of people were still on holiday. It was a beautiful, clear day despite how cold it was. The little lake at the Jardin de ville was frozen over, the ground was all forst covered, and a huge Christmas tree was in the middle of the major square. Although I didn't have much to do, I enjoyed seeing another French city like the opposite of Grenoble - Clermont-Ferrand was a city at the top of a hill with lower valleys around (and actually a volcano that is a popular site in warmer weather) opposed to Grenoble which is a city in a valley surrounded by mountains.

View of the Jardin de Ville; you can see the frozen pond to the right

View of the red rooftops in the city

Empty street in Clermont-Ferrand

The beautiful Gothic cathedral that I unfortunately could not go into

Gargoyles of the cathedral

Christmas tree. I think this one was nicer that the one in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican.

It was cool to see different building structures and a different layout of a city as I have gotten used to the layout of Grenoble. France is very big on regional products, so I liked going to a new region where different local foods were emphasized.

Building in Clermont-Ferrand