My last week was spent with friends and enjoying a last couple days in Grenoble. I wandered around the streets of centre-ville for a bit and took advantage of a free ride up the gondola to the Bastille. It was really warm and beautiful for those activities, but then the day before I left the weather got really cold and rainy (maybe to prepare me for the pacific northwest weather?)
View of the old part (and the centre-ville) of Grenoble from the Bastille
I went with some friends to La Table Rounde, the second oldest café in France! It was super nice to spend an evening at a restaurant with my friends who were still in Grenoble. I ordered a salade niçoise, one of my favorite French dishes even though it's not regional to the alps.
Caitilin, Julia and me at La Table Rounde in the old district of Grenoble
I got all my stuff packed up and moved out of my dorm. With all of my huge luguage, I got to the train station and said farewell to Grenoble. It was freezing and rainy when I got on the TGV, but when I got off 3 hours later in Paris, it was clear, sunny, and rather warm. I couch surfed with a Parisian and hung out with his friends on the Seine that night, the most perfect last night in France. I never knew what a night on the Seine really meant until then!
Tuleries; watch your head
The next day I walked around Paris rather randomly, and mildy on the search of bookshops. I was super temped to buy a 19th century map from one of the vendors on the river, but I decided that I should probably save my last euros for food. But, there were some really beautiful maps, even one of the départements before the revolution! It was hard to leave them to the hands of other tourists. Anyway, it was a lovely final afternoon wandering.
Ah Paris, Je t'aime! Even when there are hoards of tourists on the Champs-Elysées like this. This is not an example of Parisian fashion, by the way.
I got my luguage from the person I was couch surfing with and took the long metro ride to Charles de Gaulle airport where I stayed for the night. I thought it would be a pretty boring and sleepless night in the airport, but I met a Canadian who had been playing professional volleyball in northern France since September, so it wasn't so bad. I even slept for a bit on some of the airport chairs, for about 2 hours. At 8 am the next day, I caught a flight to Iceland where I had a 7 hour layover. It was pretty boring, especially right before an 8 hour flight, but I got through it. Now I kind of want to explore Iceland...
Chillin' at the Iceland airport with a super delicious croissant and probably the best cup of coffee I have ever had (sorry Seattle).
Et alors, my time in France was over! I had so many wonderful experiences from the fête des alpages in Annecy to snowboarding in Chamonix to couch surfing in the pays basque! Most importantly, I met so many wonderful, interesting, and kind people whether I knew them for the entire 9 months or for just a day. So, I say farewell to France for now, but look forward to adventures in my own country as well as going back to France to explore and enjoy French cuisine and way of life.
