Grenoble—May 19, 2023

Grenoble—Day 3

After breakfast we walked to Europcar near the train station to see if we could postpone picking up our rental car. Martin made it clear we didn't want to try driving in Grenoble. The city has made many streets pedestrian only and that has created some creative one way streets that make getting somewhere that seems close really tricky. He suggested we pick up our car Sunday if possible.

We were able to reschedule our pick up for tomorrow (Saturday). Then we used Google Maps to find the parking lot our hotel uses. Guests get 50% off parking fees for the Telepherique underground and attended parking garage. We discovered it's pretty much a straight shot so we'll avoid the tricky one way and pedestrian only roads to the garage. 

The rest of this lazy day was spent walking Old Town Grenoble some more, doing our usual walking and gawking and trying to "get lost". Took pictures of shops, doors, the narrow lanes, and anything else that caught my eye.

Franchise touting gourmet fast food.

An all-Irish shop.

Prices were, um, over the top.

High-end women's clothier.

One of three tram lines.

St. Claire Market entrance.

St. Claire covered market opened at
the end of the 19th century and is the
hub of Old Town Grenoble.

Lady on the left selecting pasta at the Italian
specialty shop and the lady on the right in the
foreground is checking out beef.

Fresh, fresh seafood. The fishmonger behind this
one was shelling oysters.

More cheese please!

Italian specialties sold here.

Everything poultry.

L'Isere River.

This suspension bridge was built in,
1837 but the first crossing here was
in 46 BCE when Cularo was a small
Gallic village, eventually becoming
a Roman city in 381CE. The city was
renamed Grenoble sometime during
the Middle Ages.

Le Pont Saint-Laurent (1837) is
a pedestrian-only bridge today.

There's a pedestrian now!

Steps down to L'Isere River. This is
a fast-moving river that has washed
out bridges over the centuries. 

The Telepherique line stretches 2,310
feet to the top of the Bastille that
overlooks the city 800+ feet below.
The cable car opened in 1934.

We took a break at The Old Bridge 

Irish Pub. We're looking across the

river to the municipal theatre.

      This gives you a hint of L'Isere's power.

Even on a lazy day like today, somehow we've managed to walk seven miles so far, and the day isn't done.