Paradise and Back!!

Travelled alone for the first time this weekend...mighty kicked abt it!! Can't believe its actually taken me this long to do something like this...guess eating alone and watching a movie alone should follow soon enough as well...First time I am heading outside Paris after Italy (if you discount Versailles which is half an hour away!)...God! It seems like forever!!

Anyways moi went to Grenoble this weekend...its a little town nestled in the French alps...beautiful...also went to Annecy...I have a friend staying in Grenoble...left from here Friday evening by TGV...reached there around 10.30..Swaroop was at the station...His place is a 10 min walk from the Gare..had a yummy dinner..White wine..dal+chappati and an amazing cake for dessert...i was stuffed! Then tried to sleep..Grenoble is incredibly quiet!! Its absolutely still at that hour of the night..deathly silence..Positively spooky..

Got up really early the next morning to head to Annecy. It's 105km north of Grenoble and 40 km from the Swiss Border..It’s got a beautiful lake, Annecy from which it gets its name.

Ugur Firdoce bur Roo-e Zumeen ust. Humeen ust o Humeen ust o Humeen ust
( If there be a Paradise upon Earth. It is this, it is this, it is this.!).

I am sure if Firdaus ever got to Annecy he would share my sentiments!This is a beautiful place..you have pretty bridges dotting the place that are filled with flowers...a beautiful chapel..and the lake..It’s straight out of a postcard...With many hues of blue...surrounded by mountains on one side and the town makes up the other three...it’s really huge! You have geese and swans and quite a few yachts dotting the water line..

We walked around most of the lake..had yummy lunch by this place near a pretty bridge...ah..the day was perfection itself! The weather was just brilliant..clear blue skies..I think the beauty of the place made us forget how tired we actually were...But by the end of the day..I was beat..Completely exhausted..we finally got on the train back to Grenoble..where Swaroop regaled me with a brief history of Kannada Cinema for an hour!! I was in splits! have resolved to get back home and watch these movies! Returned home..ate dinner and tachi....

Woke up quite late on Sunday..brilliant weather in Grenoble too...Grenoble is surrounded on 3 sides by mountains…its also got 2 rivers..Le Drac and Le Iser...beautiful place…envy Swaroop! He gets to stay there for 18 months!!! Walked around town..saw a couple of cathedrals...walked in to a flea market..had yummy Choc Chip cookie..walked into a deserted Place Victor Hugo..which is their city centre..where all things happen! Had a super lunch that preceded by Chatreuse..which is the local liquor..a green liquid..that burns its way down your throat and emanates some vapours..unique!! Then a brilliant Penne Pasta follwed by..Tiramisu with Rum soaked raisins..divine!!!

Then we headed to Bastille…this fort..one of the main centres if the French Revoltion as well..its in the Chatreuse range of mountains if I am not mistaken! We go up in these bubble shaped cable cars to the top..and enjoy a view of the city..and the mountain ranges..Grenoble has the longest straight road in Europe..Boulevard Jean Jaures..and you get to see almost its entire length of 8km from there..also got to see Mont Blanc with its snow capped peaks!! Beautiful..I mean..to just sit there and marvel at the beauty of nature…at the sheer perfection..of both natural form and human! ;-)..

Walked down the hill and got back home…another beautiful day came to an end…sat on the TGV to Paris..and slept!!! Got up half dazed and headed home with Sachin…Anjali had made super yummy food..ate that and just gave in to the all the exhaustion..

Woke up this morning feeling like a ball of wool has replaced my brain..still do..so this post is probably one of my worst written!! Excuse moi! Shall put up pics of Grenoble and Annecy tomo..