Out of Bed into La Bastille

Getting out of bed is hard. Even when living in a foreign country sometimes the best weekend activity seems to be staying in my apartment all day. Oh, the temptation of Netflix (which does work in France by the way). Oh, the allure of snack foods right at my fingertips (including, but not limited to cheeseburger flavored chips thanks to French Lays). Oh, to be young and stay in bed on a Friday. Perhaps it’s homesickness, but more often than not I think it’s out of pure laziness that we choose to forgo adventures. That’s why it’s nice to have a Patrick.

Patrick is the program director here at CEA in Grenoble. We are lucky enough that he organizes excursions both within and outside of the city.

Learning a new language is one of the most challenging tasks for our brains. I honestly enjoy my language classes and speaking French, but I would be lying if I didn’t say it can be exhausting. For an introvert like myself, there is no need to belittle an accomplishment as simple as getting out of the house when studying abroad.

Last Friday our excursion to the Boules, or "the bubbles," successfully got me out of bed on a Friday morning. Don’t worry I don’t have class on Friday so it’s the start of my weekend along with the other students in my program. Back to the bubbles. The bubbles are spherical pods forming a cable car from the city up into La Bastille which overlooks Grenoble and the mountains surrounding it. We were to meet at 1 o’clock providing ample time for us all to sleep in and then meet in the park.

View of the Isère River while riding the Boules

Not only did I get out of bed, but I cooked and cleaned in the morning before leaving for the bubbles. I then left the apartment for an afternoon of adventure. Now that is what I like to call an accomplishment. It’s the little things. Seriously though, it can be difficult to be productive at the weekend.

The view from the Bastille fortress was absolutely worth the trip.  There is something so profoundly peaceful about the high altitude enveloping the overlook of a city.  You would think that the daunting outlines of the mountains would make you feel small, but instead they make you feel full. A computer screen can never compare to the view of a once foreign city that s now slowly becoming my home.

View from atop La Bastille