The apartment is clean. I am ready to go.
No, wait...what does the apartment have to do with traveling?
Well, maybe cleaning is a sort of meditation to get the mind ready for new experiences.
Maybe it's just a way to make the thought of flying as remote as possible (in fact, what does any house-chore have in common with flying???).
Jokes aside, I got a basic knowledge of the things I want to see in Grenoble.
I got myself a map and found very useful information on the web-page grenoble-tourism.com, which is very comprehensive (it covers information about the sights, the events, the transportation...).
For the Rhône-Alpes region I visited the web-site of the Rhône-Alpes (which covers the nearby cities of Lyon and Annecy).
As always, I'd be taking it easy: I am very confident that our stay will somehow follow its own path once we are at destination.
The next thing - probably the most important - is what to pack.
Traveling during the fall - and I could say the same for springtime - in central Europe. Mountains around.
My guess (with an eye on the weather forecast) is that we are not going to wear t-shirts. This means long sleeves. Maybe some turtle neck pullovers. Casual walking shoes.
I'm a spartan packer: I don't like having too much, but this depends a lot on how long we are away, on the presence of a laundromat and of course on the weather.
I don't mind going around with spotted jeans (I have small kids, so I need to ignore some details), but if I have to be "social" (i.e. go to some restaurant with people other than family), then I will always have something elegant with me.
And something nice for the kids.
This adds weight, but makes me feel we are human again, at least at some point during the day.
And something nice for the kids.
This adds weight, but makes me feel we are human again, at least at some point during the day.
Very important!Distractions: kids need paper, colors, stickers, little books (in Germany there's a huge collection that goes under the name of PIXI books), anything that can prevent a meltdown or plain boredom.
Time for a small confession: I have been to Grenoble some ten years ago. I have no memory whatsoever of that, apart from knowing I was there.
If I had been on the téléphérique (the cable car that takes you from the city to the Bastille Fort) I am sure I would remember!!!
