The Téléphérique climbs up to the Fort de la Bastille above Grenoble

Jesus watching over us in one of the churches

Finding great food, despite all the closed restaurants

Back in Paris, when we were going over our itinerary with a friend, she sneered when we mentioned Grenoble, pointing out that it was very industrial, or something along those lines. That might have given us a bit of pause, but our itinerary was pretty baked in by then. And Grenoble did help break up our travels from Chamonix toward Provence. And we like to see different places even if they are not always perfect.

So we made a short stop here anyway, getting a glimpse of the most populous city of the French Alps. Grenoble offered a few charms, but it did feel like a place whose heyday was in the rear view mirror by half a century or so.

The remarkable 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris have had quite a presence throughout our trip here. And we just left Chamonix, which was celebrating the centennial of the first ever Winter Olympics there. So it was fitting to stop in Grenoble, where the Winter Olympics of 1968 are still quite a point of pride. Maybe even the heyday that has since been elusive.

Our hotel was something of a monument to those heady days of ’68. Memorabilia was everywhere. The Olympic cauldron was just steps outside the front door, at the entrance to a somewhat shabby park.

The rest of the city did have a bit of a run-down look. It didn’t help that we were here on a Sunday and a Monday. It’s frequently the case that French cities are super shut down on Sundays. And restaurants are often even closed on Mondays as well. But here in Grenoble, practically everything seemed to be closed even all day Monday. Made the place feel like a ghost town. I’m not going to insist anyone put Grenoble on their must-see list for a holiday in France. But we managed to find a few nice spots and put away some good food. So now we’ll head into Provence, glad to have made a brief acquaintance with this alpine capital.

Looking down at the city center

The historic center of the city had some elegance, though it was weirdly quiet on a Monday morning

It wasn’t easy to find a lunch spot on a Monday, but we ended up in a friendly place on a square that had kind of a shabby chic personality

Jim at work in our hotel room, which was loaded up with memorabilia from the ’68 Winter Olympics

Just outside our front door was the Olympic cauldron, at the entrance to a park that was a little run down

Grenoble has more than its share of this kind of 60s urban renewal kind of architecture

Something prettier — octopus in a fresh pea sauce with hazelnuts

And there’s old world charm to be found

An elegant park in the old part of town

Riding the Téléphérique

The Isère river and the mountains that ring Grenoble

Annecy straddles the River Thiou, fed by beautiful Lake Annecy

Two and a half hours east of Lyon, by train, things begin to look very Alpine. Especially as we reach the lovely town of Annecy, on the northern tip of sparkling Lake Annecy. This strategic juncture was the home of the Counts of Geneva in the 13th century, followed by the Counts of Savoy from the 14th century.

The third largest lake in France, Lake Annecy boasts some of Europe’s cleanest water. The town began attracting tourists in the late 19th century, thanks to the pristine waters, pastel-colored buildings, and lush alpine scenery.

Fortunately for us, the heat spell broke while we were here. On the first day the town felt unbearably hot and crowded. The second day we got enough relief to enjoy a bike ride around the 26 mile circumference of the lake, including a lunch stop at a truly fantastic restaurant, followed by a late afternoon at our hotel pool. By day 3 we were wearing sweaters.

Jim celebrates the clean cool waters of Lake Annecy

That’s me biking along the beautiful lake

On our first day it was so hot we couldn’t stand to eat lunch at any of the ubiquitous outdoor restaurants. So we went into a well air-conditioned place, where I ordered some kind of steak known as “Café de Paris.” I had no idea that this steak, originating from a restaurant in Geneva, comes swimming in a massive pool of butter, intensely flavored by garlic, herbs, and anchovies. It was amazing!

The castle of the Counts of Savoy

Along the River Thiou

Me again, riding through the beautiful countryside around the lake

The view from our balcony

The same view, the next day when things cooled off and a brief storm rolled into town

At the fancy lakeside hotel where we stopped for a glorious lunch during our bike ride around the lake

That glorious lunch

Lunch on our pleasantly cool last day. We are seated just at the edge of the restaurant in a very atmospheric courtyard…

…where this is my view when I look up

There is a lot of boating and other lake activities going on here

One last look at the wonderful town

Plazas, fountains, and monumental buildings in Clermont-Ferrand are built from lava rock

The lively back streets

The lava rock public buildings are very distinctive

If you are trying the get across the middle of France you might just end up in the Auvergne, a region of France that doesn’t usually make the tourist circuit. Its biggest city is Clermont-Ferrand, which is surrounded by a chain of volcanoes, called the Chaîne Des Puys. And that’s just what makes the town’s Gothic architecture so distinctive. The cathedral and many other central buildings are built from dark volcanic rock.

The Auvergne is an industrious region, and Clermont-Ferrand is the birthplace of the Michelin tire company and its travel related offshoots. It’s also been a rebellious place, home of the Gallic leader Vercingetorix, who led the rebellion against Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul. He’s a ubiquitous hero here today, even though his rebellion didn’t turn out so well. He ended up in a Roman prison for six years until he was assassinated by garrote.

For us, this was a quiet stop in a nice place where you hear virtually no English. It’s also the place where our remarkable weather started to turn into the kind of heat wave that can turn European travel pretty tough in August. The next week or so looks like a scorcher!

After two days here in Clermont-Ferrand, we’ll stop in Lyon for what looks like a couple very hot days. And then we’ll continue all the way east to the French Alps, hoping to find some cooler climes.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption looms above the central shopping street in its dark Gothic splendor

Vercingetorix presides over the Place Jaude at the center of town

Lots of red at a steamy lunch

One night we found a Mexican place for a post-dinner sip of mezcal

Jim takes in the Place Jaude

A relaxing cafe break

Does it seem like all we ever do is eat?