Grenoble Again

 Grenoble... Again

10 years after my last visit I returned but this time with Mike and Chris in tow. This time I did correct some of the mistakes of my previous trip. We stayed about halfway between Chamrousse and Grenoble at a Logis in the charming spa town of Saint-Martin-d'Uriage. We only battled the traffic to get into the centre of Grenoble for one evening. On this trip we also sought other former Olympic sites. An hour after we left Lyon Saint Exupery Aeroport, we were walking around our first sites. 

The abandoned Large Hill Ski Jump

At Grenoble the Nordic venues were on one side of the Isere valley near Autrans and the alpine events were on the side of the other side of the valley in Chamrousse. We drove up the Western side of the valley and came across some prime Olympic tour sites around the village of Autrans.  The nordic ski area was still operating, but this season it was barley skiable with the warm weather and lack of snow. We got the traditional Olympic ring shot and gave the "luge" a ride which was situated by the normal ski jumping hill. The normal ski jump is still intact and being used for training. 

A small cauldron discovered in Autrans

We then found the signature site for Grenoble 1968, the remains of the large hill stadium. It was derelict but this is what made it quite impressive, not to mention the view. Like Sapporo it had a spectacular view of the city far below. Unlike Sapporo, it had not been used for decades. I tried to imagine what it was like with thousands of spectators cramming in to watch the competition 55 years earlier. 

Above the clouds in Chamrousse

The following day we made our way up to Chamrousse. As expected, we were greeted with less than optimal snow conditions, but it was skiable nonetheless. The relatively small number of trails was even further reduced with the lack of snow. The weather was great however.  The hill had a mix of beginner and intermediate skiers. Chris and I watched someone get airlifted off the piste; I hope they recovered ok. Compared to North America the lift tickets were cheap! 

Back in green beer territory - La Verte est le meilleur 

In the evening we had some great dinners in Saint-Martin one at the hotel and the best was at Cafe "A" which was rated Bib Gourmand in the Michelin guide. 

We explored Grenoble one evening and saw the Olympic Park complete with the remains of the speed skating track (which is no longer frozen), the Olympic Cauldron and Stade de Glace the venue where figure skating and hockey was held. The city, which still lacks charm of most other French cities, was quiet as we were there too early for dinner but too late for lunch or a snack. 

The mandatory cauldron shot

I stand by the rating I gave ten years ago so I will let Mike give his ratings on Grenoble:

Yes, the snow was less than ideal

Skiing Bronze

The snow was not great, maybe if there was more snow it might have been a silver. 

Apres Ski Bronze

The lunch was cheap but there was not much going on slope side after skiing. The food at the hotel and restaurants in Saint-Martin-d'Uriage  was fantastic but not much in the way of evening entertainment. 

Some fine French food!

Overall Bronze

Mike says: "Fresh squeezed orange juice for breakfast, how decadent. French bagels are the best"

Chris says: "I am going to need new skis."

Marc says:  "Casino let's go!"