Update from France...

Bonjour Ephs and Eph fans!

Based on blog updates/Facebook posts, it looks there has been some serious cow rocking going on in Billsville this fall. While I've been pretty jealous seeing photos of Mountain Day and some incredible foliage on Greylock, France has been really amazing and it is sad and strange to think that I will be leaving in less than two months.

For those of you that don't know, I am studying French in Grenoble, France this fall. Grenoble is a city in the southwest of France that is considered the "Capital of the Alps" but that is also the flattest city in the country. There are three universities here so it is an amazing place for students, but more importantly, it is also great for skiing! I have been really lucky to be able to find a team that I train with occasionally, as well as a ton of incredible run/hikes around the city and in other parts of the Alps. I have taken a lot of pictures over the past two months or so, so I am going to let them do the talking to give you all an idea of what I've been up to here on the other side of the pond. They are not at all in order because I am neither that organized nor that technologically savvy.

This is the view from an awesome hike I did from Grenoble. The big mountain in the distance is Mont Blanc. This hike ended with me sitting in a small town for 3.5 hours waiting for a bus that I was not sure whether or not would come to take me back to Grenoble. Luckily it came. 

The view of Grenoble from one of the mountains surrounding it.

The World Championships of hangliding and paragliding! There were hundreds of various flying things in the air and everyone was dressed up in bizarre costumes. 

Mont Blanc up close, from a hike I did with my host family. 

I went hiking for a weekend in Zermatt and saw the Matterhorn just one afternoon because the weather was not too wonderful... but it was so fun to see the homeland of Elena and eat lots of chocolate. 

I felt obligated to post this picture of cow shaped bread. There is a festival in Grenoble (and other towns throughout the Alps) when farmers bring their cows down from the mountains and parade them through the streets, so everything is cow themed. 

I just got back from fall break, during which I went and visited a friend in Italy and saw cool stuff like the Vatican and the Colosseum.

Then I went to Barcelona and spent some time on the beach, which was lovely and relaxing.

The first hike I did in Grenoble, exploring some caves in the side of a cliff overlooking the city.

Hiking in Zermatt! Zermatt is really amazing and there are so many incredible trails... I would love to go back there for longer than a weekend!

I now realize that the majority of this post is mostly views of mountains, but I really can't get enough of them. The snow is starting to fall up high, and next weekend I think I am going to go on a snow hunt up in the higher peaks that are not far from where I live. I hope everything is going well back in the Purple Valley, and I will be thinking about you all during Thanksgiving Camp, ripping it up Craftsbury and eating delicious food. Less than two months till Quebec when I will see you all again!

HB