Grenoble – d.x.l on the road

2017年4月9日2017年4月30日

A weekend in Les Deux Alpes Ski Resort

Every winter, people from all over the France or even the world come to Grenoble for skiing. There are world-famous big ski resorts, and also small local favorites. Although I have a good reason (unfortunately) not to ski, it would be a shame spending a whole winter in Grenoble without seeing the snow mountains. Not to say that I do love snow skiing.

Here’s the deal. My father-in-law flew all the way from Japan to France to ski in Alpes, so we picked a big and well-known ski resort – Les Deux Alpes. Our concern was whether the high altitude would affect my pregnancy (7/8th month). After all, we would spend three days above 1800m, and I would very much like to go to the top of the mountain, which is 3600m. Found some articles online saying that above 2000m was not recommended… So we thought that 1800m might be fine! Actually, in China, we visited Huanglong when I was three months pregnant. Huanglong is above 3200m, and on the way to Huanglong the highest point is above 4000m. Our baby seemed OK for the high altitude!

So we started to plan our trip. First of all, we booked the hotel – Turan, because it has direct access to the slopes. Then, we purchased the ski pass for the first day online, and requested the cards to be mailed to our home. After receiving the cards in the mail, we purchased the ski pass for the following two days using the card numbers (for insurance). Somehow without the card numbers, it’s only possible to get insurance for the first day. That’s why we purchased our three days’ ski pass separately. If you do not want the insurance, then you can just purchase the ski pass (for as many days as you want), and pick up the card in the resort. The last thing we booked was the bus tickets – from Transaltitude. € 15 per person, one-way. The bus leaves from the Gare of Grenoble, and it takes about 1h 40m to reach Les 2 Alpes Ski Resort.

We were probably the last ones to board the bus, and it was quite full! Maybe because it’s the peak season – February, there were some traffic going into the mountains. We got off the bus at the first stop – Point Info, which we thought was the closest to our hotel. There’s an information center right there. We got maps, and asked for directions to the hotel. Without any difficulty, we checked into Hotel Turan. The girl at the front desk was very helpful. She showed us the ski dry room and where the lift was. She also gave us coupons for the ski rental and a close-by Italian restaurant (we ate there every day)! Talking about ski rentals, we probably should have made reservations at home, but we didn’t realize until the day before our trip, and it was already too late! You can’t reserve rentals for the next day! However, thanks to the coupon from the hotel, I guess we still got a pretty good deal. So don’t forget to ask the hotel for coupons 😉

After lunch (already 3pm), my husband and his father went to skiing. I, of course, stayed in the room. The size of the room was OK. There were two single beds and a bunk bed. The room was simple, but adequate.

Les deux alpes — The view from balcony, Hotel Turan

The second day, I also went out after they went for skiing. I took the free shuttle to the center of the village (@1650m), because we planned to meet there to take the lift Jundri Express #1 to 2600m. That lift is for both skiers and walkers. I didn’t feel bad in the lift, but I was still a little bit worried. Then, we took Jundri Express #2 to 3200m! Although it’s almost the highest point, the slopes were actually easy. That’s why Les 2 Alpes is good for skiers at all levels, even I could come up to the top and ski (if I were not pregnant)! In USA, however, I usually couldn’t go all the way up to the top, otherwise I might get stuck there.

The view at 3200m was wonderful! Since I didn’t feel bad at this altitude, I decided to try a little bit more, 3400m. There’s an overlook up there. To get to 3400m, we had to take a cable car to go down a little to reach the other cable car, which goes up to 3400m through a tunnel. If you are a skier, then you have other lifts to go to 3400m, but I don’t have other choice. Maybe because it’s not used often, that first cable car was not functioning well – we got stuck! With operator’s help, it still took a few minutes for us to get to the second cable car. The second one is much bigger, and is used routinely – many other passengers. When we get to 3400m, one operator told me that it’s windy outside so it’s too dangerous for pedestrians. I had to go back to 3200m, immediately. OK then. We took the same way back to 3200m. Yes it’s windy! I took the Jundri Express #2 back to 2600m. My husband and his father skied down to meet me. I went back to the hotel after lunch at 2600m. For me, that’s all I did in this ski trip, except for staying at the hotel and sightseeing in the village. The photo below was taken by my husband, at 3600m. Plus, you can find his post here, if you understand Japanese 🙂

The village has so much to offer! Cinema, bowling, post office, library, museum, pool, restaurants, shopping, … And the shuttle service is so convenient. If I had one week here, I would be able to explore more. I heard there were short tours to other close-by villages. So, besides skiing, there are still a lot to do here in Les 2 Alpes! And thanks to the high altitude, skiing is even possible in the summer (above 3200m)!

Now, I want to compare Les 2 Alpes with some ski resorts in USA. I lived on the east coast, so you know immediately that there are no comparable ski resort to Les 2 Alpes! The skiable area is much much smaller, the slopes are much much shorter,… ok no way to compare with the vast Alpes. Let me just introduce some ski resorts in USA – in Virginia and West Virginia. The best ski resort we have been to is Snowshoe Mountain ski resort, which is said to be the largest in the mid-Atlantic. We liked it! The village is built on the top of the mountain. We watched sunrise from our room! Next level ski resorts are Beach Mountain, Sugar Mountain, and Wintergreen. The smallest we have been to is Cataloochee. Often, they have to use snow-making machines to maintain the slopes. Although the ski resorts in USA are much smaller, the price is higher (~30%)! Especially in the holidays and weekends! Very crowed as well. Maybe Colorado is a different story! When we were in Snowshoe, somebody (a lift sharer) told us about The West with an expression of excitement – looked like Snowshoe was nothing to him (in contrast, we were already amazed by Snowshoe). Now after seeing the Alpes, I felt like I could understand that guy a bit…

Alpes is Alpes. I am glad my baby saw it as well. And, we will come back!

Lastly, just one comment about the pregnancy. Based on my experience, a few hours at high altitude seemed fine. But it’s just me! Anyway it should not be recommended. My husband was scared. Poor him.

2017年4月6日2017年4月30日

Stuffs to prepare for the delivery day and hospital stay

First of all, documents:

Passport, ID
Family book
Social security card (Carte Vitale) and complementary health insurance (mutuelle)
Residence permit (carte de sejour)
Blood type card (carte de groupe sanguin)
Echographies, medical results
Forms to be sent to social security for the baby (to be added under your social security)

Secondly, stuffs for the baby:

Stuffs to prepare for baby

The delivery day The following days

One body Six
One pajama Six
One sweater Four
One hat Two
One sleeping bag
One bag of diapers (2-5 kg)
One bag of cotton pads
One thermometer

+ socks + comforter + socks + comforter

. + thermometer for bath

. + clothes for leaving

Thirdly, stuffs for the mom:

Stuffs to prepare for mom on the delivery day

The delivery day The following days

Water spray
Sanitary napkin (night)
Maternity disposable briefs

+ nightwear + things for the restroom

Based on what’s available in the hospital, different hospitals ask for different things. The list I described above is from my hospital (CHU Grenoble).

Lastly, some additional stuffs that I prepared:

Additional stuffs for the stay in the hospital

Cream for nipples (for breastfeeding)
Cotton breast pads (for breastfeeding)
Antispasmodic drugs to deal with contractions (to tell if it’s labor)
Dry shampoo

Yes quite a lot of stuffs! And there are more for the home… I probably need to write another blog 😉

2017年4月1日2017年4月1日

Living in France: got to be able to speak some French

My first experience of the French culture was the 11 days in Ottawa, Canada. Both English and French are official languages there, so it was not difficult. I could just read the English signs, and talk to people in English. However, when I went to Montréal, it’s a totally different world! Everything is only in French. I couldn’t figure out how to use the metro. And when I asked people for directions, the answer I got was in French. Luckily the body language always works in a similar way.

Now I am in France. I am not a tourist. I am living here.

The Paris airport is not a problem – they even show Chinese and Japanese. But the moment I stepped onto the ground of Grenoble, I knew things were different. Fortunately, my husband has been to Grenoble several times (for research work), so he knew how to use the tram.

We have had difficulties in the supermarket. We did not know the French words for body lotion… We bought the wrong meat for cooking… We couldn’t understand the casher at all… But still, the hospital has been a bigger challenge. At the beginning, I could not even respond to the question asking for my last name. Scheduling an appointment has never been easy for us! The other thing is that even the websites are only in French… (you would think that the internet might be more international, wouldn’t you?)

My conclusion is that in France looking for an English-speaking person is as difficult as looking for a Chinese-speaking person.

Some people say that French people don’t like to speak English, that they are rude. I don’t agree. I feel French people are quite nice, and they are trying hard to communicate with me. It’s just that they cannot speak English, like I cannot speak French. However, I cannot deny that I am a little surprised by the fact that the majority of population in this western country do not understand English (at all). I thought English was widely used in the whole Europe. Or maybe France is the exception? I heard Finnish people spoke English.

Such a non-English environment provides the best opportunities to learn French! We learned some basics on Duolingo (a very nice app). But that’s still far from enough. I found listening and speaking extremely difficult. Even if I know every single word in the sentence, connecting all the words together sounds quite different. Now we know we are moving to Finland soon, so we have less motivation to learn French… However, if we ever return to France, I want to be able to speak French!

2017年3月30日2017年4月1日

Life in Grenoble – about the initial settling down and necessarities

We have been living in Grenoble for almost four months now. During most of the time, we are distracted by paperwork and by my pregnancy. But still, we are learning and enjoying living here, every single day. Hopefully, our experience will help people who are coming to Grenoble.

Housing. Not much that I can talk about, because we live in a friend’s friend’s house. We occupy the so called basement – it’s actually the ground floor, or first floor. The first floor in France equals the second floor in USA. We pay a rent, which includes utilities, so I cannot tell you much about the utility companies either. For us, sharing a house with the landlord is the best choice, because we knew we wouldn’t be here for long. Plus, I have always enjoyed this mode of housing in USA! I have had great landlords/friends! We fell in love with the current house at the first sight. Our rooms are spacious and decorated with art. We later found out that our landlords, a retired French couple, are writer and artist!

Food. Big supermarkets (hypermarché) are out of the city center, but there are many smaller supermarkets in every neighborhood. Common brands are: Casino, Carrefour City, Carrefour market, Simply, and Monoprix. We go to Simply most, because there are two of them close to our home. I find Simply is also cheaper than the other supermarkets. But more importantly, Simply seems to have better selections of vegetables. We like the Chinese cabbage and white radish (daikon) there! Most vegetables one finds in the supermarkets in USA are available here in Grenoble. Other than from supermarkets, one can buy vegetables and fruits (and even seafood) in farmers’ market. These markets have designated locations. Some have specific days when they’re there. For example, there is a small market close to our home. I noticed that vendor #1 is there almost everyday, but vendor #2, who has more selections, is only there during the weekends. We like to get Fuji apples from vendor #2. The vegetables in these markets tend to be fresher. If you are from Asia, then you have to check out the Asian supermarket called Le Carré Asiatique. They have good sushi rice, and stuffs like cooking wine, soy sauce, noodles… There are also frozen food: raw shrimps, hot pot stuffs (fish balls, thin-sliced meat, etc.), and dumpings. Not much vegetables though. No meat. They have prepared food, but it’s a bit sweet. We always take bus C5 to go there. My husband has to carry 10kg of rice (€38), every month. Oh, to get Japanese stuffs, Ozenya in the downtown is also a good choice. Everything is imported from Japan, so don’t be surprised by the price.

Banks. We are using Society Générale, because it’s only five minutes away from our home. To open an account, they ask for the work contract, proof of residence (a water bill, etc.) and documents that show you are living in France legally. They will give you an IBAN number, which is used for getting salary and paying for the health insurance (mutuelle). If you want, you can get a credit card (actually more like a debit card!) for a small fee, ~ €5 per month. Yes, banks in France will charge you for services! Cash back? Rewards? Forget about it. The other thing annoys us is that they set a low spending/withdrawing limit for us. I am already used to getting refused with online shopping, and I even experienced getting declined in supermarkets. So, I always bring my US credit card with me. One more point, Discover card is not accepted in France (unfortunately). Other cards seem to be fine.

Transportation. One thing I love about Grenoble is the tram system. I simply love trams! They are clean, fast, and cute. Every tram station has a vending machine for tickets. In 2017, one ticket is €1.5, ten tickets are €14, and thirty tickets are €39. One ticket is valid for an hour, so you can transfer, or you can even do a round trip if time allows. At the tram station, there are tickets validating stands. You can insert the ticket, and the machine will print out the time of validation. There’s nobody checking tickets. However, they do random checks on the trams. I heard the fine was €400! Anyways, please buy tickets. The same tickets can also be used on buses. You validate the ticket when you board the bus. The same one hour rule applies as well. If the ticket is validated for a second time within an hour, the machine will only print a * mark after the previous validation. We have not tried transferring between trams and busses, yet. Nowadays, my husband is using the APP (Tag &a Pass) for the transportation. He just needs to scan the QR code on the validation stands. Each trip is €1.4, but the total amount tops at €59 per month. There are other monthly plans/passes as well. One thing I want to mention is that sometimes the trams and busses are free to encourage people to use public transportation. This happens when the air condition is bad! Last winter, there were more than ten free days. The information is broadcasted in tram stations, on trams and on their website. The other thing is that you can use APP (MetroMobilite) to check the time of trams and busses. They are pretty much on time! The train station (also a bus terminal for long distance buses), Gare de Grenoble, is located close to the downtown. It is served by tram A & B. One can go to Paris in just three hours by a TGV.

Cell phones. Common carriers are Free, SFR, and Orange. All of them can be found in downtown. Free seems to be the cheapest, but the coverage is not as good. For us, we don’t make phone calls, because we don’t speak French! Plus, we spend most of time in places covered by wifi. So we decided to try the €2 plan first, which includes 100 min calling and 50 MB data. Looks like it’s enough for us. In some places, there’s Free wifi network.

Laundry. There are laundry shops (laverie) in the neighborhood. Washing and drying take about an hour, and cost ~€5 (for a small load). I usually do laundry by hand, but for big things such as bed sheets I go to shops. If you have washer and dryer at home, that’s great. If not, it’s not the end of world. I saw many people went to laundry shops.

Electronics. One necessary thing is the hair dryer. It is not found in small supermarkets. We bought one in Darty. For computer kind of stuffs, Fnac is the place to go.

Clothes. We are not that into fashion, especially that I am pregnant. For the price, one may want to check out Kiabi and H&M. For styles, there are Galleries Lafayette and many brand shops in the downtown. Oh by the way, the center of the downtown is around Victor Hugo and Maison de Tourism. Tram A and B go through the downtown. For babies, one big store is called Autour de Bebe.

Post office. It is often necessary to use mails. For example, to cancel the health insurance (mutuelle), you must write to the company, and you must use a special service that gives you a proof of the delivery (lettre recommandée avec avis de réception). To do that, there’s a form (yellow color) where you write down the recipent’s address and yours. Stamps are sold on self-service machines. Weight the letter on the scale, select the type of service, pay (by card or coins), and then you will get the stamp. If it’s special service, then hand the letter to the counter. Otherwise, go outside to find the mail box, and deposit the letter (pay attention to which box to use for the correct destination).

These should be enough for the beginning. I will update if I come up with something else.