Colors of Grenoble - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

Grenoble is known firstly as a student city, secondly as a place where a scientific site with a nuclear reactor is located, and thirdly as the hometown of Stendhal, and, of course, as the "heart of the French Alps" and the famous ski resort. That's how interesting Grenoble is. Local residents are equally interesting and original personalities. Since they've long been used to foreigners who can be met here at every step, one of the main traits of virtually all inhabitants of Grenoble is their friendliness and good nature.

Natives are famous for their ability to find a way out of any situation and generally treat every trouble calmly. Calmness, carelessness, and serenity distinguish them from residents of other cities in France. These people are always pleasant to deal and find a common language with, not least due to the fact that their smile can cheer up even the moodiest person. Therefore, everyone can feel at home here. Living for one's own pleasure without thinking about tomorrow because “today” is the best day - this is about them. And their attitude is worth learning because as you can see, they are mostly problem-free people.

The main dishes in Grenoble are cheese, baguette, meat (“jambon”), nuts. Some must-try local dishes include "gato" (cake with nut cream), "fondue" (melted cheese with nutmeg for spreading on dried bread), "raclette" (melted fatty cheese), "tartiflette" (potatoes with bacon, cheese, and cream in white wine). When it comes to alcoholic drinks, the most popular ones are wine and Chartreuse (French liqueur). Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Stendhal's hometown is attractive with its interesting festivals, which are held one by one throughout the year. Thus, if you travel to Grenoble in early March, you can witness such a bright event in the life of the city as the Grenoble GT Jazz Aventures Voix Gospel Jazz des Alpes, or simply Grenoble Gospel-Jazz Festival. The venue is 5 Allee Du des Vosges. In addition to gospel and jazz, you can listen to hip-hop, soul and blues, as well as dance to fiery music beats. The emphasis is on international cooperation, due to which it is visited by many foreign stars.

Mid-July is the time reserved for the Cabaret Frape. And this means that there will be nothing but fun. Music filling everything around, contests, readings, street art, serigraphy - all this can be seen (or heard) in Jardin de ville. The event is completely free of charge. About 50,000 people visit the city as participants of the festival at this time. Visiting this multifaceted event is a dream of all those preferring original shows leaving pleasant impressions in memory for a very long time.

The Festival of Détours de Babel taking place from mid-March to the beginning of April is another great event, which would be interesting to all music fans. You can listen to modern music and jazz that has already become a kind of classic. The venue for the event is Center International des Musiques Nomades. Since the festival's motto is "back to the roots", this means a return to the sounds of nature that will sound in contemporary performance. The idea of the festival - the fusion of modernity and antiquity - was a big success, as evidenced by thousands of tourists from all over the world attending the international event every year.

The 'Rocktambule à Grenoble' festival in mid-October gathers all rock fans in one place - namely, at 51 Boulevard Gambetta. Some people spend the whole year waiting for this unique event to see those who will entertain visitors this year and enjoy the atmosphere of the festival - fascinating, friendly, and fun. Spectators are entertained by both starts of the world stage and new talents who are just starting their way in show business. And this is exactly what attracts visitors who can discover new facets in music and enjoy old-school sounds at one time.

In early July, the capital of the French Alps welcomes many film fans and critics - the thing is that it is time for Festival du Film Court en Plein air de Grenoble. The open-air event is focused on both modern art of cinema and its heritage. Place saint-André at this time becomes a venue where you can watch some short films for free, which is very attractive for all moviegoers - however, not only movie buffs visit this place.

Since Grenoble is located at the foot of the picturesque Alps, it is not surprising that in early November you can witness Festival International du Film de Montagne d'Autrans. As the name implies, films presented here have one theme - mountains. Therefore, the festival is created for those who're crazy about mountains. In total, the film festival is usually attended by about 16,000 people. It is thus Europe's largest festival dedicated to mountains, which is yet not surprising, given that Grenoble is the capital of the French Alps. The venue is Le Summum Theater.

An interesting fair awaits those who decide to visit Grenoble three weeks after Palm Sunday. It opens on the square near the famous monument Porte de France. The multi-faceted Grenoble Street Art Fest starts at the end of May and ends in late June. It is a bright mix of street art, that is, monumental, traditional frescoes, collages, stencils, urban sculptures, installations, pictural and video art, and shows. In addition, the program includes conferences, presentations, tours, seminars, workshops, music and dances - no one has yet regretted the decision to join the party.