Grenoble

I took an all day and all night bus from Sofia to Milano, Italy. The bus dropped me off at what looked like a random highway gas station, and I was the only person to alight. But, the gas station attendant, who spoke French, explained to me from behind the bullet proof glass that I could easily walk toba metro station very nearby, which I did. I waited for it to open at 6am, and took ot to the Gare Centrale, a huge building in carved stone with great big arches. The ticket agen there said to go to Garebaldi, 2 metro stations farther, and take the Grench TGV to Grenoble. I did all that, and with a change to a regional TER in Chambery, I arrived in Grenoble in the afternoon in time to meet my friend Anne after work. Anne was one of my flatmates when I lived in Grenoble for a year on study abroad in college. She is now married to Sebastien, with 2 kids: Justin 3, and Sara 18 months.
Anne and Seb took us all camping for the weekend to a beautiful place that reminded me of Yosemote but without any people! Snowy peaks, herding sheep on the hill, and a gorgeous hike. It was easy to foeget that it rained almost the whole time. We met up with several other couple friends, some also with children. We ate yummy sausages, cheese, and drank wine and beer brewed in the village.
The last night, Anne invited over a single guy friend (hint hint) Didier, who I remember from 13 years ago. A whole gang of us spent new yeara up in the mountains in a refuge you have to hike to with snowshoes, and Didier was a loud one with camp songs and games to play with everyone at the table. We hooked up the laptop to see my pictures of Bhutan, and they liked them, and all the unusual stories I have.
Anne's 3 year old is having trouble going to sleep, and throws fits, but during the day, I had loads of fun with both kids, who say the same things American kids say, like "and then, and then" and "caca poo poo". Seb speaks very good English, and I want to send him the clip from the Steve Martin Parenthood movie, the part where the kid sings the diahrrea baseball song: "when you're sliding into first, and you're feeling something burst, diahrrea, plop plop, diahrrea!"