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Grenoble in the morning may seem to some like a dreary, cold and lifeless place. It is in some parts but if you look harder and deeper in the centre of the town you will find one of the most lively places:the market and the surrounding area of Les Halles de Sainte Claire.
As you amble along the curved bend of the metallic tram line, you might meet a lady laden with shopping.Follow the same course to come out onto a typical French square.
One by one, the market traders organise their displays and
wait, standing behind piles of fluffy lettuces and fresh tomatoes,smiling
out from the cocoon of their warm bonnets and scarves.As the sun rises,
the colourful combination of their fruits and vegetables bursts into flames,
lighting up the dullness of the buildings.Suddenly,the surrounding silence
is broken by one lively trader hypnotising innocent customers into the
rattling world of saucepans.At the corner of a street,the presence of chatty
people warms up the early morning bitter chill.
A sweet trickling song invites you to approach the eternal streaming cornucopian fountain.As you lean over its basin edge, carved into an intricate design, the mythical dragonfish,gushing out a fountain of water, surveys your every move, daring you to defy his century old knowledge.As the clock rings, an explosion of hurrying people give the fountain a quick look and see a fraction of their life vanish with the water.
Walking through the doors of the covered market the strong and rich smell of local goat cheese and the gentle sweet scent of nuts and fruits greet you.The mouth-watering smell of roasting chicken whets your appetite.
Once again outside, you wander along the street and breathe the delicious aroma of freshly roasted grains emanating from the coffee shop, inviting you to exotic lands.Your eyes rest on the gleaming decorated tea boxes standing in orderly rows.
Further on, the delicate fragrance of flower blossoms lingers in the air.Their dazzling colours, next to the heavily ornate, but dull buildings create a startling effect.
As you look up, a sleek grey-blue tram winds its way through the streets and creaks to a halt.The tram shelter is deserted except for a lonely tramp huddled on a bench,a shivering dog wrapped round his feet.You attempt to cross the tram lines, heading to the market place, when the tram bell tinkles,a warning to all in its path.You step back and watch the tram's discreet metallic shine reflecting in the market building's ironwork.Under your feet, the cobblestones criss-cross the tram lines like a cobweb.Overhead, the impassive gargoyles look down at the cheerful basket clutching shoppers as they have for the last thousand years, as they will for centuries to come.
4eme levels 3 and 4
Anne Boursier, Teacher
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Etablissement| Cite Internationale Stendhal=20
adresse | 1 rue Raoul Blanchard 38000 GRENOBLE FRANCE
