The cow mooed as the crowd milled towards the execution platform.
We were in Place de la Graneterie. The market day had been cancelled
and the chickens were starving as there was no grain. But their destiny
was not as cruel as that of the young man on the platform who was going
to lose his head for stealing bread. Once the guillotine had fallen,
the head rolled onto the cobbled stone.
| As we cross the tramway line from our school, we come across Place
Grenette, originally called Place de la Graneterie, as street vendors used
to sell cattle and grain there. Place Grenette, heart of Grenoble,
is full of charming and busy restaurants, hotels, ice-cream parlours and
shoe shops. Nestling in the distance, the church St. Louis is the
witness of Grenoble's everyday life. |
 |
 |
The ornate Dauphin fountain was sculpted in 1842 by a local priest,
Victor Sappey. It is today somewhat out of place compared to the
modernised part of the square. On the fountain, are sculpted four
angels riding on extraordinary fish. Water cascades from a spout
at the top and then pours down to j oin the large basin below. In
winter, the cold causes the water to freeze giving a beautiful effect.
|
Looking at the bistros framing the square, we could say they are fighting
for their own space, like enemy countries trying to obtain unclaimed land.
Over the years, they have 'conquered' space in the square, gradually moving
their chairs out onto the terraces. Each bistro has its own style
and, even in the early morning, they have already started to prepare tables
for lunchtime customers.
|
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The sun is rising on Place Grenette, the weather is cold, all the stores
are closed, the streets are silent and empty. Grenoble is waking
up. People are preparing their shops for the day washing windows
and tidying up. The first delivery trucks have arrived and men are
bustling in and out of them, their arms loaded with crates of beer and
other products. Some people are dragging their reluctant children
to school, under the tired eyes of a woman opening her shutters.
At 8 o'clock, the whole square smells unpleasantly of the lunches being
prepared. We can make out the screeching of one of the tramways,
covering the noise of the repairs being done on one of the rails.
Soon, workers will come to wash the streets and pavement. We have
witnessed a typical morning at Place Grenette.
It is now mid afternoon. The whole square is buzzing with activity
despite the bitter cold: shoppers wandering in and out of expensive perfume
shops, businessmen entering restaurants as acrobats perform their tricks
in the streets. Every few minutes a tram slithers past, taking people
to other interesting parts of the city.
Above the people, above the autumn leaves and above the buildings with
their intricate balconies and numerous brick chimneys, lie the imposing
mountains of the Alps. These majestic mountains cradle Place Grenette
and the entire city. At the moment they are shedding their golden
autumn coats, soon to be replaced by their sparkling white cloaks.
Winter is coming.
4eme levels 3 and 4
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