Feeling the heat in Grenoble

Since our first report, we have experienced even higher temperatures (up to 43C according to the sign outside the Pharmacie) as most of southern France has baked in the ongoing canicule. After the experience of 2003, when thousands of people died, the country is very aware of the dangers and there have been regular reminders of the need to take precautions. The authorities are also aware of the dangers of pollution, and take action which we never see in the UK. In some areas, speed limits have been reduced, and the driving of older diesel cars banned; free public transport throughout Grenoble was offered to discourage the use of private cars.

The church was so hot on Sunday that I ended Communion soaked with sweat (none of the windows open, and there are neither fans nor air conditioning.) I was relieved that they don’t have a tradition of clergy robing! But there were still a good number of people, many of whom fanned themselves throughout. The planned post-church picnic was abandoned, and I had a ‘cold’ shower as soon as I got back (the water was never less than blood heat.) We did manage a walk in a park later.

School holidays have begun, so Grenoble is busier in the day. The coming week-end will be the first really busy one on the roads and railways, when those who take vacations in July escape to the beach and the countryside. I suspect many of the church members will not be going away, due to lack of funds, but hopefully they will be able to take advantage of the many activities and events offered locally.

We escaped the heat of town last week with a drive up on the Chartreuse massif, with its impressive mountains and peaceful meadows. The monastery of Grande Chartreuse is out of bounds for visitors – as you get within two or three miles of it, there are notices asking for silence. But there is an excellent museum in the Correrie – a former ‘mini-monastery’, the base of the monk responsible for contacts with the outside world, and a sort of rest home for sick brothers and some lay brethren. The displays give a good idea of the life of the monks – including a couple of replica cells. Nearby is the church of St Hugues, which houses a remarkable collection of paintings and other works by a single artist, Arcabas, which he donated to the church over a period of thirty years.

This week, we managed an afternoon drive up along the Route Napoleon onto the plateau above Vizille. There is a splendid statue of the Emperor on horseback at the site he met the Royalist army on his return from Elba. (It’s intriguing how important Napoleon seems to be in French memory.)  Nearby are some attractive lakes, one of which is overlooked by the summer house Olivier Messiaen had lived (and composed) in. He is buried nearby. Our second outing was to Valence, in the Drôme; it’s an attractive town, with narrow streets and old buildings. The Romanesque cathedral looks down to the banks of the Rhône (though the view is spoilt by the constantly busy A7 from Lyon, which runs alongside the river. We found a restaurant for lunch in a quiet square, shaded by olive and plane trees.

We continue to enjoy French life; it is good not to be exposed incessantly to the latest cases of madness and discourtesy in UK political life. It’s also, for us, pleasant to be in a country that values its European links.

This Sunday, we have a Family Service to conduct. The following week, we hand responsibility over to a family who have been involved in church life for a number of years, and are re-locating to Clermont Ferrand (Pierre is actually a Protestant chaplain in the French army); their departure will leave some big gaps. As the vacances get under way, we must expect more people to be missing from church each week.