A very brief lesson in French geology

We take the cable-car (known by the locals as the eggs) into the foothills, where the Bastille, a nineteenth-century fortress, offers stunning views over the city. It overlooks the valley that was carved out by the two most recent glacial cycles of the current ice age.

The first cycle, known as Riss, occurred between 200,000 and 130,00 years ago, and the second, known as Würm, between 110,000 and 12,000 years ago. In both cases the glaciers carved deeper into the bedrock, and when they melted, the trough was filled by a huge lake. Any such lake has now disappeared and what's left are the rivers Isère and Drac, which converge in the city.

Surrounding the city are three mountain ranges: the Vercors, the Belledonne and the Chartreuse. In the latter of these mountain ranges, a group of monks brew an alcoholic, herbal drink, also known as Chartreuse.

We move to the bar and get chatting to a young ski instructor who introduces us to the drink. He teaches on the Belledonne range to the east of the city, but took some of his training on Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the European Union, just to the north-west. His Russian friend attempts to invite our waitress clubbing. He is giggled at by her, and then by us, and remains quiet and reserved for the rest of the afternoon.