Jörg Sancho Pernas, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Grenoble, a city in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France, sits at the foot of mountains between the Drac and Isère rivers. It's known as a base for winter sports, and for its museums, universities and research centers. Spherical cable cars called “Les Bulles” (Bubbles) connect the town to the summit of La Bastille hill, named for the 18th-century fortress on its slopes