We left Zurich by train, 2 and a half hours ride, to go to Lausanne which is located in the southwest corner of the country and is greatly influenced by its neighbour, France. The official language here is French, not German as we heard in Zurich.
We passed through some beautiful rural areas which were very green and peaceful.
Though our neighbour in the adjacent seat wasn't too impressed!
There are a lot of small farms and vineyards in this area.
Here we are also staying with a local family, Sabine and her two teenage children as well as her Rhodesian Ridgeback dog who fortunately is very friendly.
This is Anduslain...
Our apartment which is half way between the train station and the Center of the City.
Neat kitchen...
Great terrace
Our first impressions of Lausanne was that it was very different than Zurich, though not as big, only 117,000 it seemed to be more lively. Lausanne is situated on Lake Geneva which is an idyllic setting with the Alps in the distance across a lot of blue water. Lake Geneva is the biggest lake in Western Europe with a distance of 133,000 sq. miles.The Alps are on one side of the lake and Lausanne is on the other side built into a steep mountain side you are either walking up or down stairs or using escalators.
Every few feet there are sets of stairs to climb.
Very typical architecture...lots of wrought iron balconies.
Many pedestrian only streets full of cafes
Old fountains which make great places to hang out.
Many buildings have beautiful flowers.
Weekend markets filling the squares with magnificent old buildings as a back drop.
Shades of red
Shades of pink
Brightly coloured produce
Many types of cheese
Fancy and expensive shop windows...we are only window shopping!
Historically Lausanne was established as an ecclesiastical Center ruled by a Bishop and centred on the mountain so as to afford it good protection . The rich lived in the area around the Cathedral and the poor lived outside the city gates below near the lake. Lausanne's heyday of power was in the Middle Ages when it was not only a base of religious and social power but also an important trading Center of textile goods.
The Cathedral which is built on the highest point of land and is the most famous building in town. It was built between 1170 and 1240 in the Gothic style and at over 300 feet long it is the biggest church in Switzerland. For any of you who have read The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett then this Cathedral was built during the same time period. As I was reading its' history my mind kept going back to that time and I could just imagine the workers, the clergy and the towns people of Lausanne. Everywhere I look here it reminds me of a medieval city.
The Cathedral tower
A view of the inside
Another view
Beautiful stained glass which I really like...
A huge rosette of stained glass from the 13th century. The only one to survive the destruction of the Reformation.
The rooftops of Lausanne with the lake in the background.
There are beautiful little gardens to stop and rest awhile.
The other part of Lausanne is the lakefront which is called Ouchy.
It has a lovely promenade that goes for miles around the Lake.
And for a bit of trivia it is also the location of the Olympic Committee headquarters which was closed but there is a neat sculpture park...
So that is a little insight into the city of Lausanne but of course I need to record at least one meal that we ate here.
Another traditional Swiss dish...cabbage and freshly made sausage. This is the first green vegetable I have seen on a plate here. As you can tell from Don's meal they are meat and potatoes kinda people but they have theirs on sauerkraut.
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What a lovely city! It eems to have a small town appeal with lots of emphasis on leisure and cultural activities. Loved the photos especially the ones of the Lake and the Olympic sculptures. I found Swiss food interesting and still have the cookbook Silvie gave me when she was with us years ago. I could never get weinerschnitzel to taste like those her mother made though. :-( Adam still talks about her mother's cooking and their big 300 plus year old farmhouse in the country. Enjoy your boat trip! Looking forward to the next post.
ReplyDeleteYes, we really liked Lausanne and could have spent more time there to get out and explore the vineyards especially. Swiss food is really comfort food for sure. Haven't tried the weiner schnitzel yet this trip but will keep looking for it. I remember having it in Austria and it was good. Haven't tried fondue yet either.
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