We had a great weekend with our first visitors - first my cousin Dean, who brought the nice weather with him on Saturday afternoon, and then Diana (a former work colleague from Ravenswood) and her friend Tesslay on Sunday and Monday.
The wooden Sauvabelin Tower (which we can see from our flat)
Views from the top
On Sunday we toured the Cathédrale Notre-Dame, the centerpiece of Lausanne, an imposing medieval cathedral that still has a watchman call out every hour on the hour from 10pm to 2am - C'est le guet; il a sonné l'heure ("This is the nightwatch; the hour has struck"). Lausanne is built on a hillside, so all the streets go straight up, and to get to the cathedral you have to go up over 150 stairs, but the views at the top of Lake Geneva and the Swiss and French Alps are stunning.
After touring the cathedral, we walked around the old part of Lausanne. The city is usually so vibrant with outdoor cafes and people walking everywhere up and down the hilly cobblestone streets - but on Sunday, there's nobody! The Swiss custom is to spend Sunday with your family and friends, so most of the stores are closed (including the grocery stores - which takes some getting used to). So we went to Ouchy, the last stop on the Metro at the Lake Geneva waterfront (that's where everyone was) and and hiked all along the shore to Pully, just to the beginning of the Lavaux vineyards. When we got back home we said our goodbyes to Dean, who had to get back for another week of work in Germany.
Lake Geneva (at Ouchy)
On Monday, Diana, Tesslay and I decided to hike the Chemin du Gruyère, and tested out ordering our tickets online (worked beautifully - such an efficient railway system they have in Switzerland). We had an amazing day - hiking in the gorgeous countryside by castles and cows, tasting and buying Gruyere cheese, and touring the Maison Cailler to see how chocolate is made, followed by unlimited samples. I never thought I could have too much chocolate, but yes, it's possible!
Jealous! This is first time I've seen the views from Lausanne. And unlimited chocolate?!?!?! That's on our list for December.
ReplyDeleteEvery picture I see, I am yelling out "o my gosh!" so much so that Scott is telling me to be quiet. I can't believe places like this exist!
ReplyDeleteDid you have to pay to hike the Chemin du Gruyère, or was it self guided? I'm going in September and any info would be great! I couldn't find many blogs with information on it concerning the details.
ReplyDeleteHi Whitney,
DeleteI posted my response in the comments section on the blog (just under yours)
Laurie
Hi Whitney,
ReplyDeleteNo, you don't have to pay to hike the trail, it's self guided. You can find the trail on the Switzerland.com website: http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/chemin-du-gruyere-the-swiss-chocolate-and-cheese-trail.html
They also have a GPS map app on the main site that we found indispensable - it has biking, mountain bikeing, hiking, even skating and canoeing routes. If you can arrange to have a phone while you're in Switzerland, and you have the app, you'll never be lost! Enjoy - such a beautiful hike!