Initially, Lausanne struck me as Uptown Dallas meets ancient Swiss city, and I found it hard to get my arms around it, but by the second day, I began to warm up to it.
Although the city is sprawled across a steep hill, you can easily navigate that by riding the central tramline that extends from the waterfront to neighborhoods well north of the old city. Most tourists don’t go further than the stop that is closest to the cathedral and several museums. The tram runs every three or four minutes, and it’s almost impossible to get lost. Plus, most of the hotels offer a free pass for the transit system.
I took two full days in Lausanne to catch up on several fronts, but I was surprised by how few photos I took after the first evening. I did go back to the cathedral a second time to get my pilgrim’s passport stamped, and while I was there, I climbed to the top of the belltower, which provided some fantastic 360-degree views of Lausanne.
A page from my pilgrim’s passport:
After I came down from the belltower – once again amazed by the engineering, craftsmanship, and ingenuity of Medieval builders – there was a market in the main square. The main thing that interested me at the market was a display of an odd mix of goods that felt more like an art installation than a collection of things being offered for sale.
Three different conversations I had in Lausanne stuck with me, although I have no photos from them:
Debbie and Art from Oakland, California who came into the laundromat while I was doing my laundry. They were confused by the machines, and because I had already made all the possible mistakes, I became their wildly unqualified guide through the process.
They were in Lausanne on their way to a wedding in Germany, but we quickly figured out we had a lot in common. One of their favorite cities in the world is Oaxaca, which Becca and I also love. That led to my telling them my grand mal seizure story, and Art responded with his experience of being robbed at machete point while out hiking outside Oaxaca. We then had a great discussion of the beauty of the real meaning behind Day of the Dead.
Their son set up and continues to run a successful NGO in Guatemala to train local farmers in sustainable farming practices. He receives a lot of support from the Rotary Club in Antigua, Guatemala, where I have a good friend who is quite active in Rotary. I plan to look up their son the next time I’m in Guatemala to see if I can help out in some way.
My barber, an immigrant to Switzerland from Iran. The barber spoke no English, but we still managed to carry on a rough conversation. I learned that he has lived in Lausanne for 24 years, and he is quite happy. He said that it is very calm and safe compared to Iran, which he doesn’t believe will return to pre-Islamic Revolution status in his lifetime. He believes the war with the U.S. only made that more unlikely. He has two sons in university, the older of which is studying economics.
Three female business professors from India leading a group of university students in a week-long seminar on family businesses. They happened to be seated next to me at a sushi/ramen restaurant, and I asked them if they lived in Lausanne or were visiting. We then had an interesting conversation about the challenges of family businesses being successfully passed down through multiple generations.
Lausanne deserves more than a couple of days.
I had hoped to visit the Olympic museum in Lausanne, but I ran out of time. There are, of course, many more things to be done there and in nearby villages, so if you ever plan to visit Lausanne, please give yourself plenty of time.
Closing shot
I loved this Lego ramp in front of a women’s shoe store.
Next up: Walking the Lake Geneva waterfront to Vevey.
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6 Responses
Did not expect you would be allowed to climb to the the top of the church. Those engineers and carpenters built for long haul. Great pictures of a lovely city. The Lake is Lausanne’s swimming hole. Fine place to raise a family. Hope you got a little rest while you were there. Good luck to You on the trail to Italy. You have accomplished plenty and have the papers to approve it
I was surprised they allowed you to go up the tower as well, but I really enjoyed it. When Becca and I were last in London, we went up to the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral, and I learned that she is seriously afraid of heights, and she hasn’t let me forget it since!
I did get some rest, but I have to admit that every time you stop for a day or two, languor sets in, and you want to stay just “one more day”. But once you get going, the desire to see what is around the next bend or in the next village kicks back in pretty quickly.
I haven’t checked in for awhile, so reading your post this morning was a lovely start to my day. Charles, thank you so much for sharing this journey with us… May you continue to have encounters that nourish your spirit…😊
That is such a kind thing to say. Thank you for making my day!
agree with what Billy said…I love the engineering and craftsmanship in the bell tower. I wonder how old the wood columns are?
They could be original. The cathedral was built between 1170 and 1275, and the bell tower was constructed toward the latter part of that timeline. I did read that the tower’s original spire was destroyed by lightning in 1674 and subsequently rebuilt, but I can’t find if that damage was at the bell level or just the spire above the bells.
An interesting side note: In 1405, the cathedral began the tradition of having a nightwatchman call out the hours from the bell tower, and that practice has continued since.