Lausanne, July 30

Today we ventured into Lausanne, which involves a little shuttle van that runs every 30 mins. up and down our hill from the apartment complex. Then it meets with a direct bus into Lausanne.

I must take a moment to tell you that the Swiss trains/buses run exactly to the minute all the time…I know! Just wrap your mind around that — to the minute! I’ll give you a chance to process that. Back now? OK, that means one can actually make a train transfer with only minutes to spare — as the Swiss have planned it so that the train (or bus) you are transferring to is precisely across the platform from your arriving train/bus. Impressive. But… here’s a cruel reality check, Switzerland has the highest rate of suicide in Western Europe…attributed to their highly structured society. So maybe our laid back and unpredictable US train/bus schedules have an upside.

The weather was clear and cool, perfect for going into the town. We had our trusty Rick Steves book with his walking tour, so shameless tourists, we walked the town with guidebook in hand. There are covered stairways, tunnels and little lanes that snake you up and up into the old town. These are hills to rival those of our own San Francisco, but we didn’t really notice as there was so much to see…

Then there was the Cathedral de Lausanne…

Husband is fascinated by cathedrals and old churches wherever we travel — he’s not religious, but admires the history and architecture. Whereas I tend to groan and mutter “oh great – ADC* “. I much prefer the culture, people and activity of a place. Secretly, (don’t tell husband) in the end, I often enjoy our ventures into these musty ancient structures.

We even climbed the tower – 250+ steps for the extraordinary views…

It was now late afternoon and no lunch for us as we planned an early dinner at a recommended Swiss regional specialities restaurant. So we did as all Europeans do and claimed a table at a outside cafe where we ordered drinks and just watched people come and go.

Fascinating how the locals use their street cafes – some came and went quickly gulping down a quick expresso, on their phones the whole time, before heading on. Others meeting up with friends or business associates and linger for as long as they want. In Europe, be it dinner, lunch, or just coffee — the table is yours for as long as you want…one has to make writing gestures and practically beg for the check. No tipping here in Switzerland (and most of Europe) as the waiters make a proper living with benefits – a few coins may be left if you especially appreciated the service. Any more and they will chase you down the street to return your tip, as in “hey idiot, you left this money behind”.

We watched a florist take in her flowers, and it was 6 pm and time for the ancient clock to go through some fun dancing figures. Children chased soap bubbles and music drifted up from a street violin player.

Climbed back up the hill for our dinner at Cafe du Grutli. It’s very (very!) expensive to eat out in Switzerland. But, we just gulped and ordered – husband scored with a venison sausage dish that was made in house with venison from the proprietors brother’s weekend hunting expedition. I had a yummy calves liver that was from a local farm and it was the best I’ve ever had (don’t judge, husband hates liver and the smell, so I dare never cook it – have to order it when I can).

After dinner, we wandered our way down the hills and tripped upon several “cave bars” — very popular drinking venues tucked under the bridges. I climbed back up on the bridge to take the photo from above. Given the tiredness of my feet, you must appreciate this effort -please?

Hoofed it down the last few hills and onto our bus and once back at the apartment on the hill – we were greeted with this view of sunset-bathed alps from our deck.