Picture Perfect

As beautiful as many cities, towns, villages in Europe are, I have always found Switzerland and Austria to be the most picturesque. At the top of my list for the most beautiful places I’ve been has, and still is, Salzburg in Austria. I have not had an opportunity to return to Austria, but my visit to Lausanne, Switzerland made it my third time. First time was Zurich and Lucerne, home to Mt. Pilatus, where I can still recall taking the cable car through the rain and the clouds to the top of the mountain where a sea of white, fluffy clouds were below me and the sky was a perfect azure blue. Second time was a return to Zurich. And this time, the French speaking Lausanne and surrounding area. To say my iPhone camera worked overtime while here is an understatement.

As beautiful as Lausanne is, I had trouble pinpointing a word or phrase to describe the vibe of the city. People are friendly but not the warm friendly you get in places like Italy and Spain. There’s some nightlife but it was surprising how empty many streets felt on a Friday night. Maybe they’re all shellshocked at the prices of everything. I certainly was, especially coming from Hungary where things are pretty cheap (for Europe). Want a grande latte at Starbucks? That’ll set you back about 6.50-7CHF (about 7.50-8 bucks). Each metro ride sets you back about 4 dollars. But I would be spoiled if I got to wake up to that amazing scenery every day. What also made it special was visiting with friends André and Sophie and getting to hang out with some of their friends (who graciously spoke English while I tried to speak some French).

In addition to Lausanne, I made stops in Vevey, Gruyères, Montreux, Evian (France) and Geneva. I’ll let the photos tell the rest of the story…

First, Lausanne:

The Cathedral of Notre Dame of Lausanne

Lausanne

Lausanne

The Cathedral of Notre Dame of Lausanne

Lake Geneva

Lake Geneva

Château d’Ouchy

Lake Geneva

Olympics Museum

Olympics Museum

Olympics Museum – 1914 Flag

Hazy Alps in the background