Lausanne

Lausanne is the first place that we have visited in Switzerland that has felt totally foreign.  Geneva has its historical old parts and the gorgeous cathedral, but there are constant reminders that it is a large city.  The street we live on is always crowded with people and lined by retail stores.  There are in parts, many more new buildings than the old ones that make European cities unique.  It really looks like it could just as well be located in downtown Manhattan.  There are police sirens, cars honking, and other noise pollution that is hard to escape, no matter where you go.

Not Lausanne.  Sure it is still a city that has lots of cars, buses and trains, and the hideous wires that run 20-feet above every Swiss street to power the public transportation, but it felt a lot less cosmopolitan.  Lausanne is located about 45 minutes (by bus) to the East of Geneva, and is located on Lake Leman.  There are hints of mountains over Geneva when you go to certain overlooks, but here, the Alps and the lake are the prominent features.  Stunning snow-capped peaks dwarf the town below, and serve as a constant reminder that we are small beings.  The architecture, or at least what we saw of it, consists of much older buildings for the most part.  The construction on the Cathedral began around 1175, which is right around the same time as the Cathedral in Geneva.  It has also undergone changes throughout its history, and features Romanesque and Gothic architectural structures.  The interior is beautiful, and the organ is the most impressive that I've ever seen.  I am making it my goal to visit as many cathedrals as I can as I travel through different countries.

When we were done in Lausanne, our bus took us another 20 minutes east to the Chateau de Chillon, which is a castle built directly on Lake Geneva.  It was built directly on a busy ancient Roman road, and its occupants charged tariffs and tolls on those passing by.  It was occupied by several different groups starting in the 1100's, including the Savoyans, the Bernese, and finally the Vaudois, who turned it over to the Swiss government in 1803.

The idea of building around existing architecture, or just adding to it, seems to be the European model of construction.  They believe it to be more cost effective than demolishing and starting anew.  This is the only reason that the Chateau de Chillon still stands today, and why it is not uncommon in any city here to see buildings that are hundreds of years old.  I am totally captivated by what I've seen so far.  Thank you, Lausanne.

Lausanne

Lausanne on Lake Geneva

Lausanne

Lausanne

Lausanne Cathedral

Lausanne Cathedral

Lausanne Cathedral

Organ at Lausanne Cathedral

Alter at Lausanne Cathedral

Lausanne Cathedral

Lausanne Cathedral

Lausanne

Lausanne

Lausanne

Drive to the Chateau de Chillon

Lake Geneva

Chateau de Chillon

Chateau de Chillon

Chateau de Chillon