I am so excited to head to Lausanne! I traveled along Lake Geneva on Route de Lac which is a more scenic route than the highway. It's on the southern end of the Swiss Alps and has the most amazing view in the world! I am staying at the Hotel Beau-Rivage Palace and this was my view as I had breakfast on the patio. C'est magnifique!
My first stop is the Lausanne Cathedral. It dates back to 1275 and was never fully completed. It's named after the Golden Virgin which is a beautiful statue of Mary the virgin mother. Lausanne is the only city in Europe that continues the tradition of daily night watching to make sure the cathedral doesn't catch on fire. I thought that was a great tradition to still uphold. Here's a gorgeous picture of the inside! I loved how the organ was in the center!I was feeling a little tired so I stopped at a local bakery in town (I know, I have a sweet tooth but this is vacation!) to see what Lausanne had to offer. I traveled up Rue Central which is a major street in the city and stumbled upon Marie's Chocolaterie and Confiserie. I wanted everything in that bakery. I ended up ordering a small bag of beignets which are powdered sugar fluffy french donuts and a cappuccino. After I trekked a few blocks to find a bench by the Flon river which is the river that runs through the city near Rue Central to relax and enjoy my donuts and coffee.
I had to make sure to wipe off the powdered ring around my mouth and dust some sugar off my fingers before I started for my next destination-Collection de l'Art Brut. This is definitely not a normal art museum. The art displayed here is what the locals refer to as "outsider" art because it's not made by well known artists. Some of the works are by people who live in psychiatric hospitals, assisted living, and some are by children as well. I found some hauntingly beautiful and others were quite abstract but I'm glad I made myself walk in with an open mind.
My last stop for the day was more just for fun. I wanted to do some shopping! So I headed over to Galeries Saint-Francois. It's in between Rue de Bourg and Rue Benjamin Constant so it wasn't too hard to find. There were so many shops! I didn't even visit them all. I purchased a navy and white striped dress, some brown ankle boots and a white beret to complete my look. I must say that I hardly looked like a tourist anymore!
After I was done shopping, I was starving! So I made a beeline for my hotel to freshen up a little bit (And I even put on some red lipstick-(tres chic!) and then I made my way to their restaurant. It was simply beautiful. I even had a tour of their wine cellar! I couldn't resist taking a picture of it. They then led me to my table where I my dinner consisted of sampling wine and cheese. My favorite combination was the Cabernet Franc with Brie cheese. Simply to die for! And for dessert I had coffee with coffee and candied figs .C'est delicieux!
Lake Geneva looks so stunning at night. I left my windows open to feel the breeze carried from the water. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.
Citations:
http://www.pic-beaurivagepalace.ch/uk/index.php#carte-du-restaurant-et-evenements.php
http://www.lausanne.ch/view.asp?DocId=29565
http://www.roughguides.com/travel/europe/switzerland/lausanne-and-lake-geneva/lausanne/collection-de-lart-brut.aspx
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/switzerland/lausanne-cathedral
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