Lausanne

After going back and forth on whether or not to go, a few friends and I left almost immeadiately after our classes ended on Friday around noon for Lausanne. The reason for my apprehension is because I had a sore throat and did not want to make it worse. Oh well. We took the train up following Lac Leman to Lausanne, which is a rather large city on the side of a hill. The mood and way of life is very different from Geneve, which is comparable in size. A LOT of young people live in Lausanne or at least they go their on the weekends. There are a few larger universities there too. We stayed in a great hostel called l'Hôtel Crystal which was located right in the center of town. (We went on a shopping frenzy as soon as we got there.) But, for those interested in traveling to Lausanne definitely check it out because it was relatively cheap and very clean. The receptionists were also very helpful and encouraged us to speak in French which I thought was nice. After getting settled in we went out and about and I made my first purchase that was non-edible so I was excited.

After we asked the receptionist where a particular resto was. Not only did she tell us, but she also gave us maps and suggested five different restos just in case! We decided to dine at Le Jardin d'Asie a Chinese/Japanese resto that was pretty good. Afterwards, we were all exhausted because we had gotten up at 7 for class. So we lazed around for a few hours and then decided to go out on the town and try out our new dancing shoes. We ended up going to MAD a dance/nightclub that played throbbing techno. Not my music preferer, but it was fine. While we were standing in line this one guy came up to me and offered to pay for my CHF 25 entrance. Unfortunately, I had just given the bouncer the money, so I politely declined. A little weird...The place really did not start to get crowded or fun until 12:30 or so but after that I had so much fun dancing and laughing at all the hardcore dancers. Needless to say I did dance the night away. I did not end up leaving until 3 a.m. First time ever staying out in an establishment that late. It was crazy. And when I left A LOT of people were still there and more were coming. I got a taste of European party-ers and I liked it. Maybe not every weekend because this morning I was tired, but once in a while I'd be down.

Today, when we woke up we ate an amazing breakfast of croissants, cheese, cereal, yogurt, organe juice and tea on the top floor of l'hôtel. It was another beautiful day out, so we could see the Alps. Then we went to Le Musee de l'Art Brut and saw some interesting art done by self-taught artusts. Some of which were made by people who had psychological problems and ended up being sent to hospitals. Some of the things were very complex designs that the artists saw in visions and some were very simple line drawings. Apparently a lot of these artists were into spirituality and believed very strongly in nature and cosmology.

Then it was off to the jolie cathedrale. The information on the cathedrale was poorly constructed so I was not quite sure what the story was, but the inside was very nice. Lots of stained glass that reflected on the stone grounds. It was also located at one of the highest points of the city so we could look out on Lausanne. I will see if I can get more pictures up.

Ok, so then on the walk back to the train station I saw Robbie Herman. Only people from EPHS will find this amusing. But, of all the places to see someone from high school!! And, what is even more odd is that he is also studying in Geneve. I was in awe for a while afterwards. When I saw him I was like, WTF mate? What are the chances?

I know this is a long entry and bravo to those of you that finished it.