and continued walking up a cobblestoned street towards the Château Saint-Maire, the seat of regional power since it was established in the 15th century. Formerly a palace built fot the reigning Catholic bishops prior to the arrival of the Reformation in 1536, today, it is the seat of government for the canton of Vaud.
Across the square from the château is the building that houses the government of the Préfecture of Lausanne, comprising six communes: Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Epalinges, Jouxtens-Mézery, Lausanne, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Romanel-sur-Lausanne.
There was construction around the Prefecture building, as well as on the street leading to the square.
From time to time, cobblestones - like everything else - must be replaced, usually because there has been work done on the necessary infrastructure - the world within a world - that exists below street level. Replacement cobblestones almost always look exactly like the originals, except that they haven't yet been weathered by time.
The technique does not seem to have varied much over the centuries. It still involves difficult but precise manual labor - with lots of heavy lifting, bending and stretching.
Once the cobblestones have been laid, they are smoothed and covered over with a layer of sand which gradually works its way down between the stones and keeps them separated.
They are picturesque, to be sure. But walking on them with spike heels is no fun. Not to worry, I was wearing sneakers!
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