Our trip to Lausanne, Take 2

This time we made it!  Whew!  For a description of our first trip - which could also be described as the "trip that wasn't," please see here.  But please don't stay there too long - I guarantee that this is a more pleasant read.

It's true that the weather report wasn't too encouraging.  Wednesday, the day of our trip to Lausanne's Vieille Ville, was not nearly as glorious as last Saturday afternoon.  But life is too short to let weather - or anything else for that matter - dictate our every move.  As it turned out, we were just fine and enjoyed ourselves - once we figured out where la Vieille Ville actually was!  Of course, when we arrived in Lausanne, we ended up following signs to la gare (train station), which is always a good place to start sightseeing in any European city.  Tourist information offices are always located in or near la gare and they are the best places to get ideas about what to see and directions to get there.  While pre-visit research on the internet is always a good idea, there is nothing like a map and colorful brochures to get one in a sightseeing mood.

The tourist office staff explained that Lausanne's Vieille Ville consisted principally of two areas: the cathedral and the château.  Neither was far from la gare, but it was a fairly steep climb, so the staff advised us that we could take the Lausanne Metro as an alternative and then retrace our steps back to the station.  We would have opted for the Metro just to see what it was like, but I also needed to find a UBS ATM to replenish our cash.  As it happened, the nearest UBS ATM was already halfway to la Vieille Ville, but not near a Metro stop.  So we decided just to walk all the way.

After some huffing and puffing - the tourist office had it right - the way was steep!

HWMBO remarked that most people were walking down, not up.  But we found the UBS ATM, which was our immediate goal.  Nearby was the bustling commercial center of Lausanne and Place Saint-François, where the Saint-François Church is located.  Construction for the church was begun in the 1270s by the Franciscans.  It was completed around 1272 although there were later renovations and additions.  Its harmonious simplicity reflects the Franciscan philosophy.  It became the center for a thriving Franciscan presence, including a monastery in the Middle Ages, until the Reformation arrived in Lausanne in 1536 with the invasion of Bernese troops.

With the arrival of the Reformation, the monastery was closed and the church was stripped of its religious imagery to become a Protestant parish center.  In addition to church services, concerts are often held there today.  Currently a Bach Festival is being advertised.

In the open area beside the Saint-François Church, we saw that stalls for the upcoming annual Lausanne Christmas Market were being prepared

and various merchants were also beginning to decorate for the Christmas season.  The holidays are clearly just around the corner.

Continuing our trek towards the cathedral, we noticed that a few stalls from the morning market were still servicing customers although it was nearly 12:30 by then.

Soon we spied the Lausanne Cathedral.  Its construction dates from 1170 to 1215, although it was not actually consecrated as a Catholic cathedral until 1275.  It underwent significant structural changes after the arrival of the Protestant Reformation in 1536.  Even with those changes, it is considered to be the finest example of Gothic architecture in Switzerland.  It looked exactly like the cover picture on our brochure and was impressively beautiful.  Looking at the background will also give you an idea of how the sky literally changed from blue sky to threatening - and back - all day long.

Under the bridge that led to the cathedral, we could see where the Metro would pass on its movement through the city.  It was an interesting yet comfortable juxtaposition of ancient and modern, similar to the feeling that one experiences at Chillon, where the modern autoroute soars above the ancient castle.

To be continued ...