Our first day trip from Geneva was to Lausanne on the other side of Lake Geneva. While it was a very steep climb from the train station up into town, the views were amazing and the town was a wonderful place to get lost in for a day. We arrived in Lausanne around lunch time and decided to head to the Palace of Justice and Casino Montbenon for a picnic because of their large gardens.
This was one of the coolest buildings we have seen. On each level is a terrace growing a garden! Each level was covered in plants of all different types. It was like seeing a jungle in the middle of a big city!
Our first tourist stop of the day was this old Roman Tower that literally snuck up on us! We wandered around town and when we decided it was time to find out where we were on the map, the tower was right in front of us! It was really hidden actually with tall buildings built on all sides and no park around it.
Inside Eglise St. Francois, a very Renaissance style church. 
This beautiful palace in the center of town now houses 5 different museums and a free exhibition. We headed straight for the free exhibit which was quite strange but just seeing the building was worth the visit inside.
At the very top of the hill sat Cathedral Notre Dame! 
The gothic interior was really simple but also really impressive.
Duct tape really does fix everything!
The view from the Notre Dame was incredible. Here you can see most of the town, Lake Geneva and the Alps rising in the distance!
You wouldn't think it, but this building now houses government offices! It was once a chateau, Chateau St. Marie, and now has gardens all around the building, including in the parking lot! But there are no tours or museums but amazing offices with old grand fireplaces!
On our way down from the hill, we stopped for a little snack and loved that you could see the Notre Dame towering over us.
Our last stop was the Olympic Museum located all the way at the bottom of the hill on the edge of Lake Geneva. The surrounding gardens were beautiful was several fountains and sculptures representing different sports, including some sand sculptures. One particular sand sculpture was a not so good rendition of Michael Phelps swimming.
AJ has won the gold!!!
Aj,
ReplyDeleteDid you ever meet up with Alex?
Another Notre Dame?? Thought you were done with those when you left France. Love the duct tape - the universal male fix-it aid. Even the priests use it in church - what a hoot. Enjoyed seeing Lausanne - quite a pretty city. Glad to have the blog back. Missed it during the week in Switzerland. Miss you both. Love, Mom
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