We Take Ourselves With Us

 I got my first Swatch in the 1980s, like most folks in my generation. I now have a few, and when I went to the Swatch motherland, I knew what my souvenirs would be. Here are the five I chose. They, and the cow bell that now tings  on our dog's collar * (such a great idea that no one will ever regret) will always remind me of our magical trip. Only in Luzern: Chapel Bridge Only in Interlaken: Cows in a Milk Can Limited Edition: How Majestic! Only in Switzerland: Cuckoo Clock  Only at Le Musee Olympique: Beijing 2008 (so many choices, but this one was irresistible) *  

Our departure from Lausanne coincided with the first day of the Queen's 70th Jubilee, so it seemed fitting to break out my How Majestic Swatch for the trip to Zurich.  Once again, way finding in Lausanne foiled us: we had thought we were walking to the nearby Metro station to take the train to the train, having learned our lesson in trudging uphill on arrival. Nope. We somehow missed the station entirely. Oh well, at least the trip back was all downhill--every cobblestone of it. So much easier. The trip to Zurich would take a bit more than two hours, so we settled in to our train habits: Penn and I slept, Harper read, and Ned listened to podcasts. On our first day in Lausanne, we decided to switch up our Zurich stay from an old town hotel to an airport hotel recognizing a few truths: we were there for just one night; had to find time for COVID tests (offered at the airport); had to accommodate Penn's getting up at 2:30 am to watch Game 1 of the NBA finals; and had to get to the...

The morning of our only full day in Lausanne, we decided to again hit El Gato and couple this with a stop by Starbucks--which had been absent from our lives for almost two weeks at this point! Wednesday mornings are market mornings in Lausanne's old town, which made the streets even more picturesque.   The food menu at this Starbucks included Birchermuesli, to my delight, and I learned that in Lausanne, I am "Yann." Coffee and gluten free croissants--yum! We decided to walk--uphill--to the Lausanne Cathedral, passing by this cool outdoor space attached to an apartment building. Note the distance between our position on the bridge to the cathedral and the street below. Now, imagine pulling a 40 pound suitcase as you walk that distance across the cobblestones to the right. Feel the burn.    Lausanne Cathedral anchors its old town and is built on one of the highest points, as the view from the road demonstrates. From this vantage point, you can also see how graffiti artists ...