Loving Lausanne

We left France and headed for our fourth country: Switzerland. We decided to forego the typical tourist spots of Geneva, Zurich, and Bern, primarily because of budget restrictions (Switzerland is pricey but Airbnbs in the big cities are even more expensive), and headed 45 minutes past Geneva, along the lake to the town of Lausanne.

What We Did

Day 17 (8/9/16): We arrived in Lausanne around noon. While had originally planned to visit the Olympic Museum, since Lausanne is the headquarters of the IOC, we were feeling lazy and instead decided to wander down to Lake Geneva and take in the view of the water and the mountains. Adam and I also went out to dinner at Café de Alps to celebrate our second anniversary.

Day 18 (8/10/16): Today, we ventured out early and walked from our apartment in Pully to Lutry to begin our roughly eight-mile hike through the Laveaux wine region. We walked up and down the small roads through the vineyards that overlook the lake, passing through several small towns including Rivaz, Riex, Chateaulard, Aran, Grandvaux, Epesses, and Chexbers, before ending the trail in St. Saphorin. We enjoyed a quick train ride back to Pully where we ravenously devoured our ravioli dinner before heading to bed.

What We Learned

• Lausanne is well worth a trip. We were a little hesitant about coming here as it was not a well-known spot to visit. However, a lucky google search for the best hikes in Switzerland pointed us to this little gem of a place. The people are nice, the views are incredible, and the wine is cheap. I found this to be one of my favorite things we have done so far. The hike itself was not super strenuous, as there was a lot of opportunities to stop, and I promise you will get some of the most amazing pictures EVER.
• The ine region here is famous for its white wines, primarily from the Challas
• Some of the wineries on the hike are only open certain hours, certain days, and certain times of year. You will need to do some prior research to make the most of your trek.  With no research, we only got to enjoy three stops, despite advertised tastings in almost every town we visited.
• Keep in mind that Switzerland is on their own currency, the Swiss Franc. That being said, we found that pretty much everywhere we went also accepted Euros, for a slight fee. So if you arrive and only have Euros, do not worry, and it may not even be worth it to get Francs out if you’re just passing through. Not to mention, at the ATMs we visited, the smallest amount of francs you could withdraw was 50, followed by 100, 200, and up to 5000 (they don’t mess around). Also, at least currently, they convert to USD almost one to one.

Memorable Moments

• Our favorite winery was actually the first one we visited called Terres de Lavaux in Lutry. The man serving us was super nice and knowledgeable about the wines. He served us three glasses for nine euro and also provided us with cured meat and these amazing buttery twists to go with the wine. It was amazing!
• With all the ups and downs walking through the vineyards, Katie and I were forced to get creative in our methods of ascending and descending the hills. We would sometimes walk backwards up the hills, or skip or gallop down them. At one point outside Rivas, I even decided I was tired of walking and would try rolling down the hill instead. Katie was very supportive of my endeavor and filmed me whilst singing “Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ into Rivas!”

Updates

• Adam’s Kebab Count: 6
• Justin’s Avocado Raising Project:
  • Avocado’s Purchased: 5
  • Avocado’s Successfully Ripened and Devoured: 3.5
  • Current Avocado Name: Cathy

Pictures

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