A trip to Lausanne, Switzerland

Lausanne, as seen from the Sauvabelin Tower

I recently mentioned that a paper I wrote got accepted to MEMOCODE, a conference in Lausanne, Switzerland. Having never been out of the country before, a trip to Europe was really exciting. It was also a little imposing — I would be traveling alone to a place with no knowledge of the local language (in this case, French). Unlike my trip to DC, where I was most anxious about my presentation, for this trip I was actually more anxious about the typically unimportant details — getting from one place to another, ordering food, etc.

I won’t say that those anxieties didn’t turn out to be at least somewhat warranted, the trip was at times quite challenging. At different times, I…

Accidentally ordered a dish served with a raw egg on top
Had to sprint through airports to make connections (in both Heathrow and O’Hare)
Had conversations entirely in French (thanks entirely to a phrasebook app on my phone)

But the benefits definitely outweighed the negatives. The trip was an amazing experience, and the conference went really well — my presentation was unfortunately quite short (I was given only 12 minutes), but it went well and I got some good questions / discussion. I also really enjoyed seeing the sights in the area — the cathedral is amazing, as is the nearby Sauvabelin tower / park / forest (where I even found a geocache!). On top of that, the food (particularly the fondue and the pasta) was delicious, and the local wines were also really good.

All that said, though, I’m happy to be home for a while, and back to business-as-usual. You can check out the pictures I took below!

Montbenon

Montbenon greenspace with the Alps in the background

A fountain behind the Casino de Montbenon

The "Palais de Justice de Montbenon" — The “Palais de Justice de Montbenon”

Lausanne Cathedral

A view of the Lausanne Cathedral from just behind the nave

The main chamber of the Lausanne Cathedral, viewed from the back

A view of the Lausanne Cathedral from one of the seats.

The Lausanne Cathedral's organ — The Lausanne Cathedral’s organ

The ambulatory of the Lausanne Cathedral

A stained glass window in the Lausanne Cathedral

Stained glass depicting the flagellation of Christ

Stained glass depicting the tenth station of the cross, the Crucifixion

Stained glass depicting the ninth station of the cross, "Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem" — Stained glass depicting the ninth station of the cross, “Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem”

Stained glass depicting the first station of the cross, Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Going up the narrow spiral staircase to the top of the belltower... — Going up the narrow spiral staircase to the top of the belltower…

Looking west over Lausanne and Lake Geneva from the Cathedral bell tower

Lake Geneva and the Alps as seen from Lausanne's Cathedral — Lake Geneva and the Alps as seen from Lausanne’s Cathedral

Lake Geneva, seen from Lausanne's Cathedral — Lake Geneva, seen from Lausanne’s Cathedral

Looking south-east from the Lausanne Cathedral's bell tower over Lake Geneva and the Alps — Looking south-east from the Lausanne Cathedral’s bell tower over Lake Geneva and the Alps

A view of Lausanne from the top of the Cathedral

Looking east from the Lausanne Cathedral's bell tower over Lake Geneva and the Alps — Looking east from the Lausanne Cathedral’s bell tower over Lake Geneva and the Alps

The other end of the cathedral (over the altar) viewed from the bell tower (which is over the back / main entrance of the church.

A detail of the shingling and top of the center spire of the bell tower

One of four towers on the corner of the bell tower.

An angry (or at least upset) monkey chimera from the top of the Lausanne Cathedral

The heart of Lausanne, viewed from the cathedral's bell tower — The heart of Lausanne, viewed from the cathedral’s bell tower

Looking north from Lausanne Cathedral's bell tower — Looking north from Lausanne Cathedral’s bell tower

Lausanne and the Alps, viewed from one of the intermediate levels between the ground floor and the top of the belltower

Lausanne viewed from one of the intermediate levels between the ground floor and the top of the belltower

The Ancienne Académie, as viewed from the Lausanne Cathedral's bell tower — The Ancienne Académie, as viewed from the Lausanne Cathedral’s bell tower

And the steep walk back down begins... — And the steep walk back down begins…

The steep, low-ceilinged spiral staircase leading to / from the cathedral's bell tower — The steep, low-ceilinged spiral staircase leading to / from the cathedral’s bell tower

One of two maps used to build the Lausanne diorama

Domestic cats, a vital part of kitchen history. This was taken in a history museum which traced the area's history back to when it was a northern Roman outpost. — Domestic cats, a vital part of kitchen history. This was taken in a history museum which traced the area’s history back to when it was a northern Roman outpost.

A statue of Jean Daniel Abraham Davel ("Major Davel"), a local patriot — A statue of Jean Daniel Abraham Davel (“Major Davel”), a local patriot

Ouchy

The Musée de l'Élysée, a photography museum — The Musée de l’Élysée, a photography museum

A clock counting down to the 2016 olympics

A clock counting down to the 2018 olympics

The olympic museum's park, Lake Geneva, and the Alps — The olympic museum’s park, Lake Geneva, and the Alps

Sauvabelin Park & Tower

Sort of a steep climb... — Sort of a steep climb…

One last shot of the lake as clouds roll in

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One response to “A trip to Lausanne, Switzerland”

A trip to Lübeck, Germany | Sam Procter's Website

November 11, 2014

[…] work with medical devices took me to Lausanne, Switzerland last month, and since I was already halfway around the world my advisor and I decided a trip up […]