Back to Lausanne for a few days before ending the European leg! A couple of days of good weather were forecast so we took bikes out through the vineyards in the hills above Lac Leman. The vineyards are on the UNESCO World Heritage list: they were established from around the 11th century by monks who carved out terraces into the steep hillside and developed the winemaking industry which has been there since. Set between Lausanne and neighbouring Vevey, it’s possible to follow a route on which the motorway above you and the train line below disappear from view, leaving only a few small villages and the panoramic view of the lake as the only interruption to the expanse of vines. Instead of cycling back, we capped off the day with a return boat ride on a century-old paddle steamer – with it’s engine on display in the middle of the boat -which ran close to the shore looking back at the hillside we just rode through!
Flon is a bit of a strange area – it’s a former industrial area which was abandoned and now is being rejuvenated. There’s a few remnant buildings from the past, but the focus seems to be on flashy new glass boxes.. It’s still developing, and will be interesting to see what the end result is.
After the weather turned poor for the next little while, we went to visit the Collection de l’Art Brut – a gallery devoted to those who don’t have any formal training in art. The artists are varied, ranging from those who are eccentric to society’s fringe dwellers to those with severe mental issues- their biography, if known is displayed next to the work. It’s a large collection, and astounding in its scope and beauty.
But for most of the time in Lausanne we just lived like locals, mooching around cafes or the markets and sharing a glass of wine with my family over dinner, before packing to get ready for Canada….
