The End

Last Swiss post! And just in time too, because I leave for South America on Wednesday! The day before I flew home I went to the French-speaking part of Switzerland on Lake Geneva. Lausanne was the name of the town and everything I read raved about its charm. I arrived and immediately took a train to Chateau-de-Chillon to visit the castle there. This sounds simple. It was not. I accidentally took an express train to the end of the line, which I didn't realize until we zipped past the castle I was supposed to be visiting. Fortunately the train finally stopped not to far from the castle, and I decided to walk back. It took 45 minutes, but I walked on a path along Lake Geneva and it was a beautiful day.

The castle itself was gorgeous and so romantically situated on the lake with the Alps in the background! This was the castle which Lord Byron visited and subsequently wrote the Prisoner of Chillon:

"...And mine has been the fate of those

To whom the goodly earth and air

Are bann'd, and barr'd -- forbidden fare.."

When I had my fill of the castle, I checked the train schedule and realized the next train back to Lausanne didn't leave for another hour. I decided to walk to the next town, Montreaux, which was bigger and try my luck there. It took me another hour to walk to Montreaux, but again, it was along the lake, so enjoyable. Once I got to Montreaux, however, I had no map, and I was starving. Finally I found a place to stop for lunch, sat down in the cafe and asked for an omelette. The server wagged her finger at me and explained that the kitchen was closed by this time (it was around 3) and I could only choose from the pastry counter. Disheartened, I chose a piece of quiche and an apricot tartine. The apricot thing was amazing and quickly dispelled my frustration.

I asked in French how to find the train station, got a string of French and a series of hand gestures in return, and acting a lot more confident than I felt, set off in search of it. After some wandering I found it and boarded the train to Lausanne. In Lausanne, I couldn't orient myself for the life of me! I was holding Rick's map, peering at my surroundings, taking a few paces in a certain direction, changing my mind, trying another street, and NOTHING made sense. I couldn't find the metro station he kept talking about from which he listed directions to all his points of interest. There was an art museum I wanted to see, so I tried to find it on my own. An hour later, frustrated, I gave up because it would be closing momentarily anyway. I tried to do his walking tour, but couldn't find the starting point. Finally I stumbled on a mid-point and did the tour backwards. The other landmark (besides the art museum) that I really wanted to see was the Evangelical church--it was supposed to have great artwork and an impressive organ. By the time I found it, it had closed. I was so frustrated that I didn't even take any pictures.

Luck was not on my side in Lausanne. Back at the bottom of the hill, I sat on a bench near the metro station (that I finally found), debating whether to eat dinner there or get on the train back to Bern to eat with Etel. Just then an African guy came up to me speaking in French. I explained that I didn't speak French and he switched to English. He was holding a parking stub and explained that he couldn't find his car--he'd driven in that day, parked, and gone off for a job interview, and now he couldn't find the lot he'd parked in. I laughed, told him to join the club--I'd been lost all day, and he sat down on the bench to talk with me. Instinctively I held my bag closer, but he seemed harmless.

We ended up having dinner together, swapping life stories and email addresses--he was born and grew up in Rwanda, moved to France with his family when he was 12, got a degree in mechanical engineering, works in Geneva, but looking for a supplementary job in Lausanne. I felt like I accomplished my goal of finally meeting a young person while traveling alone. Hooray!

Switzerland was a great time--I enjoyed visiting with Etel, loved experiencing the Swiss culture, and learned that I can travel alone, but I prefer to travel with someone. I'd like to go back in the winter to see everything covered in snow.

As an update, Etel had a healthy baby boy last week! Gabriel Lorenzo. They are both home from the hospital and doing well. I also just got a postcard in the mail from Etel's mother-in-law Maria. It is written entirely in German, so I need a translator, but it was such a nice gesture!

Until next time...