The picturesque town of Swiss

Time and again as we did train journeys in Switzerland we were reminded of the cliché about the journey being the destination. As we travelled to various cities we used spacious, well-equipped, immaculately maintained trains with large windows that looked out onto picture-postcard landscapes.

Switzerland's scenic beauty is legendary and it was hence fitting that our introduction to the country was Lausanne city, one of the most picturesque places in the country. A popular holiday resort, the city is also known for a university and convention centre besides having a very big sports connection.

Lausanne city in Switzerland boasts of scenic beauty, hilly terrains and is a popular holiday destination for tourists

Getting off at Zurich airport, we had to take trains to reach Lausanne. Within the city, which has a hilly terrain, we used the metro and buses, and both modes of transport impressed us with their cleanliness, smooth rides and punctuality. Of course, there was a great deal of walking also to do –several kilometre a day!

With its three hills, terraced slopes, location on the shore of Lake Geneva and stunning views of the Alps, the city of Lausanne offered endless natural beauty. But there were manmade attractions too.

We got to see the city's biggest draw first. The Cathedral of Notre Dame is the most important and impressive piece of early Gothic architecture we have, announced our guide. It had an imposing facade and within, there were beautiful examples of stained-glass art, interesting stone sculptures, and carved choir stalls. Above, we saw a fabulous, large organ, which had 6,000 pipes, as the guide informed!

We were also taken on what was called a must-do walk. It was a steep route over a long flight of steps leading from the Place de la Palud to the area fronting the main door of the cathedral. Alongside at all levels, we saw several centuries-old buildings.

Near and around the cathedral are the winding streets of the charming Old Town— perfect for exploring on foot. Here we saw plenty of pedestrians, cyclists, along with hawkers and their temporary stalls as it was a Saturday and the weekend market was on. Yes, we saw street musicians too as in other European countries.

Here was Lausanne's oldest fountain, with the life-size statue of a lady representing Justice atop its tall, central pillar. People sat around the fountain reading or chatting with each other, and kids played, while some like us, just stood and waited, watching the clock behind the fountain. The clock shows figures that go around at every hour from 9 in the morning to 7 pm. We got a glimpse of this delightful spectacle as we had reached just in time for the show.

As someone, who is not a sports lover, I was not very enthused about the prospect of visiting the International Olympic Museum. It is touted as the world's largest information centre about the Olympic Games and one of the city's most popular tourist attractions. But I was pleasantly surprised!

The aesthetic displays about sports and athletes, the art installations including outdoor sculptures and visitor-friendly information boards all made it so absorbing! The museum covers the entire history of the Olympics and includes exhibits of clothing and equipment used by Olympians.

Late in the afternoon, I eagerly made my way to the Musée de l'Elysée photo museum. It is a famous institution, said to be one of the few museums in the world dedicated to photography. I was, however, disappointed as I encountered closed doors – it was currently closed in preparation for a special upcoming exhibition. Its heritage building, located on the riverfront and lush-green surroundings, however, were something to see.

Lausanne has plenty more on offer for art lovers, my guide assured me as we walked out. Lausanne is home to the world-famous Béjart Ballet, she added. We did not get to see a ballet performance but got to see a very interesting art collection. The Art Brut, a museum devoted to art by the marginalised is possibly one of the most unusual of its kind in this part of the world. It is small and compact and does not boast world-famous artists or a vast collection.

The Art Brut's uniqueness comes from the background of the featured artists – former prisoners and/or inmates of psychiatric institutions, reclusive people, who have more or less cut themselves off from the world, and many others who are generally regarded as non-conformist or those who live on the fringes of society. The works are in a wide variety of media.

There were a few works from our own Nek Chand too. In fact, his creations, life-size figures were also prominently displayed at the very entrance! Nek Chand was featured, we were told, as he was an unconventional artist who worked with waste materials.

There is a Fine Arts Museum too in the city, which we did not have time to see. It is located within the Palais de Rumine, a beautiful, old-world building complex, which also houses museums relating to geology, history, etc.

The Flon area is known for its night-entertainment options and shopping (besides offices) and hence considered a very happening place for an evening out. However, after a long day of climbing up and down this incline-based city, there was none in the group, who were inclined to try out those choices.

The lakeside neighborhood of Ouchy, and the flower-lined promenade are famed for their picturesque appearance and also for the breathtaking views of the Alps they offer. Boat rides are offered along this stretch of water, and we took one. Almost immediately after entering, we stepped out onto the deck to gaze at the snow-capped mountains, thanking the weather gods for the clear skies and amazing views.

Also around Lausanne are many vineyards where wine-tasting opportunities are aplenty. We saw many of them as the train sped past these terraced slopes as we travelled to and from the city. On the outskirts of Lausanne is a UNESCO World Heritage Site – Lavaux. Here are the famous Vineyard Terraces, stretching for about 30 km, which produce a very valued wine.

And then there was shopping. Swiss chocolate and cheese were everywhere! This city as well as every other place we visited was awash with them. Even at the airport, cheese and chocolates of every kind were spilling out of shelves. There were plenty of other famed Swiss products too on offer – watches and clocks including some very imaginatively designed decorative specimens, music boxes, miniature musical instruments, dolls, desktop objects of all kinds, wines, etc.

By:Aruna Chandaraju