Arrived in Lausanne!
Tanya and I are in Lausanne! Our flights from Australia to Europe encompassed one very long night. We left Sydney at dusk, were quickly consumed by the darkness and continued on for another 20 hours until the light finally caught up with us over the Black Sea, as we were only three or four hours away from our destination. Somewhere in the middle we passed through Singapore and swapped planes. I am a huge plane nut so I was mega excited to be changing from an A330-300 to an A380-800, which whisked us to Europe with an ease that belied its enormity, swooped low over pretty green fields and little villages as the snow-covered alps looked on in the distance, and plonked us firmly on the ground in Zurich.
Good morning Europe! Sunrise from an A380.
Arriving in Zurich my first impression was that it was quiet. The airport was so quiet! There were plenty of people but there was a strange hush over the entire place. It was also a bit like stepping into the future; a driverless train shuttled us between terminals, and on stepping outside we took the next train to Lausanne after a wait of a whole three minutes. And what a train ride! The alps hinted behind buildings and hills, we passed green forests and streams and beautiful villages waking up for the morning. Switzerland is neat, tidy to the extreme. We passed fields where every piece of grass seemed in perfect place; all mown, cows perfectly positioned, wood stacked carefully under eaves of little houses, not a spot of litter. Later in Lausanne I saw a street march go past and right after it came a street sweeping truck, cleaning up any mess that might have been left. It could have just been chance, but if so it's quite a coincidence, don't you think?
Tanya exploring the streets of our new town.
After a couple of hours on the train from Zurich we knew we must be approaching Lausanne. Around a corner and through a tunnel we were suddenly met by the most glorious of views across a sparkling lake, huge mountains on the other side - much closer than I had expected. And Lausanne sat neatly on the side. It is a stunningly beautiful town in a stunningly beautiful location; I am just blown away. For a small(ish) town it is super busy. The streets are full of people, there are shops open late, restaurants and coffee shops and boulangeries all showing their wares. The city itself is surprisingly three-dimensional. It's build on a steep hill that rises from the lake, and the steepness makes the buildings appear at different levels, with tunnels and bridges connecting it all. In multiple places there are lifts to shuttle you from one street to another, and trains run quietly underneath.
I feel like moving over here really has been a leap into the deep end, and the thing about the deep end is that it really is deep. At times I've felt lost, but having Tanya here is wonderful and we are in good spirits. I miss my family and friends fiercely, but so far everything has been going well; I am well connected via the internet with Australia and New Zealand, and a good pastry and a view of some mountains goes a long way to making me think that moving here wasn't such a bad decision!
A rainstorm approaching over Lausanne and Lac Leman. Those mountains are in France!