Switzerland Adventures 27-29 Sep

Lausanne and Bern pics http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021010&l=bf993&id=220000480

Lausanne
Recommended by a couple of girls from Perth Id met at a hostel, I took the train for an hour from Bern seeing as I was too early to check into my hostel (yay for rail passes - absolutely love travelling through Switzerland by train, its so pretty!) to check out Museo De L'Art Brut, which was definitely worth the trainride. The musuem is really more like an art gallery with pieces by untrained artists - psychiatric patients, eccentricts and incarcerated criminatls - making for some pretty interesting displays. Really impressive collection but I think my favourite piece by far was a 3D aquarium made completely by shells by Pail Amar. Also had time to check out Cathedrale de Lausanne and Esplanade de Montbenon with pretty views out over Lake Geneva (Western Europe's largest lake) Lausanne was cute but steep and it was a little crazy to switch from Swiss-German to Swiss-French but really glad I came to visit, even if it was short

Bern
Awesome to see an old town in Switzerland, Bern was lovely bordered on three sides with the river Aare and with a number of churches I had a great time wandering round in the evening when everything had a faint orange glow to it. The zeitglockenturm chimes on the hour and the city is filled with fountains, cute covered walkways and a really regal feel, awesome to stumble across free live music in Kornhausplatz too. Shame Parliament was under construction (as they usually have free guided tours) but it was great to walk up the tower at Munster cathedral and get a great view out over the city, as well as the gorgeous stained glass windows inside.

Luzern and Zurich pics http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021013&l=821bd&id=220000480

Lucerne
Now this is a picturesque city if ever there was one, the touristy Kapellbrucke (Chapel Bridge) has graced many a photo and it was amazing to look out over Lake Lucerne to Mt. Pilatus. Got a chance in the afternoon to look around the Glacial gardens which were pretty awesome, the musuem had a great presentation about climate changes in Lucerne and scientific explanations and facts about glaciers (in all three languages!) and there was even a recreation of 18thC living quarters and a "hall of mirrors" just for good balance. Finished the night off by dipping bread and sausage into cheese fondue with an aussie girl from the hostel - so good, especially being able to taste the hint of wine. Definitely dont overlook Lucerne if you ever have the chance to visit.

Zurich
Arrived just in time to find the English Sports Pub to watch the ABs beat Romania in the afternoon made a couple of NZ mates who invited me to a party later that evening so still had the time to cram in a few touristy things. Zurich was pretty too (anyone sensing that I liked Switzerland yet...) checked out a couple of churches;Grossmunster had a pretty view from the top of the south tower, Fraumunster had some absolutely amazing stained glass windows and St Peters Church had the largest clockface in Europe. Checked out a funky exhibition of buddha statues mised with snowmen and empty cookoo clocks before wandering down the east bank of Lake Zurich to Zurichhorn park and enjoyed people watching all those out and about on a Saturday afternoon. Wandered up Bahnhofstrasse - amazing elegant shopping street - on my way back to the hostel (awesome with partitioned beds even in a dorm room!) and then had a great time chilling with new friends at a house party.