As a keen traveller, Switzerland seemed a very appealing destination for myself but i didn't know how good it actually was until I arrived. I stayed a short drive from Lausanne which is located North of LakeGeneva (or Lac Leman as it is named by the Swiss). The nearest airport is Geneva, and Lausanne can easily be reached from here.
Lausanne is a very beautiful city with some of the most breathtaking views over the mountains that you will ever behold. The first thing that hit me as I walked into Lausanne's centre was the Olympic Museum. If you are interested in sports, Lausanne is therefore the place to go. This Olympic Museum holds some of the most interesting and impressive Olympic memoribilia in the world. It is also the home to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and a number of other sporting federations.
A little further into the city is the Olympic Stadium. This hosts not only football but also athletics meetings. Lausanne-Sports are the local football team, and even before their season starts in mid-July, there are often matches in pre-season such as the recent tournament involving Auxerre and Galatasaray.
If sport doesn't appeal to you, it doesn't matter. Lausanne caters for every different type of person. Not only a leading centre for sports, it is also a centre for shopping. Although Lausanne doesn't quite rival Milan in this category, it has some of the best shops in Switzerland. There is also the Musee historique de Lausanne (Historic Museum of Lausanne) which would appeal to keen historians and the Bejart Ballet in Lausanne caters for those interested in ballet dancing. Those looking for a university in Europe need look no further than Lausanne either as it houses a great university which caters for almost every person no matter their nationality.
One thing that should definitely not be missed is the CGN boat ride across Lake Geneva. Just a 30 minute cruise away is the French town of Evian, which is world famous for providing some of the best mineral water in the world. Evian also provides a museum where you can see how this water gets into your water bottles and of course you can purchase the infamous water itself.
It shouldn't be forgotten that as well as all the sports and culture Lausanne holds, the atmosphere about Lausanne is very calm and relaxed and the people are extremely friendly if you ever have any problems. Lausanne is in the French-speaking region of Switzerland, but most people speak good English so it is easy to solve any such problems, which I don't think there will be many of. The calm and relaxed atmosphere is not to say that this city is not for young people in terms of night-life, but far from it. There are parts of the city which provide an excellent night-life without disrupting those who aren't interested.
For all the pros there are very few cons, only that travel is quite expensive. Despite this, you can purchase passes before you go which can cut out such costs. This allows you to reach almost any destination across Switzerland and you can also visit Germany, France or Italy whose borders are all reasonably close to this region. I feel I should warn anyone with any food allergies such as coeliac that they may find it difficult to find places which cater for them.
However, these cons should take nothing away from the splendour of Lausanne which is a city which just must be visited.
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