Lausanne and The Parisian Rug???

The four-hour TGV ride to Lausanne from Gare de Lyon passed quickly, and I noticed the countryside change drastically once we entered Switzerland. Flat farmlands gave way to rolling hills and then a tremendous Alpine valley all within twenty minutes. The train station was in the middle of of the city and I was surprised at how large and metropolitian Lausanne appeared. Cedric had left me with the impression of a small town, with little excitement. The scene the three of us walked into was a bustling downtown at lunchtime. We hopped onto the city's brand-new, automated metro-line and one stop later, we were nearing Cedric's flat in the Espace Flon district of Lausanne.

We dropped our bags off at the flat, grabbed a quick Thai lunch and headed down to the Lac.

Note on Lake Geneva/ Lac Leman: Known in the French-speaking world as Lac Leman, Lake Geneva is the most beautiful lake I've seen if my short, lakeviewing life. I probably looked like an idiot to the locals, gape-mouthed and staring out across the lake. The scenery didn't change, it was just breathtaking. Lausanne borders the lac to the north, while the French Chablis Alps border it from the south and the Bernese Alps close the circle the east. The sky was clear that day, and the only thing that broke blue air and azure lake water, was the white-capped Alpine peaks miles away.

The lakefront of Lausanne is full of activity with Swiss and tourist alike trying to soak up all of the sun the March sky can part with. I myself took a petite siesta along the lake wall, while Cedric caught up with friends he hadn't see in the his past months in Paris.

Jeff and I decided to wander around for a bit, so Cedric and his live-in girlfriend Celine, headed back up into the city by way of the Metro.

Note on Dr. Crutch: I vaguely remember being on crutches, and how helpless and frustrated I recall being. I feel awfully for Cedric, and understand how difficult it is to get around, especially here in the mountain-side city of Lausanne.

After a few hours of sauntering down the Ouchy lakeside and walking back up into the heart of Lausanne, we made our way back to the Flon district, showered up, and headed out into the old town to meet up with some former teammates of Cedric's.

Cedric has played with teams in Lausanne and Bern and we had a chance to meet and drink with quite of a few of his teammates whom had shown up to welcome their crippled friend back into town. I do not recall the name of the first bar, but the bartender's were friends of Cedric's. The group of 12 of us had a steady flow of huge flagons of beer, and Sambuca shots coming to the table for the next couple of hours. Everyone is Switzerland speaks English very naturally, so the conversation was great, and Jeff and I swapped stories of the infamous Dr. Love with his Swiss friends.

The night continued at a former employer of Cedric's a bar named Centrale Park. At this point the night got a little foggy for me. I skipped dinner in the rush of gettting out the door, and my tolerence is not what it was in my glory days. Somehow we all ended up at a new club named Punk! is the Flon nightclub district. I had been ready to leave for sometime, when Jeff informed me we had been invited to a late-night meal with some people he had met at Punk!.

From this point on, all I can recall is being asked to remove my shoes and wear the provided slippers to protect an antique Persian carpet (Jeff insisted it was a Parisian rug), and finding a couch to crash on.

The next day, we were to put on a football clinic in the neighboring town of Yverdon-les-bains, so found our way back to Cedric's flat, hopped on the metro, and met Baptiste, a player for the Yverdon-les-bains Ducs. Baptiste drove us the 30km or so to Yverdon where were unloaded at a school gym, and met 30 young men ready to learn about American football.

Note on the clinic: I woke that morning still tasting Sambuca from the night before, so I wasn't all bright and shiny, looking forward to running around a gym talking about football. I really hadn't put much thought about what I was going to go over with these guys. Cedric said most of them were very new to the game, and that I should stick to the basics. I had about four hours with 15-20 guys to go over the basics of offensive and defensive line play. The time flew by as I went over the basics of stance, start, steps, and different types of blocks. Drive steps, zone steps, kicksteps, and then punch work. I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed teaching and correcting these guys on techniques I have been using for over ten years now. Before I knew it was five o'clock and we called it a day.

We finished up and took a couple groups photos. The guys were extremely grateful and attentive, and had some great questions about further physical training advice. I really had a great time, and am glad Cedric and Patrick LaCroix set this up.

Afterwards, Patrick, the Ducs' coach, invited the three us to dinner at a local steakhouse. The night's menu was a choice of 400g beef steak, bison steak, or 'cheval' steak. 'Cheval' steak is horsemeat, and Cedric jumped right on it. Jeff ordered the bison, and I was boring and chose the beef steak. I tried some horsemeat, and it was a bit tougher and had a strong distinct flavor, and happy I didn't order 400gs of it.

We were to head back into Lausanne on Saturday night, where there was a massive Red Bull Crashed Ice event taking place. I had read about online, and we intended on getting back from Yverdon on time to see it.

Note on Red Bull Crashed Ice: Imagine a temporary luge or bobsled track running through the middle of the medieval district of Lausanne. Competitors are decked out in ice hockey gear and race to the bottom. It is nuts! Check out the embedded video.


Unfortunely the 40,000 people in attendence had taken all the parking near the city centre, so we missed the finale. We grabbed a couple drinks at an Irish pub with a few of the Yverdon players who had come into Lausanne to party that night. The pub was near the tracks that had begun to be dismantled immediately following the race. I had my own photo op, and I had a feeling if it was a night earlier, I would be going down the track on my bottom.

Note on Lausanne nightlife: Lausanne is the club, disco, and nightlife capital of Switzerland. Tektonic house music blares at every bar, and the younger crowds flock to the Flon district wearing their tightest jeans and craziest haircuts. This is the most European scene I have felt on this trip to Europe.

After the Irish pub, and a stop through at Centrale Park, we headed to one of the busiest club I had ever seen, the D!Club. Cedric knew the doorman, so we didn't have to wait in line or pay the cover. I was still feeling rough, from the lack of sleep and long day. Cedric and I left Celine and Jeff to enjoy the club but I still didn't lay down until it was past 2 a.m.

Sunday, we slept in late. The entire city shuts down on Sunday, as all the Swiss head to down to the lake to get a bit of R&R. I wanted to see the reknown Lausanne Cathedral, an ancient Gothic structure the was perched near the top of the city. Celine had never been to the top and was interesting on coming along when I told her it was supposed to be the best view in all of Lausanne.

We made it there a bit before closing time at 4:30 p.m., and promised the gatekeeper to the tower we'd be quick up to the top and down. Cedric waited at the bottom of the Cathedral as Jeff, Celine, and I climbed the 300+steps to the top. We spent well over the allotted ten minutes at the top gawking at the surrounding landscape, and were scolded when in French when we left.

Jeff and I returned to the lake front for a last bit of view and exploring the port of Ouchy, and surrounding entertainment as the sun went down.

The four of us, Cedric, Celine, Jeff, and I, all went to dinner that evening at a large brewery/brasserie in the old town area. Getting to bed at a decent time Sunday was nice, and Jeff and I were on time for our train back to Paris the next day at noon, with time to spare.

I had a great time with Cedric and Celine that weekend and thanked them for there hospitality and friendship. Hopefully, it won't be long before I return to Lausanne.