4 Destinations, 4 Days - Part 4

Day 4 of our mini-holiday was met with the need to make the most of the day, but also to relax a bit... so naturally we decided to take the boat! We caught this beautiful old boat called La Suisse from the Lausanne Port (Ouchy) and had a peaceful ride in the perfect weather to Château de Chillon. We explored this castle for 2.5 hours complete with the audio guide on an ipod (pretty cool!). We then went for yet another walk along the lake (must be one of my favourite things to do) and found this perfect spot to have a late lunch - a little cafe selling the most delicious sandwiches (we had toasted panini with mozzarella and roasted veg - yum) with a stunning view. There were deck chairs and umbrellas set out, so we decided to relax and enjoy the sunshine, our lunch and of course ice-cream! We caught the train back to Lausanne and then walked home through the old city and stopped by the Lausanne Cathedral. Another idyllic day!

4 Destinations, 4 Days - Part 3

Now this was a fun day! We got up early to catch the 06:45 train (we missed the bus that we were supposed to catch to get to the train station which was my fault, but thankfully the swiss public transport app on my iphone quickly found us another route which got us to the station at the same time!) and picked up fresh coffee and pastries before getting on the train. We then enjoyed a very pleasant and scenic journey to Lucern (2 hours) where we changed trains for Engelberg (1 hour). When we arrived in Engelberg, we were greeted by the sound of the cow bells as the cows made their way up the mountain to graze - this is quite a Swiss sight to witness! We walked for a few minutes before beginning our 45 minute journey up to the top of Mt Titlis which would require a ride in a cable car and then a revolving cable car to take us 3000m high!

The scenery was spectacular and interesting because of the contrast of the seasons - spring flowers, green summer trees and winter snow! The temperature was in the mid-20s at the bottom of the mountain, and -4 at the top. Terri has never seen snow, and it was so wonderful to see her joy and anticipation! Once we arrived at the top we layered up with all our warm clothes and caught the "Ice Flyer" - a ski chair lift that takes you to the Glacier Park. Here we snow tubed and rode the toboggans, fell in the snow, laughed and got wet - but it was totally worth it! We then had some delicious pizza overlooking the spectacular view before beginning our 4 hour train trip back to Lausanne - needless to say we both slept on the train on our way home! We finished off the day in Lausanne with dinner with some of my lovely friends at one of my favourite restaurants - Cafe Simplon.

4 Destinations, 4 Days - Part 2

Day 2 of our travel adventure took us to the gorgeous city of Bern. So far, this may be one of my favourite cities in Switzerland. The whole old city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and after visiting Bern, I can see why. The city is incredibly picturesque and laid out in an interesting way. The buildings are so beautiful and the river that runs around the city is such a magnificent colour. For me, Bern is definitely the city that looks like the postcards!

We spent the morning exploring the old town before heading to the bear park to visit the bears! After that we walked uphill (the view was worth it!) to visit the rose gardens. A feature of Switzerland is definitely how well-kept all the parks and gardens are. Now that it is spring, flowers have been planted everywhere and it is just so beautiful. In the afternoon I had to attend a meeting in Bern, so Terri enjoyed the afternoon exploring some other places by herself. We caught the train back to Lausanne and went for a walk by the lake (yes, water is another feature of Switzerland!) before coming back to my apartment to cook dinner together.

4 Destinations, 4 Days - Part 1

I love having visitors. There is something about a familiar face and connecting with a fellow South African that always brings me much happiness!

My friend Terri (who I studied my masters degree with) is currently on a 2 month trip around Europe and thankfully she made Switzerland one of her stops! We spent 4 glorious days together - talking, laughing, travelling, and of course enjoying the stunning weather!

Day 1 - Geneva
I went to meet Terri in Geneva on Thursday morning and we spent a wonderful day wondering around the old city, visiting the St Pierre cathedral, walking along the lake and visiting a museum (for the life of me, I don't remember which one - oops!). It was also pretty cool to see the water jet that shoots 450 feet into the air!

I must admit, the other times I have visited Geneva I have not been crazy about the city... but this time I left with a better opinion!

Sunday brunch and a spring time stroll

Today, our church is having an evening service instead of a morning service, so some of us decided to take the opportunity to have brunch together - it was yummy! We went to Cafe des Avenues and had some delicious food! The brunch menu is mix and match, so it is a perfect place for choosing exactly what you want to eat and making your perfect meal! 

I had pancakes (aka crumpets/flapjacks) with Nutella and Bircher Muesli - A typical Swiss dish of muesli that has been soaked in yoghurt/cream/milk or a combination of all three with some apple and strawberries - pretty yum! 

We then decided to take advantage of the warm weather and sunshine and head down to the lake for a walk. Once again, I appreciated the beauty of Lausanne  - this really is a magnificent place to live! Quite a delightful way to spend a Sunday!

Imagine if we lived by these...

Source

Beautiful Yvoire

Today I went to South-Eastern France to visit the picturesque town of Yvoire  known for its medieval buildings and flower boxes and rated as one of the most beautiful towns in France. I would have to agree.

There are many advantages to living in Switzerland, three of which I am particularly grateful for today:

1. With my Swiss residence permit, I can travel to any of the Schengen states without a visa which makes travelling so easy.
2. The trains, the buses, the boats... it is wonderful really. Today, it took us a little more than 1.5 hours to get from Lausanne to Yvoire (taking one train and then a boat) and cost the price of one meal out!  
3. Switzerland is expensive, (the most expensive place to have a Big Mac according to the Big Mac Index), so everything in places like France is cheap for us!

We had the most glorious weather - a little chilly, but not too cold, sunshine and a blue blue sky! We spent the morning meandering through the beautifully old and quaint town, exploring cute little shops and walking by the water. We stopped for lunch at a wonderful restaurant called Les Jardins du Léman and ate delicious food on the terrace complete with a perfect view. 

We spent the afternoon wandering through Le Jardins des Cinq Sens (the garden of five senses) complete with different gardens that stimulate your senses - in the taste garden everything is edible, in the touch garden the plants are chosen for their texture, in the flavour garden each plant is chosen for its scent, the hearing garden is designed to attract birds and has a water feature and the garden of sight changes colour with the seasons.

We completed our outing with some delicious ice-cream and purchasing some macaroons and then caught the steam boat back to Nyon followed by the train back to Lausanne... all in all it was the most delightful day and I feel so blessed to have had yet another wonderful experience.

Leaving Nyon

On the boat to Yvoire

Let's go to France!

I just love it!

This is someone's terrace, at their house... how perfect!

Quite lovely

Just so beautiful! Overlooking the garden of the five senses

In the garden of the five senses

Our steamboat ride back to Nyon!

Life in Academia

So after being a full time PhD student for almost 5 months, I thought it may be time to share some initial observations I have had of life in academia and research.

I find the concept of being paid to be a student quite interesting actually. In some ways, it is like having a normal job - I get paid, I am expected to work certain hours, work as part of a team and collaborate with others, and produce an output - which in my case is a PhD thesis and as many scientific papers as possible. In other ways,  my job doesn't feel like a normal job at all (granted, this comparison is based on my one year of corporate consulting experience) - there are no demanding clients, many less e-mail messages in my inbox, and less demands on my time. And yet, I have a lot to do. Goals to work towards and things that must be finished. I suppose the two biggest differences are the independent nature of my work and the longer time-frame of completion. It is quite strange to think that the article I read yesterday may in some way contribute to the final product in 3 years time (I hope!)

Considering I am a full time student, one that is paid to learn and try new things, to ask questions and explore (which by the way I really enjoy), you may want to know what I have come to learn in the last 5 months:

Image from PhD Comics

• Research takes patience and the courage to try again the next day - very seldom is anything "right" the first time and much needs to be redone - papers rewritten and analyses rerun. 
• Flexible work hours are both a blessing and a challenge - when utilized well this benefit results in productivity, maximized use of time and increased enjoyment of both work and personal time. When misused, flexibile work hours result in decreased productivity, lack of focus and apathy. I hope I am increasing my skill to use flexible work hours to my advantage!
• I have had to learn how to work as a researcher - I thrive in an environment with many demands and tasks that allow me to "chunk" my time and finish things quickly. Research doesn't work this way! I am beginning to learn how to set smaller goals along the way and focus on a set of tasks for each day/week, knowing that accomplishing those tasks take me forward in achieving the overall goal. This also brings motivation and energy - both vital components for success at any task. 
• Age is an interesting concept in the academic world and age differences seem to disappear. Most of the PhD students at LIVES (the institute where I work) are older than me - averaging around late 20's with many in their early-mid 30's. Maybe because of funding opportunities and the fact that we get paid, PhD students are able to make a career out of being a student? Maybe it is because it is a nice life? Who knows, either way, I find it interesting!
• One of the most satisfying feelings is knowing that at the start of the day, I didn't know something - whether it be a concept, theory or statistical technique - and by the end of the day, I know at least something about it!
• Research requires a curious mind, intrinsic motivation and being OK with not having the answers and not having it all figured out... 
• Research requires coffee, snacks, talks in the kitchen at work and exercise to clear my head!
• Even very experienced and knowledgeable professors and researchers make mistakes and often don't know how to do things.
• PhD comics are a source of stress relief.
• When you feel like you are going around in circles in your head - talk to someone. This is generally a way to bring increased clarity - not solutions - but clarity and improved focus. You should try it some time. 
• Statistics and the accompanying software programs are not THAT bad!
• Overall - I really enjoy what I do! 

Happy happenings

This last week has been full of many wonderful things! I am so grateful for all the new experiences I am having here and so grateful for each moment that makes me smile and fulls my heart with joy! Highlights of the week include:

• Plenty of Skype dates with friends and family - Skype may be the single technological invention that I am most grateful for. 
• Attending a crazy and challenging but totally wonderful outdoor exercise class by the lake. My whole body was stiff for two days, but I will be back this week for more!
• Sharing in the joy of stories of dear friends becoming engaged, finding apartments and having babies (not all the same person!)
• Attending a clothes swop event (each attendee brings clothes they are no longer wearing and then all the participants can swop and go home with something "new" - an ingenious idea really, new clothes for free?!) and meeting the most wonderful new friends. Strangers at the beginning of the evening and friends by the end - how wonderful!
• Bring and share birthday celebration brunches - far too much cake combined with good conversations and plenty of laughs
• Eating burgers at Holy Cow with good company - this place makes great burgers which are not badly priced either!
• Drinks with friends at Nomad (one of my favourite places to go!) and getting soaked on the way home....
• Spring weather and sunshine
• Experiencing the life of God at C3 - this place is wonderful. Such an incredible blessing to be part of this church family. 
• Enjoying the festive atmosphere at the Lausanne Carnival complete with Haribo sweets!

 The view from our Saturday brunch location

 Plenty of cake with candles and sparklers!

 Some crazy costumes at the carnival

 Blue skies and sunshine!