Day trip to Lausanne

On the way to our gate.
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Well, I am entering this for the 3d time apparently because my entry got duplicated and then deleted altogether... Annoying... Annoyed.

Anyway, after a week slaving in the laboratory and getting some very disappointing initial results, JD and I decided to take a break and do some sightseeing at Lake Lausanne. There were other places we could have gone but the weather was going to be nice and it was a relatively short 2 h train ride to get there. The train station in Basel was quite impressive. In particular the pissoir and crapoir (ok, yes, I did just make up that word). See the photos.

...JD drank only half his pilsner.

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Swiss trains apparently run like clockwork and they are precisely on time. It's quite remarkable. When JD and I got on the train, he told me that we were leaving one minute too early. I told him to check his Blackberry and sure enough, his watch was one minute fast.

I haven't been on many train rides but I have to say that this one was among the smoothest rides I ever experienced. No bumps or sudden jerks, just a gently sway. The seats were spacious and there were large picture windows to view the passing scenery.

We got to the train station and bought our tickets and I decided to make use of the facilities. Went looking for the bathroom and followed the sign to what looked to be the entrance to a cocktail lounge. Of course, that's not what it was as you can see from the sign. It was quite impressive. Bright and spotless. I was just annoyed that I had to pay a Swiss franc to get in!
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Lausanne was a very pretty city and we walked a great deal checking it out. Got some pretty good pics - but you can judge for yourself. Enjoyed a leisurely lunch at a french bistro, walked down to the lake to take in the view, where sailboats could be seen and with the Swiss Alps in the distance. Ended the day at the pub at the train station where I enjoyed a pint of Guinness and JD drank only half his pilsner. I know its just a pilsner but damn. Precious beer!