GOOD MORNING MOUNTAINS!

These photos were taken in Lausanne, Switzerland, around 8am this morning as that is when the sun comes up here this time of year. 

It's like getting up in the middle of the night if you have to get up at 7:30am. I have been sleeping in until 8:30 most days when I am in fact used to getting up at 7:15am every day. Amazing.

This whole scene was within 4 minutes, changing rapidly.

 It really did change to this bright orange within minutes and couldn't have lasted any longer than that.

Getting ready to go to school today- International School of Lausanne  to help with room decor for the music dept. 

Accreditation committee trickling in from Tunisia, Connecticut and various other places. They will all be here by this afternoon. 

Big week and weekend at the school. My teacher host, Christopher is head of the school's accreditation committee, organizing events, meeting the NEASC members as they fly into Geneva,  and doing an intensive and  fab job. He showed me the reports and they are awesome. 

Tomorrow is a meet and greet for faculty and admin. I'll be the official photographer for this event. 

Saturday - Museum Day

Olympics Museum - Olympics



Lausanne, Switzerland is the headquarters for the Olympic committee. The museum is outstanding and is at least a 3 hr. visit. If you are ever out here, do make it a point to see this one.

VIEW  from the bottom of the hill where the Olympic Museum was

Going farther up the hill to the museum. It is quite a climb and escalators are available. Even with them, if  you are out of shape, you will feel it.

The museum did not allow photos...but it was a wonderful visit to the home of the Olympic committee. They had everything from photos, videos, the actual clothing and equipment used. Most impressive was the bobsled. It is so much larger than i imagined it. Displayed also were the medallions and a lot of art. One painting by Leroy Neiman graced an entire wall. Worth the visit. It is being renovated for the next 2 yrs. and will be close in Oct.

http://www.olympic.org/museum  good link to see Olympics stuff

The top of the Musée d`Elysées - the photography museum.

At the photography museum. The exhibit was from New York and done by a photojournalist who photographed journalists right before going on tv after the 9/11 disaster. The photos were compelling. There were no photos of the buildings, nor of people other than the announcers. The photographer captured their angst and unexpressed emotions. Amazing exhibit.
Another exhibit was about color in photography by another New York photographer from the 40`s and 50`s. It was interesting to see how photography followed the `-isms`at that time in art trends. I could see abstract expressionism, cubism, shapes and colors as subject - enjoyed this exhibit more than the 9/11 one.

Musée d`Elysées -photography

Wine, fondue, party....need I say more?

best part of the fondue - the bottom!

BAd exposure, but you get the idea...

 A fireplace for kebabs

Lots of people, lots of music

The place to BE

Train station at midnight - on our way home.

Not my best photos here...but then again I was using my little camera for snapshots. So if you want a good example of photos vs. snapshots, here you go.
As of this writing, my teacher host has graciously allowed photoshop elements on his computer for me. So now I can at least post process and make decent photos - but snapshots will always be snapshots.  

Swiss, French, Italian.

Bonjour a Suisse!

I have finally recovered from my trip to Switzerland, France and Italy.
And what a trip it was! There's a lot to be said for traveling solo but there's one thing I forgot - I have to carry everything by myself! Not to mention the myriad of steps, hills, ramps and mountains (so it seemed) that I had to traverse to get anywhere.
Managing to get to the first leg of the flight initially wasn't bad at all. A friend drove me willingly to the Orlando Airport, let me off at the correct airlines and waved goodbye. I was on my own.
Checked in my bag that was destined for Lausanne, Switzerland and it was ticketed to be at the train station (not Zurich, but Lausanne) when I arrived in that delightful city the next day. And it was. Incredible Rail system in Switzerland. But I digress - Arrived in NYC, JFK airport to be exact and then boarded the plane for Zurich, Switzerland. Arrival time was 7:30am Switzerland time. Or 19:30 in European language.
Zurich was beautiful.
A photo of my first sight of Switzerland early in the morning from the plane, is on the left. The sun is rising...yet it is only 1AM in the USA.

After going through customs I was able to find the train to Lausanne and had a wonderful two hour trip through the city of Zurich, the burbs of Zurich, the outlying more burbs of Zurich and finally...the Alps!

How beautiful this country is. Little Monopoly houses dotting the green and sometimes white - snow - countryside. Arrived in Lausanne, took a deep breath and started to read the directions that Christopher, the friend I was staying with, sent for me to get to the school. Amazingly found the right bus. Even had the right ticket. The last bus stop was at the Lausanne International School. They were expecting me. I could have fallen asleep standing up, but graciously accepted their hospitality and walked like a zombie until finally putting my head down to sleep at the apartment much later that afternoon
The view from my bedroom window of the mountains every morning is on the right.
.
Wonderful school! The kids all speak English although for many of them this is their second language. Swiss French is spoken in this "canton" or district. I was going to practice my French for sure. wow. Except I am really really bad at it...
School did not let out until 3 or so and then we went back to the train station again, picked up my travelling suitcase, and then took a cab to Chris' place. We took the cab because --- we were carrying MY bed in transit. This was one of those blow up things and was I ever glad to put my little head on it after all this moving about from continent to continent, crowds of people, transportation vehicles...zzzzzzzz

Photo on the right is of the workers in the vineyards outside of Lausanne.