Vieux Lausanne & Choosuk

On Saturday (September 29th) all the people at church were supposed to have an outing together in Onex near Genève but it was cancelled just before due to rain. :( I was already fully prepared to head out and wondered what I should do for the day. I then realized that I was always planning to travel anywhere but Lausanne, the very place I am staying! Though it was supposed to rain all day, I grabbed my umbrella and wore the most comfortable shoes I have. Then I deviated from my usual route to the supermarket, crossed Pont Bessières, and headed towards the cathedral that I had only been observing from far away. My plan was to explore the old town of Lausanne (a.k.a Vieux Lausanne).

The cathedral was a typical Gothic style building, located at the top of a little hill of the old town. It was cold both inside and outside, but there was something strangely pleasant and heartwarming I could feel from the old church. The stone tombs to which I guess belong to clergymen from long ago were placed on all corners in the cathedral, and on the walls I could find some descriptions of what each sculpture  in the cathedral symbolizes. There were not many people inside; only few groups of old European tourists were paying close attention to the tour guides' small voices. 

Below are some pics from the little visit. I could list all the endless details and histories of the cathedral here, but I guess a link will do. (http://www.sacred-destinations.com/switzerland/lausanne-cathedral) 

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After getting out from the cathedral, I continued strolling around Vieux Lausanne, walking through many steep stairs and narrow streets. In the center of old town, a street was teeming with people and it turned out there was a street market open. Some stalls were selling vegetables, some with flowers, and some others with dried fruits and various kinds of seasonings, and so on. It was a pleasure just to look around what they got and listen to people bargaining and attracting the pedestrians. I ended up not buying anything because what they had didn't seem so special compared to those in normal supermarkets, and also because I didn't want to do some unnecessary grocery shopping. But I found a local specialty store with wines, cheese, confitures, and meat made from the region, and thought I should probably visit here again to buy gifts for people back home.

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In the evening I went S.K.'s place in Genève, near Gare Cornavin. It was his last night in the city and he said I could go to his place and take whatever I want. When I arrived, he had three huge boxes of things he was going to throw away the next morning.  The visit was a huge success! The stuff I got from him include: a toaster, pot, spatula, some extra hangers for clothes, a Korean bible, few English novels, a brand new olive oil, balsamic vinegar, curry paste, some chamomile and barley tea,  and pesto sauce. I even needed another extra bag to put everything in!

Because it would be too much of a hassle to go back to Lausanne with the two big bags and come back to church the next morning, I slept overnight at the dorm room of S.H. who is an exchange student at La Cité Universitaire de Genève. She even offered me to sleep in her bed and prepared me an amazing breakfast! Thank God for letting me meet people who are gladly eager to offer help when I need it :)

On Sunday at church, we celebrated Choosuk, the Korean Thanksgiving together by playing some games and eating Korean food after the sermon. I brought the fig preserves I made last week and shared some with the people. The winners of the game were each given 50 CHF Migros giftcard, which I eventually failed to win. But overall I was glad I could spend the last days of September 2012 with fun people and great food. There was a lot to thank about for the Thanksgiving! Happy Choosuk everyone!