I’ve been planning to finish my PhD paper in Switzerland for a while, and now here I am in the beautiful city of Lausanne – giving it a go. From the perspective of a person who’s spent most of his life in Warsaw, Lausanne is a bit expensive, quite bureaucratic (it’s rather a trait of Switzerland (hehe, and Europe ;)) in general than this particular city), maybe a bit claustrophobic at times but hey… otherwise it’s a damned fine city with beautiful architecture, lots of attractions for tourists and residents alike and.. hmm.. of course the lake.. and the.. hmm… mountains… and the breath-taking Vidy district with sandy beaches and swimming pools 🙂 Really, in terms of sensual attractiveness it seems like one of the nicest places I’ve been to. It might not be as sandy as Fueartaventura, or as sunny as Cyprus, but it doesn’t have to be – it definitely has its own charm. So, all that said, it feels somewhat like staying on permanent vacation 😉 Unfortunately I’d caught a cold just before I left Warsaw so I’ve spent the last few days in a rather dull fashion, not moving around too much, but now I’ll get to explore the city and undoubtedly discover its treasures 😉
Oh, one of the most miserable failures for a newcomer like me is Internet access. Despite free WiFi on the biggest squares of the city, I have to say it’s rather difficult to stay connected and definitely it’s not cheap. Without obtaining a stay permit (I’ve heard it’s a month of paperwork, soon I’ll know) you can’t buy an Internet subscription at all. All you’re left with is a prepaid Internet plan like Sunrise TakeAway Prepaid Day Flat. It’s 5CHF per day, with a 500MB daily limit – rather less than I would expect from a such a developed country as Switzerland. Internet subscriptions sound more reasonable but it’s still like 60CHF per month with 10GB transfer limit, not bad but not too good either. So, if you’re travelling to Switzerland prepare to pay or to be cut off from the civilized world 😉 Oh, I should probably mention that I’m talking about mobile Internet (as in USB Dongle + SIM Card), there is some sort of fixed cable Internet (called CableSomething I believe) that is supposed to be a lot cheaper but it undoubtedly requires a stay permit and you can’t move it around.
So, I don’t know if I’m already being too critical of Lausanne’s shortcomings, but hey I guess it’s just fair to mention what I liked and what I dislike about the place. I’ll keep you updated.