Following FC Lausanne-Sport to the Final - Part II

Back in the away fans’ end, the FC Lausanne-Sport supporters had all been handed blue flags to give some colourful backing to the underdogs. And underdogs they certainly were – FC Basel had been crowned Champions of the Swiss Super League at this point, guaranteeing them a spot in next seasons’ Champions League competition, while FC LS were in 10th place in the league below their opponents. This would be a pretty tough match for the travelling fans.

As the players lined up on the pitch, the announcement of each of their names over the PA system was greeted with loud cheers and flag waving. A sense of hope began to build amongst the FC LS supporters, creating a rising belief that their unfancied team might actually pull off a huge shock and be crowned Swiss Cup Winners for the first time this millennium. With the noise levels reaching a crescendo, the match kicked off and we were underway.

Following FC Lausanne-Sport to the Final - Part I

In England, you can barely go a few hours without hearing a football-related comment, either in daily conversation with family, friends or colleagues, or through radio or television programs or adverts. Football is ingrained in the English way of thinking, reflecting its status as the national sport. In Switzerland, they are far less fanatical about their football.

Every club still has its die-hard fans, ready to turn up at the stadium each week or traipse across the country to offer their support for the team at away matches. But football in Switzerland is far from being the national sport – tennis, ice hockey, skiing, and other snow or ice-based games take centre stage, with football trailing somewhere behind.

Sixty Days in Suisse - Part IV

Sunsets, Sight-seeing and Sausages

More SQL Server studying in my fourth week here, with me sat in front of my laptop for more than 5 hours each day. It certainly was not easy, although learning a brand new subject by yourself is never something that is easy to do. Undeterred by the blurry eyes I had at the end of each day, I plodded on with my studies, aiming to take the MCTS exam within the next couple of weeks.



To take a break from the learning, Nelly and I went out for a walk along the lake in Vidy late one afternoon, just as the sun was setting.^

Queue some more photography - I managed to get a few nice shots of the sun disappearing behind the distant mountains, with the last of the sun's rays reflecting on the surface of the water.

It seems so easy to take nice pictures in Switzerland, as almost everywhere you go has some sort of natural beauty, whether it's a lake, a mountain or a rolling field in the countryside. Photographers must love it here!