Did anyone else get a little obsessed by the Olympics over the summer? I found myself hooked on sports I’d never heard of before (Race Walking wins HANDS DOWN!) and loved being an armchair critic. If like me you were caught up in Olympic buzz then I think you’ll like the last of my Lausanne blog posts (you can see what else I got up to in this pretty city here and here).
Lausanne has been known as the ‘Olympic Capital’ for over twenty years and has hosted the IOC (International Olympic Committee) since 1915, so it was only right to go and pay homage to the sporting titans at the museum here.
Another thing about this Swiss delight is that it is the smallest city in the world to have a subway! Fact fans, I am really spoiling you today. I jumped on the ridiculously easy to use tube down to the end of the tracks at Olympic Ouchy.
The weather was on my side with piercing blue skies, dazzling sunshine and the lightest of autumnal breezes. It was almost difficult to tear myself away from the stunning outside of the modern Olympic Museum as gleaming white marble pillars, trickling water features and funky modern art welcomed me to the site.
The iconic five Olympic rings were dotted everywhere you looked but it was also the view of placid Lake Geneva that made this a dreamy spot for soaking up the sun and sporting stories.
The grounds are free to visit and well worth a quick tour around as they are so well-maintained and full of small exhibitions and interesting facts for you to take in. Or, you could just get some posing in.
With a rumbling stomach it was time to say goodbye to the dreamy exterior and head for Sunday brunch in the Museum cafe.
I know, usually the thought of eating in a museum restaurant is best avoided but this place was so well catered for locals and tourists that you could see why I needed to reserve a table!
The busy room was full of hungry diners all making the most of the buffet spread across the sporting-themed room. I piled up my plate and took up a spot on the sun-dappled balcony to gaze at the lake as I stuffed my face. A word of warning if you suffer from any food allergies - the dishes were delicious but not well labelled!
Once I’d made a couple of return trips to the dessert table, what can I say - Swiss cheese is a weakness, it was time to visit the museum.
Set over three floors it was carefully designed, informative and very colourful. Interesting expositions started from the very beginning looking at how the games came about in ancient Greece right up to the modern day.
Alright, fact fans… did you know that back in the early games competitors did it in the nude and women were only allowed to spectate if they were unmarried? Or that the colours of the iconic rings represent at least one colour in every national flag? Well, now you do.
There were many displays of the famous Olympic torch showing how its design has changed over the years. I even got to wrap my fingers around the one used in the most recent Olympics from Rio!
Other rooms held items of clothing, medals and fun interactive games to test yourself against the stamina and skills of an Olympic athlete. Whether you’re an avid Olympics fan or only get caught up in the sport because you can’t avoid it on the TV when the games are on - you can’t help but feel like a winner here.
The stories of competitors spurred me on to embrace my inner Usain Bolt. I may need to work on this pose a little.
I felt so inspired by how all these countries come together to celebrate their talented sporting heroes, roll on the 2020 games!
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