Saturday was Switzerland's National Day! It is celebrated in honor of the Eternal Alliance that was created by the union of three cantons in what is now central Switzerland. This pact was documented by the Federal Charter which mentions this event taking place in early August of 1291. This year was the 718th anniversary of the creation of the country.
Mark and I spent a relaxing day at home in Neuchatel and then headed to Lausanne on the train in the evening. Once we arrived, we headed down to the lakeside (the lakeside area is called Ouchy). We ate dinner at Boccalino, our favorite pizza place that we discovered when we first moved here. :) Then we wandered around for a while just checking out the scene. There was a food/games area set up that felt exactly like the Del Mar Fair in San Diego! I had a bit of deja vu as I walked through there!
The most interesting part for us was that anyone can purchase fireworks here, and they were being set off in the streets all around us!....and by small kids! It definitely felt strange to see this pre-show of fireworks before the real show started! It didn't start to get dark until 9:00, but everyone started to look for a place to watch the fireworks show at 10:00. A marching band came by playing the country's anthem. We found our spot to stand in, and enjoyed the people-watching. At 10:00, the street lights were turned off and the real fireworks show started! The fireworks were set off from a barge in Lake Geneva. It was a fun evening!
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