Internet Cafés

This entry is going to be without the usual liberal sprinkling of exclamation marks - I continue to do battle with foreign keyboards so for what follows * equates to exclamation where one is required.


Internet Cafés have become another 'life experience' that I think I can now tick of my list (and not the '1000 experiences you must have sampled before you die' list). They invariably seem located in the back room of some slightly dodgy looking shop and are invariably in semi darkness with shaddowy figures hunched over keyboards with fingers flying over keyboards at a speed I could only dream of. As I write there is a war going on to my left - the sound of bombs, gunfire and death is leaving me quite traumatized. I guess it is a blessing that my very poor French gives me no chance of understanding the last dying works of the 1000th poor soul to meet a sticky end*.


Lausanne, on the north shore of Lake Geneva has been our home for the last few days. We have broken one of our golden rules (steer clear of any campsite highlighted as something special in the guide book) and found ourselves squeezed like sardines between static caravans that clearally haven't travelled for many a long while. To be fair things could have been far worse - the first pitch we were offered nearly created a diplomatic crisis - and all over a matter of a 2 inch encrochment of territory* I fear wars have been started for no less in the past - phew*

Another 'golden rule' should probably be 'read with a high degree of skepticism any guide book description that waxes too lyrical about a place'. Lausanne seems to be one of those places - yes pleasant enough (well it hardly could not with such a beautiful Alpine backdrop*) but describing it as 'an enchanting beauty' for us has rather over egged things. Any way its hardly the worst place to spend a few days and I did get to see the most wonderful gallery, the 'Collection de l'Art Brut' - an extraordinary grouping of works by unknown people many of whom had been imprisoned or admitted to psychiatric hospitals for much of their lives often with terribly traumatic pasts. Whilst many works were disturbing much credit must be given to its originator (Jean Dubuffet) for treasuring and bringing to a wider public the lost stories of people who would otherwise have been forgotten.