After all of our travels we’ve happily had some down time in Lausangeles, a not so well-known nickname for Lausanne that we found on some local street art. It’s ironic in that Lausanne is nothing like the real L.A., at least to us. The down time has given us a chance to have dinner, game nights, and park outings with friends before the cold hits. Spending most of our time with fellow expats, conversations of what we miss and the difficulties of adjusting to the newness surrounding us have come up recently. Above anything else, we always say we miss friends and family the most. Do we miss jalapenos in our fajitas? Yes. Do we miss understanding what everyone says to us and around us? Yes. The difference between those things and being far from loved ones is that we got used to the culture, food, and lifestyle relatively quickly! Being far from the people we love spending time with is something we wouldn’t want to get used to. We’ve been working on closing that gap of space that lies between us and our people by staying in touch and being conscious of how often we check in with family.

One thing that’s been in our favor when it comes to adjusting is that we moved here from such a similar feeling city. Lausanne and Fayetteville are incredibly similar from the city size to the vibe.. which is why the Lausangeles graffiti is comical (Fayetteville is also nothing like L.A. for those who don’t know). It’s so green here which we love! Well, at the moment the hills are full of reds and browns now that fall has struck.

We spent the weekend out and about, enjoying the crisp autumn air. We road tripped with our friends to Zermatt, Switzerland. We’d been itching to get our hike on in the Swiss countryside. It was actually overwhelming when deciding which trail to pick as there are just so many options. Knowing few people to give personal references on hikes, we chose a more popular route, Europahutte, to catch some views of the changing leaves from above. We plan to get more camping and hiking in before winter hits which is approaching quickly.

With cold around the corner we’ve begun to winterize. Stocking the cabinet with cocoa and hunting for ski gear has been on the checklist. We’ve also made an effort to get active outside as much as possible. It’s been the epitome of fall lately but we know that won’t last long. The atmosphere has us missing football and the tailgates that come with it. We’ve managed to catch a few games but most are on around 3 am our time.. not the most ideal for a consistent sleep cycle. It’s no doubt we’re more comfortable with things than when we first moved six months ago. We do still have a lot of learning to do, specifically staying in the know on local events. There’s always action near Vidy, a popular sport spot in Lausanne with a lot to offer, including a track which we’ve made good use of lately. Prepping for our trip to Brussels, Belgium this weekend means a lot of cardio. We suspect our diet will consist largely of chocolate, beer, and fries.. at least we’ll be getting our winter coats before hibernation begins!