Chocolate, cheese and clocks. None too shabby a triumvirate, granted. But what else does a major Swiss city have to offer? Quite a lot, as I discover after arriving in Lausanne, a 40-minute train ride from Geneva airport.
For starters, there is the stunning lake and mountain panorama, best appreciated after the short connecting ride on one of the two subway lines - Lausanne has the only Swiss metro system - to Ouchy where we are staying. The distant view is of Evian, home of the eponymous bottled water. Mind you, should you find yourself in urgent need of thirst quenching while exploring the mazy streets, the spring water in the fountains is perfectly safe to drink.
The assortment of seafaring craft moored at the quay are an indicator of both the travel and sporting options in a city which houses the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee and many other global sporting bodies. And lest anyone be unaware of the connection, a discus throw from our hotel stands a brick-like sculpture topped by an electronic timepiece counting down the days (and indeed hours, minutes and seconds) to the 2016 Games in Rio.
Given that the cost of eating and drinking in Switzerland can be as steep as the inclines on certain Lausanne thoroughfares, it's comforting to learn on check-in that at least you do not have to pay to use the clean and efficient public transport system. All hotel guests receive a pass for local trains and buses for the duration of their stay, plus discounts on other travel and attractions. Although the distances between the metro stops in the heart of the city are negligible, it is no bad thing to save yourself an uphill climb on a muggy summer's day. Oh, and should your climatic preference be pleasantly sunny, then the autumn month temperatures should suit you perfectly.
Fortunately, our hotel is a short saunter from The Olympic Museum, or TOM, as they like to abbreviate it. Visiting on a Sunday, I take advantage of brunch at TOM's diner, or, more accurately, the top-floor restaurant, where the terrace affords gorgeous views of Lake Geneva and the myriad sporting artworks dotted around the museum grounds. The buffet has plentiful salad and vegetarian options, and all manner of tempting desserts. Nor is it a wallet-emptying experience at a set price of 39 CHF (around £27), soft drinks included.
The museum is not only a must for sports fans. Sure, you can view videos of famous Olympic moments - and I did. But the three sections and special exhibitions give a wider context to how the Games have evolved from their Greek origins.
There is a poignant historical backdrop to a clip of Harold "Chariots of Fire" Abrahams turning his hand to commentary after his running days.
His coverage of his New Zealander friend, Jack Lovelock, winning the 1,500 metres at the 1936 Games is endearingly biased. But then read how Abrahams almost did not make it to Berlin as the BBC was reluctant to send a Jew.
Elsewhere in the museum, it is recorded that the success of black athlete Jesse Owens in Berlin punctured Hitler's hopes of using the Olympics as a propaganda showcase for Aryan superiority.
There is also reference to the Munich massacre of Israeli competitors and officials in 1972. On a lighter note, non-Ivrit speakers will learn that the parents of Israeli windsurfing gold medallist Gal Fridman must have known something - Gal means wave in Hebrew.
Lausanne has a longstanding Jewish community which currently numbers around 200 families. The synagogue has an imposing frontage with arch-shaped features. It is closed for renovation but by the end of summer, visitors will be able go inside.
The Swiss save their wine for their own consumption. I make a pilgrimage to the vineyards at nearby Lavaux via paddle steamer and the Lavaux Express, an amusement "train" that is driven along twisting roads, to the consternation or amusement of motorists unable to overtake. Some wineries offer tastings, and buying on site tends to be cheaper than in the shops.
I get my fondue fix at the central Lausanne restaurant, Café du Grutli, after a wander through the upmarket Flon and market areas. A blend of two cheeses, and a little alcohol, the dip is fiendishly moreish. The locals say that, should you drop your bread in the dip, you have to complete a dare. So if Grand Slam tennis winner and son of Lausanne, Stan Wawrinka, is in the house - as is apparently sometimes the case- maybe challenge him to a game.
And close to the café, and the 13th century gothic cathedral, I enter chocolate heaven. La Chocolatiere makes its irresistible confections in the old fashioned way, the two cool guys in the "laboratory" producing up to 6,000 pieces daily. "We don't believe in mixing flavours, we follow the Swiss tradition," explains director Mercedes Assal.
You can join the laboratory workers as the shop offers tours/tastings from 39 CHF. As, trust me, your chocolate-making skills will not be up scratch, there is enormous takeaway potential.
FLY Swiss Air flies from Heathrow to Geneva from £156 return. A regular train service runs from the airport to Lausanne
STAY Chateau d’Ouchy, Lausanne, offers rooms from £165 a night, including breakfast.
VISIT
The Olympic Museum, www.olympic.org
La Chocolatiere, www.lachocolatiere.ch
