TRIGO, new bakery, Lausanne, Switzerland

 

I already have a half-dozen favorite pastry shops in Lausanne, each having a specific pastry item(s) that keeps me coming back. This place in the photo used to house a Portuguese bakery and it was worthless. When it comes to sweets, Portugal is near the bottom of the list. 

Several months ago an Italian couple took it over and it's now it's called TRIGO, a contemporary bakery. Fantastic goodies!   

See those treats on the left? They're called Mt. Vesuvius (after volcano in Italy). One is pistachio, one lemon and the other chocolate. My favorite is the chocolate. The crispy shell is filled with a mixture of chocolate and nuts, then that white stuff (whipped cream) is added atop along with a sprinkling of chocolate dust. Dangerously good!    

That's Danish in the middle--kind of a sweet bread roll filled with whipped cream--only so-so.

Being an Italian shop they make all kinds of pizza slices. I love the Pizzette.

Another view of lunch time snacks.

So, after Mt. Vesuvius, this is my favorite. It's called Fake Cheesecake. 

Pieces of caramel floating in caramel sauce, then a layer of some kind of whipped cream, followed at the bottom by bits of crumbled cookies. 

Their chocolate chip cookies rank up there with the best I've ever had!

Close-up of cookie. I had been going in there for several weeks getting these cookies. One day I walk in and the cashier says "you really like our chocolate chip granola cookies". "What", I exclaimed, "these are granola cookies?"  Jeez, can't believe I'm liking something with granola. 

Last year Aux Merveilleux de Fred opened an outlet here in Lausanne four blocks from where I live.  A guy name Fred from northern France (Lille) specializes in making these unbelievable sweets. There are now about 10 shops around the world including NYC.

Its flagship product is basically a meringue topped with whipped cream. I could snap photos but wouldn't do them justice. Go to the website and watch them being made. Unfortunately, I still can't figure out how to post the website address and let you click on it--so you have to type in the address. https://auxmerveilleux.com/en/

Meersburg and Friedrichshafen, Germany

 

It's early in the morning and already raining with the forecast calling for scattered showers the whole day. My original plan was to cycle from Konstanz to Friedrichshafen--along Lake Constance. I opt instead to take a ferry from Konstanz to Meersburg--saving me 30 miles of cycling in the rain. Have to visit Meersburg as it has TWO castles as well as a picturesque medieval old town. This is the ferry approaching Meersburg.

Looking up from the lakefront promenade I can spot a castle.

Side view of Meersburg castle.

Another side view of Meersburg castle.

It's market day in Meersburg (population 6,000) with about a half dozen vendors setting up shop. 

Another view of market.

Streets are steep.

Entrance of Old Meersburg Castle. It dates back to the 7th century. In 1877 Karl Mayer von Mayerfels bought the place. Parts of the castle are open for self-guided tours but remainder is occupied by descendants of Mayerfels. Jeez, it doesn't open until 10 AM and it's only 8:30 AM. Will take a pass. 

Almost next door to Old Meersburg Castle stands New Meersburg Castle. Yep, I learn that's how they differentiate the two. You and I would call this a palace but in Germany they're castles. Built in 1710 it now houses several museums. During the 19th century until 1955 it was a school for girls. Over the years it also housed a prison, a sailor's school and, a secondary school. From 1865-1932 it also housed the Baden Institution for Deaf-mutes. Following World War II it was used as barracks for French troops.  

View toward church.

This is a winery. Similar to the USA, Germany is divided into states. The state of Baden-Wuerttemberg owns this place. Lots of vineyards dot the hillsides. How much wine is produced here? This is no rinky-dink operation as over 300,000 bottles a year are bottled here. The speciality of the area is a rosè called Weissherbst.  

This is the backside of the winery with views of the lake and vineyards. 

Friedrichshafen (population 58,000) is the second largest city along Lake Constance. What's the city's claim to fame? It's here that Ferdinand von Zeppelin established his dirigible business. Remember the Hindenburg? 

Kids at a playground across from the museum have this spiffy-looking dirigible to climb on. Growing up I remember seeing the Goodyear and Met Life blimps on TV--usually at sporting events. What's the difference between a blimp and dirigible/zepplein? Blimps are basically balloons whereas dirigibles/zeppleins have internal metal framework that maintains its shape even when not filled with gasses. 

Whoa, as if on cue I look up in the sky and see this dirigible passing by. 

Konstanz, Germany

 

The city of Konstanz fronts Lake Constance. It's about 160 miles around the lake and shares its shoreline with three countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). With a population of 83,000 Konstanz is by far the largest city on the lake.

Still has a medieval gate guarding the old town. 

The city is packed today with tourists coming to the lake trying to escape the heat.

A view of Konstanz's harbor.

This is Imperia, a rotating 30 foot tall statue, which greets visitors entering Konstanz's harbor. It was clandestinely erected in 1993. Officials couldn't do anything about it because it's on private property. Imperia has since been embraced by the city and is a tourist attraction (meaning: selfies).     

The lake water is a beautiful turquoise color.

I had to check out this Mexican drive-thru restaurant in Konstanz. Burrito wasn't bad however, Germans love mango and didn't care for it in my burrito. 

Freiburg, Germany (Black Forest)

 

I'm in the southwest corner of Germany with the French border a dozen miles away. Freiburg (population 230,000) is the gateway city to the Black Forest--a large forested mountain range roughly 100 miles by 30 miles. It's market day and Freiburg Cathedral is surround by food vendors. 

Freiburg still has two medieval gates guarding the city center. This is the exterior view of Swabian Gate built in 1250. Who would have thought that almost 800 years later the gate would give passage to trams.   

This is the other side view of Swabian Gate. What are those people doing with their feet in the gutter? Actually, Freiburg has had a gutter system running throughout the city center streets for hundreds of years. It's very unique. Why? It's not sewage --the constantly flowing water through the gutters is diverted from nearby Dreisam River. Originally it was to provide water for livestock, fight fires AND, cool off the city. 

The temperature today will hit 97 degrees and tourists as well as locals are sitting down cooling off their feet. The water is crystal clear and penalties are harsh to anyone found polluting the water. 

Lots of colorful buildings.

Red seems to be the most popular color.

This is Martinstor Gate. It dates back to 1202. Notice the McDonald's sign to the right of the gate? There's a McDonald's store to the right of the sign and the city council was unsuccessful in preventing the company from placing its name next to the medieval gate. 

Shaded cafe in Freiburg.

I'm in downtown Donaueschingen (population 21,000) and why have I taken a picture of a pool of water? This is the source of the Danube River, the second longest river in Europe (the Volga River in Russia is the longest). I'm lucky as the place is usually swarming with people taking selfies. 

Another view taken from above. The Danube River flows 1,770 miles and passes through 10 countries. Still doesn't beat the Mississippi River which stretches 2,340 miles. See that building in the background? That's a huge palace along with extensive grounds. Unfortunately the place is off-limits to the public as it's owned by the Princes of Fuerstenberg.

I like this fountain outside Donaueschingen's town hall.

Closer view of fountain with its musical scene.

Here's what you see upon entering Riegel (population 4,000). That's a former brewery where Riegeler beer was brewed from 1834-2003. The beer company was taken over in 2003 by another brewer and to save money this was closed down. Now, it has been turned into lofts and commercial offices. 

They like their beer in Riegel as I count five beers gardens around town

Riegel's city hall is a real beaut. 

So it's mid-afternoon, very hot and, I've stopped in Radolfzell (population 31,000) for a gelato cone. I'm standing next to a real estate office and see this fake dog in the window.

On closer inspection I find the dog is real! The heat through the glass has got to be brutal. He's doing some sunbathing or else he likes people watching--either way he doesn't look too happy. 

Krispy Kreme opens in Lausanne, Switzerland

 

Lausanne (population 130,000) is located in the French-speaking part of Switzerland--about 35 miles from Geneva. It has been my home for more than 25 years. Every day I go for an early morning ( 7AM) walk through the city center. Wow! can you believe Lausanne is getting the very first Krispy Kreme donut shop in continental Europe?  Not Paris, not Munich, not Amsterdam nor Brussels but, little Lausanne.

Krispy Kreme has over 1,400 locations. 

You can see the Krispy Kreme donut making machine. However, I'm worried about the location as it doesn't get much foot traffic and kind of tucked away on a side shopping street. No drive-thru option here. There's no parking except for several parking garages several blocks away.  Heck, what do I care as I'm a walker and a cyclist. 

I went inside and found them doing practice runs on making donuts. The woman in the first photo (standing outside the store) makes the decorations on the donuts. Me, I don't need any dumb decorations as I only have eyes for the glazed donuts--not just any glazed but, the ones that are still hot/warm! As with all other locations they will have a red light switched on (visible outside the store) to let customers know fresh donuts are being made. 

I talked to a man inside who says he works for Krispy Kreme International. "Why are you opening your first store in continental Europe here?, I ask. He answers, "it's a good fit". Jeez, what a lame answer. He could have said it ticks off several boxes and go on to say what those were. 

So, it got me thinking about the number of American brands who have set up shop here in Lausanne and thought I'd take you on a walk through the city center and point 'em out.  

Yep, Lausanne has had a Five Guys burger joint for about four years. The Florida-based company has over 1,700 locations around the world. I give the burger as well as the fries the two thumbs-up!

Of course you knew we would have Starbucks--there're are 35,000 locations in 84 countries worldwide. Matter of fact, there're three Starbucks in Lausanne.

Here's some trivia: did you know Switzerland has the most Starbucks per one million inhabitants with 7.27? Switzerland has 61 outlets. 

More trivia. See that office building in the background? That's where Starbucks buys/sells/trade coffee for its worldwide operations. 

See that outdoor dining area on the second floor (red tables) next to the Starbucks coffee sign? Twenty years ago it housed a Pizza Hut. 

So, here's the building directory where Starbucks (bottom right) has its coffee trading operations. Why is it in Lausanne? Many of the world's biggest commodity trading firms have their headquarters in Switzerland. Companies say it's because of Switzerland's central location but, in reality it's all about tax benefits. 

This Dunkin' Donut store opened about a month ago--just several doors down from competitor Starbucks. I don't think it'll last. Why? They don't make the donuts here--and I've gone in several times and the donuts don't look fresh. For several years now one could go into Switzerland's largest supermarket chain (Coop) and buy Dunkin' donuts. I'll give the place six months. Then again, with over 13,000 outlets worldwide--they company could probably play the long game. 

This Burger King opened about four years ago. I love my burgers char-broiled and they rank up there with Carl's Jr. and Hardees. There're almost 20,000 Burger King locations around the world. 

More than 20 years ago there was a Wendy's several doors down from the Burger King. I ate there but it evidently didn't do well. The number of Wendy's stores worldwide: 7,100. 

We have five McDonald's in the city center. There're over 40,000 McDonald's in over 100 countries. 

I'm heading down a ramp to snap a picture of KFC. 

About five years ago the first KFC in Switzerland opened in--you guessed it- Lausanne. KFC has more than 25,000 stores in 147 countries. See that tall building to the right? That was Switzerland's first skyscraper (built in 1932 it's 15 stories)

Did you know Lausanne is the smallest city in the world to have an underground metro?

There's one of the metro trains. 

This Subway location recently moved from its former location at Lausanne's train station. Subway has over 41,600 locations---making it the world's largest fast-food chain. 

Not included is a picture of a Domino's Pizza outlet as it's not in Lausanne's city center. There're are over 19,000 locations worldwide.