Court Is Now In Session!

Hello Friends! Let me start by saying Switzerland is absolutely beautiful. I'm currently writing this post with an incredible view of Lake Geneva. Check out the picture below and try to contain your jealousy! 

Although Lausanne is a little chilly (somewhere in the low 50s), we have managed to brave the cold and explore the city. Throughout the trip we have been running around trying to experience as many things as possible and today was no exception. My day started off with 6 AM alarm and a lot of coffee. We headed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the court that facilitates settlements in most sport related cases. We met with Ms. Louise Reilly who is one of the lawyers for CAS. The unique aspect of CAS that supports the sporting world is the short duration of the trials. The average length of CAS appeals are 4-6 months which is significantly shorter than National Court cases. The quick decisions are beneficial for the athletes because of their limited career length and the short timing between competitions. 

We also learned that the Court of Arbitration for Sport deals mainly with appeal cases. For example, when an athlete is issued a sanction for prohibited behavior they have the option to appeal the sanction if they feel it is unjust. This is where CAS comes in and settles the argument. 

CAS was also present at the London Games and facilitated 12 cases. The most interesting thing about these appeals was how quickly a decision was made. In one example, an appeal was made at 9am and the athlete's next competition was at 1pm so an extremely quick decision was necessary. I personally loved our visit to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The people were incredibly welcoming and we learned all about this unique form of sport law. A huge Thank You to everyone at CAS! 

Next, Professor Ryan took us to one of his many secret treasures, a viewing area where we could see all of Lausanne and Lake Geneva. (Check out the picture below!) We also went to Cathedrale de  Lausanne which was beautiful and had a huge organ inside. We've  seen a lot of churches on our trip but as Professor Ryan pointed out it is hard to study history without discussing churches because of the power they held in the past. 

From the Cathedral we headed into town for another surprise that was occurring exactly at 11am.  We all waited outside of Town Hall in anticipation as Professor Ryan tried to remain mysterious. When the clock stuck 11, bells began to ring and animated Vaudois gentlemen began dancing across the building. While the clock was interesting, I think most of us were expecting something more extreme because of the hype Professor Ryan built around it. I guess it's all about the little things in life!

We all headed home and took long, relaxing afternoon naps. There's something about naps in the crisp air of Switzerland that makes them that much better. A few us took a stroll around the lake after our nap. Unfortunately, I was the lucky person to get pooped on by a duck. Oh well, isn't that supposedly good luck?? I'll spare you that picture, don't worry. 

While Switzerland is unbelievably beautiful, we are all very excited to finally see the sun in Greece on Sunday. Hopefully we make it out without looking like lobsters! Our trip is flying by with just one last week until we are home. Happy Memorial Day weekend to everyone, we'll find a way to show our American pride somehow while we're abroad!! Talk to y'all soon!