Studying in Style

Someone needs to pinch me.. It's too gorgeous to be real!

Dorothea and I decided we needed to get away from Bulle to get some studying done. She took me to her spot, above Cully to a little cafe. We spent two amazing hours in the sun studying business research methods, enjoying a coffee, listening to the tinkling of cow bells and enjoying what is Lake Geneva, the Alps and the vineyards above Culy...Unreal!
Behind the cafe is one of the view points to see the Swiss Countryside...

On one side you get the lake with the vineyards, the other side the alps and the countryside... Switzerland really is gorgeous.. someone needs to wake me up from this dream!

The Best Care Package Ever

My friend Douglas and his wife Jen were so kind to send me the most amazing care package in the world. Albeit calorie packed.. It put a smile on my face for days... I've already started eating the M&Ms, eat the brownies with the nutter butters, drink the tea with the brownies, worn both scarves and use the computer case... Amazing!

I am forever in debt to Doug and Jen!

The Spot

One of my favorite things to do is run in the forest next to our village. Near the end of my run, there is my hideout spot where I can sit for hours at the incredible view that is Gruyere Castle and the Swiss Alps. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Pear Shaped

At the Alimentarium in Vevey ( the Nestle museum), they have a section on your "digestion" or what is "healthy eating". I was diagnosed as " pear type". At least its a lot more polite then the time the life guard at the Atlantis Hotel and Casino said " Damn girl, you LOOK like a pear"...

Mysterious

One of the things I have been trying to learn is how to shoot smoke (that and lightning and fireworks...)

Whilst in St. Gallen with my friend Dorothea and her friend Marvin, we were hanging out about 5pm in a room where the sun was filtering in. Although I severely oppose second hand smoke, (but can't seem to escape it ANYWHERE I go here in Switzerland) at that moment I saw it. filtered light + smoke= picture.

I must admit that there is something extremely sexy about smoke albeit not enough to make me ever smoke a cigarette.. but something that makes me love the mysterious sensuous movements of the smoke...

Gorging myself with Cailler Chocolates

One of the advantages of living in Bulle is that there are so many dairy based gastronomic delights nearby. My friend Xy and I decided to take a stroll through the Bouleyres Forest to get to Broc, home of Nestle's La Maison de Cailler. One of the most pleasant surprises was peeking into someone's farm to find Gruyeres Castle and parachuters!

Louis Cailler first brought back chocolate from Italy with the purpose of wanting to make it accessible for the everyday person. in 1898, the Cailler chocolate factory opened in Broc- chosen for its dairy rich location.

Cailler is one of the only chocolatiers in Switzerland that uses real milk as opposed to powdered milk which gives its smooth (and calorie rich) taste and texture.

The factory, now commercialized for tourism is highly interactive with videos, displays, raw product tastings and chocolate scents. It was very informative and great if you have children (or still a kid at heart like I am).

The best part of the tour is.. the chocolate tasting. Here is your warning: DO NOT EAT EVERY PIECE OF CHOCOLATE THEY PUT IN FRONT OF YOU. There- I said it. Somehow I lost all self control in the presence of all that chocolate (At least I admit it!).
They start you off nice and slow with their basic chocolates that can be found in every grocery store... then move into some other more basic- every day chocolates..
Then they move you into their medium end chocolates.
Lastly, they move you into their petite fours and fancier chocolates. I couldn't help myself to all the dark chocolate.. it really was delicious.. but by the last time the last piece went down.. reality of what I just did to myself set in.. and the tummy ache ensued.

If ever in the Fribourg region, La Maison Cailler is a must. Not only do you get to see super cool vintage chocolate molds, vintage factory photos, original machinery and much much more, you also get free chocolate! Just don't be like me and forget your self restraint at home...

La Maison Cailler

Rue Jules Belelt 7

1636 Broc

Tel: 41 (0)269215151

Hours:9:30am - 4Pm January through October 31st

Congrats!!!

A quick shot out to one of my best friends in the world and his gorgeous new wife!!

Congrats!!! It was a magical union~

and of course, the SAN DIEGO CREW!

Lake Geneva Regional Food: Raclette

Burnt Cheese. For those of you who have worked in the kitchen.. Burnt Cheese really does sound delicious.. and this is exactly what this dish is.

The dish originated in the Valais region of Switzerland where herders use to heat up their cheese over a campfire along with potatoes and pickles (well it was potatoes or bread.. it gets cold here OK?)

History has it that the dish is well over 800 years old!
Raclette cheese usually comes in a huge round.. somewhere around 15 pounds.
There are special Raclette heat lamps that melt and brown the top layer of the cheese.

The melty goodness is scraped off and served piping hot with some potatoes, pickles and plenty of raclette powder.

It is quite a heavy dish- one for the winter time. Simple. Filling. and helps you bulk up for the winter.

Swiss Ice Cream: Movenpick

After hours of walking around Lausanne and arriving into Geneva in the sweltering heat, we needed something to cool down. After much asking around and searching we finally found a Movenpick stand.. and after much contemplating, I finally settled on a cacao and orange ice cream. I also had their seasonal banana ice cream with chunks of bananas.. It ain't no Ben and Jerry's but I guess it will have to do!!

Anyone who knows me well knows that I can NEVER pass up ice cream. Thankfully here in Switzerland the land of moo cows and thus anything dairy, they are quite famous for their ice cream. The creme de la creme here is Movenpick ( yes as in the hotel chain)

Movenpick first entered the ice cream world through production for their restaurants. In

1968, Movenpick decided to centralize their ice cream production for the entire company- and within a year, Movenpick ice cream became the companies' number one branded item.

By 1982, Movenpick ice cream became it's own branded sector within the company- spinning off from the parent company. In 2003, Movenpick Ice Cream brand was sold to Nestle ( as in the parent company to Cailler.. which hopefully I will be walking to from my dorm this weekend!)

Movenpick has always maintained strict standards with using all natural ingredients and not using any articificial additives in their ice cream- always using the traditional Sabayon base for maximum creaminess and richness. Fruit and vegetable juices are used in lieu of artifical coloring. Fresh, clean , natural = yummy!

When in Switzerland you must try Movenpick ice cream.. at least once. .It is worth every calorie!

Swiss Fondue!

When in the land of moo cows, cheese is ALWAYS in abundance. For the swiss national holiday, my girlfriends and I headed down to Lausanne to enjoy the festivities.

One of the must haves when in Switzerland is.. Fondue!

Fondue is based off the french word Fondre or melt.. and yes that is exactly what Fondue is.. a big melty pot of... CHEESE!!

Typically, fondue is a combination of Gruyere and another cheese. This ranges from region to region ie- Vacherin in the Fribourg region to the "Traditional" Emmenthaler cheese. This is typically done to try to balance out the flavors of the cheese. White wine or Kirsch (in addition to a variety of other flavors) can be added to add flavors and keep the cheese from directly frying over the heat.

Fondue is also typically eaten with a dry white wine to cut the heaviness of the cheese and a variety of local cured sausages (talk about calorie count eh?)
My girlfriends and I were lucky enough to meet some very hospitable Swiss boys from Zurich- Jurg on the right and Martin on the left who invited us to have some of this calorie rich, but very delicious traditional dish with them. They also explained to us the premise of the crazy festivities that were happening around us... some boat race thing that is in San Diego every year (crazy how I lived there for 10 years with NO clue about it). It was a great way to finish up our day in Lausanne- Great weather, great food and very very friendly people who opened a little bit more about their amazing culture to us!

Creperie D'Ouchy

One of the recommended places to go eat while in Lausanne (albeit super touristy) is Creperie D'Ouchy in the heart of D'Ouchy old town. This creperie is known for hanging out on their terrace, enjoying the lake, sun and oh yeah.. a super tasty crepe using regional ingredients.

Crepes are originally from the Brittany region of France, orginally made with Buckwheat flour, and called Gallettes. Gallettes are a crisper, harder more brittle crepe that is harder to handle and to fold. At the turn of the century with the price reduction of soft white flour, the batter for the crepe was adapted to make the texture softer and more maliable with the addition of white flour.
In my quest for "local" regional food, my eye was immediately drawn to the vaudoise crepe. The price tag (not shown) was a nice sucker punch to the stomach (at 23 chf for one) but.. you only live once right? The classic regional combination of leeks, sausage and cheese made my mouth water at the thought.
After a bit of a wait (almost 45 minutes~!) our crepes finally came. We were a little baffled by the fact that most people were not ordering food, just drinks.. but the crepes still took so long to come out... The smell of the warm batter,melty cheese and leeks immediately hit me.
I must admit although expensive and a long wait- this was a very good savory crepes. The crepe batter was flavorful, crisp yet slightly chewy and the melted cheese, leeks and sausage combination was awesome and surprisingly well seasoned!

If you have some extra $$ and want great atmosphere with good food, I would recommend going to Creperie D'Ouchy!

Creperie D'Ouchy

Place du Port 7

1006 Lausanne

Tel: 021-616-26-07