Christmas Fondue – It’s a Swiss thing

Each country has its own traditions, but I do like the whole "let's gather" for fondue tradition that they do in Switzerland.

The best part is the "cheese crust" at the end. But there's a knack to getting it out.

Fondue is one of those totally delicious meals that you can't have by yourself.  It just seems wrong to melt a big block of cheese, chop up a loaf of crusty bread and the chow down on it without other people.  It's a meal that needs to be shared...and you need to share it with good friends as you really don't want strangers dipping their fondue forks in your cheese.

To go with this tradition of eating a pot of cheese with friends, are other traditions.  In some places, I've been served little boiled potatoes to dip in with the bread (very good idea) and my co-worker says no fondue is complete without Swiss kirsch liquor.  He says you dip your bread in the liquor and then in the cheese to give it an extra punch.

I will warn you, this liquor is strong and not for everyone.  I tried it and prefer my bread with plain old cheese. Besides, the liquor makes the bread soggy which means there is more chance of it breaking off and falling into the cheese.  This is a big "no-no" when it comes to fondue.

And of course for dessert, meringue and cream is the Swiss way to end a traditional meal.

Hunting for Truffles in Tuscany

These are not truffles, but this was the woods where we found them.

Google is a wonderful thing.  Or maybe it's a dangerous thing for my pocketbook...as it lets me act on a whim. The whole reason I needed to go to Tuscany in November (in addition of being in desperate need of hermit weekend) was that November is white truffle season. How did I know this? Google.

I was re-reading one of my favorite books "A Year in Provence" and came to the part when they went truffle hunting.  Now some people just read that part and think, "Mmmm...truffles are yummy." Me, I think, "Hmmm...I wonder when truffle season is?"

The truffle sniffing dog doing his thing

I google it and it turns out truffle season is apparently all year long, but the rare white truffle season is November. White truffles can go for $15,000 a kilogram. They are like tasty diamonds in the dirt -- so naturally, I decided those were the ones I should hunt for.

Keep in mind this was the first of November when I was doing researching this, and I already had committed to volunteering at a vineyard the second week of November (read blog entry) and was running the Las Vegas Ragnar one of the other weekends that month.  But the last weekend of November was free. Yay!!

Now all I had to find a truffle hunter in Tuscany who could take me out on a hunt.

HUNTING WITH THE TRUFFLE HUNTER

Surprisingly there aren't that many truffle hunters who do tours listed online. But all I needed was one - and the one that I found was www.trufflehunter.net.  The tour was fantastic and worth the $160 I paid to do it, as I got a full day that included shuttle service from Florence to the truffle farmhouse, truffle hunting, lunch and then Chianti tasting.

The van picked me and my friend up at 9am in Florence (when I told her about the truffle hunting, she couldn't say 'no' to the experience) and then drove us to the farm in San Minato. The woods where the truffles were located was about 90 minutes outside of Florence so it was nice to see a little of the countryside along the way.

Now in my "Year in Provence" book, they used a pig to find truffles, but this place had trained a dog to do it. They say the problem with using a pig is that the pig will eat the truffles if you aren't fast enough to snatch it away when the truffle is found. The dog can be trained to find it and will be happy with a dog treat.

The truffle dog was just a normal looking dog with a well-trained nose

You would think that the dog that they used would be some sort of fancy truffle hunting breed, but nope. The dog was a normal looking scruffy dog. He was super friendly and really seemed to love his job of leading our group of 8 people through the woods while he sniffed out truffles.

We followed him around the woods for about an hour.  In that time he found two truffles.  How it worked was that he would sniff them out and then dig a little to get to the edible treasure.  Frankly, I don't think I would be able to find any truffles without him.  Even when the Truffle Hunter showed us where it was in the ground, it was hard to distinguish what was a white truffle and what was a dead leaf.

That white thing beside the hoe is a white truffle

Also, truffles might be super expensive, but they do look a little bit like poop.

The white truffle cleaned off

After the hunt, they brought us back to the farmhouse where we had a three course meal that included soup with truffle oil drizzled on it, some sort of egg dish with truffles and a pasta with truffles in it (tagliolini al tartufo).  It was a nice way to see how to use the truffles in cooking.  Each course was also paired with wine to help bring out the flavor.

During the lunch, we also learned more about truffles -- like how to store them to keep them fresh. If you wanted, you buy some truffles to take home if interested.  You could also buy any of the wine that was served during lunch and the olive oil that they made on the farm.  It was all so amazingly delicious, and while the truffles were expensive (as they always are), the wine and the olive oil was relatively cheap.

I did pick up a bottle of the new olive oil that I mentioned in the blog before this (read it here) and was glad I did.  I haven't seen it anywhere else in Europe so far - and every time I use it, I think of this trip.

A box full of different sized truffles. They don't look tasty, but they are.

Then after we were all stuffed, it was time to visit a Chianti winemaker and learn about the grapes in the region. The guide explained everything we needed to know about the process of winemaking and, of course, this was followed by a tasting.

The Chianti winery

Again you could wine here and have it shipped back to the US if you wanted to take some home and not carry it with you.

It was amazing day of hunting, drinking and eating.

The weekend I ate too much in Tuscany

The view from the house.

I've had great experiences with AirBnB in last two years.  I've stayed on houseboat in Cairo (see blog post), a fantastic house overlooking the desert in Arizona (see it here) and numerous little apartments in Paris.

Coming up the walkway to the Tuscan Farmhouse

This weekend was another AirBnB adventure where I decided to rent a room in house -- rather than  rent out the whole house.

I have to admit, it was the most decadent bed and breakfast weekend that I've ever been on. (See the AirBnB listing here.)

Our room was on the second floor.

The house was on a farm in Tuscany - which is a little bit unique as most places are in Florence or some city.

I picked it as I knew I would have some homework to do for my masters program, but mainly because it was located in the hills away from the hustle and bustle of everything.  Yes, I was in desperate need of a little hermit time after a busy fall at work.

Took this photo just before they put the fire on.

The farmhouse was located on Chianti's Hill near Florence, and I was greeted by Teresa who welcomed me into her fabulous home.

Teresa is a beautiful woman, both inside and out, with a big smile.  You can't help but like her. She so wants you to enjoy Tuscany, and goes out of her way to make sure you have a fantastic time.

After serving me toast with new olive oil (a local tradition where you rub a clove of garlic over the toast, sprinkle it with salt and pepper and then drizzle the oil on top) and a glass of Chianti, she told me they built this house themselves. She showed me photos of the construction and it was incredible to see the before and after -- and the hard work that went into all the details.

SURPRISE, IT'S OLIVE OIL SEASON!

The new olive oil Teresa served me was one of the best things I've ever tasted.  So when she told me it was the season to press the olives and that the pressing was happening just 10 minutes away, I had to see it. I knew I there during truffle season, but had no idea it was also the olive picking time.

It was already shaping up to be an incredible weekend.

Olives waiting to be pressed

She said at this time of year, the pressing place is open 24 hours as the olives need to be pressed as soon as they can after picking to ensure freshness.  And yes, the oil did taste fresh.

Pressing the olives.

The new oil is greener than the olive oil you find in the grocery store and a little more potent -- in a good way.  I'm not sure if you can use it in salad, but it's great for dipping your bread into it or to drizzle over potatoes and other foods.

The new oil is really vibrant -- and tasty.

TUSCAN FOOD IS A BIT OF HEAVEN

Already, I was enjoying my weekend. The house was better than I imagined, I was enjoying trying to communicate with Teresa (her English is hit and miss -- but my Italian is worse), and I got to see olives being pressed at a local factory.

But then there was the food.  OMG...I have not eaten so much in my life, but everything was just so delicious, I couldn't stop.  Teresa and her husband Augusto are amazing cooks.  I don't eat red meat so she had to make special stuff just for me, but what she made was incredible.

The Ribollita she made us

Naturally, there were many courses as it's the Tuscan way.

The meal began with a couple different types of bruschetta, cheese and olives.  This was followed by Ribollita.  Ribollita is described as a vegetable, bean and bread soup -- but it's really thick so more like a stew.  I had never had this before, but now if I see it on a menu, I'm going to get it as it was so good.

The assortment of antipasto that we ate too much of before the meal.

The Ribollita was followed by chicken cooked with black olives, garlic and potatoes -- again, I was in heaven.  Everything they served either came from their garden, their farm (they have chickens) or from the area.

My girlfriend who joined me last minute on this trip had requested steak (this was an extra cost as they usually don't serve this).  When it came out, she regretted eating all the prosciutto and cheese before as it was giant -- and she says incredible.

By this time, I could not eat any more, so thankfully desert was small.  It was something that looked like a biscotti, but it was soft. They called it cantuccini and you dipped into this sweet wine called vin santo.

Amazing.

The meal was 20 Euros per person not including your wine. I highly recommend having at least one meal with Teresa and Augusto if you stay at the farmhouse. You won't find food like this in any restaurant.  In fact, I think I may still be full.

Volunteering at a vineyard for a day

My fellow volunteers snipping the vines.

I've always wanted to own a little hobby vineyard where I make my own wine and maybe have a little wine cafe that's open only on the weekends.  Yes, I'm a bit of dreamer, but you never know...perhaps one day.

In the meantime, I'm gathering information about winemaking and having tons of fun along the way.  This weekend I had the chance to help out Swiss vine owner and winemaker, Alain Chollet.

His winery and vineyard is located in Grandvaux area about 10 minutes away from Lausanne by train. With the harvest season complete in October, he needed a few volunteers to help him trim the branches off the vines and get them ready for winter.

There were four of us volunteering in total (the other 3 came from Geneva) and the work was hard, but rewarding.  Basically all we had to do is snip off all the branches on each vine stock except for the main one.  It sounds easy, but after 8 hours of snipping, I had blisters on my thumb and fingers, and my back was a little sore from the bending up and down.  But, I would do it again in a second and have already asked to on the volunteer list next time around.

Alain was the best boss and the best teacher of what to do with the vines. When I started, I was worried I was going to snip the wrong bits off and kill his plants, but he showed me exactly what to do and gave us hints on which way to work the vines to reduce the amount of work on our backs.

Here's a hint: The vines are planted on steep hills so working your way up hill is definitely easier.

During the lunch break, he gave us a tour of his cellar where we tasted three of the wines that were currently being fermented.  It was my first time trying something that was still in between the juice and wine stage, but you could already get a sense of how the wine would progress when mature.

He told us the vineyard had been with his family for generations and he said that in Switzerland, they are very strict with what you can grow.  Chasselas is the most common grape of the area and a certain percentage of your vineyard has to be that (if the vines are already there).  Alain's vineyard also had a little bit of Chardonnay (which his grandfather planted) and some red varieties like Pinot Noir. He was experimenting with a red blend that was pretty good.

We worked from 9:00 am until 4:30 pm when the sun was starting to set.  It was a hard day, but a nice way to get to know the wine and the wine maker. We also got paid in wine, which was fantastic.

Alain does have volunteer weekends three times a year: Spring, harvest and winter prep. He also holds special wine events in the cellar throughout the year so those of you who would rather drink the wine rather than work for it.

You can find out more information about these and how to volunteer on his website: http://www.alainchollet.ch/new/

Weekend in Paris

Notre Dame in Paris

While I may be living in Europe, I am still very much a tourist in that everything is new to me -- and I take a lot of photos of things people who have been living there all their lives take for granted.

But I'm adjusting...slowly. And one of the things that I'm adjusting to is taking the time to see only a few things with every visit.

Photo bombing a couple getting their wedding photos done outside the Notre Dame.

What I mean is that in the past when I went to Paris or London or any city, I was on a mission to see everything in one day and I mean everything.

I would see all the tourist attractions, visit the galleries, eat the local food the guide books say you "must" eat and take a couple hundred photos.  I may have seen everything, but I never really "experienced" it.

Rose window inside the Notre Dame in Paris

In the last 9 months, I've been to Paris four times.  Each time just for a weekend to meet a friend as I can often find return flights from Geneva on Easy Jet for less than $140.  

These little trips are different from how I used to see a city. First of all, because now I've been often and am starting to know the neighborhoods, my friend and I usually book an apartment on AirBnB rather than stay in a hotel.  This makes it a lot cheaper.  And secondly, the things I do there are different.

Enjoying a glass of wine at midnight in a Paris cafe in the Marais neighborhood 

Last month, I met a friend there to do the Defi Run  - a 5km obstacle course (see Defi-Run website here).  We booked an Air BnB place by the Picasso Museum that was $100 a night and walking distance to a lot of little cafes, coffee shops, a great shopping area (where we found an art gallery showing a Star Wars exhibit) and the Notre Dame.

The listing for the apartment can be found here, and it was located on Rue Sainte-Anatase. And if you are interested, the Star Wars themed exhibit was at Galerie Sakura located on rue du Bourg (visit their website - http://www.galerie-sakura.com/). It was pretty cool.

Chocolate bread -It's not a trip to Paris without it.

The perks of staying in a neighborhood rather than a hotel is that in many European cities, you'll find a local bakery close by. Plus,  when staying in someone's flat, you'll have access to a fridge and eating area.

This doesn't sound like a big deal, but knowing that you can have fresh chocolate bread in the morning (I like this bread more than croissants), and have a place to store your baquettes and cheese when in Paris, is a perk.

You not only save money on breakfast, but sometimes it's nice to relax and watch people from the patio of your own place rather than going out all the time.

Star Wars art exhibit

Because we were so close to the Notre Dame on this trip, we decided to drop in and see it in the evening when the organ was playing.  I hadn't been inside the cathedral in nearly 10 years and had forgotten how amazing the architecture and the stained glass window is.

I had been there a couple times over the years, but it always seemed I was in a rush -- or exhausted after a day of running around the city.  It was also nice to just wander in rather than scheduling it.

Column inside the Notre Dame in Paris

Next time who knows what I'll see when I go to Paris. It will all depend on which little AirBnB apartment I end up renting and which neighborhood it's located in.

Did someone say Gruyere?

The mountains were hidden by the clouds that day in Gruyere

The longer I'm in Switzerland, the better I'm getting at being a tour guide for guests. Sorry my peeps who visited me in June and July -- I knew nothing and you got a lame vacation.  Now I'm ready to entertain.

So when Taylor Timmins, one of my co-workers from my KHOU days in Houston, called and said she was in Lausanne for just an afternoon, I knew exactly where to take her to see all things "Swiss" in a day and that magical place was Gruyère.

Swiss cows...they are everywhere. Not just in Gruyere - although this one was.

In Gruyère  you can see the place where they make Gruyere cheese and you can visit the Maison Cailler chocolate factory (see the Gruyère website). Seeing both in one afternoon is too much for a stomach to handle, so we opted for the cheese.

Why the cows in Gruyere have to wear flowers, we don't know.

When going to Gruyère  there are a number of trains to choose from -- depending on when you are leaving. There is the chocolate train, the panoramic train and the "La Gruyère" Retro Train, which is also known as the Fondue Train. We took that one.

Taylor and Jennifer being tourists on the Retro Train.

The train is done up in retro from days gone by, but we didn't get fondue as we were saving that for the cheese factory. We did order some wine though to celebrate seeing each other as it had been 8 years since I had been in Houston (can't believe it has been that long).  It's amazing how time flies, but seem like nothing when you meet up with friends again.

The entrance to the village.

We arrived at the factory at 2 pm (Taylor and her co-worker Jennifer - who was an instant long lost friend - had to work in the morning so we had a noon start) and the cheese factory was just closing for the day.

What I like about Swiss people is that they don't try to sell you crap.  We asked if the museum was worth it without the Gruyere factory tour, and she told us no, not really. Really love the honesty. Why pay money for something not worth seeing?

Stack of cheese.

But the good new was that the restaurant was open and we could enjoy fondue if we wanted. Yay!! Mission accomplished.

Fondue with potatoes and bread. The potatoes with fondue are the best idea ever. Only the Swiss would think of this.

When in Gruyère, in addition to the cheese and chocolate, there are a few things to do.

First of all, you need to visit the town.  It's very old-style Swiss with the Medieval stone wall still surrounding it and everything.  You have to walk up a big hill to get to the town (I've learned big hills are normal in Switzerland and my butt and legs have learned to accommodate these over the months I've been here), but once you are in, it's flat and enjoyable.

Can't believe this is an entrance to a public toilet. So nice with the leaves!

Inside the walls, you'll find a bunch of little tourist shops, a few nice chocolate place, the palace and my personal favorite -- the Alien Bar.

This place is bizarre (and really crowded so go early if you want to get a seat).  It's tiny inside and not Medieval like the rest of the village at all (go to his website - hrgiger.com -- and be amazed as I didn't take photos.).

It's actually called the H.R. Giger Museum Bar but everyone calls it the Alien Bar as H.R. Giger was the artist who designed the set for the Alien movies.  So the entire interior is based on this theme. It's very cool and worth visiting. It's like entering a different world.

Celebrating new and old friendships.

The day was quick, but wonderful. Thanks Taylor and Jennifer for letting me show you around!

The underground lake of St. Leonard

There are some interesting things in Switzerland that I had no idea existed -- such as the underground lake of St. Leonard.

The lake is located between Sion and Sierre in the heart of the Swiss Alps.  It's about 300 meters long -- which doesn't sound very big, but it is the largest natural underground lake in Europe so I guess it's big enough.

If you visit it, you can take a little boat ride across the lake and back.  It's surprisingly clean smelling. Considering you are underground and surrounded by water, it doesn't smell like a musty cave. The air actually smells fresh.

There is also trout in the lake.  My French is not excellent (it sucks), so I'm not sure if they put the trout in there to monitor the acid in the water to make sure it's still healthy or if the trout are naturally there. Whatever the case, they are there and they look happy swimming around -- so the water must be clean.

And to make this cave even more interesting, there is this -- because the acoustics are so fantastic in the cave, they sometimes have concerts in there.

The entire boat ride only takes about 30 minutes, but if you are already in Sion for other reasons, it's worth dropping in to check it out.

Not quite sure about Ibiza

Ibiza old town on the port

I currently have two friends who have been traveling the world for the last two years.  Every once and a while, I get a Facebook message from them saying they will be in the area -- and if I want to join them for dinner or a weekend of adventure.

Most of the time "in the area" does not mean in Lausanne (where I currently live) or even in Switzerland.  It usually means they are in Paris or Istanbul or in this case, Ibiza.

Ibiza has been a mystery for me....and after going, I'm not sure I liked it.  My party friends love it, but then my 40 year old chill-axing wine and foodie friends hate it.  I think I might in between - or maybe I need to go again, now that I know what it's all about to give it a second try.

Pool at night at the Hard Rock Ibiza

But I did like the hotel I stayed at.

I wasn't sure where to stay as most places on Expedia were crappy 2 star hotels. Yes, I'm spoiled and like to stay at nice places - even if the nice place is on AirBnB (I've stayed at some amazing places through that site).

But then I saw that a Hard Rock had just opened - and it had it had a swim up pool to the room (see the Hard Rock Ibiza website).  I've never stayed in a place that had that, so I had to splurge and do it.

My world traveler buddy (who usually stays in hostels or on a towel on the beach), was not amused at the cost but agreed to pay half for the suite to humor me.

The swim up pool to your room. Impossible to catch those chairs when they float away.

Frankly, I loved the room. From the purple neon lights around the beds (you could pick your neon color of choice), to the floaty lounges at the pool outside the room -- it was all perfect.

The one flaw with the floaty things is that they were heavy and when I was trying to maneuver it, mine floated away down the river towards the swim-up bar. Very sad face for me...but lots of humor to my buddy and our neighbors who watched me struggle to try to get it back on the deck.  I finally had to give up and set it free.

Little streets in Ibiza old town - my favorite part

What I'm not sure about is the night life -- or the maybe it's just the techno drug scene. Ibiza is famous for all-night clubbing with techno and DJ music.  So you can see David Guetta (who I love), Pacha, Amnesia, Privilege DC-10, etc. The thing is they don't go on until 2am -- and if you know me, I'm a morning runner who would rather be up and running along the beach at sunrise in my zen zone than coming home from a club at that time.

Or maybe I'm just too healthy for this scene...or too old...or both.

But maybe if I'm prepared for these late nights in the future, I could swing it and see a DJ that late. Maybe....although I still think running the beach at sunrise would be more fun.  Man...I might be too healthy and too old.

Anyway....the island of Ibiza is interesting. It's really popular even thought the beaches aren't that nice, the hotels (except for the one I stayed in) aren't that nice and the food during the day is awful.  However, the clubs are amazing -- so it's a little like Vegas without any of the poshness or shopping.

But, there are some things those of us who are more of the good food and wine type can enjoy...and that is Ibiza old town.

This section of the island is adorable and I would have no problem hanging out there until 2 am.  It's full of tiny restaurants (lots of good tapas) and little dive bars.  The streets are narrow, filled with people and the vibe is great.

I really loved this part of the island and would go back just for that. Good conversation and laughs with a good friend over little plates of food...what could be more perfect?

Photo Moment: Vineyards outside of Sion

If you go to Sion, you need to through the vineyards.  This photo was taken while I walking the Bisse of Clavau.  The trail overlooks the Rhône Valley between Sion and St-Léonard.

A trip to Champéry

I got into hiking when I moved to Arizona in 2012.  I couldn't resist the desert mountains with their amazing views from the top and the pink-tinted soil of the area (more about desert hikes in Arizona).  I admit I still love the desert and hiking the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim was one of my favorite hiking experiences to date. There's a feeling of accomplishment when you do something like that. You've conquered the heat and the trail at the same time. There's a rugged danger to it all that makes it an adventure more than a family stroll.

But Switzerland has some incredible trails and I'm trying to get into them.  Don't laugh.  I know it's gorgeous here, but I think there are forest hikers and desert rock hikers.  I'm definitely more of the desert rock hiker type, but I'm trying to adapt. And who knows? Maybe I'll become a forest hiker while here.  I know I do love the views and all the fauna.

So my quest is to seek out forest hikes that challenge me with that bit of adventure.  Today it's Champéry.

Located about 45 minutes from Lausanne in Switzerland, Champéry is a little ski village filled with all those cute Swiss chalets you see in photos.

I haven't seen it when it's packed full of skiers, but I did see it in the summer and it's gorgeous even then.  It's much less crowded, of course - but the hiking and the mountain biking is worth the trip there for you forest hikers out there. The mountains (Dents du Midi and Dents Blanches) are amazing and there are 24 chairlifts open in the summer to take you up the mountain to access the nearly 400 miles of paths to hike or ride. There is also a cable car if you don't want to walk up to the top and just want to stroll or ride down.

The village is tiny with less than 1,300 residents.  It's mostly there for the skiing and the tourists, but a lot of architecture from the pioneers is still there and there are numerous bars, little shops and restaurants to keep visitors happy.

Most locals drive back to their hometown after the day there, but there are hotels for those of you who want a romantic escape.  It is very adorable there...and very Swiss.