I think my belly is going to turn into a big cheese wheel. I have eaten so much cheese this week, it’s amazing I haven’t become lactose intolerant!
I knew France was known for its cheese, but who knew that Swiss food was full of it as well? On Saturday, I went to Switzerland to visit my two friends (Clarence and Candice) whom I met in India with Sahnah in Jnauary. It was a wonderful three days full of many things, but mostly cheese. I was kindly picked up from the airport by the girls (as well as one of Clarence’s Spanish/Brazilian friends) and whisked off to Verbier for the night.
Some of you may have heard of this famous ski resort, but I had not. I therefore had no idea what to expect – and boy, was I impressed! We arrived late at night in the cool, crisp, snowy Alps, and though I wasn’t able to see the mountains around me, I knew it would be spectacular the next morning. In the meantime, I was in for my first cheese meal – raquelette. I am not sure whether this is orginally a Swiss dish or a French dish (each nationality claims it as its own), but regardless, it was delicious. You need a special cheese grill, whereby you heat up pieces of Swiss cheese until they are bubbly and golden, and then you spread them on to pf baked potatoes. Yum! Two of my biggest food weakness paired together in one delectable bite! Heavenly! And undoubtedly a winter meal due to it’s heavy, rich flavor. Perfect for the coldest weather I have felt in a year!
After a fun night full of girly giggles and a good night sleep in Candice’s cute wooden Swiss chalet, we awoke to a gorgeous, warm sunny day.
A perfect day for climbing up a mountain peak and getting an awe-inspiring view of the snow-capped mountains. The Alps may not be the tallest mountains in the world, but at 100 million years old, they are the oldest, and for this they are majestic in their reminder of how small and insignificant each of us is.
The walk was wonderful and only slitghtly challenging for my ankle – it was much more so for Candice who kept slipping knee-deep into the snow. She had to slide her way down the mountain whilst gripping the athletic and super-strong Clarence. For me, it was spontaneous and hilarious comedy and I haven’t laughed that hard in a while. A warm goat cheese salad and a massive mug of beer was well-earned at a restaurant in town, where I watched, intrigued, as the skiers and winter lovers walked in from a day on the slopes. Perhaps a sub-culture I ought to get into? It sure might help me deal with Canadian winters a bit better!
At 6pm we sadly left Verbier and drove on to Lausanne, where Clarence lives and works. Our dinner that night? Cheese fondu! And LOTS of it! If it was possible to find a meal more rich and cheesy than the raquelette, I think I found it!
That night and the next morning I was able to get a quick tour of Lausanne before taking the train into Geneva. In Lausanne, I saw a nice church on a hill, the old part of town, a few shops in the center, the spectacular lake and the Alps in the distance. In Geneva, I saw the Genevan version of these thing – the cathedral, the old town, the expensive shopping district, the lake (with the infamous jet-d’eau) and the Alps surrounding the city. My impression of Switzerland? A gorgeous, crisp and fresh-smelling country with winter-loving people. Not a busy or crowded place; people not as unfriendly as their reputation, but certainly as well-dressed and put-together; beautiful French language and food culture; clean, organized society that I would find difficult to live in but enjoy as a traveler because it feels safe, efficient, and clear.
And what do I think of my Swiss friends? Well, I obviously really liked them in India to go to visit them in their country. And after being welcomes into each of their homes, being shown all the Swiss things they are proud of, and being shown more generosity that I’ve ever known, I love them even more and can’t wait to welcome them one day to my own country! Thank you soooooo much Clarence and Candice!
I was very excited to reach Paris, after having so thoroughly enjoyed my trip in November. To top off all the wonderful reasons most people travel to Paris, I was going to visit my two friends from Teacher’s College in Ottawa, Julia and Ashley! They picked me up from the airport, and though I was exhausted and a bit out of sorts (having just woke up from a deep nap)I was thrilled to see them again! We spent the day reminiscing and catching up about life as we walked through the Parisian streets. We spent a quiet night in, eating brie and baguette, talking, and watching a bit of trashy tv. It was so much fun for me to have a girls’ night, as I never get them living on the farm!
The following morning we woke up in high spirits despite the cold, grey weather. It seemed that Paris was rebelling against the early spring that I experienced in London and Geneva. Oh well, you can’t plan weather, and we decided to enjoy it nonetheless with a walk in Montmartre and Hotel de Ville. A chocolate and banana crepe helped keep me warm when the weather started to get to my Zimbabwean sensibilities! After a deliciously cheesy lunch of roasted veggies and goat cheese baked on toast with mozzarella, we went to the Catacombs for a creepy, alternative view of Paris. Then, I headed over to see Jo, with whom I stayed the last time I was in town, for tea and cakes. Jo is a tea connoisseur, so I gotto sample jasmine tea of the finest quality, and then rose petal tea. I brought a piece of chunky applied pie and a delectable chocolate tart! Mmmmmmm…. After catching up with Jo, I met my other friend, Jenise, with whom I studied in Senegal and who has been living in Paris for a year and a half. We went out for wine and a cheese platter (and beef tartar for her, eeesh!). Another wonderful catch-up session and a wonderful way to end a properly social (and cheesy) day!
Thursday Paris loosened it’s hold on winter, and the sun poked out. Ash, J and I took this opportunity to visit the Palais de Versailles. It was one of the most magnificent and grand places, especially the gardens, which are so big they are scarcely walkable in a day trip!I think you would have to live in Versailles to be able to fully take advantage of this amazingly symmetrical garden ground. The palace was also amazing to see, as each room is full of portraits and each ceiling filled with majestic images of Greek gods. Louis XIV sure was full of himself! My favorite part of the palace? The quarters out in the gardens which served as Marie Antoinette’s home, farm (where allegedly she pretended to be a shepherdess), and hamlet. What’s the best way to complete a wonderful day of sightseeing? A dinner of Brie, freshly baked baguette, wine, and milk chocolate and another night in with the girls!
On Friday, Paris finally openly welcomed spring and I started off my with a trip to the musee d’orsay to see the Impressionist and post-impressionist painters. I am starting to really appreciate art galleries due to my recent visits to the National Gallery and the Tate Britain in London, so I thoroughly my trip, especially all the Cezanne and Van Gogh! After invading my senses with the impressionist outdoor paintings of nature and Paris,I was dying to go outside for a walk around the streets of Paris. I sat on bridges, walked on the banks of the Seine, and admired the buildings, lovers, and buskers as I soaked in the sun. A walk up the Champs Élysées and a close-up view of l’arc de triomphe completed the walking tour, and I was ready for a cheese platter with Ash and J and a couple glasses of with Jenise and company. This morning, I sit in a cafe, having finished my croissant and pot of tea, and as I write this I feel a mixture of things. I feel sad to have to leave Paris, a place where people appreciate slow food, good music, fashion, and beautiful language, and a place where, despite having now been here twice, I only feel that I’ve seen the tip of the iceberg. I feel sad to leave London as well, for I do not know if I shall return in the near future. I feel nervous to once again isolate myself on the farm after an amazing month of travel. But I do feel so lucky and thankful to have seen all that I have and to have so many pockets of friends worldwide. But most of all – more than the sadness and thankfulness and nostalgia – I feel uncomfortable in my jeans, which no longer seem to fit after my indulgent week of cheese!
I knew France was known for its cheese, but who knew that Swiss food was full of it as well? On Saturday, I went to Switzerland to visit my two friends (Clarence and Candice) whom I met in India with Sahnah in Jnauary. It was a wonderful three days full of many things, but mostly cheese. I was kindly picked up from the airport by the girls (as well as one of Clarence’s Spanish/Brazilian friends) and whisked off to Verbier for the night.
Some of you may have heard of this famous ski resort, but I had not. I therefore had no idea what to expect – and boy, was I impressed! We arrived late at night in the cool, crisp, snowy Alps, and though I wasn’t able to see the mountains around me, I knew it would be spectacular the next morning. In the meantime, I was in for my first cheese meal – raquelette. I am not sure whether this is orginally a Swiss dish or a French dish (each nationality claims it as its own), but regardless, it was delicious. You need a special cheese grill, whereby you heat up pieces of Swiss cheese until they are bubbly and golden, and then you spread them on to pf baked potatoes. Yum! Two of my biggest food weakness paired together in one delectable bite! Heavenly! And undoubtedly a winter meal due to it’s heavy, rich flavor. Perfect for the coldest weather I have felt in a year!After a fun night full of girly giggles and a good night sleep in Candice’s cute wooden Swiss chalet, we awoke to a gorgeous, warm sunny day.
A perfect day for climbing up a mountain peak and getting an awe-inspiring view of the snow-capped mountains. The Alps may not be the tallest mountains in the world, but at 100 million years old, they are the oldest, and for this they are majestic in their reminder of how small and insignificant each of us is.The walk was wonderful and only slitghtly challenging for my ankle – it was much more so for Candice who kept slipping knee-deep into the snow. She had to slide her way down the mountain whilst gripping the athletic and super-strong Clarence. For me, it was spontaneous and hilarious comedy and I haven’t laughed that hard in a while. A warm goat cheese salad and a massive mug of beer was well-earned at a restaurant in town, where I watched, intrigued, as the skiers and winter lovers walked in from a day on the slopes. Perhaps a sub-culture I ought to get into? It sure might help me deal with Canadian winters a bit better!
At 6pm we sadly left Verbier and drove on to Lausanne, where Clarence lives and works. Our dinner that night? Cheese fondu! And LOTS of it! If it was possible to find a meal more rich and cheesy than the raquelette, I think I found it!
That night and the next morning I was able to get a quick tour of Lausanne before taking the train into Geneva. In Lausanne, I saw a nice church on a hill, the old part of town, a few shops in the center, the spectacular lake and the Alps in the distance. In Geneva, I saw the Genevan version of these thing – the cathedral, the old town, the expensive shopping district, the lake (with the infamous jet-d’eau) and the Alps surrounding the city. My impression of Switzerland? A gorgeous, crisp and fresh-smelling country with winter-loving people. Not a busy or crowded place; people not as unfriendly as their reputation, but certainly as well-dressed and put-together; beautiful French language and food culture; clean, organized society that I would find difficult to live in but enjoy as a traveler because it feels safe, efficient, and clear.
And what do I think of my Swiss friends? Well, I obviously really liked them in India to go to visit them in their country. And after being welcomes into each of their homes, being shown all the Swiss things they are proud of, and being shown more generosity that I’ve ever known, I love them even more and can’t wait to welcome them one day to my own country! Thank you soooooo much Clarence and Candice!I was very excited to reach Paris, after having so thoroughly enjoyed my trip in November. To top off all the wonderful reasons most people travel to Paris, I was going to visit my two friends from Teacher’s College in Ottawa, Julia and Ashley! They picked me up from the airport, and though I was exhausted and a bit out of sorts (having just woke up from a deep nap)
I was thrilled to see them again! We spent the day reminiscing and catching up about life as we walked through the Parisian streets. We spent a quiet night in, eating brie and baguette, talking, and watching a bit of trashy tv. It was so much fun for me to have a girls’ night, as I never get them living on the farm!The following morning we woke up in high spirits despite the cold, grey weather. It seemed that Paris was rebelling against the early spring that I experienced in London and Geneva. Oh well, you can’t plan weather, and we decided to enjoy it nonetheless with a walk in Montmartre and Hotel de Ville. A chocolate and banana crepe helped keep me warm when the weather started to get to my Zimbabwean sensibilities! After a deliciously cheesy lunch of roasted veggies and goat cheese baked on toast with mozzarella, we went to the Catacombs for a creepy, alternative view of Paris. Then, I headed over to see Jo, with whom I stayed the last time I was in town, for tea and cakes. Jo is a tea connoisseur, so I got
to sample jasmine tea of the finest quality, and then rose petal tea. I brought a piece of chunky applied pie and a delectable chocolate tart! Mmmmmmm…. After catching up with Jo, I met my other friend, Jenise, with whom I studied in Senegal and who has been living in Paris for a year and a half. We went out for wine and a cheese platter (and beef tartar for her, eeesh!). Another wonderful catch-up session and a wonderful way to end a properly social (and cheesy) day!Thursday Paris loosened it’s hold on winter, and the sun poked out. Ash, J and I took this opportunity to visit the Palais de Versailles. It was one of the most magnificent and grand places, especially the gardens, which are so big they are scarcely walkable in a day trip!
I think you would have to live in Versailles to be able to fully take advantage of this amazingly symmetrical garden ground. The palace was also amazing to see, as each room is full of portraits and each ceiling filled with majestic images of Greek gods. Louis XIV sure was full of himself! My favorite part of the palace? The quarters out in the gardens which served as Marie Antoinette’s home, farm (where allegedly she pretended to be a shepherdess), and hamlet. What’s the best way to complete a wonderful day of sightseeing? A dinner of Brie, freshly baked baguette, wine, and milk chocolate and another night in with the girls!On Friday, Paris finally openly welcomed spring and I started off my with a trip to the musee d’orsay to see the Impressionist and post-impressionist painters. I am starting to really appreciate art galleries due to my recent visits to the National Gallery and the Tate Britain in London, so I thoroughly my trip, especially all the Cezanne and Van Gogh! After invading my senses with the impressionist outdoor paintings of nature and Paris,
I was dying to go outside for a walk around the streets of Paris. I sat on bridges, walked on the banks of the Seine, and admired the buildings, lovers, and buskers as I soaked in the sun. A walk up the Champs Élysées and a close-up view of l’arc de triomphe completed the walking tour, and I was ready for a cheese platter with Ash and J and a couple glasses of with Jenise and company. This morning, I sit in a cafe, having finished my croissant and pot of tea, and as I write this I feel a mixture of things. I feel sad to have to leave Paris, a place where people appreciate slow food, good music, fashion, and beautiful language, and a place where, despite having now been here twice, I only feel that I’ve seen the tip of the iceberg. I feel sad to leave London as well, for I do not know if I shall return in the near future. I feel nervous to once again isolate myself on the farm after an amazing month of travel. But I do feel so lucky and thankful to have seen all that I have and to have so many pockets of friends worldwide. But most of all – more than the sadness and thankfulness and nostalgia – I feel uncomfortable in my jeans, which no longer seem to fit after my indulgent week of cheese!
