The Unexpected Switzerland

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What first pops into your mind when you think about Switzerland? 

You may think of skiing in the Alps, followed by some hot cheese fondue. Maybe you first thing is chocolate, cows and Heidi running down a green meadow. People carrying army knifes with any possible application (yes, there are gourmet army knifes just to cut food and open wine and beer bottles, in case you were wondering!). Or maybe what you think of is luxury - expensive watches and lots of private bank accounts. And bankers, obviously - lot's and lot's of bankers. 

Well, I'm not going to write about what you already know. There's so much more to Switzerland than the cheese, army knifes and watches! 

The Lakes

A View from Lausanne on Lac Leman (unofficially known as "Lake Geneva")

Switzerland encompasses a huge diversity of landscapes on only little more than 41,200 km2, ranging from 195 m to 4,634m above sea level. No wonder that, besides for having some of the greatest mountain scenery Worldwide it also houses a surprising amount of lakes. There are more than 1,500 lakes spread across the country, although only 16 of them are larger than 10 km2 (being Lac Léman the largest one).  

Wherever you are, you will surely not be far from a lake. During summer, Switzerland's lakes are flooded with sailing boats that go out to enjoy the late afternoon and watch the sunset on the quiet water. When I first moved here, I wondered why someone would own a boat in Switzerland when you couldn't get anywhere with it. But now I've learned that for the swiss it's not about going somewhere, but about enjoying quality of life - which includes drinking wine on a sailing boat watching the sun set behind the mountains. You can be sure that taking a sailing course this summer is on my bucket list... 

No wonder that Allinghi, Switzerland's yacht racing team, is the two-time winner of the America's Cup, the most prestigious trophy in sailing! 

The Wines

Lavaux Region and its Vineyards kissed by the afternoon sun 

When thinking about Switzerland, very few minds (if any) will picture a country of wine. Lying in the shadow of its neighbors, France and Italy, swiss wine is almost inexistent outside of the country. Although annual production can reach 150 million bottles, only about 2/100 are exported. Putting this into perspective: with a population of 7 million people, each person would consume 21 bottles of swiss wine per year. This turns Switzerland one of the top wine consuming countries Worldwide!

The country houses around 20,000 winegrowers many of which have small productions that serve personal use. It's not rare to meet people who own a little vineyard in the back of their house, specially in Canton Vaud. 

Switzerland may have several wine growing areas, but my favorite one is Lavaux Vineyards  which besides from producing high quality white wine, it offers one of the greatest views of Lac Léman and the Alps. 

The Cheese

A whole variety of cheese

Ok, cheese might be nothing new to you about Switzerland. But when you google swiss cheese, you get more than 3 million imagines, out of which most of them are of the cheese with the holes in it. Yes, that's a swiss cheese. It's called Emmentaler. But this is only one of the more than 450 varieties of cheese this country has to offer!

Other swiss cheese you may have come across in supermarkets worldwide are Raclette cheese, Gruyère and Appenzeller. Most of the cheese is made out of cow milk, but you can also find it made of goat milk or sheep milk. Every region has its own local cheese. One of my favorites from the canton Vaud is Tomme Fleurette, which is made out of raw milk (a real speciality). Swiss cheese range all prices imaginable and can be filled or topped with fine herbs, mushroom mousse, pepper, or truffles (among many others). And believe me, the truffle one - delicious!

Did you know about these facts on Switzerland?

Which were / are your preconceptions about Switzerland?

Don't forget to hop over to Happy Homemaker UK to  enjoy more expat posts all over the World!

Dining in London's Oldest Restaurant

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One of the greatest advantages of traveling for work is that you get to eat in places where you usually wouldn't even dare to step in. 

Rules, Covent Garden, London - Picture Source

The best food I had ever tasted - sorry, mom - was in La Table d'Edgar in Lausanne's luxurious Palace hotel. Being frank, if I had gone there on my own, without any company venue, I would have possibly only been able to pay for the plate of cheese (which I wouldn't mind - but would probably be weird). 

Last time I was in London, I had another of those encounters with food heaven - and this one had special merit, as we were having english food (it's all said). After one of the cocktails, we headed out in the search of some real food and soon were recommended to go to Rules. Once the taxi had left us at the entrance a doorman with a top hat kindly welcomed us to restaurant. Obviously, we didn't get a table (after all, we didn't arrange any reservations) and headed over to Porterhouse Brewing Co. to have a Delirium Tremens, while we waited for our turn.

And it was time for us to go back to the food. Rules is one of those few restaurants left that, as soon as you step in, you feel at home. I miss that comfort and in modern restaurants - they may be all shiny, minimalistic and create liquid tortillas and cucumber foam - but at the end, it just doesn't feel cozy and warm. 

At Rules, the dishes are classics - like sirloin steak, banoffee pie or sticky toffee pudding. But compared to other places I've tried british cuisine, its dishes are local and fresh. Before deliberately choosing from the menu, it's better to take note from the waiter's recommendations - specially when it's not game season, as some of the dishes might not be available. For the record, the menu even warns you about the possibility of game birds containing lead shot! 

I ordered the roast salt marsh saddle of lamb with carrots and rosemary mash. The dish was thoughtfully prepared and tasted deliciously (which is why I'm going to recommend it to anyone considering going to the restaurant out of game season). 

Why does english food taste better at Rules?

Well, I may have some thoughts on this. 

First, the restaurant owns the Lartington Estate, where they source their highest quality game birds, roe deer and Belted Galloway beef (which is why it's probably even better to go during game season itself). 

Second, c'ome on, it's the oldest restaurant of London! It was established in 1798 and since, has only been in hands of 3 different families. You can smell and taste the tradition of the restaurant. But you can most particularly see it. Its past is reflected on its walls with innumerable frames containing photographs and paintings from London and Rules itself. 

Third, feeling comfortable makes me enjoy the food more. I stop worrying about where to put my legs, about the hard chair or the cold breeze and just concentrate on the food itself. 

What: English cuisine

Where: Rules Restaurant - 35 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7LB
Web: http://www.rules.co.uk
How much: main dishes between 18 and 26 pounds aprox.

When: Whenever, but specially during game season 

What makes, in your opinion, a good restaurant?

Friday's Five - 5 Spanish Drinks Made of Wine

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For a change, I've thought on giving my Friday's Five a new fresh theme. Instead of focusing only on 5 posts I specially enjoyed reading this week - to be frank, it's hardly impossible to choose 5 out of so many - I'm extend it to... well, any 5 that I may come up with (always related to travel). 

Friday's Five - #5 - 5 Spanish Drinks Made of Wine

Not that I want to discourage you to drink spanish wine when in Spain - you really should! But besides for its Rioja and Ribera del Duero, the country has a long history of mixed drinks - after all, who hasn't heard of Sangria, right? But there is much more than a fruit punch made of wine, and below are my 5 favorites:

1. Sangria. The drink every tourist will sip while sitting on any terraza in country's major tourist spots. I've tasted many different versions (even in different countries), and there's none that can be compared to the one served at home. Sangria is made of inexpensive red wine - mental note: the cheaper the wine, the stronger the hangover -orange and lemon juice and a variety of fruit slices such as peach, lemon, orange and apple. But the best receipts are never that simple - I recommend including a cup of cointreau, cognac or rum, as well as some cinnamon! 
2. Rebujito. The birth of rebujito took place in the Feria de Abril, in Andalucia. For a change, this drink is prepared with manzanilla, a variety of fino sherry (a fortified wine made of white grapes). The manzanilla is then mixed with 7Up or Sprite, added ice and some mint leaves. Personally, my favorite!
3. Kalimotxo. Kalimotxo (also: Calimocho) has always been the teen and student drink in Spain - it's, after all, less fancy than the ones above. It usually involves red wine from the Tetra Brik cartons of Don Simon, and a cola-based soft drink - split 50/50. It couldn't get any easier (and cheaper!). A common way of serving is in a one liter drinking glass made of plastic, ironically known as minis. This drinks stops being popular when you reach an age at which you actually enjoy the wine - mixing it with coke is a sin (now)!
4. Pitilingorri. Also known as Caliguay or Tologorri, it is a variation of the Kalimotxo that contains red wine or rosé, mixed with lemon juice (although you can also find it with rosé wine or orange juice instead).
5. Tinto de Verano. Although many believe that Tinto de Verano is similar to the sangria, the taste is quite different. A good tinto de verano (which again, will probably not be the ones you get on a hot tourist spot) will be prepared with red wine, soda (La Casera), lemon, ice and red vermouth. Spaniards often prefer it to sangria, because its less sweet and more refreshing.

Is it too obvious that I'm dreaming of summer, with all these refreshing drinks? I really can't wait to be lying at a beach with the sun on my skin - I haven't really had it since I was in Lebanon, almost 2 years ago!

Have you tried any of these? 

Do you also have drink combinations with wine where you live?

I Eat Paris.

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It was saturday morning and I had made my way to the one place that had never dissapointed me in this city - Marais. I remembered it colorful and full of life. I got out of the cab at Rue de Bretagne, and walked along this street until I reached the marché des Enfants Rouges. This is not any food market, no. Besides from having a broad selection of fish and vegetables (as any other local market), it has stands offering all kind of culinary creations from all over the World. I was particulary impressed by the moroccan corner - people were even queuing to order one of their tajines with couscous, chicken and vegetables! It was still too early for me to have lunch (my internal clock still ticks on spanish times), I only queued for one of their sweet delights (funny they call them delights - what's so light about them?).

The moroccan "delights"

 Le marché des Enfants Rouges, from the inside

Just a couples of steps from the market, there was a traditional cheese shop. A real one. I thought the swiss knew how to make cheese, but you know what? The french know better. There you go, 11:30am and I was already complimenting the french. But I wasn't going to be that easy to conquire. There had to be something else than well, cheese, to win me back ( of course, I couldn't resist, and bought a smelly cheese before leaving the shop).

The traditional cheese shop 

You think this is a lot of variety? This was only the "on sale" section...

After doing some shopping (more on that coming soon), I found this little cafe called Rose Bakery in Rue Debelleyme, in with people were queuing to get a table and I thought if the french are queuing for it, it must be really worth it. Well, turns out it wasn't very french, as Rose Bakery is a british bakery with a couple of branches around Paris, London and Seoul (which explains why the waiters spoke perfect english). It might have not been the oh-so-french-cafe I had thought, but the 10 minutes queuing were still worth it. I ordered a fresh pressed apple juice and a roasted vegetables quiche accompanied by an organic salad, which I really recommend to anyone looking for fresh and handmade quality food. A very healthy place, if you manage to ignore their multiple cupcakes and brownies, that is.

Notice the basket full of oranges!

I started walking out of Marais, hoping to arrive to the Eiffel Tower just on time for sunset. This seemend to be a total achievable goal of mine, if it wasn't because I got caught up in a tunisian demonstration. A couple of long minutes later, I got out of the wave of people right into Rue Saint-Martin, where a tiny cute shop caught my attention - Le Boutique du Macaron. Now how was I going to leave Paris without macarons? That would be like leaving Turkey without baklawa, right? Le Boutique du Macaron has a surprisingly unusual set of salty macarons - chocolate with foie, tomato with basilic and truffles are some of their exotic flavors (which I bought, of course).

When I realized that I wasn't going to make it before sunset, and felt exhausted of carrying cheese, macarons, and a couple of impulsive sales purchases, I walked into Adam's, in Rue Danielle Casanova - in theory, I only wanted to have a cup of tea... But couldn't resist their lemon cake and ended up having both (I know... what's wrong with me?). Some time around 8pm, Adam's closed, and they gave a piece of galette to each of us last stranded customers (which I had for breakfast today!). 

Anyway, out of all places and foods I tasted this weekend, I've left the best for the my last lunch. My train was leaving at 4pm, so I still had half a day to enjoy the city (noticed that I'm using terms like "enjoy" when talking about Paris...?). I walked around Notre Dame and Louvre (you see? I also do some sightseeing!) and decided to walk back to this rather hidden square I fell in love with a long time ago - Place Dauphine.

Place Dauphine, Paris

Although there are quite a few cafes surrounding the square, don't expect many of them to be open on a sunday. I tried my luck and asked for a table at La Rose de France, a charming local cafe with a mouthwatering menu, with starters being 12.30 € main course 18.80 € and desserts 8.60 €, which, although it cannot be considered budget, is quite acceptable for the area and quality of both food and service.  

La Rose de France, Place Dauphine

Mille-feuille of duck breast and pineapples 

with gratin potatoes and honey sauce 

My verdict? In terms of food - Paris has got me. I can't resist to a city with such a broad variety and good quality of food. In my opinion, as long as you escape from the tourist traps, you're in a safe haven in almost any corner shop of the city. However, this, I already knew. France (and the french) enjoy food - it's not the material that fills you up when you are hungry, it's cultural. The french eat in groups, they'll have a glass of wine (or two or three), they'll talk (main subjects being the food and the wine) and have a good time. In this aspect, they are very much similar to the spanish, which is why I like it. What concerned me most was the service. As you might have read previously, I was treated like shit in bars and restaurants all over France (and specially in Paris), and I was expecting the same this time, being the only difference that this time I would know what the waiter was complaining about. 

Turns out, I was wrong. In each place I've had a lunch, coffee, dinner, I was always treated with respect and, in some occasions even with kind words and wide smiles! One waiter recommended me not to take a plate because "it's too expensive for the quality", many of them asked me where I was from and told me that I could also order in english if I preferred (which I didn't - I wanted to practice!). 

If you have been in Paris in the last couple of years, what are your impressions on this? Do you feel the service sector more.... service oriented than before? 

And more generally, have you ever ruled out a country / city because of a bad experience? 

The Land of Water and Fire (Part III)

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Lanzarote, Canary Islands (Spain)

I know many people who have heard about Lanzarotes beautiful beaches, but besides crystal clear water and great temperatures (even in December!), there's a lot more to see and experience. It's impossible to summarize the secrets of the island in just one post - so this one is going to be the first of a series called The Land of Water and Fire. 

Bodega Stratvs (Wine Tour)

La Geria (Wine Region in Lanzarote)

It's easy to associate wine production to Bordeaux or Tuscany. It's not that easy to picture a vineyard in an island destroyed by catastrophic volcanic eruptions that left no else than black volcanic sand. This might had been the end of crops, but soon the locals realized that some plants, such as vine, grew even better in these areas. 

How do you cultivate vine on ash and volcanic sand?

Vine is planted in cones made out of picón (little stones ejected from a volcanic eruption, also known as lapilli) and protected by little stone walls. This type of structure allows the plants to easily take root on the fertile ground, while the mantle of picón retains moisture from the air and prevents evaporation, keeping the vine hydrated during a longer time. The crater shapes holes usually have a diameter of 2-4 meters, given that the roots of the plant need their space to spread horizontally. The shape of the holes and the small stone walls facing the north-east, protect the crop from the trade wind. 

This is how it look like underneath the crop

Presenting... the most innovative Bodega in Europe

The Bodega Stratvs was founded in 2007 by a local family with several other investments across the island (among others, a Cheese Farm in Uga and a luxury hotel in Playa Blanca). The farm extends over 2.500m2. 

The farm is located in the Barranco del Obispo (the Bishop's Ravine). Something that really caught my eye during my visit, was the smart way the winery and its installations were constructed - it was built underground, preserving the original topography of the ravine. Also, locals materials were used - such as volcanic stone, iron and wood - in order to lower the visual impact. 

This, together with their use of the latest technology, explains how the owners spend 25 million euros in this wonder. 

How to spend a day in Bodega Stratvs.

1. Take a tour - 10 € per person, 45 minutes tour, 3 wine tastings
2. Have lunch at one of their 2 restaurants (Terraza Grill and El Aljibe del Obispo) and order a bottle of wine
3. Spend a ridiculous amount of time in their gourmet shop
4. Doubt about which wine you're going to buy
5. Go to their bar and make a second wine tasting of your own. 
6. Go back to the shop and get the bottle(s) of wine you liked most 

When you get to the hotel, you'll realize that you bought too many bottles and might have some customer problems when trying to smuggle back more alcohol than actually permitted  (for the UK it's 1 L - I was interrogated). 

Tip: In case you are not doing the tour, but still would like to buy some wine or simply want to order online (Europe only) and don't know which one to take, my personal recommendations are Crianza 2007 (Red) and Dry Malvasia (White). 

For more info on Bodega Stratvs click here. 

If you liked this post, you might also like:

- The Land of Water and Fire (Part I)

- The Land of Water and Fire (Part II)

All I want for Christmas is Cheese

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Borough Market, London

Maybe it's the cold weather, the snow, that makes me want to wrap into a warm blanket and fish pieces of bread out of a fondue. Or maybe the Christmas market that I cross every evening after work, with it's shiny big menus announcing fondue and raclettes for 5 CHF. Perhaps the street market stands, that have such a broad variety that, even if you examine each one carefully, you can be sure that the next week there will be at least one you will have never seen before. For one reason or another, I'm thinking about cheese during an alarmingly high amount of time a day. 

Since we are close to Christmas (and I'm still craving for cheese), I'm sharing 5 Christmas gifts for cheese lovers (yes, I'm crossing my fingers that someone will surprise me with of the below). 

1. Raclette Machine

Having a raclette machine at home is one of my wildest fantasies (geez am I weird). For those of you who don't know the raclette - it's a type of cheese, originally from Switzerland, that is used for melting and is accompanied by small potatoes, pickled onions and gherkins as well as tradition swiss dried meat. 

Source

2. Mouse Cheese Grater / Serving Bowl

This little mouse grates cheese and stores it inside itself. You can easily detach the mouse from the grater and turn it into a serving bowl. Why having a traditional grater? This one is so cute!

Source

3. Fondue Set

Fondue is a traditional swiss / french dish of melted cheese that is eaten by dipping long-stemmed forks with bread into the cheese mix. The difference with the raclette (besides from the serving) is that the fondue is made of a specific mix of cheeses (that varies between France and Switzerland) and is usually added some wine and seasoning. It's the ideal apres-ski meal. And I want it, too. 

Source

4. Natural Slate Cheeseboard

I just love this cheeseboard - Have you noticed the chili shaped handgrips? The board is protected with acrylic resin to reduce chipping and prevent from staining - making it a perfect board to cut and serve the cheese. You can feel at home like at the finest french restaurant - having your own plateau de fromages. 

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5. Set of Cheese Knifes

Anyone spending enough money on buying cheese should have a set of proper cheese knifes. I fell in love with the minimalistic designer set below, which offers one to cut parmesan, general cheese and soft cheese (from left to right).

Source

Needless to say, all this cheese chit chat has whetted my appetite.

Do you think this cheese obsession has to do with living in Switzerland / France? Or can it hit anyone anywhere? Do you also fantasize of crackers with cheese?