Switzerland: "Like a Box of Chocolates Bursting with Unexpected Flavors"

Ola!!

Alright, so I know "Ola" doesn't exactly fit the Swiss part, but I am writing from Granada, and we have been filling our mind, body, and soul with Spanish culture, so I couldn't help myself :)

The last couple of weeks have been wonderfully busy, and we were lucky to spend it with several friends we met while in Asia. The ONLY downside is that I've fallen behind on keeping all of YOU up to date! Sorry Mom!! So, here goes. An update on our life up to today :)

We LOVED Switzerland. A lush, green, and diverse country ruled by four different languages(Swiss German, French, Italian, and Romanche) and beautifully different cultures to go with. Options are endless in the land of Swiss.

We started our adventure in the city of Zurich. While in Indonesia we met Frederike and Thomas, who left us their info with a note to come visit if ever in Zurich. Well, we made our way there, and were welcomed with open arms. We spent 8 nights exploring Zurich, visiting Frederike's hometown, Reschen, and just enjoying some quality downtime with friends. Frederike and Thomas are loving, intelligent, and extremely easy to talk to. Andrew and I really felt at home in their awesome flat(with an even more awesome rooftop terrace!!).
We spent the first day with Frederike(unfortunatley Thomas had to work)taking a walk up a Üetliberg, a hill overlooking Zurich, picking some bārlauch(wild garlic type plant) from the forest(which we used to make some amazing pesto!) and enjoying some Italian Spritz on the terrace. We lucked out with a beautiful, sunny day. That evening some friends of theirs came over and Frederike made us an absolutely delicious meal-paired with several glass of red wine made for an even better meal! Toby, a friend of F and T made Spätzle, a special type of noodle, or pasta. The taste is similar to gnocchi. Very tasty.
The next day (Friday), while F and T went to work, Andy and I did some catching up online, relaxed, and did some walking around Zurich.
Saturday, we packed a weekend bag and left for a little road trip with Frederike. Thomas was stuck working the weekend :( We drove through four countries that day! Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, and Italy! Never thought I'd visit so many countries in a day, hehe. We shared a beer...in the car...while driving...because that's aloud! Crazy, I know. I still felt strange sitting in the passenger side holding a beer. I thought a policeman would pop up and arrest me, like, "Ha! Stupid tourist, believing everything you hear!". But, nope, turns out it's legal ;)
Frederike grew up in the village of Reschen, Italy surrounded by mountains, forests, grassy hills filled with bunkers from the war, and farmers fields. We went for an awesome hike up Spitzige Lun, where we found some patches of snow, and an unbelievable view. We enjoyed some homemade soup and dumplings thanks to Frederike and her sister Ines, played some Dutch games, and ate some of Frederike's rhubarb cake for dessert. Yumm. Red wine was of course enjoyed as well. We felt so refreshed from the mountain air, and left wanting more!
Back in Zurich, we spent the rest of our days exploring the city, visiting the Lindt and Sprüngli factory(even the parking lot smelt divine) stuffing ourselves with Swiss chocolate and cheese, and chatting with F and T over good meals, coffee, prosecco, beer, and maaybe the occasional glass of water. We also visited the Rhine Falls, which contain the highest volume of water in Europe.
Frederike and Thomas, we can't tell you enough how much we enjoyed our time with you. We can only hope you make it to Canada so that we can spoil you the way you did us. Thomas, thank you from Andrew for the late night beers and the rooftop fire. Frederike, thank you for all the cooking tips I picked up from you, the "girl-talk", and to both of you, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to accommodate us! Much love.

Next stop in Switzerland, La Chaux-du-Fonds. Moving in to the French-speaking part of Switzerland was a quick transition. La Chaux-du-Fonds, known as the city of Watchmakers, is the most quaint, organized, and beautiful city we have seen yet. It was built specifically for watchmaking, right down to the distance between houses, and the arrangement of house-garden-street, house-garden-street. Amazing. The people are so friendly and passionate about their wonderful city. I felt like I was in Belle's city, from Beauty and the Beast.
La Chaux-du-Fonds will always be very special to Andrew and I. Not just because of the unique set-up and history, but because of the family living in it.
We met Val by chance in a bus station in Manila. When Andrew got sick, we delayed our departure from Manila by 3 days. The day we left, Val just happened to be hopping on the same bus. Thank goodness for that, because he is truly one of a kind. People say everything happens for a reason, and now we have proof.
Val took Friday off work, and invited us to stay with him at his parents house in the city he grew up in. Val's parents, Rémy and Françoise. Meeting them really made us understand where Val gets his kindness, generosity, and zest for life from. We were given a spot at the table as if we were already part of their family. Françoise gave me a Swatch as a gift, simply because I wasn't wearing a watch. Rémy shared the history of La Chaux-du-Fonds with us, and they both cooked amazing meals for everyone. We told stories, played games, ate and drank wine, explored La Chaux-du-Fonds-all this, without speaking the same language. Yep, we don't speak French, and Rémy and Françoise don't speak English. Val was so great for translating for us, but the fact that we created such a bond with people who don't speak the same language just goes to show how amazing these people are. The world is a beautiful place, but the people you stumble upon are even more so.

Val really went all out! He completely spoiled us, and showed us all around the French-speaking area of Switzerland. The first night, Val took us to a lovely local restaurant, where we enjoyed gourmet meals with locally made red wine.
Our first day we jumped in the car and explored the region of Neuchâtel. We went for a hike up to the very windy top of Le Creux-du-Van, massive landslides creating a semi-circular shape of cliffs. We stopped for a coffee in La Vue-des-Alps, and then for a nap in the meadows of Chasseral, the highest point in the Neuchâtel region.
The next day we had breakfast and coffee with Val and his parents, stopped at a bakery, cheese house, and grocery store, and then made our way to the region of Valais. We drove through Sion city, went for a walk on Le Bisse de Torrent Neuf, and enjoyed a picnic of different cheese picked out by Val. The way to eat the cheese is very particular, which is really interesting. It makes sense of course, because the way to do it is to start with the least strong and end with the most, have a bite of meat, some bread, and start over. I really can't describe the cheese. It was just...spectacular. My favorite was a creamy, stuffed brie, a cheese made only by Val's favorite cheese maker(such a friendly man...he let us try tons of his cheese while we were there). We love that meals are more of a ritual, and much more traditional then we are used to. Everything is paired with a specific wine, and meals aren't complete without an apértif and then a digestive or espresso to finih. The best was when the luxurious Swiss chocolate was brought out for desert. I have never tasted such dark, melt-in-your-mouth goodness.
We spent the third evening at Val's flat in Lousanne. We went for dinner with him and his friend Roman, where Andrew and I tried horse for the first time, and then out to a Canadian bar for one too many drinks. We had so much fun, but payed for it the next day! I especially, was not feeling so hot. Françoise fixed me up with some of her tea, and we enjoyed a relaxing day, and a big lunch! We also took a walk to a farm outside of La Chaux-du-Fonds to try Rémy's favorite dessert, cornet à la crème. It's literally an ice-cream cone filled with homemade whipped cream. Very tasty! The walk to the farm itself was wonderful. The country-side of Switzerland is breathtaking!
Our last day we took a walk with Val and Rémy to le Saut-du-Doubs, a waterfall separating Switzerland and France. After a bit of walking, we made our way back to the house to pack our bags, and catch a train to Interlaken. It was another sad goodbye, and we again, can not express our gratitude. Val we will be seeing you next year in Canada.

We spent a few nights in the outdoor-sports based town of Interlaken. It had the same feel and atmosphere that Jasper, Alberta has, and we loved it! We spent our days hiking and picnic-ing through the Alps. The Swiss Alps are so vast, with huge steep canyons. Grassy fields lead you to snowy mountain tops. We did a wicked canyoning trip while there too. A seven hour day of sliding, repelling, and jumping down waterfalls. Absolutely thrilling.
I told our guide that the excursion was my weeks worth of "Do one thing a day that scares you". Andrew was totally in his glory, doing backflips into the pools of water. The highest jump was just over 30 feet, and the slides and repels were up to 50 feet. It was crazy fun, and it definitely had our adrenaline going.

After Interlaken we took a train up to Winterthur to spend a night with Nico. We met the crazy and hilarious Nico while in El Nido, Philippines. He introduced us to his friendly and sweet girlfriend, Nora, and his creative and extremely kind mother, Dora. We spent the night chatting and catching up, and Dora cooked us an awesome supper. Andy and Nico took it back old-school and played some Mario Cart, while I took pictures of their amazing home. Nico and his family are all very artistic(his parents both teach in Art)and their house definitely reflects those abilities. There was so much to look at! It was a quick visit, but it was so incredibly cool to meet up with Nico again. Nico, you have such a laid-back and refreshing outlook on life, we will miss you dearly! Our doors are always open to you in the Great White North :)

That concludes our adventures in the country of Switzerland! We would go back in a heartbeat...perhaps in the winter, to see those Alps REALLY filled with snow! Plus, we have so many people to visit again.

The most important thing Andrew and I want to say regarding Switzerland is one last huge and heartfelt THANK YOU to all of our friends that invited us into their homes. We have never been shown such love and hospitality from people who, not long ago, were strangers. To Frederike and Thomas, Val, Rémy and Françoise, Nico, Nora, and Dora-You all hold a very special place in our hearts, our gratitude is endless. We learnt something from each and every one of you, and we will take your kindness home with us.

To everyone at home, I hope you are enjoying the blogs, and know that Andrew and I are always well taken care of. Missing you all as usual.

Keep tuned, I'll be writing a post on our stay with more amazing friends in Freiburg, Germany very soon!

Love to all

xx A&C