Kimmie and Nuno offered to take me to Gruyères for fondue and chocolate (not simultaneously).
Lea doesn't need a car seat in Switzerland. They signed a waiver.
I am kidding. We took a little baby break during the hour and a half drive.
It was raining today, a perfect day for fondue.
Gruyères is a medieval town, famous for its cheese.
This is my first fondue (outside of the US, which Nuno said doesn't count).
We had fondue moitié-moitié which is half Gruyère cheese and half Vacherin fribourgeois.
Nuno says we are closer now since we shared fondue.
In 1998 the HR Giger museum opened to celebrate the work of Giger, the Swiss surrealist painter who is best known for his design and special effects for the movie Alien.
Gruyères is famous for meringues as well so Nuno bought some for dessert.
Just 15 minutes away is Maison Cailler, the chocolate factory. François-Louis Cailler was the founder of Switzerland's oldest chocolate brand that is still on the market. In the early 1800's, when the company started, chocolate was sold as tonic in pharmacies and only affordable for the rich.
We learned a lot about the history of chocolate starting from Aztec time, and ending with the history of Cailler, including the invention of milk chocolate. hazelnut chocolate, and air bubble chocolate.
The factory is great but the best part is the last part, when you get to eat different types of chocolate. Well, first they tell you how to eat chocolate, I mean techniques used to judge chocolate, and then you get to eat. I needed a few pieces to get through the lesson. The first placard said unwrap it, the next was smell, the third was look at it... I had already eaten two pieces by this point...
Later at Kimmie's, Nuno made mushroom risotto which he shaped into a heart (he is really taking this fondue thing seriously...).
And the crème de la crème- fresh meringues with double cream on top. You use a spoon to break the meringues into smaller pieces, mixing it with the highly fattening (aka delicious) cream. Ooh la la.
I loved the fact that you had already eaten two chocolates by the time you read the instructions that told you to just look at it. What a riot.
ReplyDeleteIt seems Kimmie and Nuno are really doing great. I loved the baby photos. What a cutie.
You are having an excellent adventure. Party on Brady!