Day Twenty One
My parents moved to Gland, Switzerland just last month, and so far they have been settling in pretty well. They are living in an adorable little house, with easy access to a train system that can take them all over Europe. I can't wait to visit them in their new home, and explore Switzerland and some of the neighboring cities in Germany, Italy, and France. I'm hoping that when I do make it over, I'll be able to spend a month or so while working remotely.
Mom and Dad's new place. That must be the prettiest duplex on Earth.
And look at this kitchen!! My Mom was very concerned that she'd end up with a tiny, cramped cooking space, but this is gorgeous.
I'm also hoping to take some chocolatier classes with my Mom while I'm there. In Nyon, there is a place called "Chocolate School". Now, that's the kind of school I'd like to attend!
Aside from having a cool place to visit my folks, I'm just happy to see them take on this kind of adventure. Having done it myself, I know how crazy it is to pack up your life and move somewhere far far away. It takes a lot of hootspah, that's for sure. But the experience of living in a place so new and different can't help but enrich your life. I'm grateful that they were given the opportunity to do so. My Mom is a little nervous about learning to speak French, but I know she'll pick it up, especially now that she's going to be submerged in it. My Dad has spent the last two decades travelling all over the world, but this is the first time he's been able to actually live in a foreign country. They've comitted for at least three years, so it looks like he'll have plenty of time to finally immerse himself in a new culture.
Just recieved this email from my Dad this morning, sharing the details of their Christmas dinner plans. I thought you all might find it interesting.
Here is a little gastronimoic update from our side of the pond.
We are off to our last day (1/2 day) of shopping to prepare our lonely Christmas feast. Tonight we will have the Swiss Traditional Chinois. Which is a Fondue style cooking pot where you add meat and veggies to a base bouillion. When you are all done, you toss the remains in with some cabbage and you have a delicious soup for the next day. We are then having a very small Dinde (8 Lb. Turkey) on Christmas. We even found a can of Ocean Spray Cranberry sauce in an American specialty store, It cost 11.50 CHF ($12.50). So we are mixing a bit of our tradition with the Swiss one.
Scott and I will have to try making Chinois sometime soon. The name is sort of funny though, isn't it? I'm pretty sure a Chinios looks like this:
Crazy Swiss. Anyway, if you'd like to check out how a traditional Swiss Chinois is made, click here. If you'd like to try a cheese fondue instead, click here.