I had the best long weekend visiting my cousin Amber and her family (husband Mike and kids Xavier and Claire) in Switzerland in early March! This trip was relaxing and nice to get away from my usual weekend trips which include trying to see as much of a new city as possible. I flew in late Friday night and left early Tuesday morning which left us with three full days for my cousins to show me around their home!
On Saturday, Xavier had a hockey tournament in Morges, the city they live in, competing against other cities nearby. This was my first time watching little kids play hockey and quite frankly, it was hilarious. These kids are as young as 5 years old and some can barely skate so watching them try to get on and off the ice, use their sticks to hit the puck, and the goalie struggle to stand up after falling to the ice was so entertaining. Overall, a super fun and relaxing day!
On Sunday, we took a day trip to Annecy, France which is where my cousins used to live before they moved to Morges. I wrote a separate blog about our trip to Annecy here:
Monday was our traditional Swiss day! Mike had work and Xavier had school, but Amber, Claire and I visited the chocolate factory, Maison Cailler, and the medieval town of Gruyères.
The Swiss are known for their chocolate so a trip to Maison Cailler in Broc, Switzerland, just felt right. We learned about the history of chocolate and saw how it was made. Cailler chocolate is the same as the Nestlé chocolate you all know and love, but it’s called Cailler in Switzerland since that’s where it originated and what its original name was. Interestingly enough, Cailler is Switzerland’s oldest chocolate brand that is still in existence! At the end of our tour, we got to sample as much chocolate as we wanted to. Of course, it was all delicious!
After our stop at Maison Cailler, we went to Gruyères. First, we got lunch at a Swiss restaurant with an amazing view of the alps. We had Swiss fondue for lunch and I absolutely loved it. The fondue was made with two different cheeses and you can dip whatever you want into your fondue, but we stuck with potatoes and bread. The Swiss don’t usually eat fondue in the summer months since it’s too hot out and the fondue is too heavy, so I’m glad I was visiting in April. 😉 We drank white wine with our fondue, which is said to help with digestion of the cheese. After our fondue, my cousin said I had to try meringue with Gruyère double cream and raspberries, a traditional Swiss dessert. Again… it was all so delicious. The meringue was airy, the cream was smooth and rich, and the berries were fresh… it was the perfect dessert after the heavy fondue. This whole meal was heavenly and one of the best things I’ve eaten abroad!
After our lunch, we walked around Gruyères and visited the Gruyères Castle, still in tact from the 13th century. This was my first time visiting a castle and it was really interesting! I noted how small the beds were and low the doorways were. The fireplace was huge to try keeping the castle warm during the winter months. Nonetheless, living in that castle during the 13th century would’ve been a dream! The castle overlooked the alps and had a beautiful garden right outside. This was another super cool experience!
After our time in Gruyères, we drove back to Morges to get Xavier from school and spend some time downtown in Morges. We rode scooters around the town and by Lake Geneva. Morges is beautifully situated right on the water with a mesmerizing view of the alps behind Lake Geneva. It was a little cloudy when I was there, but you can still faintly see the alps in the photos I took.
We then headed back home for the evening. From my cousins’ balcony, you have a beautiful view of the French Alps. It was so relaxing to sit out there and take in the view and I even got a little concert from Claire (the joys of being a 4 year old!). One of my favorite parts about this whole trip was the homemade dinners we had every night… I missed eating homemade food and to make it even better, my cousin Amber is an amazing cook!
My flight out of Geneva was early Tuesday morning, so this about wrapped up my trip to Switzerland. This entire trip was relaxing and homey. Switzerland is stunning and I got to spend time with my cousins, there is no doubt in my mind that this will be one of my favorite trips abroad!
Words From Abroad 