Euro-Chic: Interlaken

This past weekend we visited Interlaken, Switzerland for a weekend of skiing, chocolate, and fondue. The trip started off with a 12.5 hour overnight bus ride and we finally made it to Balmer's Hostel.  Balmers is the place to stay when in Interlaken. 

It is a very quaint hostel, with a very friendly staff, and the fireplace in the lobby definitely won me over. Balmers is great primarily for one reason: Metro Bar. Metro Bar is the bar/club located on Balmers premises where everyone goes to hang out after a day on the slopes.

Overlooking the city

Our first day we walked around town and went on a walking tour of the town. We went up to the highest building in Interlaken where we got a panoramic view of the city. Interlaken is such a beautiful city, that it doesn't even look real. The highlight of our tour was visiting Lake Thun which had the most gorgeous views. We spent about 45 minutes just looking at the lake, taking in the views, and trying to take as many photos as possible!

Later we went to a local chocolate shop known for their truffles, for a chocolate show!
We were given a lesson on how to make truffles and what makes Swiss chocolate so superior. And no chocolate show is complete without free samples! After many samples, I can attest that Swiss chocolate is by far the best chocolate I have ever had.

Schuh's famous truffles

 The next day we got up early to hit the slopes! The one unfortunate thing about skiing in the Swiss Alps is that since the mountain is so large it takes forever to get to the top. 1 bus ride and 2 trains later, we finally made it. I've gone skiing in Vermont, Colorado, and Utah in the past but they don't compare to the Swiss Alps. The skiing conditions were amazing and we were later told that it was the best day of skiing all season. It was clear blue skies, fresh powder, and fairly warm for being on a mountain in Switzerland. The largest difference between the slopes in the Alps and back home is that instead of skiing for half an hour and having to take the chair lift back up, the slopes are a lot longer. It took us about an hour and a half to get down a trail, and we weren't skiing slowly!

We finished up our day on the slopes with a traditional swiss fondue dinner. Swiss fondue is definitely a different experience from The Melting Pot. Instead of a whole selection of food to dip you are only served bread. We decided to go wild and order a side of potatoes. This might be slightly blasphemous, but I preferred the Melting Pot...

 Overall I loved Switzerland! The people are so friendly and willing to help. Any any country that excels in chocolate gets an A in my book!

Swiss Fondue

Valentine's Day Delights

Now I know a lot of people hate on Valentine's Day and claim that its a "Hallmark Holiday" and only exists to spur consumerism. I on the other hand, fervently believe that flowers, gifts, or chocolates will brighten anyone's day! I've come up with a few recipes to put you in the Valentine's Day spirit and to surprise your special Valentine.


Hidden Heart Cupcakes

You'll need:
2 batches of your favorite cupcake batter (or 1 batch split in half, depending on how many cupcakes you want to make)
Red food coloring
A small heart cookie cutter
Frosting of your choice

How to:
The trick to these cupcakes is using two separate batters. In one batch of the cupcake batter add a few drops of the red food dye until the batter is a nice pink color. When thoroughly mixed, pour the batter onto a pyrex pan. If your using the full batch of cupcake batter I recommend using a 9 x 13 pyrex. Cook the batter for the appropriate time via the recipe's instructions. When the pink cake is ready, let it cool fully. Once cool, cut out mini hearts from the pink cake using your cookie cutter. Make sure your hearts are small enough to fit into the muffin tin!

Next, pour your plain cupcake batter into your muffin tins so that each tin is about half full. Place your mini cut out hearts in each tin, so that it is point down in the batter.

Cover the hearts with about another teaspoon of batter and bake. Wait until the cupcakes are fully cooled until you ice them and then share them with your Valentine!

Valentine's Day Rice Krispies  

You'll need:
1 package of rice krispies
3 tablespoons of butter
1 package or regular marshmellows
Heart shaped cookie cutter
About 2 cups of white chocolate chips
Red food dye
Sprinkles

How to:
In a large saucepan melt butter over a low flame. Add the marshmellows and stir until they are completely melted. Remove them from the heat and add the rice krispies. Stir until the cereal is well coated.

Line a 9x13 pan with wax paper and evenly press the mixture into the pan. Allow the rice krispies to cool. Once cooled, cut out the rice krispies with your heart shaped cookie cutter.

Next in a double boiler, melt down the white chocolate chips. Once fully melted add about 2 drops of food coloring until the chocolate turns pink. Dip the heart shaped krispies into the pink chocolate mixture and lay them on wax paper. After dipping, sprinkle the chocolate covered parts with sprinkles and then allow them to cool.


My favorite Valentine's Day treat is chocolate covered strawberries, but for a lighter version try:

Chocolate Drizzled Strawberry Shish-Kabobs

You'll need:
Strawberries
Chocolate of your choosing
Shish Kabob sticks

How to:
Cut off the stems of the strawberryies and then slide them on the shish kabob sticks. Line the kebab sticks on wax paper.

Melt your chocolate in a double-boiler and with a spoon, drizzle the chocolate over your strawberry shish kabobs. Chill and serve!

Share these treats with someone you care about tomorrow and show them how much they mean to you!

Venice, Italy

Yesterday we finally managed to get out of our Rome bubble for some sightseeing and went to Venice to celebrate Carnival! After waking up at 5:30am the 7. 5 hour bus ride was pretty manageable considering we all slept through the majority of it. We had a full day in Venice but unfortunately the weather wasn't in our favor. To say it was a monsoon seems to be an understatement...

Despite the weather, Venice is still a gorgeous city. The water taxis were definitely an experience and so far my favorite way of travel! And I loved shopping for masks!

Boxed wine makes travel that much more enjoyable!

Modeling our new masks

The view from our water taxi