Cheese and Chocolate

Cheese and chocolate have long been associated with good things in Switzerland. I have discovered so many varieties of cheese and chocolate in the grocery, some familiar and some not. Doug and I have been tasting some of them and they have all been delicious.

I have been intrigued by the shop right next to my apartment. It is a small shop that makes fresh Mozzarella every day. I've watched the 2 metal milk cans of cream arrive in the morning and wondered how they made cheese in this small shop in the middle of the city of Geneva. The milk cans reminded me of the days on my grandma's farm when they milked the cows and transported the milk in cans just like the ones I now saw. I guess the sight of the milk cans made me think of life on the farm but mostly it reminded me of my brother, Josh, who makes cheese everyday in Wisconsin.

The artists at work

I stopped by one afternoon to take a quick picture and was invited to return in the morning to watch them make the cheese. It felt like I was part of the process just by watching it happen. The next morning they poured the cream into a large bowl that was then heated while being constantly stirred. They added some ingredients and later they took out a large piece of what looked like cheese and stretched it. I could tell they were about to make the individual Mozzarella balls that I had seen hanging in the window when they rolled this metal counter top to the middle of the room filled with a basin of steamy water and another one of cold water.

The cheese store

Two employees wearing white aprons, hats and waterproof boots pulled the large piece of cheese into smaller sections, flipped the cheese to catch some air, scooped some soft curds into the middle of the Mozzarella, tied the end with a string and threw it into the cold water. In just minutes the whole process was finished and they began cleaning up the "factory". I felt like I was watching artists as they finished their craft for the morning. It was an amazing thing to watch the process, which to them was just another day at the shop.

Selfie at the airport

Breanna safely arrived on Saturday morning to share her spring break with us. We were so excited to share this experience with her and after a short stop at the house we were off on our first new adventure. 

One of the many chocolatiers at the Chocolate Festival

Doug heard about a chocolate festival happening this weekend so we traveled about 20 minutes to the small town of Versoix, Switzerland to sample chocolate from the top chocolatiers in the region. The booths were set up in the center of town under a large white tent where free chocolate sampling was encouraged. I have to say this was a very tasty way to begin a festival. The displays were beautiful, the chocolate delicious, and the atmosphere delightful.

Celebrating chocolate with Bre

Oh yeah, that's good!

There was a 10 foot tall chocolate bunny staged in the center of the tent helping us celebrate the 11th annual Chocolate Festival. Fountains of rich chocolate were flowing among the intricate displays of chocolate Easter bunnies, chicks, and eggs. We walked out with some truffles and macaroons after trying a bit of everything. My favorite was the chocolate cup filled with chocolate mousse and layered with whipped cream and hot chocolate on top. 

I hope to continue to learn more about the foods of Switzerland, especially the amazing cheese and chocolate.