Svizzera Pictures

The Christmas market in Bern.


Baskets, anyone?


Jenna was really thrilled to buy a knit cap from Switzerland. Once we were back in the hostel, she discovered it was made in Nepal.


Here, we sampled the most amazing caramels I've ever tasted. Ever. Those big copper pots held molten caramel that was poured into rectangular pans, cooled, and was sliced into .5 x .5 inch squares. They were still hot when ate them. See below.


Jenna and Meg enjoying our sweets.


For lunch, rather than sitting down for a costly meal, we decided to sample the traditional swiss food sold at the Christmas market - a sausage sandwich. Go figure. Three sandwiches please!


Ah yes, it is that time again, isn't it? You know, when the temperatures drop and hair moves north for the winter. I really have no idea what this is about, but you can bet I stayed clear of the cafe below.


I can't wait to see you guys! And Vincenzo!


Meg took this beautiful picture. She is such the photo-extraordinaire.


Nothin' like the rain in Bern.


(Look closely) I'm...


I love this picture of Meg. You can't really see her face, but you have to agree that she looks like she's up to no good. She kind of reminds me of a character from Lord of the Rings; I think it's the hood and her whispy hair.


Fondue night! This was put on by our hostel. For 20 Swiss Francs, we had unlimited wine, salad, bread, and fondue. I was a bit confused though - we asked for more salad and they said no.


It was Swiss, of course!


I woke up Saturday morning and, peeking through the red gingham curtains that shaded the window above my bed, I saw the giant chess set covered in snow!


Beautiful Interlaken, a white wonderland.


The Alps, ladies and gents.


I decided to go to Coop around the corner and pick up some ingredients to make cookies (see below). I had extra sugar, extra butter, and a big bag filled with clementines. I decided I would experiment and attempt to candy the clementines. Meg and Emily laughed at me while my concoction cooked into an interesting, syrup-like substance. They didn't taste half bad though, and Emily liked them. So there.


The hostel had a public kitchen with a convection oven too small for cookie sheets and no measuring cups whatsoever. I eyeballed everything and in doing so, overestimated the butter and underestimated the flour. I shaved Tolberone bars into the batter - that definitly made up for my measurement errors. They turned out fine, a bit crispy, but otherwise delicious.


See?


- "Oh my gawd! Did you see what she wore to Metro last night?"
- "Lord I know! Talk about disco inferno! She's got alotta nerve, that one."
- "Don't you know it. Hey June, I heard they got a new keyboard player down at the Jazz Club. They say he's quite the fox."
- "Count me in! And it's Tuesday! You know what that means..."
- (together) "Tacos!"


This is definitly the most bizarre blanket I have ever seen. Unfortunately, I can't say it belongs to Jenna - it's her host family's. Look how perfectly the two cats fit underneath her arms. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was made this way intentionally. Jenna is hilarious!


Me, Meg, Emily, Jenna, and Shan. We braved the very very back seat for the eight hour bus ride. I had an absolute ball with them this weekend.