The C slot in my travel files was bursting with articles on Corsica, Copenhagen, Catalonia, California and last but not least, Croatia.  (Almost every letter of the alphabet has a bursting travel file!)  The latter was all about Croatia’s popular city, Dubrovnik. I hadn’t even heard of Istria, nor could I have placed it on a map.  So when I was selected for a travel blogger’s trip to Croatia last month, thanks to the Istrian Tourist Board, I knew it was going to be nonstop discovery.  And it was.  First thing’s first – quite simple to answer the map conundrum: all you have to do is draw a straight horizontal line across the Adriatic Sea from Venice and you’ll end up in the Northwestern most point of Istria and of Croatia.

Back to Zürich just filled to the brim with new stories to tell, friendships, 1,000 photos (literally!) and a belly full of olive oil, truffles, fresh Mediterranean fish and Istrian ox, it was a lot to digest.  And then I got awfully distracted by the market’s fresh rhubarb and Swiss army knives here in Switzerland!  But now it’s time to share my experiences in Croatia.  They were numerous, and it was truly an eye-opening and sensory-filled experience.  A region overflowing with history, culture, gorgeous landscapes and hello, it was just a food lover’s dream!  So here’s a little photographic preview of what’s to come… (more…)

Our destination was set for the day – we were heading to the Swiss Army Knife exhibit in Schwyz.  But once we were there, what else would there be to do?  Even though you could easily walk around the entire town center in, oh, 10 minutes, it’s worth it to spend a lot more.  A quick visit to the tourist office had our hands full with brochures and a whole day planned of cultural and historical visits, a hike nearby (with picnic of course), plus a few addresses for a café and pastry in town.  

Before doing anything else, you’ll find yourself just staring at the mountains that fully surround the town.  The green of the hills just seemed so much brighter and cleaner than anywhere else.  Perfectly manicured – so Swiss!  First stop for us was the impressive collection of knives at the Forum of Swiss History, just behind the tourist office.  The town is full of history – and not just of knives. (You can read about the exhibit here).  Hey, it’s how Switzerland got its name after all!  So we headed next to the Museum of the Swiss Charters of Confederation to learn a bit more.  For such a small museum, you won’t believe the amount of historical accounts inside.  I recommend a visit if only to see Switzerland’s Constitution, the original document from 1291 in an enormously oversized glass case.  Hop on the computer next to it for an interactive translation line by line, from Latin to French or German (sorry, no English).  Pretty neat in fact.  A must for English speakers – they have a huge binder of explanations in English of every item on display – don’t forget to ask for that at the desk.  

To round off your history lesson, you may want to visit the “House Bethlehem” on the Ital Reding Estate, the oldest wooden house in Switzerland, built in 1287 – pre-dating even the Swiss Confederacy!  There’s also plaques all around town explaining the importance of certain streets, 18th century manor houses, monasteries and churches.

Before heading out of town, we made one last visit – a 10 minute walk over the town border from Schwyz to Ibach, and there you’ll see the Victorinx factory store.  A bit disappointing not to be able to visit the factory itself, but if you’re in the market for a Swiss army knife (or two or 20), then this is the place to be.  Next stop for us: Schlatti. A 10 minute bus ride along the mountain turned out to be an attraction in itself for the views.  Next mode of transport: cable car up to Stoos.  But not just any cable car.  The steepest cable car in all of Europe (not cheap either – CHF 22 round trip)!  In 7 minutes, it travels a distance of 1200m, with a difference in altitude of 800m.  Worth it?  Yes. Here’s why, a view below of Swiss Knife Valley:  

Once at the top, if you can pull yourself away from the above view, there are assorted hiking paths to follow and plenty of prime spots for picnics!  We were ready for that. Fresh bread bought at the market that morning, assorted charcuterie, a thick slice of cheese, radishes with salted butter — ooh, and here’s my trick for that: I put a square of Bordier’s salted butter in the freezer overnight.  That way, by lunch time on the mountain, it was perfect to eat, instead of being a melted mess.  Strawberries from the market too and some Swiss chocolate rounded it all off.  Aside from the French butter, it was 100% Swiss – the food, my Swiss army knife present of course, the views of the snow melting on the mountains and the cows grazing in the fields.  

If it weren’t for our picnic lunch, we would have taken advantage of the Swiss Culinary Festival taking place in Schwyz this month, the Schwyzer Ess-Spektakel.  From May 8th to the 31st, 18 restaurants have chosen a Swiss canton to represent and have a set menu of traditional dishes from there.  You can download the list of restaurants and dishes here, only available in German though.  En Guete !! (Bon appétit in Swiss German!)

Address Book for Schwyz:

Tourist Office
Bahnhofstrasse 4
+41.41.810.19.91

Forum of Swiss History (Forum der Schweizer Geschichte)
Hofmatt, Zeughausstrasse 5
+41.41.819.60.11
Tuesday to Sunday: 10am – 5pm

Museum of the Swiss Charters (Bundesbriefmuseum)
Bahnhofstrasse 20
+41.41.819.20.64
Tuesday to Friday: 9am – 11:30am, 1:30pm – 5pm
Saturday & Sunday: 9am – 5pm

Ital Reding Estate & Bethlehem House
Rickenbachstrasse 24
+41.41.811.45.05
Tuesday to Friday: 2pm – 5pm
Saturday & Sunday: 10am – 12pm, 2pm – 5pm

Victorinox Factory Store
Schmiedgasse 57
+41.41.818.12.11
Monday to Friday: 7:30am – 12pm, 1:15pm – 4pm
Saturday: 8am – 3pm

Where to Eat & Drink

Café Haug
Postplatz 4
+41.41.811.16.16

http://www.cafe-haug.ch/index.php5

excellent café and confiserie with rooftop terrace, great view

Kreuz & Quer
Hauptplatz 7
+41.41.810.01.01

http://www.kuq.ch/

bar with prime corner spot on the main town square, attached to… 

Purpur
Hauptplatz 7
+41.41.810.01.01

http://www.kuq.ch/purpur/restaurant_f.html

Thai restaurant

Mything
Hauptplatz 7
+41.41.810.30.00

http://mything.ch/

bistro and bar next door to Kreux & Quer (yes, they all have the same address!)

Ratskeller
Strehlgasse 3
+41.41.810.10.87

http://www.ratskeller.ch/

historic restaurant with Swiss specialties

Wysses Rössli
Hauptplatz 3
+41.41.811.19.22

http://roessli-schwyz.ch/

4 star restaurant and hotel on the main square

When you walk into a kitchen supply store, sometimes the sheer variety of tools can make your head spin.  Each one designed for a particular food or purpose – a spoon to scoop out your avocado, a different one for your kiwi, a special knife to carve your pineapple and yet another one to hull your strawberries.  For me, the best (worst?) example was a peanut butter spoon I once saw in New York City!  Really, a spoon just for peanut butter.  Need I say more?

What I learned this past weekend in Schwyz is that this concept is not new.  With the 125 year anniversary of Victorinox, a special exhibit just began at the Forum of Swiss History in the town of Schwyz, about an hour away from Zürich by public transportation.  The Swiss Army Knife as an icon.  Not only can you trace the evolution of the famous red pocket knife with the immediately recognizable emblem, but you can also trace the history of the knife as a tool, even including some examples from the Roman era.  The collection on display is truly impressive.  When I asked the lady at the museum how many knives they had in total, her eyes grew large and she laughed, as if I had asked her how many people in the world have a Swiss Army Knife?!  

To each his own – and by that I mean his own knife: a knife for the architect, the mohel (to perform Jewish circumcisions), the flint-striker, the juggler, the kosher butcher, the hunter and the horseman – his knife the one with the hoof scraper, but of course.  A knife for every sized hand too – the smallest measuring just 2mm, and the largest having 314 blades, giving it a place in the 1992 Guinness Book of World Records. Overall, the exhibit spanned time periods, countries, professions and cultures too.  

Above left is the drude’s (or elves’) knife, dating back to 1867 from Germany.  These were placed in the doorway of a stable or in a baby’s crib to ward off evil drudes, the crosses and moons having protective magic effects.  The other 2 knives, above right, make quite a contrast together. First a pocket knife for today, with its glitzy exterior and USB key!  Next to it, an ostrich-feather trimmer from the 19th century.  What would women’s hats be without ostrich feathers, the ultimate fashion accessory.  Too delicate to pluck with any other knife, they had their own.  

It was a truly fascinating exhibit, and I highly recommend it.  Up next here on the blog – more on the town of Schwyz and what to do after this cultural lesson in cutlery.  Here’s a hint – grab your Swiss Army Knife and head to a nearby mountain for a hike and a picnic!  Stay tuned…

 
Special exhibit on the Swiss Army Knife – A Tool that’s Become an Icon
May 16 – October 18, 2009
Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am ? 5 pm

Forum of Swiss History
Zeughausstrasse 5
6431 Schwyz
Switzerland
+41.41.819.60.11

In celebration of the Jubilee, Victorinox has also organized a North American Road Tour, spreading the word from place to place: “125 Years, Your Companion for Life.” They were just in San Francisco, and are heading next for Vail, followed by Seattle, Chicago, Boston, Montreal and ending in NYC late August. Take a look at the website for more information:

http://125years.swissarmy.com/

You all probably know by now that I have a real fondness not just for sweets, but also for markets!  Every city I visit, I always love to visit the local market.  You can learn so much from seeing the people interacting with the vendors, the different products they have and how they’re presented.  You can simply get lost in the rainbow of colors.  I am all about taking advantage of what is in season too: I jumped at the first arrival of fresh figs in September, got awfully excited about my discovery of mini kiwis in October, ate a few blood oranges a day in March and now – it’s all about rhubarb! (more…)

A quick detour to the rapeseed fields of the French countryside, and now back to Venice we go… for a few sweet addresses to put away in your travel files. And a sweet announcement to go with: this is MyKugelhopf’s 101st post! I hope along the way, your sweet tooth has been satisfied, travel plans have been made, and perhaps out have come the baking pans too! Here’s to the next 100! A big thank you for joining in the adventures here and for your comments, which I love! (So please do keep them coming!)

To mark the occasion, I thought of sharing my 101 favorite Venetian sweets with you – but I don’t want you all to go in to sugar shock. Just a few highlights instead. My travels serendipitously led me to these places below…

My mother had brought me back bags of delicious meringue-like cookies and treats from her trip to Venice years ago, and I could still picture the label.  It had a round, brown or red flower on it, as I recalled.  While I didn’t know the name of the pasticceria, I knew I wanted to find it!  And there it was, in one of Venice’s most renowned pastry shops, no surprise to find the label there.  Marchini, I said to myself, but of course!

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We’re going to take a quick detour from Venice – don’t worry, we’ll return real soon, and I’ll share some excellent sweet Venetian addresses here on the blog.  Back from Italy, I found myself in France this past weekend, thinking only about seeing my in-laws, savoring la bonne cuisine de ma belle-mère (traditional French cuisine) and bringing back boxes of stuff I had left there.  But in the car on the way there, we forgot all of that – and could not take our eyes off of the landscape around us (attention to the driver!).  To our left, to the right and far ahead of us, it was all… yellow.

All weekend long, I asked my family to think of one object – anything – to describe the yellow color to others.  Yellow like… <fill in the blank>.  Nothing.  Crayola doesn’t even have a shade this bright and powerful.  All I could come up with was a fluorescent yellow highlighter pen.  Think of the ink – or better yet, paint cans full of it – just spilling out over the French countryside, filling fields to all corners.  A color like this, of purely natural origin.  It takes your breath away.

So what is it?  They are fields of rapeseed flowers (colza en français) whose black seeds give us rapeseed oil, perhaps more commonly referred to as canola oil (Canada oil).  It is a heart-healthy vegetable oil used for cooking, quite versatile in the kitchen, with a subtle nutty flavor.  More exciting (to me) than the oil though, were the endless fields we saw on our drive from Zürich to France, about an hour southwest of Paris in the region called Les Yvelines.

I felt as if we were following the famous Yellow Brick Road of Dorothy’s adventure in the 1939 classic “Wizard of Oz.”  Only, our brick road was France’s autoroute A6!  The 700 km drive didn’t feel long since we were fully entertained with the scenery around us. The first leg towards the French border was filled with green fields, spotted with cows and sheep, and people walking with ski poles.  As we drove through Burgundy, it was pure yellow, a burst of color like when the film first went technicolor.  Vineyards here and there, and little stone houses looking as if they were dropped from above down on to the fields.  We then crossed the Morvan mountains and it was green once again, dense areas of trees reminding me of the Black Forest, but here the color was a vibrant lime green instead.  The mountains behind us, it was yellow again!  Mistletoe trees, horses and cows grazing in the fields, little villages with a church steeple stretching up above the roofs of houses. And that color, just beautiful. 

The period when the rapeseed flowers are in bloom is rather short, so if you have access to this landscape, I highly recommend taking advantage now, and enjoying the unique scenery.  Like we did below…

… And back in Zürich at the local Coop, guess what is on promotion…?!  

I knew I’d see gelato all over the place.  Trattorias and pizzerias left and right.  I was told about the carnival masks I’d be confronted with too, in every size and color.  And forget about “I love Venice” souvenirs – there’s no shortage of those either.  But I can’t believe no one ever told me about the omnipresence of… torrone !  That soft, chewy, white as snow confection, also known as nougat.  Yes, roughly 80% sugar and dotted with almonds, hazelnuts and/or pistachios.  It’s everywhere in Venice, and I could not have been more happy about that.  Not only nougat, but sugar in all different forms.  A true sweet tooth heaven.  Who knew?!

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