In a quiet fishing village in northern Croatia, a young chef is creating some of the most simple, divine fish dishes in Istria. He’s doing so in a small, modest tavern, cooking alongside his mother and mother-in-law, using the fish his father catches, and bringing the dishes to the tables himself. Sounds picture perfect to me.  Sort of like the streets of Burano, with their labyrinth of clean, cobblestoned streets, houses and boats splashed with a rainbow of vibrant colors. After leaving Venice and that charming island, I headed to Istria, the northernmost region in Croatia, about a 3 hour drive away. Some of you may recall a few highlights I shared last year, like my favorite port town Rovinj, zoo-like Brioni islands and a chocolate soufflé I have recreated here many times in Zürich. It worked out nicely that the chef’s chocolate of choice was Lindt – not too difficult to find here in Switzerland!

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I love finding goodies in my mailbox, whether it be a new magazine I am subscribed to, a book I ordered online, or better yet, surprises by way of a care package from my parents in New York City or a postcard with a simple “thinking of you” from a friend or family member around the world. Guy Trebay wrote a wonderful piece on the future of the postcard in this social media heavy world (Travel + Leisure, February 2010), and I too grow saddened at a world without traditional paper postcards, mailed with a licked stamp, arriving days or weeks after you’ve already returned home from that trip.  I send hand-written letters, use a filo-fax, make lists with a pencil and eraser, have vintage postcards and paper photos on my wall and love checking out the fun, new stamps at the post office. And of course, I send postcards on my travels. (more…)

Rain, sun, winter, summer, all in one day even… the weather isn’t something we can all depend on right now.  So in these times of uncertainty, you need to look to something that is a constant, that will always be there, that will never let you down.  What’s that, you ask? Chocolate, of course.

Seems like many of you have a sweet tooth like I do.  Time for another chocolate roundup! Below are just a few of the many chocolates I have tasted lately.  Don’t forget to let me know what you’ve been tasting too!

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Not far behind my love for sweets and for markets,… you may have picked up on my love for Zürich.

I love Zürich. I love going for a stroll through the old town, a run along the river, a picnic off the lake… staring out at the snow-capped Alps not too far off in the distance, passing fields of wild flowers, fishermen at work and crew boats gliding on the water.

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