Die Schweiz ist sehr teuer!

So first let me start with food and then I will share adventures in Switzerland.

The following was on the menu this week:

- Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Cheddar and Tomato Basil Cheese
I attempted tomato soup from scratch...not my greatest accomplishment but when paired with a delicious grilled cheese sandwich who cares.

- Stuffed Bell Peppers with Oven Roasted Potatoes
These were a great success and the creamy tomato sauce that accompanied them was wonderful with the potatoes too. Yum!




- Brownies mit Guss (Brownies with Frosting)
So my landlord lent me her Amerikanisch Backen book in German and I swear most of the recipes are for things that I have never heard of or seen in America before. There are some trifles, torts, pies, and cakes but they are all very different. I decided to attempt brownies with frosting so I translated the ingredients and directions and went to the store. The brownie part was pretty standard and the only difference was using packets of Vanilla Sugar instead of Vanilla Extract. They are probably the best brownies from scratch  have ever made before. Then we get to the Frosting. The ingredients include orange juice, butter, whipping cream, and susser fruchtspeck. The last thing literally translates to "sweet fruit bacon" and I had no idea what that was. I went to three grocery stores and asked two store clerks and two shoppers (in German of course) what it was and where I could find it. Nobody knew and since one woman suggested I use confectioner's sugar (which makes sense) I tried that. Well it turns out that sweet fruit bacon is an important ingredient because my frosting did not turn out. It made the brownies sweet and moist but FAIL.


- Kaiserschmarren (sweet pancake pieces with raisins)
I made this for breakfast this morning and it was quite delicious. Served with plum compote and actually made with dried blueberries since I bought them on accident, the dish is not as sweet as a typical American pancake. Next time I will serve them with a little bit of honey drizzled on top.

Now onto Switzerland, the most expensive country in the world where the median household income is the equivalent of $100,000. The people have much lower purchasing power though because everything is super expensive. For example, in Zurich, a Double Cheeseburger from McDonalds cost $11! For only the sandwich! One nice thing about Zurich though is that the public bathrooms were free.

We drove into Zurich with two other American trainees early in the morning on Saturday and got right to hiking. We drove to the outskirts of the city where the locals walk, accidentally parked next to the Police building (which we realized upon our return) and walked up hill. We hiked in a rather zigzag fashion to Uetliberg at the top and then walked down a steep incline back to our car. The views were great but I think we did the paths backwards.

Then we drove downtown into the city, parked and walked around the Altstadt. To make the trip cost effective we had lunch from a street vendor of sausage and burgers. We did not obtain Swiss Francs but everyone we encountered accepted either Euros or credit cards. It was definitely a gorgeous day so we enjoyed the views of the city and then decided spontaneously to take a 1.5 hour round trip boat ride around the lake. The wind was a little cool but we enjoyed the lakeshore views of the city and surrounding areas. We window shopped for a little while before heading back to our car to drive South to Rapperswil near the bottom of the lake. The drive was about 30 minutes on the interstate with the lake on our left and the mountains on our right. Pretty awesome!

After parking in this small old village, I wanted to check out a brewery that I found online. It was located in a  warehouse subdivision and we almost missed it. The craft brewery had a bar and small tables with the brewery in the back and when we walked in we heard English. The craft brewery was started by a brewer originally from New Zealand. He married a Swiss teacher and has been living in Zurich for more than 25 years. His business partner is an American who now lives in Zurich after marrying a Swiss teacher as well. They have investors and distribute their beer bottled and by kegs to local restaurants. In Switzerland you do not need a distributor. The brewer gave us samples of his beer on tap which included an IPA, we each had a glass, and I bought a few bottles.

We ended up hanging out in the brewery until almost 8 so we walked across the parking lot to a delivery chicken and pizza place for a family size (60 cm) pizza with ham, spinach, and pineapple. It is intended for six people, but four Americans had no problem finishing it. Then unfortunately it was too dark to walk around downtown Rapperswil by the lake, to the castle, and onto the longest wooden walking bridge in Europe. But we had a great time!

We had a relatively inexpensive day at the most expensive city I have ever been too. I wish the brewery well in their attempt to bring craft beer to Switzerland!