Friday night was another dinner party here at the Schaub household. Aside from me, guests included Steve and Valerie, Steven and Annmarie, and of course Ann and Roland. We had a traditional Suisse dinner: Raclette. The term means 'to scrape' and here is how it goes: With a Raclette grill placed on the dining room table, I placed a square piece of salted cheese and place it on a paddle. The grill has 2 levels and I put the cheese on the 1st level so it would be heated from above. On the top of the grill we placed bacon. Once the cheese became bubbly and gooey, I took it out from the heat and with a smaller wooden paddle, scraped the cheese onto a boiled potato. With a piece of cooked bacon and a few spices (cumin and black pepper), I was all set to go. For sides there was salad, shaved carrots (which they put salad dressing on) olives, mushrooms and pickles. It was wicked good! Steven is from Scotland and has been living here for at least 10 years. By learning French, he is very interested in how to English language works, so we talked about accents and different phrases used. If anyone goes to England or Scotland, don't use the phrase 'fanny pack'--very bad. For dessert Valerie made Banana's Foster. There was much cheering when the rum was lit in the pan. After dinner drinks of wine and tea with a splash of rum finished the evening. It was wicked fun.
The next morning Ann took me on a walking tour of La-Chaux-de-Fonds. I had a great time learning about the history of the town, the different style of buildings and the presence of Art Nouveau.
My pictures have taken on an unexpected theme: windows. Being that my past book on life is now closed and I am starting anew, I am looking forward to getting pictures framed and this theme is one that I think will be pretty cool.
This town is easy to pass by and Ann said a lot of people think there isn't much to see. But you have to go down the side streets and explore to find the many hidden gems that are just beneath the surface. Ann would open doors to different buildings that she knew were something to see. It felt like trespassing and probably would be considered that back in the States, but not here. Some history: a very famous architect was born here and worked here: Le Corbusier. Many of the impressive buildings he designed and built. Another famous person born here: Louis Joseph Chevrolet. That's right, that very American car company came from a man born right here. Halfway through our tour we stopped at a farmer's market. A section was cordoned off and we found out there was a bomb scare at the nearby post office. But that didn't stop us from sticking around! The chief of police was there, which was a big deal--it seems like he is somewhat of a celebrity here and he was very calm, so everything was under control. Steven and Annmarie were sitting outside having coffee so we joined them before continuing our walking tour.
Around 3:00 we came back home and had lunch (I need to start buying good, thick bread back home and not the pre-sliced stuff) and then Ann, Roland and I were off to the country-side. That's the thing about this town--you can be in the city and then 15 minutes later be in the country. And that is how quickly we found ourselves in Creux du Van, albeit a bit of a longer drive because Ann and Roland wanted to show me the fantastic scenery. We hiked to the top and the day was clear so we could see the Alps in the distance. On the way back we stopped at the mountain farm that has a small restaurant--very typical of mountain-side farms here to offer food, drink and lodging for that extra source of income.
We got back to the house around 8:00 and had dinner with their 2 boys, John-Michael and Benjamin. The trout was excellent! The boys were drinking a concentrated fruit juice (they added water) so I tried some, coughed a bit, and then decided it wasn't so bad. Tasted like kool-aid. Another night of wine, good company and conversation with a nightcap of Lemoncello and I retired for the night around 1:30.
So this brings me to my last day here. We are just going to chill at the house until my train at 3:00. I get into Orange around 9:30 tonight and Guyonne will pick me up. I'm not sure if she has internet access so it might be awhile before another post!
So this brings me to my last day here. We are just going to chill at the house until my train at 3:00. I get into Orange around 9:30 tonight and Guyonne will pick me up. I'm not sure if she has internet access so it might be awhile before another post!
5 comments :
Glad you enjoyed your stay with us. I surely enjoyed your company - and skipping school on Friday! Saying goodbye was almost like saying goodbye to family. You kind of grew on me. Have a fun time in France and Amsterdam! Can't wait to read more...
Glad you enjoyed your stay with us. I surely enjoyed your company - and skipping school on Friday! Saying goodbye was like saying goodbye to family - you sort of grew on me. Have tons of fun in France and Amsterdam. Look forward to readimg more.
So glad to read that you are having a great time and that you were able to get some hiking in! We'll work on the good crusty loaf loaf of bread for your return. Fondue and photo night!?! Hope there's internet at Guyonne's.
Absolutely love the pictures and videos - all of the cowbells were wicked cool. Super Monkey est tres chic in his brown coat on the train and then in his striped garb. Bonjour to Guyonne. Bon nuit from me.
Thanks for all of the great descriptions of the local cuisine! It really got my mouth watering and my tummy growling! The only way to really experience the local cuisine is to eat with the locals. I'm glad you are having a good time and I look forward to more posts about your gastronomical adventures.
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