August 3, 2011
Buongiorno from Ticino!
Things I love about being unemployed ::
It’s temporary | You never know what day it is | I can leave the country for three weeks and chill in Switzerland with my favorite aunt + uncle.
Things I love about Switzerland ::
Everything is perfect here | I can drink vino all day long | Everything is perfect here.
Did I mention everything is perfect here? Here’s proof. Here’s the view from where I’m blogging ::
The view from my aunt + uncle's patio...
I’m travelling through Switzerland with a beloved chum from business school and a long-time friend from my San Diego days {who, I oddly enough, met at step aerobics. And yes, people born after 1970 still do old school cardio aerobics. Don’t judge}. We just celebrated Swiss National Day… or aka, the Swiss version of Independence Day… and they do it pretty much the same here as we do in the States :: alfresco dining | grillin’ | fireworks | a hooky day from work | and lots of beer + vino.
I’ll keep this entry short + sweet simply b/c I’d much rather be partaking in Swiss-esque things such as …private boat rides | chocolate-eating | walking in my MBTs… than blogging away on my keyboard. Plus, I talked your ear off last time {hi-five to people who hung in there and read the whole thing. It’s good karma, I swear}. Just know this :: as a Jessup Ambassador, I’m both spreading the good word of Jessup {and Napa wines in general} aaaaand partaking in the self-education of global vino discovery. In the beginning of our trip, I was trying to stick to Swiss wines, but now that we’re in Lugano, I’m loving all the Italian wines we have to choose from here.
We had an amazing Barolo the other night… Barolo Bricco Francesco – a wine that my uncle stumbled upon at a Kellogg alumni wine tasting in Italy {this is good news… it means my stint as a Kellogg wine club leader can live on over time and across international borders}. Word on the street is that my uncle smuggled quite a few bottles across the Swiss/Italian border… so I’m hoping we get a few more glasses before we move onto our next set of adventures.
Other interesting wines we’ve met on this journey include a Swiss white merlot from a local wine shop {which was pleasantly fruity without being too sweet}, a white wine from Ticino that was the perfect accompaniment to the lox, pate, cheese spread we had going on, and a Sicilian cab that made our 4th of July …er, Swiss National Day… hamburgers shine.
We’re off to Lake Como today to find George Clooney – uh, I mean, more great wine… and then we’re off to Cinque Terre, Milan, Berlin, Heidelberg, and Munich. My vino palate might get muted with all the beer we’ll be drinking in Germany, but I have a feeling it’ll be hard to resist all the great German whites we’ll have at our disposal.
Until then… I’ll leave you with my current {and very Euro} obsessions ::
MBTs – Don’t even get me started on these shoes… They’re a Swiss brand, but I bought my pair from Amazon and I never want to take them off. Granted, they look ridiculous… but they feel damn good. Luckily, in Switzerland, I’m one of many who are rocking these kicks. In America, I get weird stares.
Squid Ink Pasta – I just can’t get enough. And I can’t wait until we’re in Cinque Terre, where they are supposedly known for having the best squid ink pasta. *drool, drool, drool*
Photogging – I’m becoming one of those. Those tourists who can’t resist stopping in front of large crowds to selfishly get a photo, or those tourists who take photos of every meal. I’ve unleashed the Asian tourist in me and I just. can’t. stop.
Xo ::
Jess
