Saturday, December 28, 2013

203/356: Cooking At Mom's

Today marked the first time that I cooked at my mom's place. Not the first time I cooked for her though.. I am not that bad a son.

We skipped our usual christmas fondue chinoise and decided that each sibling would prepare one course and our mom could relax for a change. It was a really good idea too. The food was delicious and mom was relaxed. What more do you want?

If you are reading this, thanks and here is picture of a burger we had for mains:


( I made my famous gyoza for starters)


202/356: Beertasting; White Rascal

After an exciting post about a museum visit, it is back to beer tasting.

This time around I had a White Rascal by Avery Brewing, a brewery from Boulder, Colorado.


This is another entry in my "good beers from NA" list.
I seriously have to revise my opinion about american beers. This one was pretty strong in taste but really pleasant. After a long day of work the 5,6% also got me pretty tipsy. Having the beer was fitting because I was watching an NFL game. Let's go steelers!

201/356: Alpine Museum Bern

Enough of all the food (although there is more to come in the next few posts).

Last Sunday I went to the alpine museum here in Bern. I went because I read about it in the paper a few weeks back. Because I couldn't imagine what they could display in an alpine museum and because I wanted to take a break from the food posts.

Once I got there I got told that there is a special exhibition about SAC (Schweizer Alpine Clup) so the Swiss alpine club. Or the club where all the people that like to hike meet. To be honest, it didn't sound very interesting but since I was there I thought I might as well go see it.

The museum is a lot smaller than I thought. Also at first glance, it didn't look any more interesting than I thought it would be. But actually I was wrong. They put a lot of thought into the exhibition. The SAC has huts scattered around the Swiss Alps to accommodate hikers that do multiple day trips and the exhibition was structured like you are in one of the huts.

Still, after about an hour I had seen everything and I was on my way again. It did leave me with a desire to go do a 2-3 day hike though. Maybe it will be a first for 2014. I will try to do it before this project is over. 156 days left in which I can do it.

 A Swiss flag waving in the wind (well fans) to welcome the visitors.
 hello there furry friend. In the visitors book you leave information about your last hike.


 Information is in the form of maps

 You have to build a route to the top.

 Cans of fresh mountain air.

 You could actually change the LP and play different music.

 People sleep even closer in the huts than in hostels.


Wednesday, December 25, 2013

198/199/200/356: Food and Drinks

I have to catch up on a few days and since this stuff is pretty standard (read boring) I decided to do three days in one post.

Yeah I said I would never taste it again, but in my defense I did buy it both in the same day and it is a different juice.. if you can call it that at all. To be fair, this one tasted a little more like fruits and not just like sugar. Still, no reason to go back to this brand of drink


Aha, another energy drink. There are so many of them out there nowadays. I don't do them often for my firsts because when I do a tasting, it is usually in the evening and during the week. So drinking an energy drink will make sure I will not be able to sleep when I have to. 

Actually I didn't invest any time to see what is in it or what it is made off. The name lets me guess that is has something to do with absinthe but really that is just a guess. It tasted a little bitter bad not in a bad way. I actually quite liked it. 


Following to drinks I picked up a sweetie grapefruit. I kid you not, it is actually called that. It is also green on the outside and bigger than a usual grapefruit. I really liked it. It tasted like a mix between a grapefruit and an orange. You should go and try one!

Size comparison with a normal sized orange.

197/356: Restaurant Plattform

I like to do a little something for my team at the end of the year. 

So this year I invited them to dinner. We went to the restaurant Plattform. I had actually never been there but I found it online and it sounded quite nice. the special thing about is, that it is more or less six different restaurants. So you have different kitchens, serving different kinds of food. I picked it because I thought everybody on my team will find something to eat there. 

The food was actually quite good but I guess that a restaurant that specializes in one kind of food is probably still better. I spotted something on the menu though that will make me go back there pretty soon though. 


Yeah, those are grilled grasshoppers. I so want to try it! I will be back in the next few days. 

196/356: Four Packages

This is what happens when you do your Christmas shopping online.

I got four parcels, all from different shops, in one day. I had a little chuckle when I got home and found three of them waiting for me. Sadly none of that stuff is for me. It is all for my family and they will get it tonight.

Fourth package is not in the picture because I got it to work and forgot it there when I went home.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

195/356: Mulled Wine From The Open Fire

As you can tell from the titel, I had to stretch to make this a new one.

We had our quarterly meeting at work and afterwards mulled wine and sausages. This be the first time that I have mulled wine which was made over open fire. No difference in taste. The only difference was that afterwards I smelled like fire.


194/356: Calamans Juice Drink

It was a Sunday. It was a lazy Sunday.

I managed to go all the way to the next grocery shop and to grab something unfamiliar before going back home again. It is a small place which seems to be owned by an indian family. I haven't been there often but it is interesting because they have a few things you wouldn't find in a "normal" swiss grocery shop.

I picked up a "Calamans Juice Drink". I don't know where the juice in the name comes from. All I tasted was a lot of sugar. It wasn't quite as bad as the mountain dew I had a few weeks back but a close second. I don't think I have to try this again.


Thursday, December 19, 2013

193/356: Activity

Activity, what a pleasant surprise.

Activity is board game where you have to explain something with either signs, drawing or words. The other players then have to guess what you mean. The person (or group) who gets it right within the time limit, gets to move forward on the board.

At first I was a bit sceptical but so far the only new thing I had done today, was play the Hobbit Monopoly edition. That was only a variation of something I had played many times.

It was a lot of fun playing Activity and surprisingly I won two of four rounds. Seems I am good at explaining something. Not so sure about my skills at guessing something explained by someone else. This is definitely a game that I would recommend. Get some alcohol involved and it gets even better. It would also make for a good drinking game (drink something every time you guess right).



192/356: Grilled Cheese

I can't believe I have never had it

Grilled cheese that is. I have been trying hard to try and remember if I have ever had it. So far I have failed to do so. For that reason; last week was the first time I cooked and ate grilled cheese. It was good! A little heavy on the stomach but nothing a little tequila couldn't help with.


Looks a little weird, but tasted very good. I only had the trouble that I didn't know what to eat with it. Since I guessed it would be heavy, I only had a salad on the side.


191/356: Spaghetti Factory

I was about to head out to watch the second part of the Hobbit. Because I had no plans for today yet, I just went to a different restaurant.

I ended up going to the "Spaghetti Factory". Surprisingly enough I didn't even have Spaghetti. I did have pasta though. I can't tell you what the sauce was called but it was really nice. It was mostly oil and garlic. Oh how I loved the garlic. All in all I have to say that the restaurant offers a really good value. For the price the food is really good. I will be going back there.

I don't know why but it felt nice to go to a restaurant for lunch. One big hurrah for holidays. No pictures about the meal. I am always a bit embarrassed about those.


Monday, December 16, 2013

190/356: Trans Swiss Trail Stage 8: Laupen - Murten

Following my visit to the university, I decided to go for one more hike before the year ends.

The weather had been beautiful for a few days. Cold, crisp but without a cloud in the sky. So I decided to go for one more stage on the trans Swiss trail. This time time I would do stage 8; Laupen to Murten. I was actually really hyped that I would get one more stage before the year ends. I had wanted to do it for a while but I have been really busy in the last few months.

As soon as I arrived in Laupen, fog set in. And that fog would stay with me until the very end of the hike. Right before my train arrived in Bern, the sky cleared up again. Apparently the weather had been good here during the whole day. Huh. Lucky me I guess.

I am still glad that I went. Hiking in winter really has it's own appeal. I dressed appropriate so I never really felt cold. The only downer of the day was the fact that I missed the hourly train back to Bern by about 4-5 minutes. So I spent some more time in the fog.

The path itself was easy and just a quick three hours. I think the vista would have been very nice. But as it was with all the fog, there was not much to see.

I have a few days off around Christmas, if it is nice weather I might do another stage. Let's see.
For now I leave you with a few impressions.








189/356: University Lecture

I went to uni. For an hour at least.

In Switzerland it is quite common to not go to university but to do an apprenticeship after high school. Since I did an apprenticeship, I jumped at the chance to spend a little time in a university lecture. I got invited by somebody that helped me a good deal with project in that last few weeks.

She is studying to become a vet, so the lecture was about Osteochondritis dissecans in horses. To my surprise I found it really interesting. Also to my surprise I was able to follow it quite well. Keep in mind that that I haven't had any anatomy since high school. I can't even remember the last time.

It was a bit awkward to sit into a room full of people that clearly noticed that I had never been there before. That feeling intensified when I thought the lecturer had called me out to please step outside if I wanted to continue my conversation. As it turns out he meant the girls behind me. Since I was sticking out enough already I didn't take pictures of the lecture room. I did take a picture of the resident horse though.


It was a really cool experience and I would have stuck around for a little longer, so my thanks go to Nele to come up with the idea.

Friday, December 13, 2013

188/356: Tandoori & Yogurt flavored Potato Chips

Holidays, so much time.... to relax. Yeah, I am taking it easy these days. Just finished a really busy November so I am going to treat myself to a few days lounging around.

To keep that spirit up I went for a packet of Tandoori & Yogurt flavored Potato Chips last Monday. Again, something that was worth trying. They really tasted very good. I would and will get them again.


187/356: CakeFriends

Last Sunday I went to a place called Cakefriends. It's a little café in Zürich. It has been there even before I left Zürich so I was a little surprised that I had never heard of it before. Even more so after I had a muffin at that place. What a delicious little thing. Now to keep myself from going back to Zürich just for that place.


Thursday, December 12, 2013

186/356: Baking Cookies

The last Saturday I a tried to bake cookies.

I am a bit ashamed to admit but I but the dough all done. So I only had to make the shapes and put them in the oven. And surprisingly I still messed it up. In my defense, I bout the dough already done because I didn't want to buy all the kitchen utensils that I was missing to bake properly.

As I mentioned, I still managed to fail. I have never made cookies so I thought they had to be hard on the outside to indicate that they are done. Well I was wrong. Seems like it is OK for them to be soft... soooo the cookies turned out to be something for people with good teeth. They are still yummy but I am a little afraid I might chip my teeth on them.

I will have to try again before Christmas time is over. My ego demands it.




185/356: Wine; Magari

OK, I had time today. Finished school at noon and then went to the cinema and later to meet up with my family for dinner. But I have to admit I very nearly forgot to do something new. Good thing then that my dad ordered a wine I have never tasted. The wine was really good though. I really enjoyed it. Then again, I can't remember a time when the wine my dad ordered wasn't good.

Another crappy photo. Yay!

184/356: Dude The Beer

After school, on my way to fix my mom's computer (a problem that I caused myself *sigh*) and just a few hours before we had to hand in our project. I guess I don't have to say that I didn't have much time for exciting stuff.

So off I went to try a new craft beer. This one is, as it seems, from Switzerland. It was quite strong, in alcohol as well as taste. I am usually not a big fan of beers like that but this one was quite alright.

Also love the packaging ;)

sorry for the pictures.. taken with a potato


Tuesday, December 10, 2013

183/356: Café @ Sissach

During my preparations to hand in the last part of the school project, I went to Sissach to do some work with my project partner. 

We went to a cool cafe on which you can buy all the furniture. I thought it was a really nice Idea. It lent the whole place a interesting feel.No table looks the same. If it was anywhere near me, I would go there more often. We could use a place like this in Bern. 





Monday, December 9, 2013

182/356: Japanese Snack

I have no idea what the snack is called and I am not to sure about all the ingredients. I am sure though that it tastes awesome. I think I have found a new favorite snack. 

Oh I also had that tonic water for the first time but that is just a side note. 

181/356: Lego Star Wars Advent Calender

I have been a bit lazy about the blogging in the last few days. Please forgive me! I have a few days off now and I plan to catch up on all the things from the last few days.

Last Monday I got to open the first door of my Lego Star Wars Advent Calender. It was a very happy and joyous event. I am not sarcastic about that. I had been waiting to open it for a while.

This is the first advent calender I got myself, ever. I am not sure if you have advent calenders where you are from so let me explain the concept. You have a calender for December and every day you can open a door and you find a little toy, a sweet or a picture depending on what kind of calender you have. It is a awesome thing!

Doing this let me combine two things, I was able to get myself an advent calender and I was able to get some Lego. I wanted some Lego ever since I visited the Lego shop a few weeks back. I have the calender at work, so even if I have a bad day there, I still get to do something awesome. You wouldn't believe the amount of envy I get.






So since I am off for a few days, I will get many doors to open when I return to work. YAY!

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

180/356: Foxtrail Bern

It was a Sunday. It was a cold Sunday. It was a Foxtrail Sunday.

Foxtrail is a scavenger hunt you can do in a few cities in Switzerland. For example here in Bern. They are offering multiple hunts varying from 2 to 5 hours. This last Sunday I organized a couchsurfing event to do one of the short trails here in Bern.

So essential it works like this: You get a piece of paper with a few hints and on your way you go. You have to find further hints on your way until finally you arrive at your goal. Where nothing really happens. They take a picture of you thought.

I was a bit surprised by the amount of people that wanted to do it so I had to split us up into three groups of 5-6 people each. We had to start 15mins apart and didn't see each other again until the end.

It was a fun thing to do. And I would definitively recommend it, if you have a nice and warm day. We had a good time but it would have been better if the temperatures would not have been around freezing. The sole complaint that I have, is the fact that it is a bit overpriced. I am not sure if it is worth the 29.- we payed each.

 Looking at the information before we set out.

 Trying to figure out what we had to do here.. it was singing.. we sang the Swiss national hyme..

Here you had to shake your head really fast to see a number. The times I have walked past it and wondered what the blinking lights were. 

The note when you finish the path

 group 1.. cold
 group 3.. also cold
group 2.. too much fun to be cold?