Mont-Pèlerin, Switzerland: The Country Manor & The Cable Car (1st of 6 parts) Vevey, Switzerland: The Old Town, A Great Big Fork, & Charlie Chaplin (2nd of 6 Parts) Vevey, Switzerland: The Market & The Museum – 2 Photo Essays (3rd of 6 Parts) Lausanne, Switzerland: Up The Hills & Fondue for Two (4th of 6 parts) Geneva, Switzerland: The Smallest Big City In Europe (5th of 6 parts) Fondue x Four: Food in Switzerland (Last of 6 parts) Contrary to what others believe, Geneva is not the capital of Switzerland (it’s Bern). Geneva is also very small, a mere 282 km2 of enclosed land sharing almost its entire border with France. Considered the central crossroads of Western Europe, Geneva is only an hour by plane to Paris or Milan and less than two hours from London, Rome or Madrid. While other Swiss cities like Zurich and Basel outnumber Geneva in population (roughly 450,000 in the Canton of Geneva), Geneva ranks first with its number of foreign people within its population: around 45% are foreigners representing nearly 180 nationalities. Over the centuries, these waves of refugees brought their skills and made Geneva a world ...

Mont-Pèlerin, Switzerland: The Country Manor & The Cable Car (1st of 6 parts) Vevey, Switzerland: The Old Town, A Great Big Fork, & Charlie Chaplin (2nd of 6 Parts) Vevey, Switzerland: The Market & The Museum – 2 Photo Essays (3rd of 6 Parts) Lausanne, Switzerland: Up The Hills & Fondue for Two (4th of 6 parts) Geneva, Switzerland: The Smallest Big City In Europe (5th of 6 parts) Fondue x Four: Food in Switzerland (Last of 6 parts) Lausanne is hilly. It challenges my cardio strength that’s evidently weakened by the 3°C chill. Built on three hills that rise in tiers, Lausanne is the cultural and economic center of French-speaking Switzerland. The heart of Lausanne’s Old Town called Vieille Ville, is Place St-François. I see it as a crossroads of sorts where -- if I stand in one place -- I see various roads leading uphill, a glimpse of cars zipping by on the busy street, lots of people coming and going, and ...

Mont-Pèlerin, Switzerland: The Country Manor & The Cable Car (1st of 6 parts) Vevey, Switzerland: The Old Town, A Great Big Fork, & Charlie Chaplin (2nd of 6 Parts) Vevey, Switzerland: The Market & The Museum – 2 Photo Essays (3rd of 6 Parts) Lausanne, Switzerland: Up The Hills & Fondue for Two (4th of 6 parts) Geneva, Switzerland: The Smallest Big City In Europe (5th of 6 parts) Fondue x Four: Food in Switzerland (Last of 6 parts) We’re off to the market today at Vevey’s Grande Place. Every Tuesday and Saturday the immense square is filled with farmers and their produce and there’s an arts and crafts market too. Admittedly, I’m disappointed with this market. There aren’t as many stalls as I thought there’d be and the assortment of fruits and vegetables is far from stellar. This Swiss market pales in comparison to the ones I went to in Rotterdam and Paris. It may be because it’s winter or the late hour I’ve come (10:00 am); nevertheless, I wander around to see what’s on display....

Mont-Pèlerin, Switzerland: The Country Manor & The Cable Car (1st of 6 parts) Vevey, Switzerland: The Old Town, A Great Big Fork, & Charlie Chaplin (2nd of 6 Parts) Vevey, Switzerland: The Market & The Museum – 2 Photo Essays (3rd of 6 Parts) Lausanne, Switzerland: Up The Hills & Fondue for Two (4th of 6 parts) Geneva, Switzerland: The Smallest Big City In Europe (5th of 6 parts) Fondue x Four: Food in Switzerland (Last of 6 parts) Upon reaching Vevey, the first thing that my Bin and I see is the expansive headquarters of Nestlé right smack on the waterfront. The Y-shaped green glass building is known as Palais Nestlé, a most appropriate title for something that stretches a full block. It was here in 1867 that Henri Nestlé established what is now the world’s largest food manufacturer. Walking past the structure, visions of Nescafé and Maggi flit through my mind, as well as the baking demo I did for Nestlé Philippines back in ‘06. It’s cloudy today in Vevey, a resort town along the Swiss Riviera that hugs the northwestern shores of Lake Geneva. The lake echoes the ...

Mont-Pèlerin, Switzerland: The Country Manor & The Cable Car (1st of 6 parts) Vevey, Switzerland: The Old Town, A Great Big Fork, & Charlie Chaplin (2nd of 6 Parts) Vevey, Switzerland: The Market & The Museum – 2 Photo Essays (3rd of 6 Parts) Lausanne, Switzerland: Up The Hills & Fondue for Two (4th of 6 parts) Geneva, Switzerland: The Smallest Big City In Europe (5th of 6 parts) Fondue x Four: Food in Switzerland (Last of 6 parts) It’s almost 11 pm (local time) when my Bin and I arrive in Geneva, Switzerland. It’s pitch black and we can’t see a thing as we speed along in the Mercedes Benz hotel limo. The cold, however, is more than evident – at 3°C, we feel it in our tropical bones. We’re headed for the Le Mirador Kempinski on Lake Geneva, which is a 50-minute fast drive from the Geneva International Airport. Bleary-eyed from a 15-hour flight, we stumble into our hotel room, and immediately almost all traces of fatigue disappear as we take in the lush surroundings. We’ve been given a suite (!) that boasts a separate living room, a Jacuzzi, two TVs, a ...

I'm off to Switzerland, my first travel overseas for the year. This time, I won't play coy with you by not telling you where I'm going, but what I will keep secret is where in Switzerland I'm off to. (Hee hee). You'll have to wait for those posts when I get back in about two weeks. This trip is extra special for me because of two things: my 10th year wedding anniversary with my Bin (which was last December 26), AND I'll also be celebrating my birthday (the 34th!) in Switzerland on February 16. (big smile). Keep on checking this space. I'll be back before you know it, and remember to always squeeze some dessert in everyday. * Note: cover photo from here.

The first time I tried Barako coffee, it packed so powerful a wallop that my head involuntarily whipped backwards. Freshly brewed and given to me in a Styrofoam cup, it was – as the Turkish proverb goes – “… black as hell, strong as death…” although there was no way it was “… and sweet as love.” So unprepared was I for the caffeinated shock that I weakly asked my friend who had given me the coffee, “Got any creamer around, by chance?” I never take my coffee black, really, I’m not that macho (yet), but I’m terribly proud of our local coffee and patronize it whenever I can. There’s a place in Serendra called Kape Isla that honors Philippine coffee. It’s a little coffee shop with a big mission: to uplift the quality of Philippine coffee and to increase awareness about it. A project of the Philippine Coffee Board, the café complements its efforts to promote the finest Philippine coffee and to sustain the growing industry. The choices of beans alternate every two weeks and are featured as the Coffee of the Week. This is the perfect place to take my ...

How can I not love a place with “butter” in its name? In addition, how can I not love something called Butter Diner? It’s a “greasy spoon” of a place that embodies everything great about the diner: generous amounts of a wide variety of (usually American) food served in an environment gleaming with stainless steel and vivid colors joined with gaudy art deco patterns and 50s-60s memorabilia. Here, chrome is king, Formica is fashionable, and retro rules. In Manila, this American cultural institution is captured in the likes of Gram’s Diner, Filling Station, and now, Butter Diner. Unsurprisingly, the (ahem) butter-yellow spot standing where Fiesta Carnival once stood, fits very well into the diverse fabric that is Cubao. Diners are called “greasy spoons” probably because of their pervasive smell of grease. Butter Diner is no exception, and while it makes my nose wrinkle at first, I eventually get used to it. The yellow booths remind me of – what else? butter -- ...