Cheese & Castles

We had a rare weekend in Basel so we decided to take advantage of a few of the (somewhat) local sights.  On Saturday we headed to the Southern Alsace town of Vieux-Ferrette to visit the famous cheese maître Fromagerie Antony.

Antony is considered one of the best affineurs in France (and perhaps the world).  An affineur is the person that ages cheese. They receive cheeses completely fresh, before they've developed, and take care of the cheeses in such a way that they acquire their own unique characteristics.  Depending on the type of cheese, they may brush, wash, and rotate the wheels.

The only way to sample Antony's cheese is to visit one of the Michelin starred restaurants who he provides cheese to (there are ~19 Michelin three star restaurants with his cheese on the menu) or to visit his shop for a cheese tasting in the ~10 seat tasting room.  Needless to say we choose the latter.  We sampled 8 different goat, sheep and cow cheeses (all unpasteurized) along with a demi bottle of Alsatian wine.  We enjoyed each cheese and even took some home with us (in addition to tastings he also has an extensive cheese store - more people stopped in to buy cheese than to do a formal tasting).

On Sunday we took the tram to Arlesheim, one of the suburban towns outside of Basel.  On the hills overlooking town are two castles - schloss Birseck & schloss Reichenstein.  It was a nice walk up and around the hills, but unfortunately the castles are not open for visitors until May.  Oh well, it was still a nice walk on a Sunday.

Burgundy & Bobovski's

My parents visited us Easter weekend (after their Spain/Portugal trip).  In Switzerland, Thursday thru Monday was a holiday so Matt didn't have to work, yippee!  We walked around Basel and at the big Munster church we ended up attending a small "mittags gebet" which Matt thought was a concert since he had seen some brochures but it was really midday prayer!  We couldn't just get up and walk away, so we stayed (it was 20 minutes in Swiss-German).  Afterward, it was pretty cold and rainy so it didn't take us long to find a nice traditional braurei downtown for some good eats and beer!

The following day we took a little road trip to Dijon through the Burgundy wine region.  We stopped in Beaune, a cute wine town with cobblestone streets, and a lot of delectable looking shops, most of which were unfortunately closed for the holiday.  In the middle of the old town is a splendid medieval charity hospital, Hotel-Dieu (circa 1443).  Why is a hospital called a hotel in French - confusing?  Oh, did I mention it was snowing?  After filling up at a busy bistro we headed to the old candelit cellars of the former Eglise des Cordeliers, now the Marche aux Vins.  It's a self-guided tour with barrels set out with different varieties of wine to try.  Our tasting vessel was the little "tastevin" sommeliers in restaurants use, how fun!  The wine itself wasn't terribly great but it was an exceptional and unique tasting indeed!  I think the Bobo-parentals quite enjoyed it!

Now it was onward to Dijon.  We took the Route des Grands Crus, although the vineyards were in full winter mode with only twigs and it was snowing (slushily)!  Pretty countryside and little wine towns though.  By the time we arrived in Dijon the weather improved so we went on a nice walk around the old town, following the handy "owl trail".  It's quite a picturesque city.

We stayed the night in Dijon and did a bit more walking before heading home on Saturday.  On the way back, we took small roads through more wine towns/French countryside and stopped in Nuits St. Georges for another cavern tasting.  This time the wine was quite nice so we did not leave empty handed!

On Easter we had planned to take the gondola up to to Mt. Pilatus (near Luzern) for a lunch of cheese fondue, but it was so foggy we decided against it.  Instead, we went on a nice long walk around the city, and checked out the monument in the "3-countries corner" where Switerzland, Germany and France meet.  All in all, it was a wonderful weekend with the parentals!  Thanks to Mom & Dad Bobovski for treating us to some tasty meals in Basel, Beaune and Dijon!

Edinburgh

Wind.  Wynds.  Whisky. 

Edinburgh is definitely a charming city, but we battled frosty temperatures and extreme wind over the weekend (minus 5° C with the wind chill).  Brrrr!  There happened to be a severe winter storm making its way through Scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England - just our luck!  We made the most of our situation and bundled up in warm clothing, scarves, hats and gloves (what I really wanted was a balaclava though!).  And every so often we’d pop into a shop or restaurant to warm up.  Props to Matt for taking his hands out of his warm pockets long enough to snap some great photos!  However, we saw a bunch of crazy guys who were completely under-dressed in only shirtsleeves and girls who were wearing tights with shorts?!  So silly. 

 

 

 

The city is so fascinating and old, entwining the buildings, castles and monuments with the cliffs they’re perched on.  The hilltop castle camouflages itself with the volcanic rock it sits on, making it almost invisible.  And the centuries of soot that cover the city’s skyline lend a hand in giving the buildings an extra eerie and mysterious vibe! 

  

 

  
The tangle of cobblestone alleys and narrow lanes (“wynds” and “closes”) filled with fun shops, small pubs or restaurants are a delight to explore.

  
We took another free walking tour and there was a surprisingly large turnout – 3 big groups in English and 1 in Spanish.  It was a mixture of history and story-telling, covering the main sights of the Old City from the Royal Mile up to Edinburgh Castle.  It was informative and fun, just soooo cold.  We learned where the term “shit-faced drunk” originated, ha!  Hundreds of years ago a city-wide regulation went into effect specifying that bed chamber pots were to be emptied (i.e., thrown out the window) only twice daily - once at 7 AM and again at 10PM at night, which coincided with the closing time of bars…..keep in mind that most people in the city lived in several storied buildings so when the warning “guardy-loo” was yelled prior to emptying the pot, drunk and disoriented men stumbling past would look up and get doused, thus the term “shit-faced” was born!  Fact or fiction?  I dunno, but it sounds reasonable to me!

About half-way through the tour, I could feel only 2 of my 10 toes and my face was pretty numb!  Luckily, we stopped for hot tea at a large pub to thaw out before continuing on.  Along the way we saw where JK Rowlings wrote the first few Harry Potter books, the cemetery where she found the names for some of her characters as well as the school that inspired Hogwarts.  Cool.  Fun stuff!  

I tried the traditional “haggis” for lunch, which consists of minced lamb and onion (as opposed to the heart, lungs and liver boiled in the stomach of the animal, which is how it was made back in the day), with a layer of mashed turnips and carrots nestled underneath.  It’s a hearty and flavorful dish but I give it mixed reviews – it was just ok in my opinion.

Bagpiper for a Scottish wedding!   

Many of Edinburgh’s museums offer free admission so we visited the National Museum, which explores Scottish history, the diversity of the natural world, different cultures, art and design as well as science and technology.   We also stopped by the National Gallery (free as well!)

On Saturday night we celebrated our 7th anniversary at Mark Greenaway, splurging on the tasting menu with wine pairing.  The food was imaginative and delicious, and the setting was warm and intimate.   A truly lovely evening!

Edinburgh Castle had amazing views and we arrived just in time for a short informational tour, providing the fortress’s highlights.  In the Great Hall we learned about the importance of kilts and how to properly assemble one (gotta make pleats).  I still think they look cold and don’t see how anyone could be “warm” wearing a wool skirt in freezing temperatures!

 

After the castle, it was time to warm up with the Scotch Whisky Experience!  It starts with a barrel ride through a replica distillery, along the way learning about the whisky making process.  We learned the different aromas and flavors that go into whisky from the different Scottish regions.  I hate pretty much most liquors, including whisky, so when it came time to “tasting” I took the smallest sip possible but it was still horrible.  It was a very nice exhibit overall, but not my drink of choice.  Matt said his was better….

 We also enjoyed fresh seafood in the neighborhood of Leith on the waterfront.

Time to head back to Basel and hopefully warm up!  Where is Spring??