May 2 , 2006 Update, Update, UPDATE! Easter, Reinach, Offenburg, Buchs, Winterthur, FOOD! Ya, ya, ya. I’m busy, okay? I’m really not sure what exactly is keeping me so busy (okay, I had about 10 articles due in one week, which kept me good and stressed there for a while), but the days just whiz by. Here are some overdue race reports, if you’re interested: Swisspower Cup #2 – Reinach, Basel Bundesliga MTB #1 – Offenburg, Germany Swisspower Cup #3 – Buchs, St. Gallen Swisspower Cup #4 – Winterthur, Zurich Easter was good times! Four kids (relatives of Sonya’s – Heinz, Marlena, Daniela and Christina – spent a few days with us and we coloured eggs. The fantastic folks downstairs (Silvia and Beat, with children Roman and Manuel – who you’ll remember as my superfan) had us over for a truly yummy Easter brunch. I think I’ll be talking a lot about food in this update. Me, Daniela, Marlena, Christina and Heinz showing off our eggs. Traditional Easter food is, of course, the egg. Now there’s a Swiss tradition called: “Eierdütsche” or egg bash. What happens is two contestants each take a hard boiled egg and grip it tightly in one hand, either bum first or front first, depending on what they decide. Then one of the contestants hits the other contestant’s egg with his/her egg. Whoever’s egg doesn’t break wins the round. The contestants then flip their eggs so the other side is facing out and repeat the hitting and whoever’s egg doesn’t break wins the round. The loser then has to give up his/her egg to the winner. The winner then goes on to compete with the next contestant. Daniela, Marlena and Christina showing off MY eggs. Another traditional food is a bread called “Züpfe” or “braid,” a braided buttery white loaf. It tastes best (in my opinion) spread with butter and honey. Our tasty Swiss brunch also included the required cheese platter, yogurt, muesli, coffee, other top-notch breads, sandwich meats, jams, fruit smoothies, “rösti” – a kind of potato hash and “Oschterflade” – from what I understand, it’s a kind of cake or pie with a cream of wheat filling. I didn’t actually try it, because I had to go do a four-hour training ride. An additional Swiss Easter tradition is the Easter tree or branch decorated with Easter eggs and other Eastery things. Kids also partake in Easter egg hunts here, just like in Canada , but the chocolate is WAY better – and cheaper. A 440g chocolate bunny costs 4.95 CHF, which is pretty much on par with the Canadian dollar. Martina bought me one a couple of days after Easter for ½ price. Sweet! Then we proceeded to melt it on the dashboard of the car to see what would happen. Well, I knew what would happen, but Martina needed proof that it would, in fact, turn into a giant puddle formerly known as Easter Bunny. On the topic of Swiss foods, I don’t know if I’ve already sufficiently sung the praises of Swiss yogurt. I will list off a few fantastic flavours: Aloe vera (with actual chunks of this healing plant in the yogurt – surprisingly fresh and tasty!) Coconut-chocolate (coconut-flavoured yogurt with coconut shavings and chocolate bits) Birchermuesli (plain yogurt with oats, hazelnut bits, apple bits and orange bits mixed in) Pistachio (pistachio-flavoured yogurt with pistachio bits) Pretty much any flavour is awesome and you can get almost anything – any fruit (apple, orange, pear, cherry, pineapple, peach, apricot, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, kiwi, papaya, fig, banana). I’ve also been exploring food traditional to different regions of Switzerland . Despite it being such a small country (it would fit into Vancouver Island in terms of area), it has 23 cantons or provinces. Each canton has a different dialect of Swiss German, French, Italian or Romanisch. Each region has different traditions, histories and foods. I’m interested most in the foods (of course). Solothurn Images of Solothurn. The other day, Sonya took me on a tour of Solothurn, a city near which she grew up. It has something like seven old (1600s) churches, an ancient clock tower, fountains, walls, towers, etc. Lots of history crammed into a small city that has been very well preserved. The downtown area is all cobblestone walking streets. Solothurn is also known for its specialty, the Solothurner Torte – a light torte with layers of japonais (meringue-like), cream and sponge. We went into a confisierie and bought one. Mmm…. Through a confiserie window.... Another specialty I wanted to try when I was in the canton of St. Gallen, was Sankt Galler Brot – a bread specific to the region. However, everything’s closed on Sundays (when I was there) except gas stations. And although gas stations have an amazing selection of fresh, quality baked goods (including crispy breads, croissants [plain and chocolate-filled], sandwiches [including brie on baguettes]), the gas station in St. Gallen didn’t have what I was looking for. Back in Canton Bern, the day after I got back from St. Gallen, however, we found the special bread. It was quite tasty, I think it had a bit of rye flour in it, making it a little denser, and it has little peaks on top, cause by cutting into the top of the loaf before baking. Daniela, a young friend of Sepp and Sonya’s who is currently learning to be a professional chef, is “studying” for her practical exam (which requires her to create a three-component dessert, including berries) by trying out her creations on us. The dessert consists of a blueberry-yogurt terrine, a berry strudel and a raspberry knoedel with vanilla sauce and a chocolate wafer. Daniela "studying" for her practical exam.... A+! Boy of the Week This week’s Boy of the Week title goes to… drum roll please… Andri Feldmann! Andri is Martina’s younger bro and he’s living and working in Switzerland . He is also our race support, slave boy. Unfortunately for all of you, he's taken. Wonder boy, Andri! Runner up this week is the newly crowned Mister Switzerland (we watched the pageant on Saturday night): Miguel San Juan! I approve, since he has Spanish blood. Rrrow! And he's single, ladies! Mister Schweiz!