Winding down

Hello all!  Happy Memorial Day to those of you back home!

It's hard to believe that it is the end of May already.  I know I've said it before, but time really is flying, and I'm not really sure where the first five months of this year have gone.  That said, I know that the next month will also go by in flash as I prepare to wind down my time in Geneva and transition back to the USA.

For those who haven't caught up on the major details, here are the basics:
- I am moving to New York in about a month.  My two year contract in Geneva was set to expire later this year, and the middle of the summer was the most logical timing for a transition from a work perspective.
- I will still be working for the same company, but I am changing up my client portfolio, as well as my industry concentration.
- I do not yet have a place to live in NYC, but I will live in temporary housing when I first arrive.

Answers to other frequently asked questions:
- I am excited.  I am nervous.  I am happy.  I am sad.  It is a bittersweet time.  I feel "ready" for the move back to the US, but there is so much that I will miss about my time in Geneva, as well as my time overseas in general.
- It is astonishing to think of how different things were / I was / life looked when I last lived in the United States.  In one way, it feels like just yesterday, and on the other hand, it feels like a lifetime ago.
- The things I will miss the most about Geneva are my friends, the travel, and the work culture.
- The things I am most looking forward to about New York are my friends, boutique group fitness, and convenience.

A sunny weekend!

Hello everyone!  How is your week starting out?  Mine is a bit stressful, as I am trying to juggle a lot of personal and work-related things to get done as I wrap up my time here in Switzerland.  The end of June is rapidly approaching!

Even though it is the end of May, it doesn't quite feel like summer just yet.  The daylight hours are already super long (it is 8pm, and as bright as 3pm), but the temperatures haven't quite made it to summer yet.  I went running in a sweater this morning!

Luckily, this past weekend was absolutely glorious.  It was 70 degrees and sunny both afternoons, so I was very happy to be able to be in Geneva to enjoy the sunshine (and to not be travelling!).  I enjoyed my first ice cream of the season, a little running, dinner with friends, and plenty of time walking around the lake.  Hooray for summer!!!

Yalla

Hello friends!  I'm wrapping up another short week of work - the beginning of May has two public holidays here in Switzerland, so I had this past Monday off for Pentecost.  Many months ago, my friend Amy invited me to go on a trip to Israel for the long weekend.

For a while, I was on the fence about whether or not I would go.  After what happened to Justin and Stephanie, I was really torn up mentally.  I know that anything can happen anywhere, but Israel has a reputation as being less safe than somewhere like Switzerland.  So I was very hesitant.  Amy, who works in the counter-terrorism space, was totally understanding, but very reassuring, and in the end, I decided to still go.

So last Friday, very early in the morning, we boarded our direct flight to Tel Aviv!  We landed around lunchtime and immediately set out to find some lunch.  You guys - the food in Israel is SO good.  I was really stunned by how flavorful everything was even when the dishes seemed so simple.  It was great to eat such fresh and healthy fare!

This salad - omg.  Amazing.

Amy and I met up with two other girls, one of which has been to Israel several times before and has some Israeli friends.  Thus, we were able to experience some local recommendations and culture!  We were invited for a Shabbat dinner on Friday evening - my first one!  Meg's friends hosted us for a lovely barbecue feast.  It is always great to be invited into someone's home, and our hosts were so gracious and hospitable.  And the food was excellent as well!

Of course, we came bearing gifts.

The lighting here is terrible, but the dinner table was so lovely!

The next day, we hit the beach!  To be honest, it seemed like there wasn't a ton of stuff to see in Tel Aviv (maybe I just didn't do any research?), and the beach was just okay.  I mean, it was a nice beach, but it was pretty crowded, and really - it was just a beach.  Nevertheless, this Florida girl always enjoys the chance to soak up some sunshine!  After our day on the beach, we cleaned up and went out for dinner and drinks in Tel Aviv.

On Sunday, Amy and I went on a day trip to Jerusalem.  For me, this was the highlight of the weekend, and I actually wish we had gotten to spend more time there.  We did a free walking tour to get the lay of the land, along with some information, and then we spent some time visiting some of the holy sites on our own.  There were some very moving moments of the day.

On the left - the Golden Dome and in the center, the Western Wall

In the distance - the Grey Dome

Sunday falafel!

The long weekend went by very quickly, and then it was time to head back to Geneva.  One thing that I found very interesting is that I spent significantly more time going through security / immigration when I was leaving Israel than when I was coming in.  On the way in, they scanned my passport, asked a few questions (are you here for business or leisure?), and the whole process took less than five minutes.  When I was leaving Israel, the security process was much more comprehensive!  They checked all the pages of my passport and asked questions about my travels to various countries like Malaysia, UAE, Indonesia, etc.  (Why did you go there?  Who were you with?  What are their names?)  It was very thorough.

All in all, an interesting experience.  This weekend, I am home in Geneva!!!  I am super excited to be able to spend some time relaxing and catching up on life.  I also need to get started on organising my things for my move!  Eeek!  

Ah, Italia...

Last week was my second week long vacation in Italy, and let me tell you... I freaking love that place.  This time around, we spent more time in some smaller towns that are more known for food and wine than they are for historical sights and coastlines, but it was absolutely spectacular - peaceful, delicious, interesting, and totally relaxing.

In Switzerland, there is a public holiday that falls very close to my birthday, so I was easily able to take some days off of work to go on vacation!  We drove down to Piedmont, which is about 3 hours from Geneva, on Monday morning.  Piedmont is close to a lot of delicious things like truffles and wines.  It is also stunningly beautiful.

Stopped in Asti for lunch.. loved this street lined with flags

We stayed in a little hotel that was so lovely - great staff!

On Tuesday, our hotel helped us arrange a visit to a vineyard to do a tour and a tasting.  It was really beautiful, and the wines were great.  We were in the Langhe area of Piedmont, which is known for Barbera, Barolo, and Barbaresco - yum!

We stopped for some lunch, some snacks, and some views throughout the afternoon.  Piedmont is really just SO incredibly beautiful.

After two short days in the Langhe, we drove a few more hours down to Modena.  Modena is known as a city of fast cars and slow food - it has been home to Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini, and it produces balsamic vinegars, meats, and cheeses that are known for their aging processes.

Our first stop was to go into the city and check out the market.  We rented a big villa for the long weekend, so we figured that a home-cooked meal might be a fun idea!  The market had lots of options for fresh pasta and produce, so we browsed a bit before heading out to check into our villa.

This will do!

Our villa was absolutely awesome.  I cannot recommend it enough if you ever go to Modena!  It's not in the city center, but it was an easy drive to a lot of places, and the area was really peaceful.  The villa is owned by a super sweet couple who helped us organize restaurant reservations, tours, etc, and the house itself has a magnificent patio and pool to lounge on!

The main reason that we came to Modena was to eat at Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana, which was featured on season 1 of Chef's Table on Netflix.  Unfortunately, even though we tried to reserve a table the day that the reservations for May opened, AND we added ourselves to the wait list for lunch or dinner on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, we weren't able to get in!  Very sad, but honestly, we had such great meals in Modena, that I don't even mind!

I had discovered that Massimo Bottura has a more casual (and less expensive) restaurant in Modena called Franceschetta58, and we were surprised to hear that we could get a last minute reservation there!  We ate here on our first night in Modena, and to be honest, I thought it was very good, but I definitely thought the other meals we had in Modena were better.

I love octopus!

While in Modena, we explored the "slow food" side of the culture, visiting factories for parmigiano, prosciutto, and balsamic.  It was really interesting to learn more about the products and processes, as well as the importance of the "D.O.P" distinction.

Making cheese

So much cheese!

My favorite was the "red cow" one!

Say cheese!

Making prosciutto

 

Hams for the camera! 

Making vinegar

Balsamic barrels - the vinegar ages through each of these different barrels, going from largest to smallest in order to develop the flavors

When we weren't touring, we were eating or lounging by the pool.  It was such a great vacation.  We had some absolutely fabulous meals (highly recommend both Antica Moka and Strada Facendo) and did some grilling and cooking at home, including a pasta feast on our final night!  We ended the weekend with birthday cake to celebrate - a great way to close out another year with great friends.