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Past trips

September 21-28, 2023

Switzerland: Zurich, Gruyere, and Bern

Switzerland is a land of towering landscapes, gorgeous cities, towns and villages, spectacular cheeses and chocolates, and amazing wines. We got to go way beyond what tourists typically see as we experienced the excitement of the annual Desalpes through the eyes of world class judge and cheese expert Cathy Strange and our friends at Le Gruyere AOP. We experienced all that is delicious and interesting about Alpine cheeses, chocolate, food, wine, culture and history in Switzerland. We explored from Zurich to Gruyere to Bern, and back to Zurich, with plenty of stops in between.

Trip Highlights:

Expert Host: Cathy Strange, Whole Foods Market, Austin, TX

Chocolate tour and tasting
Wine tasting and opening dinner at Alex Lake Hotel
Guided historical walking tour of Zurich
Evening class and dinner at the Fondue Academy in Gruyères
Attend Désalpe (the parade of cows and goats and farmers coming down from the high mountains)
Enjoy a post-Désalpe tradition – the Benichon menu
Visit the production of Le Gruyère AOP with René Pernet
Visit to a winery on Lake Geneva for tasting and degustation
Visit to a farm producing milk for the production of Le Gruyère AOP
Visit to a cheese cellar to see the aging of Le Gruyère AOP and enjoy a fondue lunch
Enjoy a wine tasting and a chocolate tour in Bern
Beer tasting with dinner in Bern
Boat trip on Lake Zurich from Thalwil to Zurich
Guided visit at a Watch Museum
Final dinner at the oldest vegetarian restaurant in the world – Hitl in Zurich