It may seem strange to travel to another country and stay with someone you don’t know.
I didn’t hesitate.
Lucie was so kind to open up her home to me for the first leg of my travels. Â It was funny – I didn’t really occur to me that I didn’t know her in real life until someone commented that it was brave on both our parts to plan to spend this time together. Â Thankfully it went off without a problem! Â (I think… Lucie will have to tell her side of the story. ;))
Fresh off the boat… I mean train…
As I write this, I’m sitting in Lucie’s kitchen while she sleeps.  Tomorrow she gets up early for the gym and work, and I sleep in a bit before boarding a train to Interlaken to go canyoning.  After spending the day in France without her, I know I’ll miss her already!  It’s crazy, but I feel like we’ve been friends for years!
But I get ahead of myself.  I arrived on Wednesday afternoon having been traveling from the US since Tuesday evening.  It sounds worse than it was.  I napped on the plane and train; by the time Lucie picked me up from the train station I was running on adrenaline  – so excited to finally be here!
In true blogger fashion, Lucie and I greeted each other with gifts of food. Â She had this beautiful mix of Swiss goodies waiting on my bed:
From there we did the next logical thing for bloggers to do – we had a healthy snack before going for a trail run!
The recipe for this gluten-free Coconut Blueberry Oat Bread is posted on Lucie’s blog.  You should make it – I am as soon as I get home!  It was perfectly moist and high in protein.  Blueberries are my favorite to bake with because they get so juicy and practically burst in your mouth (TWSS).  It’s also delicious with almond butter.
After a brief rest/gab-fest, we hit the trails. Â It felt wonderful to be out in the fresh air after being cooped up on planes and trains. Â Lucie showed me her favorite route – it was beautiful and green!
Along the way they had different fitness stations. Â We stopped along the way to play on the rings and do some planking.
Back home, Lucie told me I smelled and needed to shower before dinner. Â (Kidding – she’s too nice to say that. Â But I did smell.)
All cleaned up, we rode bikes (eek!) to a place she once told me we would go if I ever visited.  Little did she know it would actually happen!  The restaurant is callee Jay’s Indian Food.  Yes, Indian in Switzerland.  It was fantastic!  Jay  is a friend of Lucie’s.  He was fabulous – I felt like a special guest!  We were treated with a glass of Prosecco to begin, followed by papadum and a gift from the kitchen of mushrooms and a delicious curry sauce.
He then brought out a bottle of Amarone having heard it is my favorite!  It was the perfect treat.  We shared an appetizer of samosas, chicken tandoori, and garlic prawns, followed by thali-style entrees. I ordered the sampler so I could try the fish, chicken, lamb, and vegetarian offerings.  All were excellent, but the spicy fish was my favorite! Â
To end the evening, Jay accommodated our chocolate craving with a small sliced loaf… and mayyyyybe a side of whiskey. Â
More to come later, but I couldn’t help but to share a bit before I leave.  HUGE thank you to Lucie for being an amazing hostess.  You always wonder if people are the same in reality as they portray themselves to be on their blogs.  Lucie is even better!!!  She’s marvelous. 😉
***
Swiss Learning, Day 1: I can not only ride a bike, but I can do so while slightly tipsy.  😉
Have you ever stayed with someone you’ve never met?
Do you keep moving after a long trip or do you crash?  I find powering through is the best way to combat jet lag!
Such an AMAZEBALLS post!!! LOL.
I miss you already so much and I AGREE with us being friends since forever.
See you Thursday or Friday!! We’ll make it happen!!
Amazeballs with AWESOME SAUCE on top!
Looks like your travels to Switzerland started great! I hope you enjoy Zurich too! That´s where I am from 🙂 Have a great trip to Interlaken!
Oh really?! It’s such a beautiful city. I’d love to live there one day!
Such a sweet post! Glad yall had such a great time – the only times I stayed with someone I didn’t know was when it was a girlfriend or boyfriend to a friend of mine, or my parents friends – which isn’t quite the same.
Any meal started with papadum has gotta be great!
I could live on papadum! Indian food is the best. 🙂
That is so awesome!! The thought of going international to stay with a blogger friend is a little scary to me. I’m glad you took a chance because it sounds perfect!
You should have robbed Lucie and then gone canyoning!
I don’t think there is anything wrong with going somewhere and staying with someone unknown- especially when you feel like they are one of your good mates already. I know when I visit you, I’m gonna be whipping up shit(ake) in your kitchen as I please 😉
I tried to! She blew me off for work. Can you believe?!
You better come to ATL when you get to the States!
I love that you met an internet friend from so far away! And as for jet lag, yes . . . just power through like you!
Oh how fun! You had much more fun in Basel than I did when I went there for work. 😉
I’ve stayed with blogger friends before but it totally freaks my husband out.
I am amazed at how many people have said they went for work and didn’t see the city. Work is such a pain. 😉 I wish I had an international job!
Ahh so fun!!! and maybe we need to go back to italy and ride bikes in wine country, since that’s the only way you can ride.
😉
Agreed! Lucie and I are planning a trip in October. Come with?
So fun! I think when I was younger I would have been afraid to stay with someone I didn’t know but now I wouldn’t mind.
So fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Never done what you are doing! Young is the time to do it!
I am feeling my age after this one. LOL!
Aw this post was absolutely fabulous! Love you two!
Looks like such a great time! I actually invited a blogger friend to come stay for the weekend once to do a race. Thankfully it turned out really well!
That’s so cool! I get Heather and Sarah to come see me sometimes. 🙂
You know I’m so excited you got to do this, and I’m also jealous. Loving all your pics & updates!
I think we should have Blend in Zermatt!
So amazing! I am so glad you had a nice time!
So much fun!!! I actually did stay with 2 other bloggers before I knew them in real life. It was just like hanging out with friends I’d always known. So glad you’re having a great trip!
This makes me look forward to our trip to Germany… I might have to try the “power-through” method of fighting jetlag… I do make sure to not do the math about what time it is back home…. Whatever the local time is, it’s the only time there is!
I want to go to Germany too! Anywhere in Europe, really. And I totally agree on the time!
Ha, unfortunately I let a blogger I’d never met before stay with me…. It didn’t end as well as your amazing trip! I’m so jealous! I’m going to France in a month and I can hardly wait.
Uh oh… I want to hear that story!
I think it’s so cool you traveled to visit Lucie! It looks like you two had such a fun time, too 🙂 I love the planking picture!
Sounds so perfect!! Soak it all up for me… we plan to get back to Europe one of these years but it won’t be any time soon!
One day! I was supposed to go to Germany this summer with my best friend… then she went and got pregnant too. 😉
Sounds like the beginnings of an amazing trip!
Love when you meet somebody and it feels like you’ve been friends forever. Glad this is working out! Enjoy the rest of your trip. *mwah!*
We talked about you! I told Lucie she needs to meet you when she comes to the States. 🙂
Or we could figure out a way to ship me to Switzerland. I wonder if there’s a study abroad option there … Swiss design is amazing. Maybe I could intern at a firm or something next summer…
If you really can, I HIGHLY recommend it!
Tipsy bike riding is the way to travel. Not that I’d know. ;).
You are having an absolute blast and I, for one, am thrilled for you. Cheers!
You? Tipsy? NEVER!
Well except yesterday. 😉
And so begins the reading of the posts that will be the death of me….so freaking JEALOUS!!