I love chocolate. I think it is a perfect food. I like dark dark chocolate. I think chocolate is medicine. When science uncovered what many of us already knew — that chocolate is a medicinal bean — I immediately thought of Woody Allen’s film, Sleeper in which the character played by Woody Allen ends up in the future where chocolate is health food.
I’ve been in Switzerland many times, and the best times were the years I stayed in the village of Wallisellen with my Swiss family (long story; don’t ask). In the middle of town was a Milka factory and sometimes the aroma of chocolate would waft through town and country. Milka is a German brand but a lot of Swiss chocolate is made in the US now and some is made in France. You have to read those labels if you want REAL Swiss chocolate.
Switzerland has beautiful candy shops with elegant hand made chocolates and every store has shelves filled with the stuff — one of the many, many, many things I love about that small country.

So here we are again at Valentine’s Day (hence chocolate?). I got my Valentine yesterday. It was spectacular, inspiring and soul-filling. Bear got hers this morning with an inch of cold snow out there on the ground. She and Teddy raced around in dog joy as if one of them didn’t even have an injured foot.
Happy Valentine’s Day to all of You! ❤
https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2021/02/14/rdp-sunday-chocolate/
I just had my daily dose of dark chocolate! I made sugar-free {I did use “real” brown sugar} dark chocolate chip cookies yesterday too. And I long to visit Switzerland. I’ll live vicariously through your life memories. It’s snowy and cold here so my imagination is vivid~albeit the victorious Alps. Happy Valentine’s Day again! Finley and I love you 3. ♥️❤️💚🐾💜❣️
It took me a while to understand that all I had to do was buy a plane ticket. 😉 ❤ ❤
Awww yes! You should know I love saved so many searches of “flights from Spfd, MO to….” lol. I don’t fear travel. But 2020 tried to shut down my desires. But I do have many places I hope to see. In 2002, the week Bush declared war, I boarded a plane, solo, to go visit a boyfriend in Egypt. My family and my teaching family thought I was nuts. But my ticket was bought. I flew through London there and then a beautiful layover in Frankfurt home. When I arrived there I landed at a military airport with guards. One of the passengers from London to Alexandria was from Switzerland. He helped me through customs and made sure my driver safely picked me up. He reminded me of my favorite uncle. And he said, “Please come visit me.” My journal, which I kept 3 weeks while there, was actually confiscated at O’Hare in Chicago when I returned home. I had tried to bring a coconut milk mixture~yes in a ziploc bag~and missed my flight home for being detained for questioning (why would a single 32 year old gal be traveling to Egypt at this time?). I took a train from Alexandria to Cairo and a camel ride around the Pyramids. I thought my travel days were beginning huge. And they became the size of the US only with sons, school, etc…minus a month with a friend in Chihuahua Mexico. I wish I had that man’s name in Switzerland and I often think of that journal. So many memories I lost after my accident. And in the last 5 years so many coming back. I’ll buy a ticket again. All my tickets bought in the last two years flew me to Alaska and WA to see my sons and grand babies. I’d love one day to afford to take them all to New Zealand (very high in my list). 🙏🏻❣️
What incredible adventures!!! 🙂
They were indeed. Several times on that trip I had wondered why I didn’t color my hair dark. I stood out. Which was not always helpful.
I understand that — I stood out in China. Sometimes it was fun sometimes it was scary.
I could almost smell the chocolate while reading your post:) Happy Valentine’s Day, Martha!
Same to you, Becky! ❤
Thanks:)
It’s only dark chocolate for me too!
right? Anything else is insipid…
It’s an affront! 🙂
😀
While it’s hard for me to get to Switzerland, I can walk to a chocolatier and she has the perfect name – Gail Ambrosius.
Yes she does. 🙂
💕
wonderful! I am a chocolate lover as well. I felt very lucky to receive a box of Swiss chocolates from a student’s family who have business in Europe. what a treat!
Yum!!!
I love Swiss chocolates. We live right near a Lindt chocolate factory – obviously not in Switzerland but makes the same chocolates. If they were gluten free I’d be able to eat them – however it’s just as well since my self control would be tested. 🙂
Oh my. That’s either good or bad luck. I’m not sure…
I’m not sure either. 😯
Thank Dog for Swiss chocolate! It was the only thing my TL and I could afford to eat when, as backpackers, we visited Switzerland in ’91.
Yep! Eating in Switzerland is expensive! But chocolate? A real bargain and a necessity for life on this planet. ❤
Absolutely.
Happy Valentine’s Day to you, Bear and Teddy! Glad you all got some snow to help you celebrate.
I’m one of those weirdos who says “meh” to chocolate. Can totally leave it alone (or more typically, give it away to friends if I receive it as a gift), although I will also eat some on occasion. Now, if there’s caramel involved, count me in! Totally addicted to caramel!
More for me — though chocolate covered caramel… We wish you, Finn and Conall a happy Valentine’s Day, too!
I am a chocolate snob! But that said I will never turn down chocolate of any kind. Chocolate makes me feel good…. Hope you have a stash of high quality dark chocolate.
I’m a chocolate snob, too. At the moment, I have no chocolate in the house except a little 90% Swiss chocolate. I think it’s better than way. 😉