Other unique eats I saw were footlong corn dogs, 18 inch bratwursts, chocolate and bacon covered french fries and alligator burgers!

Hang with all the cute animals
Is there anything cuter than watching puppies run obstacle courses?  I think not.  Take a seat in the arena, digest your fried cheesecake and watch these cute little creatures jump over surprisingly high hurdles.
Say hello to the camels that are just chillin, ride an elephant or feed the baby lambs and goats at the petting zoo.


There is a ton of different rides for both kids and adults, live music, shopping, exhibits, sculptures made entirely of butter, the list goes on and on!  Tickets are $15 for adults, and it’s about a 3 hour drive from New York City. This is the home of the most indulgent eats I have ever witnessed and I cannot wait to get back next year!

    My sister was lucky enough to get a job transfer to Geneva, Switzerland for a year, and I was lucky enough to have her as my sister.  Free room!  I booked a flight for less than $550 (thank you Kayak) and was off for another adventure.  Switzerland was never really on my radar for places to go, especially because I don’t ski.  But I ended up being quite delighted by all the lovely things it had to offer.  France borders Switzerland so in mere minutes you can be in another country.  Two countries in seven minutes.  Really saves you on that airfare.  Here are 7 awesome things we did on this trip!

1. Ate fondue -  Now I’m going to warn you, when you walk into a restaurant that serves cheese fondue, it smells like an old sock; with a foot in it.  If you can withstand that in the first ten minutes while waiting for your table, you will be happy you did.  The fondue is rich, creamy, salty and not to mention a hell of a lot of fun to play with.  Get your sticks ready!

2. Went to Gruyere - More cheese!  I had no idea Gruyere cheese came from Switzerland. (Swiss cheese!!)  The town of Gruyere is a small medieval village set against the backdrop of stunning green terrain, surrounded by snow capped mountains.  It looks like the scene from Beauty and the Beast where Belle sings, “There must be more than this provincial life!”  Except you don’t need more.  There’s cheese.  And a castle.  They also have a spectacular local dish called rosti.  Which is basically a giant hashbrown that you can top in a variety of ways!

3. Walked along the promenade in Vevey-  On a beautiful day, you can walk along the promenade on Lake Geneva with a homemade crepe or nutella waffle, breathe in the fresh air and get a beautiful view of the mountains.  You can also bear witness to the gigantic fork sticking out of the Lake.  You can take funny pictures likeeee pretending to impale your sister with it! Oh siblings!

4. Passed through Annecy and Lyon (Both in France)- In the old town (vielle ville) of Annecy, in the winding cobblestone streets, local vendors were selling meats, cheeses, flowers, chocolates and other goodies.  When I went to purchase the lavender honey, I realized I only had Swiss Francs, (French use Euro) and I had about three minutes to find an ATM in this little village before the shop closed.  I ran along the canal yelling, “ATM! BANCOMAT!?!”  to any human who would point me in the right direction.  I made it back just in time to purchase the sweet treat, and it was worth it.  Lyon was more of a metropolitan city with big open streets and brand name stores.  I had one of the best meals of my life at a beautiful Victorian looking restaurant.  Escargot in a puff pastry with parsley butter, truffle foie gras ravioli, white wine and a chocolate crepe.  Bon Apetit!

5. Went to the ski village of Chamonix, France (and didn’t ski)- However, we did we ride a cable car 12,604 ft to the top of Mount Blanc ($60 euros) and took a picture on a see through ledge.  Whatever you do, DO NOT LOOK DOWN! Afterwards, while a kickass live band from Dublin was rockin' out with their banjos and guitars, we got some vin chaud (delicious hot spiced wine) and walked around the village checking out all the cute shops.  I also ate frog legs for the first time.  No thank you!

6. Ate chocolate- I felt like I was in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate factory for a week.  In both Switzerland and France you can’t walk 10 feet without stumbling across the intoxicating smell of freshly churned chocolate.  Chocolatiere’s are like ATMS over there.  The windows are decorated with rows and rows of stacked blocks of chocolate in every variety.  Nuts, fruits, milk, dark.  Is there any better way to window shop?  I think not!

7. Made a swiss army knife from scratch- At the store, Victorianox, I got to assemble an authentic swiss army knife on a sixty year old machine.  You follow a chart, and place each individual piece in the correct area.  Then you step on a pedal that crunches down and presses everything together.  I felt like I was building a weapon in WWII.  It was pretty badass.  You can also get it engraved, makes a great gift!

We all do it.  Reach for that Costco size 5 pound bag of chocolate chips when we feel we've had a rough couple of da-
Oh woops.  Wrong blog.  No I am talking about getting older.  It's your BIRTHDAY!!!! Well technically today is mine and it's awesome.  It is a day to CELEBRATE!  Celebrate who I am and all that I have accomplished.  You hear a lot of people complaining about getting older.  Lamenting their birthday instead of realizing how lucky they are to have one.  When I was 22 I was in a club in Rome flirting with some guy.  He asked how old I was and I told him, to which he responded, "You're old."  He was eighteen.  What an a**hole.  But in that moment I remember a sinking feeling thinking, "Oh God.  This is what everyone always talks about.  Nothing to look forward to after 21.  They even say women peak at 18 and I'm well past that age."  What I should have been thinking was, "I paid for this entire trip to Italy at 22 years old because I am a working professional and I am damn proud of that."  Screw that guy! 
In my early twenties, there was a small anxious voice inside of me questioning if I was ready for the approaching age.  "Have I met all the requirements one is supposed to meet when said "date" arrives?"  Don't get me wrong, there is still that voice which I am 1000% sure everyone has.  But with every passing year, it's like I'm adding another tool to my belt to prepare me for what's to come.  Here is why getting older kicks ass:

1. You have experience: 
You can't fake it.  Genuine experience comes from living.  So good job, if you're alive, you are on the right track!  My best advice is to take as many risks as possible.  Not like attempting to sky dive without a parachute, more like if you feel it in your bones to quit your day job and become a painter do it!  I went to study abroad by myself at 21.  I waved goodbye to my dad and sister at the gate thinking, "What the hell am I doing?  I am going to be ALONE in a foreign country?  Why did I do this!?"  I sat next to an Italian doctor on the plane and when he heard what I was doing he said, "You have a lot of courage, you must be very proud!"  And I was.  Now, my absolute favorite thing to do is travel alone, and I have a lot of knowledge that makes each trip better than the next.

2. You have more confidence:
It's hard to believe you could be good at something if you've never experienced the outcome.  I went on my first commercial audition when I was 17.  The script was all improvised so it was the actor's job to keep it fun and interesting.  I walked in holding my headshot and shaking, and was given one line to start with.  Before I knew it, I couldn't stop talking and making things up.  I walked out of there with a job and the belief that I was capable of achieving my goals.

3. You Know Your Body:
After YEARS of experimenting (and sometimes failing miserably) with different styles of clothes, shoes, makeup and haircuts, you know what will compliment you the best.  You have your go to jeans for that date you are excited about, you know which haircut flatters your face, and what height shoe you need to take the focus off your thighs. 
(EFF you ballet flats!)

4. You Know Yourself:
The wisdom never ends.  Every day you are learning new things about who you are, what you are willing to fight for, and willing to shut up about.  You know what you need out of your friendships, romantic relationships, careers and life in general.  You aren't as afraid to ask for what you deserve.  That raise?  That date night?  Those french fries?!?  The need for approval is just not that important anymore.  (Yes I want to be in bed early Friday for my Saturday morning spin class bugger off!)  And the best part is you learn to just embrace the good, the bad and the ugly.  That weird ass cowlick from childhood?! UGHHH EMBRACE IT!  Things you used to stress yourself out about seem petty. 

You always want to look your best, but at the end of the day appearance is fleeting, and the ability to make someone laugh or feel special is a much better priority.
Growin' up ain't easy.  But there is so much to look forward to and hopefully you can be proud of the person you are becoming. 
CHEERS TO A GREAT BIRTHDAY! (You better be eating cake)