About Staubbachfall, Waterfalls, the Jungfrau and Swiss Things

​With the cooler December months come Christmas markets and Mulled wine, or Glühwein.
 
Glühwein literally translates as "Glowing Wine", the name being derived from the time when hot irons were used to heat the drink. If you have not tasted it, then you can make your own. It is a hot beverage consisting of red wine that is gently heated with with various spices such as cinnamon, anis, cloves, cardamom, and citrus fruits. A non-alcoholic mulled wine is called Kinderpunsch.
 
Ingredients
1.5 liter red wine 2 bottles 75 cl each
4 oranges untreated
5 cloves
3 Cinnamon Sticks
3 star anise
75 ml rum or brandy (optional)
100gr brown sugar if you can get Belgium Rock Sugar
 
How to:
Slice two oranges and juice the two remaining oranges.
Add the red wine, orange slices, and freshly pressed orange juice and spices in a pot. Gently heat the mixture at a low temperature. Do not let it boil! The ideal temperature is 72°C/ 161 °F. Anything over 78°C/172,4°F and the alcohol will evaporate. You can best check this with a cooking thermometer.
 
Optional Step: leave the Glühwein to sit for an hour or two and then reheat. This will allow for the spices to fully develop their flavour.
I don’t add sugar, as a good wine can speak for itself.  But if using a cheaper wine, add some sugar. The right amount of sugar will depend on your personal taste.
For an extra warmth factor, add in some brandy or rum.
To serve, strain out the orange slices and spices and serve the wine hot.
 
You can also make it in a slow cooker or crock pot so that it will keep warm for your outdoor Grill Fest or BBQ in the crisp winter air.

​Why not save the disappointment of not reaching the “I’m going to do this….” And plunge into dismal disenchantment when you haven’t lost those extra Christmas kilos by Easter.
 
The ancient Babylonians came up with the idea of promising new things to their gods at the beginning of their year. And we are still doing it! A long tradition of four thousand years, we are still talking about our ‘next year’ plans.
 
Since ‘resolutions’ is such a hard word, maybe that is why they don’t stick, but maybe think of dreams and new habits instead.
 
How could that be different?
 
A dream is something you’d like to get done at some point in life. For example, “I’d like to walk the Mönch peak track” or “I’d love to find the source of the Staubbach.” They can be something just around the corner or something that might take several years to work up to.
 
Apparently the best goals are the ones that are just out of reach at the present moment. If you can put an easy timeline and deadline to it and knowing that you could do it, then , its probably not big enough to be a dream but a goal.
 
A goal is a dream with a deadline. That means it is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and with a time frame. For example, “I’d like to save up 2,000€ towards renovating the kitchen by June this year.”
 
A habit is a daily or weekly activity that helps one accomplish their goals. For example, “I’m going to ditch my Netflix account and put that money towards the kitchen.” A habit helps put structure around a goal, making it more attainable.
 
Maybe instead of a resolution, we need to spend more time dreaming about what we want out of life. Then  we could take those dreams and start turning them into goals and habits. Then maybe at year end the dreams have come true.