Experiences – Life – Inspiration 🇨🇭🇯🇵

I am still in the Netherlands as I write this, and yesterday my wife sent me a message from our home in Gifu. She told me that my sister in law had stopped by with a small gift. A bag filled with Swiss pretzels and other bakes from a Swiss bakery in Tokoname called Noisette.

Noisette is only about thirty minutes from Chubu Centrair Airport. I actually flew out from Centrair to the Netherlands a little more than a week ago, completely unaware that the closest Swiss bakery to us was sitting right next to the airport. From our home in Gifu it takes around one and a half hours to get there, which explains why my wife and I always talked about going but never quite pushed ourselves to make the trip.

My sister in law however lives near the area of Noisette. So for her it was no trouble at all to stop by the bakery. She simply passed by picked up some Swiss bread and brought it to our home without knowing I was away for a month. A small act of thoughtfulness that landed exactly where it was meant to.

And interestingly it is so close to the airport that the idea of stopping by Noisette when I return feels tempting. It is right there within reach. But I know myself. After a long flight with only public transport available the last thing I will feel like doing is carrying bread on trains before even getting home. So even though it is close it still feels just far enough to postpone.

That is why her gesture touched me. She bridged the distance for us. A little taste of Switzerland delivered straight to our doorstep in Gifu while I am still abroad.

Thankfully my wife froze the pretzels for me. They will be waiting when I return. A small piece of home stored in our freezer ready for me to enjoy after I land.

If you live near Nagoya or Tokoname and miss European bread or you are curious about Swiss baking, Noisette is worth a visit. Their website is here.