Bordeaux

Stop one of our Easter trip was Bordeaux, France. Known mostly for wine, Bordeaux sits in the south west portion of the country, boasting an impressive city center and many, many vineyards on the outskirts of town. We stayed in the historic district, which was walking distance to everything we could possibly want to see-- the best! Our hotel wasn't the greatest (you could barely walk around the bed!), but it was clean and convenient, so we couldn't really complain. Plus, one doesn't travel just to sit in their hotel room.

Our first afternoon in Bordeaux began after a quick overnight stay at our favorite B&B near Paris (here); Kris hadn't been there and C & I cannot physically drive through France without stopping there. It's just so refreshing and sweet! Anyway, Bordeaux greeted us with clear skies and crisp air. We set out almost immediately, walking to the nearby square to have a snack. We then ventured up and down several pedestrian shopping streets (this is a theme in my blog, isn't it?). Dinner came quickly, so we busted out our Yelp! apps and found an Italian place nearby. That's one thing we all noticed about Bordeaux: They were super into Italian food. I don't know if it's because of the wine or what, but I wasn't complaining. We chose Positano and it was excellent! We were a little early, so it was just us, the owners, and their jibber-jabbering baby.

The next morning kicked off with a petite dejeuner at a café down the street. There was a weird gypsy/mafia gathering going on, so I made C chug his cappuccino so we could get out of there. We walked through the same shopping area, around a couple of cathedrals, and up to the Grand Theater (the National Opera of Bordeaux). The square the Theater sits on is gorgeous, and there's a cool monument nearby called Place de Quinconces. The monument was dismantled in 1942 after the Commission for non-ferrous metals bought it; but, in 1943, the monument was found intact in Angers and it made it's triumphant return to Bordeaux. Pretty cool story, pretty cool monument. After some walking and a brilliant lunch of oysters, we headed off to the Jardin Public. I love gardens, I love parks, I love walking....I loved Jardin Public. There was even an Easter basket planter!

Dinner and a wine tasting awaited us in the evening. Our wine tasting was held at Comptoir Cuisine, immediately next to the Grand Hotel de Bordeaux and the Grand Theater. We crammed into their fairly small wine room and started sniffing little tubes of liquid; but seriously, we did. Each tube had a scent and we had to guess the scent; the wine connoisseur would then reveal the scent, then have us taste the wine, looking for the scent in the wine. It was actually really interesting! Each wine was paired with amuse bouche-- delicious!

Our time in Bordeaux ended the next morning with a little wine tasting at nearby Chateau Castres. Seriously, wine in Bordeaux completely blows California wine out of the water. It's so clean and so flavorful; I was amazed at how many rules and regulations they must follow in order to produce wine in that region. From the unstained wood roof, to the old, manual bottling machine, it's obvious they take great pride in their craft and product. I would highly suggest a visit to Bordeaux if you're in the area and you're into wine!

C checking out the wine at Chateau Castres

Me and C at Chateau Castres (doesn't do the property justice)

Grand Theater at night

Amongst the flowers on the "boardwalk" in Bordeaux

Place de Quinconces



Just your average view from lunch...

Easter Basket planter at Jardin Public

Ciao!

B + C

Brugge

Fear not: After neglecting my blog for a week, I'm back with lots to write about! Now you have some reading material for work. I know that game.

As I mentioned in my last post, my Aunt Kris came to town before Easter. She arrived with a bag full of Pace Picante and peanut butter, so we let her stay at our place. We took her to the usual sights around Brussels on her first day in town, reserving a trip to Brugge for a weekday. We jumped on the train Monday morning and headed about an hour north, almost missing our stop because we couldn't decide if we were in the right place. Yes, I've been there before, and yes, the stop said Brugge, but there was a stop immediately after that one that said Brugge St. Peters; I think we got on and off the train twice before heading into the station to ask for directions. In my defense, the station was MUCH smaller the last time I was there, so things looked rather unfamiliar. Anyway, Brugge is a tiny, Flemish-speaking, medieval city about one hour from Brussels, not far from the coast. Many quiet, cobblestone streets lead into The Markt (market square), which is lined with cute restaurants, shops, and horse drawn carriages. The Belfry of Brugge, as well as the Provincial Court, make up two sides of the square and create an almost Disney-like backdrop. Kris and I wandered through the streets and enjoyed lunch at my favorite Markt restaurant: Café Craenenburg. About three years ago, I had the best panini EVER at this restaurant and I've been craving it ever since. Kris indulged my craving and we both sat down for a camembert, apple, and honey panini, plus a local Flemish beer. Wipe the drool off your chin!

My little food journey didn't stop there, as C and I went back to Brugge yesterday (one week after I took Kris) with his coworker. I coaxed them into Café Craenenburg again and all was right in the world. We enjoyed the sunshine (yep, sunshine!) as we walked through the streets, stopping at chocolate shops and all the little bridges over the canals. I should address the chocolate shops: They sell chocolate penises. Why? I'm not sure, but you can spot those particular chocolate shops from a mile away because people are crowding around the windows taking photos. C's coworker stopped and bought his brother a chocolate member as a gag gift; that "gift" is now living in my fridge, awaiting its voyage to the USA. Thanks, coworker. Luckily, I have a good sense of humor (you have to when your grandma gives your boyfriend a man thong for Christmas! Cat's out of the bag, Grams!).

After walking around for a bit, we headed to De Halve Maan (the half moon) brewery. The only active brewery in the center of Brugge, De Halve Maan brews a particularly famous beer: Brugge Zot. The word "zot" translates to jokester or jester, and a jester serves as the brand image for the beer; "zot" is also a nickname for the residents of Brugge. We climbed stairs, ducked through tunnels (poor C almost lost his head), and learned a lot of other interesting tid bits during the tour; the tour even takes you up to the rooftop of the brewery, granting amazing views of the Brugge skyline. I would highly recommend a tour at De Halve Maan-- you get a free beer at the end!

All in all, both trips were great and I'm sure they won't be my last. Even though I'm just an hour from home, I always feel like I'm in a totally different country when I'm in Brugge. It's the perfect little escape from bustling Brussels. There are so many little paths to discover, it's nearly impossible to make one trip identical to the next....except for the panini part.

Me and Kris. I can't wait for warm weather and outfit changes!

The Belfry

Cute flower shop along one of the many quiet streets...

Me and C atop De Halve Maan

Sunshine in The Markt

Ciao!

B + C

Patisserie

You've seen my micro-oven and you've heard about some of my savory recipes, but I've yet to dip into the sweeter side of my kitchen. I love baking; pies, cookies, cakes, crumbles...you name it, I'm baking it. C loves my pastry obsession (wonder why) and he encourages my sugary adventures. In fact, C and a few of his coworkers who have stayed with us have recently mentioned my banana bread; I used to send C on business trips with a loaf for snacking, which they all enjoyed. So, after several weeks of no baking due to the micro-oven and a lack of ingredient-understanding, I finally decided to take a leap and dust off my mixer.

First, I had to research exactly what ingredients I would and wouldn't find at my local grocer. I had seen shelves upon shelves of flours and sugars, but I couldn't really decipher which flour/sugar should be used for which type of baking. That's right, no all-purpose flour, no brown sugar, no basic grab & go goodies. Instead, I saw bread flour, flours milled a thousand different ways, pastry flour, and several different "types" of flours (literally, they're numbered "Type 45, 55, 65"); and since my familiar brown sugar doesn't exist here, I got to stare at a few types of cassonade, the French version of brown sugar. Yeah. Not easy. So, off to the trusty blogosphere I went! I stumbled across an awesome entry by David Lebovitz: Ingredients for American Baking in Paris. He details exactly which flours should be used for what, substitutions, where to buy certain things, etc. Super helpful! Click on that sucker and read up for yourselves.

I had my work cut out for me, but David's research told me exactly what I should be looking for. I was successful in finding all of the ingredients I needed for sweet treats and I busted out my mixing bowls the second I arrived home from the store. First up: NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookies, seen here. Excellent addition to my pastry repertoire! Next up: Banana Oatmeal Cookies with Nutella Drizzle, seen here (I omitted the white chocolate chips). TO DIE FOR, people. C said they're his new favorite cookie!

Had to get creative for the micro-oven; I think this is a pizza pan, but it works great as a cookie sheet!

Love my measuring cups; they're more like scoops, which makes digging into my canisters easy and clean. Plus, they have non-metric measurements on them!

Cookie sheet/pizza pan fits like a glove!




Banana Oatmeal Nutella goodness

My Aunt Kris arrived Saturday and she's been loving my cookies, as well. She and I are off to Brugge for the day, which I'll write about in a day or two. We're also heading to Bordeaux and Toulouse with C for Easter, so get ready for some more exciting updates!

Ciao!

B + C