Germany, Belgium, and France

Did I get on a bike during my two and a half week trip to Europe this fall? I did not. I did, however, cover many, many miles on foot and joyfully entered more than one outstanding bakery. My trip began, after two planes and four trains, in Herford, Germany, where my beloved cousin Gina lives. You can see the breathtaking view from her apartment below.

Though Gina does not regularly indulge in sugary treats, she was happy to take me to places that served cake and always ordered a slice for herself as well. We had the best time together, catching up on each other’s lives, spending time with our mutual friend, Laurence, and laughing a great deal. Laurence, Gina, and I called ourselves the Trois Flaneuses: three women who achieve pleasure by meandering through the streets of charming towns, with no particular goal in mind. Some of the best meals I had on this trip were with Gina, including her delicious salads and the dinners made by her boyfriend Christophe and Laurence’s husband, Michael. I felt quite spoiled. 

Though I felt teary saying good-bye to Gina, my first visit to Belgium was fantastic! For two days I explored the charming town of Ghent and was completely smitten by its pretty canals, beautiful architecture, creative feel, delicious food, and biking culture. On my first day, I sat outside a lively cafe, drinking a cappuccino and eating a slice of homey, moist apple cake.

Going in and out of interesting shops which highlighted the artsy, design-centered nature of Belgium and crisscrossing bridges left me ravenous. On that day I lost track of time and, looking for a cafe in earnest, I realized it was that in-between time in the afternoon when a meal was hard to come by. My flagging energy was lifted when I came upon inviting window displays of fancy chocolate boxes and cake domes. Thank goodness for this little tea and sandwich shop and the speedy and highly efficient man who whipped up a filling smoked salmon sandwich on a fresh baguette.  Tragically, my sub-par camera skills make it look like I ate something from Lice (instead of Alice) Magasin (shop). 

The following morning I got up early and relished how quiet and peaceful the town was. Soon I found myself at Julie’s House, where lovely baked goods were made on site by hand. Deciding what to choose was not easy, but I went for a classic, and sat outside with my drink and flaky croissant, accompanied by butter and homemade jam. Julie’s pastry was memorable and so was the bite-sized brownie sample she gave me on the side. The town became more and more lively while I sat, and I felt a bit melancholy as I headed for my next destination by train: Brussels. 

After the manageable, mellow, and small-town feel of Ghent, Brussels swept me up and kept me on my toes. My first day was spent exploring parts of the city on an unusual tour led by local scholars: The History of Water in Brussels. While I was quite captivated by the enlightening information about the Senne River and how it initially supplied all the water for Brussels, I had food on my mind so I peeled off after an hour. I had hit an open food market prior to the tour where I purchased a serving of savory pearl couscous with vegetables. But the tour left me wanting something quintessentially Belgian. Lucky for me, my daughter’s friend is a native Brussels resident and took me to a lovely and popular cafe, Maison Dandoy, where we enjoyed the city’s famous treat: gaufres (waffles). Thais ordered the Liege and I ordered the Brussels. I like this description of these distinctive waffles from the Dandoy website: “Liège or Brussels waffle? The first one takes you to a syrupy and soft world. The second is crispy, light and square.” She asked for a drizzle of chocolate on top and seemed very pleased when her plate arrived.  I loved the rich, sweet flavor and simple dusting of powdered sugar on mine.

As you may know, I am a huge chocolate lover and actually work at a bean-to-bar chocolate shop in Santa Barbara, Twenty-Four Blackbirds. Though I am surrounded by chocolate there and eat it every day, I was still game to try the renowned chocolate of Belgium. After doing some serious research, I ended up going to Pierre Marcolini in the beautiful Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries. I appreciated Marcolini’s ethical approach to chocolate-making and had fun talking to the friendly salespeople about Twenty-Four Blackbirds. They offered me a smooth and luscious honeycomb praline (truffle in the US) which was tiny and superb and I also savored a hazelnut praline. Believe it or not, I did not go into the dozens of other chocolate shops that beckoned me in this grand city as Marcolini’s creations were exemplary.  

The next day I made a beeline to Telle Mere, Telle Fille, a bakery I had spotted prior to checking in to my Airbnb the previous evening. I rest more easily at night when I know where I will be getting a pastry for breakfast. I met one of the two female owners who told me that everything they sold was made on site by them from scratch. On the first day I had a croissant which was flaky and buttery and on the second day I tried something I had not encountered before: a knotted, sugar-dusted, layered brioche dough bun. It was very, very good and a pleasure to behold. 

Following my four days in Belgium, I took a train to my cousin Nathalie’s house in the Champagne region of France. While her small town does not offer a huge array of diversions, I liked taking walks and catching up on my journal writing and reading. Of course these walks always ended at the doorstep of Bouzy’s only bakery which was a magical place. Besides offering freshly made baguettes, boules, croissants and other pastries, they had delectable-looking chocolates for sale. I particularly enjoyed eating the supersized version of a macaron, filled with cream and fresh raspberries.

 After a few days of relaxing in Bouzy, I took the train south to another cousin’s house in Vertou, just outside Nantes. Before going to bed my first night, I pulled aside Philippe’s young daughter to ask where I should go to get a croissant in the morning. She started to tell me about the two bakeries in town, but then stopped herself, saying that her family had a strong preference for one and gave me directions. When morning came, however, I was told it was market day and we needed to get going. So I had two pieces of toasted baguette with butter and homemade apricot jam before following the family into town. There we got food for the weekend, including fish, vegetables, a fine espresso from a cart, and some great bean-to-bar chocolate from an earnest young chocolate maker. On the way back to their house, Philippe stopped at the preferred bakery to get bread for the next couple of days. 

We spent a fantastic afternoon in Nantes where I got to tour a castle (with a moat!), explore some shops, visit the unusual and very cool Jules Verne-inspired park, and stroll along the riverbank. Not only is Nantes the birthplace of Verne, I learned that this city is also (equally important) the birthplace and former headquarters of Lu butter cookies. Pictured below is Lu’s original, beautiful art nouveau building and an ad for Lu on the side of an old building.

The following day I visited Vertou’s Ma Boulangerie three times. In the morning, I strolled there in order to obtain a croissant. Following a three-hour walk in the stunning Parc du Loiry, I purchased a fine smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich on a baguette which I ate in the town square. Then later in the afternoon, I returned to the bakery for a little treat: a petite lemon tart and espresso. Initially, I felt a bit self-conscious about entering the bakery for the third time that day, but then I thought, “this is not an unusual number for a local,” and greeted the staff with a hearty “bonjour.” Sitting on a bench near the church in Vertou, eating my final French bakery treat, I took a picture in my mind. These days, if I am feeling low, I can flash back to this perfect moment of savoring food thoughtfully prepared by hand in one of my very favorite places. Food memories can transport us like nothing else, and am eager to find out where my next travels and adventures with food will take me.