Food Lover's Heaven

I just have to share a few food photos from our trip. 

I love our Farmer's Market in Santa Barbara. But if you ever get the chance to peruse through an outdoor market in Europe, especially France and Holland, it will take your love for farm (seafood, produce, dairy) freshness to another level. 

And can I just say that European hotel breakfasts are the best! They offer everything from fresh greens, eggs, yogurt, pastries, about 10 different type of fresh baked bread, fresh squeezed juices, and be still my heart - Veuve!

Even the packaging is so detailed - as you can see in the above picture of the little jams and fresh granola. I use "fresh" a lot in this post, don't I? Ever try kiwi juice? That's the green pitcher.

I wish I would have had the opportunity to buy a few things at the local outdoor markets and whip up a scrumptious dish. But on the flip side, I did enjoy many meals prepared for me with all the lovely local ingredients. And I didn't have to do the dishes ; ) My favorite meals were in the quaint cafes with that Mamma's Kitchen charm. You know the ones that permeate of a home cooked meal?

Everything was delicious! From charcuteries to fish n' chips

to the best couscous and salads

to the many divine pastries.

Oh and the seafood!

Every restaurant should display their catch. Don't you agree?

Langoustines = My dinner

Then there's the beer. I'm not a big beer drinker, but when in Rome . . . or I guess Holland/Sweden:

I gotta find that Leifmans!

Chocolate and cheese . . .
Really, what could be better?

Holland and Sweden

Hello! I know it's been awhile since I've posted, but I've been a little busy. David and I just got back from a wonderful European adventure. I can't possibly post all the photos, so I will try to condense our 10 day excursion as best as I can.

First stop . . . Amsterdam, Holland

Surprise, surprise that my first photo post would be of food ; )
This seafood APPETIZER was the best!

I just love the old world charm of Europe. Everything from transportation to

the architecture. Nothing modern but yet so advanced in culture.

The best traveling companions ever, The Bienstocks.

The world of clogs:

A little beer in the Red Light District.

(Definitely an eye opener)

The best way to get around town:

See the clover in the foam?

One of my favorite photos of the trip:

On of the days we rented bikes and asked our concierges about areas surrounding Amsterdam.

We thought it would be nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

We wanted to see the countryside.

So he told us about:

And let's just say, the next day when we told him we actually went to Marken, 

I think we shocked the heck out of him. 

Hmmmm, could it be because it was a 40 mile round trip bike ride?! 

And I must add that 20 of those miles were against wind!

After spending a whole day attached to a bike seat, literally, it was a nice pace to take a little train ride to see the tulips in Keukenhof. Absolutely the most gorgeous tulips I have ever seen in my whole entire life! And the variety of species was incredible. I wish I could have brought home a few bulbs.

And now the journey turns to Gothenburg, Sweden. This part of the trip was much more mellow. It was super cold, windy and sometimes rainy. My picture taking definitely slowed down in this country due to the gloomy weather. The guys attended a conference for a few hours in the morning. And us gals kept preoccupied with workouts, breakfast, massages, reading, and just relaxing. Exactly what I needed because I think my body was still in shock from that 40 mile bike ride! : )

The art work in our ultra modern hotel. Way different from Amsterdam.
It's an old post office car that has been flattened.

So green it looks fake, doesn't it?

A little stair master ; )

On one of the nearby islands off of Gothenburg.

The one sunny day and it was beautiful!

Cheers to a fabulous vacation!

Thank you Jenny & Marc for making this trip a memorable one.

Can't wait to travel with you guys again!!

*Disclaimer (I know Jenny would appreciate this too)* Just in case you were wondering why the attire in the photos seem to repeat - I swear we brought a lot of different clothes on this trip. But it was so cold (50 F) all we wanted was our jeans and jackets. Let's face it, warm and cozy sometimes beats out fashion. Gasp!