Good Eats

A vacation is nothing without good food and we found some good European fare for sure. I enjoyed as much as I wanted, and apparently I prepared by consuming freely pre-vacation as well. I'm trying desperately to block out the horrific images that were captured of my backside during this trip...denial can be a beautiful thing sometimes. Well, maybe it's not beautiful, but I do what I have to do in order to remain in a state of all things beautiful.

Here is a sampling of a few of our delectable discoveries...

The most adventurous-looking fish sandwich on the menu

in Heidelberg, Germany.

Who knew that in Rothenburg, Germany,
asparagus qualifies as a main dish?

I didn't know, so I had to try. It was delicious, but not incredibly filling.

Moroccan cuisine of cous cous with veggies

(I think this was a special menu for the tourists!).

This was served at a restaurant
where one of the Bourne movies was filmed.

Paella in Tarifa, Spain

Prawns and veggies in Tarifa, Spain

We didn't know they didn't accept "plastic" until after we'd already eaten. Mom, Creig and I sat at the table for a good long time while Jared and Doug got lost looking for an ATM. In the meantime, the non-English-speaking owner and our non-English-speaking server brought out the shot glasses and complimentary alcohol and proceeded to offer Creig a smoke. Delightful.

Tapas (like appetizers) in Sevilla, Spain.

Doug ordered enough to feed the whole street. So when we were done with ours, we helped him finish theirs. The brat with something like corn flakes sprinkled on top was interesting.

Jared's hot dog in Salema, Portugal.

Leah couldn't keep her little hands and dirty fingernails out of the french fries that were piled on top.

A traditional Portuguese, home-cooked meal of fish and potatoes prepared by "Chef Maria de Lourdes" (Isabel's awesome mom). One of our favorite meals of the whole trip.

One of these pastries from Portugal (the top one purchased in Lagos, the bottom one purchased in Lisbon) is called a pastel de nata, the other one is called something else.

Both...de-li-cious.

Our traditional European breakfasts

of bread and cheese were beloved by all of us.

This one was came from our Bed and Breakfast in Sintra, Portugal.

It was particularly moving to consume these yummies as we sat on the balcony of our room, enjoying the morning-crisp air and beautiful views, while Brita and Leah sat feet away from us quarreling and whining over who was going to get the strawberry yogurt...which neither one of them ate in the end.

Rotisserie chicken and fried potatoes from the Chicken Man that comes out of the chicken truck in Waterloo, Belgium.

This is not your typical Costco rotisserie chicken.

Belgian waffles in any and every variety. This display was in the Grand Place of Brussels, Belgium.

This variety of waffle was served to mom in Bruges, Belgium.

Ice cream, in any and all varieties.

We spent a small fortune on ice cream this trip.

Leah went for a Magnum in this photo.

And Brita stayed true to her chocolate-loving genes with this selection.

Isabel's mozarella & tomatoes

and Nicole's omelette and salad in Paris, France.

Mom's French Onion Soup in Paris.

Jared's sought-after repeat from our trip to Paris three years ago...same crepes from the same location. We shared a mushroom & cheese crepe for lunch and a nutella & banana crepe for dessert.

My favorite pastry in Paris - a "religious" something or other (I'll have to get with my French-speaking sister-in-law for the name of it).

A really friendly Frenchman who was standing in line behind me
in the bakery helped me order it.

This wraps up the food tour portion of our trip. Oh, how I would love to taste all of these things all over again! Unfortunately there are no French pastries or tapas from Spain in the house, so I'll have to settle for a peanut butter sandwich to nourish my starving and withering frame.