We had a successful trip to Europe, both personally and professionally! We had a great time being tourist in the beautiful country of Belgium and we did some great buying at the fabulous flea markets of England. We are so excited for our container to arrive to unpack all of our treasures, hopefully sometime at the end of September.
I will blog a few times about this trip, but I thought I would start with gardens and delicacies!
In England, the fields appeared to be purple due to the growing patches of wild heather.
In Belgium, we found gorgeous flowers everywhere! I know understand why so many of the cut flowers sold in stores around us, are imported from Belgium.
One of the best things about being on vacation in Europe is eating all of the wonderful seasonal foods found in the markets and off of the street.
The picture above was taken at the morning fish market in Bruges.
I just loved this country man selling his house cured meats at a small market in the Belgium town of Han-sur-Lesse.
Boucheries were on every corner in the French region of Belgium. Many of our meals consisted of these cured meats paired with local cheese and fresh bread from the patisseries.
I took this picture at an olive oil market in the cutest little town of Durbuy, Belgium. I was inspired by their concept of picking out your own bottle and then filling it yourself with their house-made oils and vinegars.
Another one of my favorite food markets was this old mustard shop in Ghent. Tierenteyn Mustard is made from a confidential 1790 recipe of ground mustard seeds, vinegar, and salt. It has a unique flavor, powerful with a slightly spicy bite. Unfortunately, you can only purchase this mustard at the shop, where it is hand poured fresh into a crock.
It was interesting to see the unique produce in the local food markets.
These were tiny wild strawberries! We ate them whole, green stem and all. They were juicy and sweet and a perfect afternoon snack.
This picture quality is not great, but it is still very clear at the amazing colors of these heirloom tomatoes! We found these as they were being dropped off by the farmer to be used in the kitchen at this little restaurant in Durbuy.
We couldn't miss the famous Belgium Waffles!
I really enjoyed the plain Belgium waffles. Served warm, they were sweet and crispy and didn't need all of the fancy toppings, they were perfect.
All around Belgium, we found "biscuit" shops full of cookies and butter biscuits like this one in Brussels called Dandoy. The have been making their treats since 1829!
These next two photos were taken at a local honey shop. Every product in the store was made using their local honey. There were food items as well as bath products. I took some fabulous soap home . . .
And, of course, there was Belgium chocolate . . . a store on every corner! It seemed as if we tried them all, and I am now convinced that they are correct, and Belgium does make the best chocolate!!
and . . . the best beer! So many Belgium beers!!
Some of our favorite Belgium beers that we tried were crafted in the small towns that we visited.
