European Vacation: Staring the Chef as Clark Griswold

The Chef and I recently took a trip to France and Spain for 15 days and I have some amazing food stories to share.  We not only had some of the best meals of our lives but some of the worst!  We almost literally broke our backs carrying around souvenirs of wine, olive oil, escargot, mustard, spices and honey, and it was so worth it.  The bread was as good as you have heard as well as the coffee.  The Chef and I used to enjoy a pot of drip Intelligentsia coffee every morning at home but now we find ourselves sitting outside at the neighborhood coffee shops with our dog, drinking a cappuccino - out of a cup - because the homemade stuff just isn't as good.  I hope this lasts because I really enjoy it.  It's not about the caffeine.  It's about taking pleasure in a really good cup of coffee with a beautiful foam cloud and basking in the excitement of the city.

With that, I will leave you a shot of espresso that I enjoyed at a sidewalk cafe on Rue Cler in Paris.