Patisserie vs. Viennoiserie

I'm on the train leaving the station in Bordeaux and I had to write about my three day breakfast adventure in Bordeaux.

Day 1:

(of course this is all in French)
Me: decaf with cream Monsieur and do you have a chausson aux pommes? (specific apple breakfast item)

Waiter: No, I think there is one chocolate croissant left

(he brings me the coffee and the pastry and all is fine)

Day 2:

(I decide to get creative and ask for pastry in general so I can potentially have more choices)
Me: Decaf with cream and do you have any patisseries?
Waiter: Patisserie or Viennoiserie?
Me: (not knowing the difference after being married to a Frenchman for 5 years) Patisserie.
Waiter: brings me a menu with nothing on it but lemon and apple tarts
Me: but do you have an apple or chocolate pastry?
Waiter: ah, you meant Viennoiserie! (he doesn't have any left but sends me next door to a shop where I can buy one and bring it back to the restaurant to eat it - this is a very nice gesture)

Day 3:

Me: Decaf with cream and do you have any Viennoiserie?
Waiter: Yes, we have a plain croissant or a chocolatine.
Me: I'll have the chocolatine.

I sat back, took a breath, surveyed the beautiful park next to the cafe, and felt like I had conquered a very small bit of the language barrier.

And the chocolatine was delicious!

Location: Bordeaux

Bordeaux found!

One more quick Bordeaux blog!

This was my plate of food last night. (you can see a bit of place St. pierre beyond) There were assorted sausissons and cheeses. The waitress explained all of the selections and where they were from, and needless to say I missed a lot of that French explanation! Most of them I really liked, but one of the cheeses tasted like butter! I was alone and ended up joining a table next to me for a bit, and they had the same charcuterie plate. I told them it tasted like butter and they said that's because it's butter! Suffice it to say I have a lot to learn about French food! More soon, Lily.

Location:Bordeaux

Bordeaux found!

Hi everyone! Just had to blog from Bordeaux, my blog's namesake. I'm spending a few days in Bordeaux while my husband spends time with his family. I'll rejoin them Saturday. I am having a blast getting to know bdx better, the food, the neighborhoods, the people. I spoke French to at least 6 people today and none of them spit at me! :)

Here's a photo of me next to the bridge that's at the top of my blog-Pont de Pierre. It's very exciting to be here! Lily.

Location:Bordeaux

Katie Cupcake Bag

Another blog today?  Yikes, can you tell I'm going on vacation?  I will probably blog about my trip, but will not be able to do much crafting, so I wanted to get a couple of projects in before we left. 

Here is a bag made from Sweet Nothings by Riley Blake Fabric.  It's really cool and the two brown prints go together well.  This is the first time I've used fusible fleece and Peltex and I have to say it makes the bag really strong.  I don't think it will sag quickly!  Here are some photos.

Finished bag

Lots of pockets for mobile phone, glasses, ipad etc.!

Close up of tab and rings-there's a magnetic snap underneath

Enjoy my blogs from France and Turkey - coming up!  Lily.

Ipad cover

Hey everyone-a quick post to show my ipad cover. I didn't like the ones at Apple, so I made my own from an Etsy pattern by Birdfulstitches. My friend Ellen said all her entertainment industry friends at work would want one. Enjoy! Lily.