Andrew Visits England

Scott's good friend Andrew was back in Europe on business again, so he decided to tack on an extra weekend to visit our neighborhood in the UK. We spent the weekend as locals and so we took Andrew to a big market in our area that we had driven by many times but had yet to see in person. On Saturday, took him to the Wellesbourne Airfield Market which is basically a huge outdoor flea market, with all kinds of random goods for sale. The market has been in existence since 1975 and is one of the largest open air markets in Britain. With all of the advertisements I constantly see for it, I have been curious to see what the fuss is all about.

We seem to come across quite a few markets throughout Europe and I get the impression Europeans are used to this type of shopping. I cannot say I often frequented these type of venues in the US, but I have enjoyed wandering the many aisles of stalls in the markets over here.  

A butcher trying to persuade the public to buy cuts of meat from his stall. 

Random trinkets and goods for sale....everything and anything could be found! 

Including metallic mats for your car floors....

Andrew & Scott take in the sights of the open air market. 

Bargains were there....lots of things for sale for merely 1 GBP....I am not sure what practical these items might have....

A few stalls were even selling toilets! A mere 35 GBP....what a bargain! 

Prams (aka Strollers) were hanging out in a few booths waiting to be sold...

My favorite sight of the day. A lady was actually walking around the market with this beast of a backpack!!

And of course the market had lots of British food....their version of carnival food....Chips and Bacon Baps. (Translation - French Fries and Rolls with bacon (ham) on the inside - a sandwich really). 

The British Pork Flag was flying, so Scott & Andrew stopped for a sampling of the pig roast. 

Scott & Andrew enjoying a British Pork sandwich with the trimmings.

I preferred the taste of a fresh hot donut. 

It was pure goodness, rolled in sugar and hot out of the grease! 

Saturday evening Andrew taught us how he makes homemade pasta dough at his house. Having just returned from our Italian vacation, we were itching to try this very simple but delicious pasta dish (a simple goat's cheese & pepper pasta sauce, known from the Lazio region of italy) that we had eaten at a restaurant in Rome. 

The pasta dough cut into little bits ready to be rolled out into noodles. 

Andrew & Scott busy rolling out the many strands of fresh pasta dough. 

We worked on a few....

and then finally finished the entire batch of dough. Here it is ready to be boiled and then eaten! It was a delicious meal and a great relaxing visit with Andrew for the weekend.

C&C in Paris

Carrie & I just returned from our trip to Paris this past week. We enjoyed our fair share of pastries, sweets and crepes in our short time there. We stayed in the Montparnasse neighborhood but explored many of the Parisen neighborhoods via Metro and foot. We packed a lot of sightseeing into a short amount of time, but the time we spent wandering along the streets of Paris and the enjoying the local foods were probably the most favorite parts of our visit. 

Ahh...Paris along the Seine!

Our first tourist stop off of the Metro was a visit to Notre Dame. Cassie in front of Notre Dame.

The Pont Alexander Bridge which is quite regal. 

One of the beautiful flower stands along the streets of Paris.

An afternoon stop at a cafe for yet another cafe au lait....

Carrie in front of the Place de la Concorde Fountain near the Opera Quarter. 

Carrie with her nutella crepe - yum!

The view of the Eiffel Tower at night as we approached it up close before going on the Seine River cruise. 

We took a river boat cruise along the Seine River one evening. 

Here we are listening to the river cruise commentary as we ride along (in about 6 different languages!).

Carrie (standing in the middle of the Champs de Elysees!) and in front of the Arc De Triomphe for a photo.

Our delicious breakfast each day of croissants, un cafe creme, and orange juice. Probably not the most well-balanced meal, but it was sure tasty.

The famous Laduree on the Champs de Elysees. We went there to see the original store and also to enjoy their delicious french macaroons.  

The beautiful assortment of french macaroons on display at Laduree. We enjoyed some of the vanilla (my personal favorite), chocolate, pistachio, and cafe flavored macaroons. It is actually interesting to learn that once these macaroons are cooked and filled, they are put aside for 2 days before they are sold in the store, in order to achieve their best flavor. 

A beautiful view of the Seine and the fall colors from a bridge along our travels. 

The pretty fall colored leaves around the city.

We wandered around the Ile Saint Louis neighborhood and stopped at the main location of Berthillon. This shop is supposed to have the best ice cream in Paris. 

And so, we tried two kinds. Carrie had coffee (cafe) ice cream and I had chocolate. 

Carrie with the Eiffel tower in the distance - a photo taken near Rue Cler after we did some market shopping there. 

Cassie on the Seine with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

It's au revoir to Paris and time to pack for our next trip...we are off to Dublin tomorrow morning. Scott, sadly, has to work so it is another girl's trip ahead.