Chocolate!!!

Just returned from a lovely Saturday in Geneva, Switzerland. 

The weather is getting quite crisp these days but my friend Gill was happy to bear the wind and the cold to show us around her city.

After taking an early morning train we started our day off at the Patek Phillipe Museum. A very fancy shmancy display of watches put on by a Geneva-Based firm of master watchmakers. We stopped by several chocolate shops to taste a few treats, browsed the "old town" and sat down for several relaxing drinks. 

Gil is a week away from finishing her 3 month internship at The World Health Organization in Geneva. She will then head to the South of France for a week of relaxation before heading home. 

It was great to have a friend close by for a while. Enjoy Nice Gil. See you in the new year!   

                                                                                          

THANKS GUYZZZ
Joel & Amy

CREPES!

 Getting better with every crepe!

                                         

Tonight's recipe is a regular crepe recipe (found here), using almond milk instead of milk, and an added tablespoon each of ground flax seed and fibre flakes. Wrapped inside this healthy crepe alternative is sauteed seasonal mushrooms, baby spinach, garlic and onions with a dash of fresh ground pepper. 

Sprinkled on top is one of my favourite market finds: 

Emmental (or Swiss) cheese. 

AMAZING! 

THANKS!

Joel & Amy

Discovering London

Another weekend of travelling that we absolutely cannot complain about. 

We caught wind that our pal in London, JC, may be heading back to Canada. So, we took quick advantage of one of Joel's work trips to Peterborough last week and extended it to include a weekend with the Queen.

RIGHT: Keeping warm at the Borough Market.

JC is easily the perfect host. Very knowledgeable on the history of the city and well acquainted with the hot-spots. 

We browsed several weekend markets and hit up a pop-up bar that served delicious hot-mulled cider. Which was a very cozy way to keep warm in the cold, wet weather. 

LEFT: JC and I take in the London Eye.

RIGHT: JC talks us through Trafalgar Square.

BELOW: Joel and I at Buckingham Palace.

Another amazing city to have been able to check off our list. Would not have been quite the same had JC not been such a great guide. 

Thanks for having us! It was great to see all your favourite cafes & pubs and meet your friends from around the world.

We'll meet again soon!

Joel & Amy

Deux Baguettes - Get Greek

From our two-week trip to Greece back in August. I do apologize for the tardiness.

Deux Baguettes - Greece from PaddyRumble on Vimeo.

THANKS GUYS!

Joel & Amy

Visits from the Swiss.

...or temporarily Swiss. 

An old pal from Fonthill stopped by Lyon this weekend. Gill is spending three months just North/East of us in Geneva, Switzerland on an internship for her Masters. Making her way down here by train, despite an unfortunate strike by French rail workers, we were happy she was able to squeeze us in. Since the two of us are old soccer chums, we headed down to the Stade Gerland for an Olympique Lyonnais game (our second of the season). Even though mother nature attempted to bog us down with a monsoon of rain, we had a good game of catch-up over wine and baguettes. 

THANKS so much for making the trip Gill!
Looking forward to heading to Geneva in a few weeks.

Joel & Amy

A Visit from the Foodies

On Tuesday we said Adios to my sister Christine and her fiance Anthony, our most recent travel companions in the EU. After spending a few days touring Paris, they took the train to Lyon to check out our little french stomping grounds. 

As one of Niagara's top chefs, Anthony was excited to indulge in Lyon's top restaurants and gourmet food markets AND we were excited (but also nervous) to show him some of our favourite spots. 

The weather is still reasonably warm so we were able to travel by Lyon's city bikes. RIGHT: we cross La Saone River to Old Lyon.

LEFT: Christine and Anthony stop by Paul Bocuse's Les Halles. A gourmet food market owned by Lyon's most famous chef.

After catching an Olympique Lyonnais soccer game we started our road trip to Barcelona.

BELOW: We made a one-night stop in the lovely Girona Spain, to enjoy a lavish dinner at Massana, a spot Anthony researched before their departure.

Upon our arrival in Barcelona we discovered unseasonable +30 temperatures and gorgeous sun and sands. We found ourselves soaking up vast amounts of sangria, tasting tapas after tapas and settling into the city's El Born District. 

We toured Gaudi's architecture and browsed the expensive shops of La Rambla. What an amazing city!

Buen Viage Christine and Anthony, was a pleasure wining and dining with you!
Hope you enjoyed the tastes of France and Spain.

Joel & Amy

Home from Home

Another successful trip back to Canada. It was a pleasure to be able to spend Thanksgiving with everyone (I'm already going into pumpkin pie withdrawals) and attend two very special weddings.

Congrats to Avril & Conroy (right) 

AND Matt & Shufen (below)

Two amazing parties. Definitely glad being in France isn't keeping me from missing these big events.

(Just me on this trip as we've been a bit greedy with Joel's vacation time)

THANKS, Joel & Amy