This morning my friend O and I have a leisurely, light breakfast of yogurt, bread etc. A farmer’s market runs on Tuesdays (and Saturdays) on the boulevard where my friend lives; the merchants set up their stalls and trucks in the tree-lined pedestrian lane between the split lanes of the street. We head back to the bakery / boulangerie down the street, which has a long line out front. We want to check out their quiche for New Year’s Day brunch. They have two flavours: one with chicken and mushrooms, the other with goat cheese (chèvre) and spinach. Both look delectable! We order a slice of each to split for lunch and order a full quiche for pickup on the December 31. My French is very rusty so my friend O does most of the talking although I can still get a few basic words out. Next we head to a larger grocery store (a French chain called Auchan) about a 15 minute walk away to get more goodies. They have a vast selection of cheeses in the deli section, a large produce area, and a wide selection of speciality foods — we obtain shrimp and avocado for “verrines” (an appetizer served in glasses), smoked salmon, duck breast, several cheeses, green beans and bacon (I’m going to try making “bundles” inspired by sister Shannon’s Christmas menu), and fruit salad (pineapple, pears, tangerines, bananas, and blueberries). The selection of cheeses alone costs ~€50, I can’t wait to try them all!
My friend O’s apartment is on the 5th floor (or 4th floor according to how the French and other Europeans count by skipping the ground floor), with no elevator, so we hold off on some heavier items for a separate trip that I make later on this afternoon at a smaller grocery store closer by. I’ve learned my lesson from past trips that you must bag and weigh your own produce on a digital scale which then prints a sticker with the price that you must affix to it *before* checking out; the checkout clerks don’t weigh and look up items by codes like in the U.S. (I forgot about this during my last trip here 2 years ago, and it created quite a scene.)
Strasbourg is a very picturesque city, with a heavy German influence due to the Alsace province having traded hands between France and Germany throughout history. It is also home to several European institutions, including the European Council, the European Court of Human Rights, and the European Parliament. Because of this international character, many countries have consulates located in Strasbourg.
A selfie of me and my friend O:
Other photos around the neighborhood:
