A French Deli, A French Bakery, and Off to the Mountains
This past weekend Mark and I had planned to hit a few estate sales, but as we neared the first sale, I had a change of heart and really wanted to drive up to the mountains. The weather was gorgeous and Mark was game! We took off to Snoqualmie Pass. We stopped to pick up lunch along the way.
We chose "Porcella Urban Market" in Bellevue.
Bellevue, Washington is located on the east side of Seattle. I've noticed some people who live in Seattle tend to dislike the east siders and some people on the east side tend to dislike people who live in Seattle. I'm told it's because the east side is more conservative and Seattle more liberal. Trust me, there are jerks on both sides. I will admit I feel like I fit in more in Seattle. People stare at me more often in Bellevue and I'm always checking to see if I have food on my face or something. Maybe it's the hair or maybe it's because I look like an elf and dress like a thrift store whore. I don't really care enough to ask.
We ordered a Croque Monsieur w/ a side of truffled potato chips. We also had two cups of tomato soup and a roasted beet salad. The beet salad wasn't very good, but the sandwich and potato chips were quite tasty. I couldn't taste the truffle oil, but I'm not one to complain about a great potato chip. The soup was actually the best part of the meal. They make it with cheese, so it was nice and rich.
As we exited the deli we saw a bakery across the street. I'm so happy we stopped in to check this one out.
"Belle Pastry"
They had a lovely display of red roses (I'm assuming left over from Valentine's Day), and a huge selection of chocolates which I didn't take a photo of because the uppity folks were starting to glare at me.
Everything was over the top gorgeous, but the chocolate eclairs were screaming out to me....
Oh man, this eclair was the best I've ever had!
After eating, we jumped in the van drove east. At the top of Snoqualmie pass we started looking for a pull out. Mark parked near a wall of snow and started hiking around. Since I thought I would be shopping, I wasn't dressed appropriately for snow play. When I saw Mark climbing up the bank I decided, dress be damned, I have to play in that snow. I grabbed my camera and climbed.
I slipped and slid all over the place, and in the end my dress was dragging from being wet, and my bare legs were covered in snow. My next outdoor adventure will require a visit to REI first. I was a little whiny about the bare legs freezing and the dress getting stretched out from my stepping on it as I climbed. I felt like a middle aged Laura Ingalls--minus the bonnet of course.
I know I don't look very happy in this photo, but truthfully I had a great time!
I need snow shoes. Does anybody snowshoe? I need some recommendations.
