Author: Heather

The Wheat Pool/ Piscine de Ble

When we arrived in front of Notre Dame, we were greeted by the smell of fresh baking bread.  Ugh! They were holding a celebration of bread festival.  Okay Heather, suck it up and pretend that you still enjoy this smell because I bet that this will be interesting for the girls.

I waited outside the tent where the bread making demos were being held and when Elspeth got bored, she joined me.  It was then that she saw it.  She broke out in a grin from ear to ear.  I turned around.  It was my worst nightmare come true.  There in the middle of the square was a pool of wheat!

The Pandas are here

Okay, I thought that I would take a moment from uploading photos of our trip to bring you up to date on our return to reality.  Since arriving home we have tackled the normal chores (cleaning, laundry, shopping…), bought new skates for Katrine and ordered her next skating dress, planted our garden and gone to the zoo.  The last was our effort today to exhaust Elspeth so that she would maybe sleep through the night.  Katrine is mostly back to normal but the rest of us are suffering.  You see, Elspeth seems to be on an inbetween schedule which has her waking up repeatedly through the night and in the process waking both Glenn and I up.  Fingers crossed that the zoo, gardening and then outside playtime will do the trick tonight.

Anyways, the pandas are now at the zoo where they will stay for the next five years.  The girls were very excited today and danced their way in to the zoo.  Elspeth broke into fits of giggles when she saw the display of panda poop.  “Wow mommy!  That is a BIGGGG poop.”

There were a number of informational displays and interactive displays in the Panda Experience section that led into the panda enclosure.  One that amazed Katrine focused on the size of a adult panda’s hand.  “Mom!  Come see!  Baba’s hand is about the size of a panda’s.”  Who knew that I had a husband with panda sized hands?

Then it was the main event.  Their absolute cuteness did not disappoint.  I mean, just look at that face.

On the way out, the girls saw the zoo’ new panda mascots.  I was sure that Katrine would ask for a photo give that here was a walking, giant stuffed bear but Elspeth has always shyed away from any ‘character’.  Not today though.  Both girls asked to have their photo taken.  Plus, when Elspeth was done she declared, “I like the panda.  He patted my head.  He was nice.”

Cute Food in Scotland

This is the last post about the food from our trip.  I promise.  Soon I will get around to uploading some actual photos of the girls and the stuff that we saw and did.

Some very scottish flavours of chips/crisps:

Ice Cream anyone? How about an oyster?:

When we were kids at my Grandma’s, some nights the “Icy”, or ice cream truck, would come around near her house.  She would dig out her change purse and send Scott and I out to buy some sweeties.  One of his favourites was an oyster.  As you can see in the photo, it is quite an ice cream.   I put in the one of Elspeth because Glenn was going to get himself an ice cream the day we were in Falkirk because it was so hot; then he saw the ice cream that they gave to Elspeth and changed his mind.  But look at how happy she was.

It is a wafer “shell” filled with marshmallow, ice cream and a flake bar.

Gluten free eats: Scotland – Glasgow, Stirling, Falkirk, Loch Lomond & the Trossachs

Geographically these tasty meals were a bit more spread out.  Nevertheless, quite tasty

Glasgow –

Ask Italian also has a location in Glasgow.

Tempus (located in the bottom floor of the Grand Central Hotel which is in the main train station in Glasgow):

We stayed here the night that we arrived in Glasgow via trian and were quite peckish the next morning.  When we decided to venture downstairs for breakfast I honestly expected to have a drink and sit and watch the crew eat.  I was pleasantly surprised when told that they had gluten free muffins and buns in stock.  Both were served nice and toasty warm making them extra delicious.

Stirling –

Gabe’s:

We ate here twice and there was an extensive gluten free menu offered (they even offered GF breakfasts with crepes and pancakes! but we never wanted to sit over breakfast).  I only have one set of photos as the food was sooo yummy that I ordered the same thing twice.  This is located beside the movie theaters as well as a nice walking path which runs alongside the River Forth.

GF fish and chips with homade tartar sauce and minty mushy peas.

Lemon drizzle cake for dessert. 

Falkirk –

The Wheelhouse Restaurant –

This is located walking distance from the Falkirk Wheel.  However, we decided to stay at the wheel rather than step out to eat as the girls were really interested in watching it work.  This restuarant offers a gluten free menu.

Falkirk Wheel Cafe –

I expected to eat a bag of chips and perhaps a piece of fruit while the rest ate sandwiches but I was pleasantly surprised.  I was able to order a “cheese toasty” (toasted cheese).  In addition, they also had individually bagged cookies for purchase had I wanted dessert.

Loch Lomond-

Palombos Fish, Chips & Pizza:

After our day on the banks of Loch Lomond and at the nearby aquarium (less than a five minute drive) we stopped here for our last dinner in Scotland.  Mmmm.  Yet another version of fish and chips (I have yet to find a gluten free fish and chip place nearby).  Glenn also got a treat with battered haggis (not gluten free but he rather enjoyed it).

Simple and straight forward.

Haggis and chips served piping hot but not gluten free.

The Trossachs –

Aberfoyle/Loch Ard- 

Wee Bleather Tea Room (on the banks of Loch Ard just north of Aberfoyle): We did not stop here on our day out at Loch Katrine but we drove past it as we went to the top end of the loch.  It looked very quaint and I thought of stopping for a snack but did not expect that they would have anything gluten free so I pulled out our packaged snacks.  Now I am sorely disappointed.  It turns out that this restaurant has a full gluten free menu as well as “normal” items.  Plus, they also have some dairy free options.  Sigh.  There is always next trip.

Doune – We stopped at the Circa Cafe which is at the Scottish Antiques & Arts Center.  It is quite cozy inside.  Unfortunately we arrived with plans of enjoying dinner there only to find out that they were in the process of closing for the evening.  They do offer a gluten free selection but I can’t comment on its tastiness.

Thornhill –

That evening we drove to nearby Thornhill instead and had dinner at the Lion & Unicorn Hotel’s pub.  The atmosphere was lovely with the smell of coal burning fires in the background.  There was a totally gluten free menu upon request and the wait staff helpful.  I ordered the burger and was not disappointed.

Loch Venacher –

On the way to Callander from Loch Katrine, we stopped at this loch for some lunch.  The view from inside this restaurant is gorgeous.  We were able to sit in warmth yet watch the wind creating waves on the water.  They had a number of gluten free options and were able to accomodate me when I decided to go with something which was not marked as gluten free – a burger made from mince butchered by the local Callander butchers.  They were the ones my Grandma used so I knew that the meat would be outstanding and I was not disappointe. Mmmm.

Callander –

We ate at a number of places while in Callander as this was the focus of our visit given that it is my mom’s hometown.

Taste of the Trossachs: I did miss eating at this place but I will have to try the next time.  It is at the bottom end of town near the meadows.

The Old Bank:  Also at the bottom end of town.  We had an early supper here (as it closes early by our standards).  The leek and potatoe soup which I ordered with my toasty was particularly yummy as were the wee teddy shaped chips.  The muffin was served warm and was a nice and fluffy apple spice muffin.  Unfortunately there was a bit of misunderstanding on my part.  The menu read ‘cupcake’ so I was anticipating an icing covered cake of some sort so I was a bit surprised when my muffin arrived.  The muffin would be a great choice if you were looking for a mid afternoon pick me up.

The Atrium Cafe:  This is located on the second floor of the CCW Outdoor Clothing Store near the top end of town.  There is always something gluten free to be had (I have been here multiple times on various trips).  This visit was on a rainy day and my toasted sandwich arrived nice and warm.  The “normal” dishes are posted on a large blackboard on the wall while the gluten free menu can be found beside where you stand to order you food.  Once you have placed your order and given your table number, you can sit back and relax until the food arrives.

The Lade Inn:  Although we did not eat at this restaurant on this visit, I have had the pleasure of eating here a few times before and recall it as quite tasty.  They have clearly marked gluten free dishes on their regular menu.

Other in Scotland tips:

I have shopped at a number of places for gluten free goodies.  In fact, gluten free food can be purchased at Sainsburys, Tescos and Marks & Spencers.  This trip my favourite finds were crumpets at Tescos (the kind which you toast and then slather on the butter so that when you eat it the butter is dripping through the holes onto the plate) and shortbread at Sainsburys.  The crumpets are fairly close to the real thing except that they soak up more butter than they let run through.  The shortbread does not crumble when you take your first bite and it has a nice buttery taste.  Plus, it looks like regular round shortbreads so it has the nostalgia factor covered as well.

The Ears are Pierced

On our first full night home from vacation we got Katrine’s ears pierced.  Of course, it did not run smoothly.  We decided to have them pierced at our local tattoo and piercing parlour.  I mean, that is all they do for a living so they must be good.  Plus, they have their certificate of health posted on line and when you walk in the door it smells of cleaner.  They also use needles and not those silly piercing guns. (Bad experience with one in grade school where it miss fired and their was a lot of manual shoving to get the earring through my ear.)

Katrine has been actively asking to get her ears done since March Break when she saw some candy earrings that she simply had to have.  We dragged our feet as I didn’t want to deal with it while on vacation and we knew that there would be some tears.  We were right.  Katrine sat on the bench last night, clutching her stuffies (only the second ones to have ever set foot in the shop), tears rolling down her cheeks while saying that she was ready so get to it.  When they were done she literally danced about with glee exclaming “That didn’t hurt.”  She is still dancing today calling herself “all grown up with my earrings”.  Funnily enough, she and her sister have pretend pierced at least four stuffies ears today.

Cute Food in London

Okay, simply had to post these photos of two cakes we saw while shopping.  They are really too cute to eat.

Elspeth: Look a sheep!

Me: Yes sweetie.  It is a sheep cake.

Elspeth:  Can we get the sheepy cake?  It is cute.

Me:  No.  We don’t need it.  Besides, you don’t want to eat the sheep do you?

Elspeth looking at me like I am crazy.

Elspeth: No, Aleigh (her sheep) and me play with it.

Me:  Sweetie, it is a cake. Like a birthday cake.

Elspeth:  Oh.  I don’t want to eat sheepy cake.

Right beside the sheep was a hedgehog.  I am not sure how this conversation would go.  “Okay, who wants the butt?  It has the most icing?”  Not sure that eating either is high on my list of priorities but they are adorable to look at.

 

 

Gluten free eats: London

J D Wetherspoon chain of Pubs: (there is now one in the Glasgow airport as well)

We went to this chain twice while in London.  I got the same meal both times as I quite enjoyed it so I can’t attest to the taste of other items.  Ordering was a bit different than we are use to at home.  You go in and find an empty table.  Each table has a number on it and once you have decided what you would like to eat you walk up to the bar, place your order, pay and give them your table number.  Then you take your tray of drinks back to said table and wait for your food to arrive.  The gluten free items are listed in the regular menu although if you need reading glasses I would suggest that you use them as the logos indicating gluten free are rather small in size.

This location is right beside Trafalgar Square. 

This location is across the street from the Tower of London.

I am a bit of a purist in that I rather enjoy nachos with cheeese and salsa.  These nachos are suppose to be served with more toppings.

ASK Italian Restaurants:

The location that we found was less than five minutes walk from our hotel near Kensington Gardens on the tube line.  I found this restaurant by accident and what a wonderful accident.  The food was delicious and the service for kids – beyond compare.  They had child sized cutlery, veggies and dip included in every kids meal as well as a special “babychino” for along with the dessert.  Gluten free items were indicated in the regular menu and were easy to find.

Kids meal-

The girls had pasta with cheese sauce and pancetta.

GelattoCaramelized pineapple with gelatto

Babychinos

Gluten free –

GF pasta with spicy tomatoe sauce, caramalized onions and pancetta.  Heavenly!

Molten chocolate cake

 

Oliver’s Fish and Chips:

We made a special trip on the tube to this restaurant but it was well worth it.  They use sustainably caught fish and you can taste the freshness.  They also offer a kid friendly choice.  Worth the trip (plus, my first fish and chips since I was diagnosed!).

Honest Burger:

This is in Soho and is an easy walk from the British Museum.  The burgers are juicy and cooked medium well (kids burgers more well done).  The thing which pushed this over the top were the fries.  They are hand cut and coated with rosemary salt.  Mmmmm!

Random Finds:

Our hotel was walking distance to a Waitrose and there were quite a few yummy products clearly marked as gluten free.

I enjoyed this with the granola bar I had packed for breakfast.

A plain chocolate bar in a cute package.

Eating these was like journeying back to my childhood visits to my grandmas.  Every bit as tasty as I remember.

These were part of my lunch at the Science Museum.  Not exactly healthy but they took the edge off of it.  A nice alternative to plain salted chips.

This was the healthier part of my lunch that day.  Also clearly marked as gluten free.  As for taste, regular yogurt flavour.

Regular Food in Paris

First I had to show you the GF goodies from our trip.  Now for the rest.

Crepes!

Had them pretty much every day.  When they were not the buckwheat variety they were the regular old made with wheat variety.  Katrine really enjoyed watching them being made.  They were an easy lunch.  Walk along, see stall, presto! Lunch!

Brown Sugar and butter Ham and cheese (Elspeth really got into eating ham on this trip)   

Boulangerie (Bakeries):

This was breakfast every morning for the rest of the crew.  Pasteries, quiches, pannini sandwiches.  Quick, easy and resonably priced.

Don’t you love how some of the goodies are almost as large as Elspeth’s head?

Ice cream:

When planning this trip I thought that I should try to include some kid centered things along the way.  Well, what is more kid centered than ice cream?  I read that there was a remarkably good ice cream store by the name of Berthillion which was located walking distance from Notre Dame.  This was to be the first of many ice cream stops during our trip.  Did the ice cream live up to the hype?  Yes.  I am told that it was extra creamy with very fresh flavours.

 

Gluten free eats: Paris

I knew that the rest of the family would eat well in Paris but I must admit that I was a little bit concerned.  I needn’t have worried.  It was a delicious few days.

Breizh Cafe:

A wonderful location for gluten free crepes.  They make their crepes out of buckwheat and they taste delicious!  Plus, they are as large as a dinner plate.

Just cool that the water came in this bottle.  It was greatly enjoyed by the girls.

Ham and cheesy yumminessHam, cheese, egg sunnyside up and sardines.

Helmut Newcake:

We walked here after our first dinner.  It was a bit of a trek but well worth it (as you can see from the empty plate).  They are the only completely gluten free bakery in all of Paris.  After enjoying a dessert in the seating portion of the bakery, I purchased a selection of goodies to enjoy for breakfast the next two mornings.

BeforeAfter (too good to waste a crumb)

Noglu:

The only completely gluten free restaurant in all of Paris and their food is superb!  They are located in this alley way lined with shops.  From the outside the restaurant looks small but this is deceiving as it actually has two floors.

The meal began with warm gluten free bread and these fluffy GF cheese puffs.

Appetizers –

Asparagus in egg with lentilsWhite fish with mushrooms and grilled red pepper.

Mains –

The girls split this super juicy pork chopGlenn’s fish with quoina

My steak, onions and garlic mashed potatoes

Desserts –

Chocolate brownie cakeToasted Hazelnut torteRaspberry Lemon cake

Creperie Genie:

Now I can not confirm that this restaurant is 100% gluten free as they do make both types of crepes and thus there is a risk of cross contamination.  I took the risk and enjoyed a delightful dinner.  This restaurant is located along Montparnasse and is walking distance to Luxembourg Gardens.

This was not gluten free.  It is a hotdog pannini which Elspeth enjoyed.  I have just never seen one before.

Ham and cheeseFour cheese (including blue cheese)Double egg.

 

Laduree Macaroons:

We never made it to their main store in Paris.  We purchased these goodies at Versailles (no line up).  I am so very glad that we did.  They are simply delicious.

The sight which first greeted my eyes upon noticing the shop.  Mmmm.

 

Other advice for Paris?  Well, if we had been staying longer I would have made better use of our aparthotel.  We had found a nearby supermarket and it would have been easy to purchase fresh fruit, cheese, yogurt and such.  Instead, for lunches I relied on the snacks which I had packed at home.