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The other day while out in Brittany for the short week of vacation I was able to take this summer, la Grenouille and I had a dining experience well worth revealing to the world at large here. We had spent the morning climbing to the top of the highest point in that area of Brittany, la Montagne Saint Michel (not to be confused avec le Mont Saint Michel in Normandy) we were feeling rather hungry. We got in our little black car, and after driving a short distance up the road a happy coincidence of fate led us to la Crêperie de l'Enclos in the village of Pleyben.
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L'autre jour en Bretagne pendant la petite semaine de vacances que j'ai pu prendre cet été, avec la Grenouille on a eu une expérience culinaire qui vaut la peine de partager avec le monde entier dans ces pages. Après être montés à pied jusqu'au plus haut point de cette partie de la Bretagne, la Montagne Saint Michel (à ne pas confondre avec le Mont Saint Michel en Normandie) on avait un petit faim de loup. On est monté dans notre petite voiture noire, et une petite conduite nous à amené par un hasard heureux à la Crêperie de l'Enclos à Pleyben.
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After installing ourselves at the table in the opening going inside, it didn't take long before miracles started happening. La Grenouille and I both ordered the special of the day recommended by the waiter, which was a crêpe with egg and truffles accompanied by a small scoop of foie gras flavored ice cream (if you can believe that) and a green salad. Both the truffle crêpe and the foie gras ice cream were unlike anything I'd ever come across in some fifty years of life on this planet. Extraordinary ! They disappeared so fast off our plates that I didn't even have time to take a picture. Sorry, guess I'll just have to go back and try them again !
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Une fois installés à la table dans l'ouverture à l'entrée, il n'est pas passé longtemps avant que les miracles aient commencé à se produire. Le Grenouille et moi avons tous les deux commandé le plat du jour que le serveur avait conseillé, qui était une crêpe à l'oeuf et aux truffes, accompagné par une boule de glace de parfum foie gras (si vous pouvez le croire...) et une salade verte. La crêpe aux truffes et la glace parfum foie gras ne ressemblaient à rien de déjà vu pendant une cinquantaine d'années sur cette planète. Elles ont disparu tellement vite que je n'avais même pas le temps de faire une photo. Dommage, il va falloir y retourner pour les essayer de nouveau !
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Although everything we had there was delicious, the dessert crêpe was particularly memorable, and fortunately I took a photo before it too disappeared. This crêpe in the form of a rose, had a scoop of rose flavored ice cream in it, a dollop of whipped cream topped with rasberries, as well as a rose jelly on the side with more rasberries. Divine !
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Bien que tout ce que nous ayons gouté là était délicieux, la crêpe en dessert était particulièrement memorable, et heureusement j'ai pu faire une photo avant qu'elle n'ait disparue. Cette crêpe en forme de rose, avait une boule de glace parfum rose dedans, avec de crème chantilly et framboises, et à coté une gélée parfum rose avec encore des framboises. Divine !
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The owners of the Crêperie de l'Enclos gave us the warmest and friendliest welcome I've had in a restaurant in a long time. They took time from their busy kitchen to chat with us and explain in detail how their crêpes were created and about where certain ingredients came from. Let me please introduce to you Henri and Nicole Le Roux. Two passionate crêpe magicians !
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Les propriétaires de la Crêperie de l'Enclos nous ont donné un accueil le plus chaleureux et aimable que je n'ais eu depuis longtemps dans un restaurant. Ils ont pris du temps pour parler avec nous, expliquant en détail comment leur crêpes sont créés et d'où viennent certains des ingrédients. Permettez-moi de presenter Henri et Nicole Le Roux... deux magiciens de crêpes passionnés !
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Henri encouraged us to try a couple of different ciders with our crêpes. Both bottles came from Le Domaine de Kervéguen, and although the first bottle, Old Fashioned Cidre, was excellent, the second one, with the green label, Cuvée Prestige Carpe Diem was simply out of this world. I've never enjoyed a cider so much as that one. The small card on the bottle said : "Derived from apples left to ripen three months on the trees under a shelter, then aged for six months in oak barrels, the Cuvée Prestige Carpe Diem assembles the flavors of ancient varieties. Its fruit aromas are exceptional and for savoring." This is no exaggeration, it is a heavenly drink.
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Henri nous a encouragé à essayé deux cidres différents avec les crêpes. Les deux sont produits au Domaine de Kervéguen, et bien que la première bouteille, Cidre à l'ancienne, était excellente, la deuxième, avec l'étiquette verte, Cuvée Prestige Carpe Diem, était tout simplement sublime. Je n'ai jamais pris autant de plaisir à boire un cidre. La petite carte attachée à la bouteille disait : "Issue de pommes muries sous abri pendant trois mois, élevée pendant six mois en fûts de chène, la Cuvée Prestige Carpe Diem assemble les arômes sélectionnés de variétés anciennes. Son fruité reste exceptionnel et savoureux." Ceci n'exaggere point, c'est une boisson divine.
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The view from our table of the Pleyben chuch was marvellous. Inspiring architecture to accompany the divinely inspired cuisine.
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La vue depuis notre table vers l'enclos paroissial de Pleyben était merveilleux. De l'architecture inspirée pour accompagner la cuisine qui était d'une inspiration divine.
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So, let me again say a warm "Thank You" to our hosts Henri and Nicole Le Roux ! If I ever die and go to heaven, this is where I want to eat every Saturday at noon, and again on Sunday !
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J'aimerais dire encore un chaleureux "Merci" à nos hotes Henri et Nicole Le Roux ! Si un jour je meurs et me retrouve au paradis, c'est ici que je voudrais manger tous les samedi midi, et encore le dimanche !
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La Creperie de l'Enclos
51 place du Général de Gaulle
29190 Pleyben
Bretagne, France
02 98 26 38 68
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Posts
66 comments:
First dibs!
You get the early bird award then, even if up rather late where you are... and now I'm off to snoozeland... but maybe we could have crepes for lunch ???
:-)
Mouthwatering, ay ?
What a place! Eating oysters and crêpes in Bretagne is high on my list of things that I want to do in the next five years. This post reminds me why. I'd also like to get a closer look at that church.
Great post Owen.
The words are as mouth watering as some of the photos.
In my experience the discovery of places like this are so much more pleasurable for being so unexpected.
It's right that the owners skill and genuine interest in the people who visit is recognised too.
A good cider is a vastly under-rated drink to.....
cela est sur ! Si vous souhaitez manger les meilleurs crépes de la planéte il vous suffit de vous rendre en bretagne ! en tout cas votre post est trés agréable a lire et surtout donne envie !!.. j'aime bien sur vos photos, l'église et la glaçe sont mes préférées ! A Bientot !!
comme cette histoire est jolie owen adoré !
la petite voiture noire qui vous emmène tous les deux en balade, la petite crêperie de charme dans un village typique breton et les délicieuses crêpes sucrées, salées ! que demander de plus pour être heureux sur terre ?!
Dear Mr. Owen,
I am interested in this Creperie of yours. Do they serve any leaves?
Mrs. Slug
PS - I know that you shall be visiting the USA sometime soon, a lottle carrier pidgeon flew in the window and told me.....perhaps if you slide to the Central coast of Oregon, and you should like to visit, please respond via blog so I will know if I need to set the table here at Slug's Rest. We are serving lunch, basil leaves with a rose petal topping. Do come if you are able.
PPSS Funny how my typo for lottle, was really supposed to be the word "little." Life is amazing, yes? It must be getting late, I shall close the optical tentacles and dream of a crepe.....
Mrs. Slug
Thanks for sharing your delicious meal with us! I do like the sound of that cider, the french certainly know how to do food don't they? :)
OK, I'm totally sold! Book me in for a table for 4!
Oh. My. Gawd!
I'm going. We have friends to visit in Pleurtuit so I'm sure that we can make our way to your fantastic resto discovery!
Thank you for posting about it. Love the food photos and your car is divine!
Owen -- This is a great story, a wonderful find (miam-miam) and photos to back it up. There is no need for a name on the building as "Creperie" just covers it! The special of the day is something I would like to try and so glad that you snapped a photo of the dessert before it was quickly consumed.
Bon voyage, Owen.
Sounds good, but I still maintain that a crepe is the best way to spoil good ingredients!
I'll have some of the cider though if you don't mind!
Owen, thanks for sharing this delightful-sounding... and seeming... place. I love rose anything, and foie gras ice cream sounds just about right up my alley. It's great that you found this place by coincidence, too, as you were just traveling along. Sometimes the finest jewels are found by serendipity. The photos are lovely and delicious and they make the sky and the food and the whole experience just pop to real life. I will definitely keep the address of this creperie, and one day, maybe, hubby and I will make it there. Hope... it springs eternal, no?
Nevine
Dear Owen, is that really your little black car??? If I didn't already find you interesting and agreeable, this would have turned the tide in your favour.
I sank into the photo of the crepe, and confess (dicreetly, I hope, here at position #16 on the comments list) that it provoked a little food orgasm. I am not a dessert lover, but that would make me cave. More than once.
How very kind of you to give your hosts a Toad Star - worth way more, in my culinary book, than the Michelin kind.
What a super place.
I've been off creperies for years, but I bet this one would bring me back to the true faith.
C'est sûr que... les choses vues ainsi...
Finalement, je ne sais pas si je maintiens pour la crêpe salée... Je prendrais le feuilleté avec les framboises et la chantilly ! ! !
Quel bel hommage à cette crêperie !
J'espère qu'on te fais un prix lorsque tu y retournes manger des crêpes ! ! !
Pour ce qui est de la petite voiture noire, j'ai relevé les numéros et c'est bien celle-là qui s'est faite flasher à plus de 145 km/h sur la ligne droite qui part de la crêperie ! Un abus de cidre peut-être ?
Allez... Ciao amigo !
Je m'en retourne... comme une crêpe ! ! !...:)
Oh, my! TAKE ME WITH YOU!!! I absolutely enjoyed every minute reading this today!
What a hard life you lead. My experience of a creperie in Roscoff,Brittany, waiting for the ferry to England, was of the owners' child hanging around our table. The poor kid had some kind of pestilence with open sores all over. Not appetizing at all.
What a charming and gorgeous set of photos! And that church across the street for a view! These architecture, the portraits of the owners, the fabulous text and photos of food and drink, all communicate to me a quintessential French experience. Beautifully done Owen.
Stickup Artist is right, i couldn't have put it better: quintessential French experience...
ah, i am so nostalgic right now, perhaps not for crepes, since i haven't yet had such heavenly ones, i'm afraid, but for some decidedly otherworldly 'moelleux au chocolat' :-)
Food holds body, mind and soul together. Thank you for this journey into happiness.
daily athens
Don't tell me that you drove the Renault 4cv!! A wonderful little car, although I remeber from my childhood that being five in the car, three of us had to leave - and push - when a slope was too steep. We would have needed a crepe afterwards. (I may have been too young for the cider.)
A world at large indeed...Nothing compares to the cozyness and charm of the countryside,,ok ok,, ((sometimes,not like that movie "Deliverance" hehe)) Wonderful pics and that place, certainly the dessert looks like a design piece itself. It is nice to see that there still exist such places managed by such nice people who have so many other different values than those of the greedy Big food chains. And Owen, while watching that tiny cute car surrounded by such architecture, i thought of you and Madame Grenouille like that TV character inspector Maigret while on duty, with madame Maigret traveling across the french countryside, somewhere in the 50´s.
All the best for you my dear friend =)
Habituellement je ne suis pas trop fan des douceurs (sauf le chocolat...;))
mais je dois admettre que cette rose est très appétissante, et faite avec amour en plus !
Une précieuse adresse à garder pour les amis, sous peine de voir débarquer des cars entiers de touristes gourmands...;)
Un billet adorable, qui met l'eau à la bouche !
Bravo Owen pour cette traduction... cette fois je n'ai pas tiré la langue concentréééée ...
Au fait Owen...
Je ne t'avais même pas dit que tu avais fait un truc superbe en mettant un texte en français, un texte en british... Je vois que mes appels n'ont pas été vains ! ! !...:)
Ciao amigo !
T'es toujours dans les crêpes ?...(:|
Hi James, would highly recommend getting to Brittany to anyone who likes to travel... and especially getting to this creperie... do give a shout if you're heading over this way !
Hi Alistair,
You are quite right, the unexpectedness is the best part... we were sort of expecting just a run of the mill creperie in a small town, and so were just totally surprised in the most pleasant way by the warm welcome, excellent crepes, and delicious cider... they just blew us away ! I've never asked to take a picture of a restaurant owner before, but Henri and Nicole Le Roux simply astounded us...
Salut Mahon,
J'espère que tu n'es pas si loin qu'un petit détour pour aller manger là ne serait pas impossible... du plus loin coin de France, disons Nice, vous avez pour combien... 15 heures de route, ou en TGV, encore mieux ! Prends le TGV jusqu-à Morlaix, de Morlaix c'est une demi-heure, pas plus, pour arriver à Pleyben...
Bon voyage et bon appetit... :-)
Bonjour Karine !
La seule chose en plus qu'il faudrait pour le bonheur complete sur cette planete ? Ce serait de t'inviter déjeuner dans ce creperie avec nos deux familles pour savourer tout cela en parlant des plaisirs des blogs, de la photographie, de la mise en page, etc... et peut-être il faudrait y retourner plusieurs fois, car il y avait d'autres choses sur la carte qui avait l'air sublimes... voilà...
:-)
Dear Mrs Slug !
They do have lots of green leaves around the crepes, an abundance, you would have been right home !
Your slug intelligence service is working very well indeed (I thought I saw some optical tentacles waving by my window while I was talking with la Grenouille about the trip the other night... so I guess the news was spread via land slug and sea slug information networks ! However, much to my frustration, I will not be able to visit all 50 states on this trip. So far am only planning to visit 7 or 8 states, and fly over a few others, but will not be on the west coast this time... as much as I'd love to slide in and sample the pesto and other basil leaf preparations at Slugs Rest. Can I take a rain check ?
Hi Jessie, the french and food go together like butter on a crepe ! Which is to say perfectly. Well, for some anyway. It is sad to see McDonalds making big inroads here... But fine experiences can still be found without too much hunting... happily !
Steve... What date ??? And how will you be arriving ? Would you like me to meet you at the ferry from Portsmouth to Roscoff ?
:-)
Hi Pliers!
So lovely to chat with you there on Tuesday... and if you get all the way to Pleurtuit, from there it is just a bit further, out through St Brieuc to Morlaix, from Morlaix down to Pleyben... Just bring an appetite !
Very best !
Hi Genie... Very much worth a detour all the way out to Brittany to try this place... you'll have to twist Virginia's arm and get on a train the next time you are in France !
Hey Adam, ok, we'll hang on to a spot of cider for you then, and a glass as well, as it won't do to drink this out of the bottle...
You might want to try some of the ingredients with these crepes though, this was unlike any I've ever experienced...
:-)
Dear Nevine,
Hope must always spring eternal, just as Spring springs eternal... I really hope you'll be able to convince hubby that this is one experience in life that can't wait... I'd recommend that you book rooms at the Hotel de Carantec, (which also has an excellent restaurant I blogged about some time ago) and then make a day trip to Pleyben and surrounding area, stopping for lunch at la Creperie de l'Enclos... And don't forget to let me know when you'll be there ! I'm sure if you describe these crepes to hubby with your language skills, he'll be wanting to call the travel agent immediately...
PS not sure if I told you I'm going to be in Texas on Monday... getting in Monday afternoon to Dallas, spending Monday evening working in DFW area, then flying right back out on Tuesday morning... I'm afrait it may be a case of so close yet so far... however, if by any odd chance of magic you had already been planning on being in Dallas, I'd love to invite you for a tea or coffee or whatever, although I'll have almost no time free... and will be with a small group from work... but who knows, stranger things have happened...
:-)
Hi Deborah,
Love your comment here ! Especially the "more than once" part. :-) And buried here very deeply in my answers I think I can get away with saying here where almost no one but you will notice, that you are entirely right, it was an orgasmic food experience ! When the foie gras ice cream started to melt in my mouth, I was certain that I was dying and on my way to heaven ! And with each little spoonful, the pleasure just got more intense !
:-)
Dear Fly... this place would bring any backsliding crepe consumer back to the straight and narrow path that leads to paradise !
Ah Jeff, je vois que ton service de renseignement marche au feu de dieu, mais en fait, j'avais modifié la plaque d'immat, et je portais un masque qui me fais ressembler à Woody Allen, tu sais, les lunettes en cadres noirs épais ? Bon, quant à ton choix de crêpe, tu as mon accord pour choisir ce que tu veux là dedans, salée, sucrée, comme tu le sens... et un bon verre de cidre quand même pour faire passer le tout...
Hi Beth N., come on over, sounds like there are a few of you who are ready to give this place a try !
Dear ER, it is a very hard life, but someone has to be able to report on such hardships, so I sacrifice myself whenever possible for scientific research purposes...
Sorry to hear you had a pestilential experience in Roscoff, I like that town alot, there are some good restaurants hidden in those ancient streets...
Hi Stickup... quintessential is it, the mighty Quinn essential... the heart of the rose flavored crêpe... A pleasure to share this secret treasure with the few of you out there who look at these pages from time to time... You just have to promise not to tell anyone !
:-)
Dear Roxana... I'm thinking that la Grenouille would know how to make a delicious crêpe with moelleux de chocolat inside it... then we just have to figure out how you could come and sample it here in France, or how it could be delivered to you in Romania... some fragile things like this are best if hand-carried, so I may just have to hop on a flight... once I get back from the US...
Hi Robert... and the way to a man's heart lies through his belly, so they say, so heartfelt happiness begins here... with delicious crêpes....
Hi Peter,
My first answer disappeared, looks like Blogger is acting up again, I keep getting an Error 503 Service unavailable error message... Hope it will be back to normal soon... No, I'm afraid I didn't actually get to drive a 4CV, it just happened to drive by as we came out of the creperie, so it got included in the story... This cider at any age of drinking it is an elixir...
Hi Alberto... nice comment... :-)
But for one thing, they don't have banjo's in Brittany, not many anyway... And very few canoes, though kayaks are popular... I'm not too familiar with Inspector Maigret, but I remember the name... And happily this place was about as far as you can get from the mentality of big food chains...
:-)
Chère K'line,
Que l'on nous préserve des hordes et des cars des touristes ou autres créatures qui n'ont pas le temps d'apprecier les vraiment bonnes choses dans la vie...
Et je suis sûr que nous trouverions une crêpe au chocolat pour toi... tu passes ce soir ?
:-)
Hi Karine A.,
Un plaisir, si j'avais le temps je mettrais tout dans les deux langues, mais c'est le temps qui manque là... la plupart du temps...
Salut Jeff,
Ah, et oui, si j'avais tout mon temps je ferais plus souvent dans les deux langues... mais la plupart du temps je cours, et vraiment pas le temps de faire les deux. Mais, de temps en temps si cela pourrait faire plaisir, pourquoi pas ....
Ciao !
Bilingue c'est WONDERFUL !!!
Toute ma blogosphère s'est retrouvée en Bretagne, ça me donne follement envie d'y retourner. En attendant j'ai mangé une petite crèpe normande à Poitiers au Roi d'Ys qui ne déméritait pas, un mélange de pomme et de caramel beurre salé, hmm. Je retiens l'adresse pour une prochaine escapade !
Je ne fais jamais très attention au cidre, tu fais bien d'en parler, je vais apprendre.
Et alors la 4CV c'est ma voiture de quand j'étais toute petite petite, la plus belle voiture du monde bien sur.... enfin après la 2CV de mes 20 ans !!!
Bises !
bowls of cider, crepes, churches - it's got to be Brittany. Lovely photos, Owen - and I do admire your language skills.
Book me a table!! (Best make it a large and strong table, just to be on the safe side....)
Discovered your magical spot through Stickup Artist. Beautiful photographs. I will return if only to experience France vicariously in such a delicious manner.
Have a wonderful week-end.
Elizabeth
Tout cela fait sacrément envie à la gourmande que je suis!!!!
Dear Lulu Sorcière,
Je suis bien content si le fait de dérouiller un peu mon piètre français écrit avec un fort accent d'outre mer pourrait faire plaisir... :-) On fait ce que l'on peut avec les moyens que l'on a dans ce bas monde...
Et je suis d'autant plus content si la photo de la belle petite pot de yoghurt noir roulant avec ses 4 CV a pu refaire sortir quelques vieux souvenirs d'enfance, visiblement tu n'étais pas la seule à se souvenir de ces automobiles...
Et oui, les crêpes et un bon cidre... quoi de mieux comme plat de vacances? Et quand c'est bon, ça peut être très bon...
Merci et à bientôt en Bretagne...
Hi FF,
Indeed, indeed, la fin fond of Brittany, un peu plus loin et on tombe dans la mer. So what's this we hear about you moving to Kent ??? Pulling up stakes and changing countries... Will be curious to see how the transition goes... Bon Courage !
Sister Saj,
A few bowls of the second cider may be just the thing, and a little shaking up before opening the bottles will put a nice bit of froth on them for you... so, you just have to get here, then we'll do the rest... oh, and do stop and pick up our other sibling on the way will you ??? She can bring her raccoon if she wants... By the way, all the tables are very sturdy here... so they don't collapse when people get up and dance on them after the fourth bottle of cider !
Hi Elizabeth... welcome ! So nice to see the ripples continue to spread through the blogosphere and people drop in from out of the blue. Stickup Artist's photos are simply wonderful, and I'm very happy you found your way here via her lovely site... If you enjoy travelling in France, do rummage around a bit in the archives, there are all sorts of odds and ends in this potpourri of a blog...
Salut Chrys, ahhh, un peu gourmande ? Dans ce cas il faut y aller... et vite... dis à Henri et Nicole que le bloggeur du mois d'août t'a envoyé... Je ne sais pas d'où tu commencerais le voyage, mais le TGV va à Morlaix, ensuite c'est tout près, une petite demi-heure, en passant par de magnifiques paysages, frolant la montagne Saint Michel...
Bon Appetit !
Etant en déplacement en ... Inde :-) j'arrive un peu à la bourre... Tu m'as appaté avec ton histoire de voiture noire, je suis sûr que tu m'aurais parlé de la crêpe a la glace de foie gras, je serais arrivé encore plus vite !
Une jolie 4CV magnifiquement entretenue, une adresse visiblement coup de coeur, le tout enveloppé dans un texte empli de poésie ! Bravo !
J'ai le même tee-shirt que la dame … mais mes crêpes ne sont pas aussi bien présentées que les leurs !
Quant au cidre, ayant eu un grand-oncle qui en faisait en Normandie, je n'ai jamais retrouvé la saveur des bouteilles de mon enfance. Sa petite-fille que j'ai accueillie à la maison cet été était tout émue quand je lui ai dit cela.
Your first attempt at a bilingual post if I remember well, but I can understand your desire to share the contents with the talented owners of this crêperie.
Bravo Owen pour ce billet et ces photos qui donnent vraiment envie d'aller manger à la crêperie de l'enclos à Pleyben. Une adresse qu'on retient !!!
Oh my I am a crepe fanatic. During all the years I was married, I used to always makes crepes, and experiment with what to put inside them. All homemade ingredients! It was very time consuming. I would either make them more like dessert crepes, or make my special "Chicken in Lemon and cheese sauce" crepe. I loved making them..it does take a special "Knack" I do believe! We would have guest over for my special crepe dinners or Sunday Brunches. I would set up the dinner table all decorated set out special wines and thought it was a lot of work for me I so miss being able to do this. I enjoyed it so and the pleasure of watching friends smile and enjoy my cooking!
You brought a lot of special memories back to me Owen. Thank you so much. I would so love to come to Europe and eat "real crepes"....oooh and the view across the way is so beautiful also.
You are so lucky to have such enjoyable experiences and to be so well traveled. Love you little black car.
I know this is a real late comment..I've been taking care of a lot of "survival" business..sigh.
Looks like your mentioning that womens name on your blog sure did get you a lot of comments in this post.
Love and Peace for this world,
Rhiannon
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