Good news is that work is going pretty great on this European trip. Bad news is that it involves a lot of work, evil eating, and little time for anything else. And ya, I’m that annoying person who whips out her digicam in the restaurants! So…what have been my more memorable dishes?

These shrimps were sooo succulent, subtly grilled and flavored with a lime dressing:

And the first time I learned that cabillaud means cod in French (cabillaud à la basque with chives)…

Not my first time with tuna tartare, but this Thai flavoring was quite delicious…

But working from a suitcase and laptop comes a lot of stress, so surely yours truly has to indulge in a bit of on-the-road retail therapy, non?

Yes, last Friday afternoon I did pop into the shops on a day the US dollar actually had a pulse and got some pressies at Louis Vuitton. Managed to escape Hermès without succumbing to a stunning sterling silver Collier de Chien bracelet (though I had a dream about it on Saturday!) and even walked out of Chanel empty-handed. See what stress has done to my shopping brain! But let’s see what I scored as gifts…

Love this Origami wallet:

But did you see the French comic books in the above picture? My Belgian host mom always finds them for me for my collection. As much as I love fashion, books are really the way to my heart. Diamonds and gems, too, but I digress…BTW, have you seen The Avengers? I managed to see it here a week before it was released in the US, and I have to say, in my next life I’m coming back as a superhero. Mask and all!