Last Day in Utrecht

 My days in Europe are coming to an end. I have been on the road for about three weeks, it is time to go home.  But before I go, one last day around Utrecht!  To the Flower Market we go!  Every Saturday throughout the year, near the church square is the flower market, selling beautiful cut flowers, small shrubs, and bulbs for incredibly cheap prices.  E tells me that it is because the Netherlands is a flowering-producing nation so flowers have to be cheap.

 There were so many flowers and bulbs that I would have loved to purchase to bring home.  Alas, none were certified to bring into the US.  Instead, I watched E by several varieties of flowers so she could make some arrangements.

 We then wandered around the city and went to the best bakery in Utrecht. The desserts on display were mouth-watering and two more Dutch specialities only available around Christmas were purchased for me to try.

The first was Borstplaat: small discs of sugar.  It is the closest thing to Tablet that I have found.  We ended up having to go back to the bakery so I could purchase some to bring home to Will, the Tablet expert.  In the Netherlands, it comes in three flavors: chocolate (pictured), mocha, and vanilla.  I bought a sampling of all three, ya know, for taste-testing.

The second was Gevulde Speculaas: speckuloos (ginger and cinnamon) cake with marzipan inside and decorated with marcona almonds.  It is a perfect tea cake.

We then had lunch-- cuz everyone knows it is best to eat your dessert first!-- at a very sweet deli where everything is organic.  I had a delectable carpaccio sandwich. 

We then walked around Utrecht and ended up at the botanical gardens.  It is always fun to see gardens, no matter what time of year.  The persimmon tree still had fruit on it, if no leaves.  The Japanese maple was dropping its red leaves and the several reading areas were easier to spot through the bare trees.

The coolest thermometer was spotted: it measures both air temp and ground temperatures.  I have a feeling that one will be appearing soon in our garden.

And what is a last day without a wonderful home-cooked meal of pumpkin gnoochi made from roasted pumpkins from E's house in Freiseland.

Watching her smashing the pumpkin, rolling out the dough, and shaping the gnoochi was fun-- and it was so much easier than the potato gnoochi I have made before.  

 While the gnoochi dried a bit before cooking, we had a few appetizers and a swing in the hammock-- because every house needs a hammock inside.  It is pure brilliance.

 My final (for this trip at least) European meal: pumpkin gnocchi with sage and browned butter, cooked to perfection.

I can't wait to come back for another helping! Thank you E for a marvelous time.