When You're Not Looking

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It seems as though some of the best things in life present themselves when you are not looking for it. In my case, is rings true. I have never really been a beer guru, hand me a cold Coors and I am good to go! However, when we went to the brewry in France, it seems as though that changed with the blink of an eye. My favorite beer was there, just waiting for me to find it. 😊

We began the day with a visit to the Fois Gras place. I am not the kind that has a stomach of steel when it comes to unusual food, so the thought of it kinda gave me a funny feeling to being with. I had tried Fois Gras once before at work, and with the goose fat poured over, I quickly learned that it was not for me! With that being said, I have a hard time accepting people who don't try anything twice, therefore, I would be my own worst enemy if I didn't give this goose liver a second ride on the merry-go-round. After a quick tour, and little video about how the factory prepared the goose liver, it was time to taste test! Although very hesitant, and on the brink of being childish, I finally went for it! I tried as hard as I could to let my mind wander loosely, so that I wouldn't focus on what it is that I was actually eating, and when I successfully did that I realized that it was pretty good. The wine that we were given made it even better! I don't think that I will be eating it for my own pleasure, but it's good that I was able to try it and not hate it! I didn't like to duck as much, Elz and I thought that it tasted a little on the side of cat food. But there were others that liked it better, which I always find interesting; how some people like one thing, while others like another more-so.
Then we were off to Strasbourg to grab a quick lunch before the Brewery. I was out of money at that point so I had to search with an ATM with Elz. I tried not to get too far into the center of town where the clothing and shops were considering I was nearly broke, but we did find this one lovely little cafe. It was one of the first menus that I ran across that didn't have an english version, and our waiter didn't speak english. Luckily, Elz had practice all week so we were ok! I ended up ordering Jambon de Paris, which was a baguette with ham and butter! I had never had a sandwich with butter being the condiment, but it really wasn't too bad, just a little ironic. I avoided the ham and cheese sandwich, only to get ham and butter. My justification is that it was a french thing that I needed to try, and I didn't want to waste any of the sandwich since that would just be money down the drain! haha, whatever works right!
At 12:30 we met to go to the brewery. I didn't have much expectation for it because we had heard that it wasn't all that impressive, and boy it was! Turns out that it now is strictly a company museum. I really enjoyed the presentation and how well it was set up. I also liked how we were able to try some of the malt seeds. Then we got to see the old machines and things like that but the best part was most definitely the taste testing! For the first time I was able to taste and compare what real beer tasted like. I found two that I absolutely loved but to my disappointment it is not sold in the States, which is probably better for the figure anyway :p Then we all bought some souvineers and hit the road to go pick up the rest of the gang in Strasbourg.
That night we had our final BBQ. It was not what a BBQ is here, and I don't mean that in a bad way! It was awesome. A four course meal was presented to us, with a buffet of breads, sauces, veggies, and different slaws. The tent that we were under, which was more like a teepee mansion, was very cool! And although the chairs were not so comfortable, they sure did fit the look. My favorite course was of course the chicken, and then the baked feta cheese. YUM :D :D It was a great way to end France, and the rest of Europe, with a bang. I hope so sincerely, to go back within the next two years. It has been a mere three days and I am already wishing that I was there again!

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