October 17th

-Yaaaaawn-

Keeping watch.

To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.

– Marilyn Vos Savant

Day 17

There is a quaint little café called La Madeleine, of which some of you might have heard. I’ve only seen them attached to small strip malls, so the exterior is nothing special. Inside, though, it looks like a cozy cottage in the Southern countryside of France. The bricks around the fireplace and around the hearth were rugged but elegant, and old, dusty books lined skinny shelves on the walls. This fireplace separated the two small halves of the French café, making it cozy and private.

The chocolate cake (sacher torte) was as rich in flavor as the warmth coming from the fire. I studied my mug filled with toasty hazelnut latte; the milk foam floating atop the espresso and milk stuck to the edges while I sipped. I wished I could scrape the foam from the sides and pile it on top like the bubbles in a bubble bath. The cup warmed up my frigid fingers; they always get so cold.

So quaint

Mom came, too.

Hazelnut-latte-goodness

Sacher torte – traditionally a Viennese dessert.

This quote sounds much prettier en français.