European Breakfast Part Deux

As mentioned in Part 1 on breakfast on the continent - I love this meal. I don't necessarily eat a lot, but I just love the components.  Also, this is where I get to start ruminating on the differences between the European and American lifestyles which is the intent of recounting our 3 weeks spent in Europe this past April. I am intent on recreating this lifestyle for us as much as possible here in the CLE. I've been on this journey for years and have collected a lot of information, hence Paris on the Cuyahoga which is my way of helping to define this lifestyle, embrace it and spread the word about it.
In Leuven, Belgium our daughter Clementine (who'd been living there since Sept 2014) chose a bio (organic) resto for breakfast.  It was thrilling for me to note the similarities between this meal and how we eat it at home. First, there is one long, pine table set with trays of jellies, jams, spreads like nutella, sugar, salt and pepper. Altho there are a few other small tables most of the clientele sat around the big table and soon there was room for us too. Cafe au lait - perfection in a ceramic bowl. Soft boiled eggs served in egg cups. The omnipresent european spoon - small  with a long, fine handle. Assorted breads: toasted, seeded, hearty, fine. We dined and I observed the (mostly) women eating with us: well dressed - simple but looking pulled together; conversing and leisurely consuming their meals; pulling off small bits of bread, buttering it carefully before popping into their mouths. Enjoying and socializing.
For our final breakfast we ate at our hotel and breakfast was included. This was the most fantastic hotel breakfast I've ever had the pleasure of eating. Tables set with linen and good silverware. The lavish display featured all varieties of cheese and pate - these in individual containers. Big baskets of bread: croissants, hearty bread, seeded rolls, rustic white bread. REAL scrambled eggs. Bacon, potatoes, yogurts and fruit. In heaven!  I chose 2 cheeses and toasted bread and cappucino. Jake and Clementine had eggs and potatoes and bacon. All wonderful, I wished for the strength to go for some pate but couldn't muster the appetite.

Europe makes it easy to live this way. Here we need to tweak what we've got to get what we want. I start every day with cafe au lait, I'll share my easy method for making it another time if you'd like it?
Then usually some toast. I take my time and pull off bits of toast, butter it one bite at a time. Enjoy it.
If I'm alone I read: the paper, a book - whatever.  Of course I do breakfast after the early routine I've developed, described in another post, of water and walking.  Then I write this blog.

Bon appetite!