DAY TRIP Part 2 - CHESTER

The second leg of our Saturday daytrip had me driving and singing my way along Highway #3 past such places as Boutlier's Point, Queensland, and Hubbards. It brought back wonderful memories of a younger me driving with my ex on our antique hunting trips. I hadn't taken this drive in a good 18 years; so, it was actually nice to have a quiet car that I could fill with my reminiscences of earlier days full of young love and ready cash! (Something else I haven't seen in 18 years!)
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The village of Chester is 250 yr old this year. It has a rich heritage as a seaport and boat building community, and the village is dotted with beautiful victorian mansions and modern day estates. It's also one of the wealthiest communities in NS because of it being a vacation and resort destination, with lovely specialized boutiques and shops. Every August, it hosts Chester Race Week when sailboats and yachts from around the world come and compete for the cup.


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When I turned off to head into the village of Chester, the snoring stopped and 4 little eager-to-shop heads popped up. I'd had the earliest breakfast, so I was hungry. Do you remember this jolly guy from the Farmer's Market??
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It's Julian -- the guy with the beautiful pastries and breads. Remember the sunflower-shaped bread?

Well, one of my purposes in stopping in Chester was to find his cafe and bakery and see what new delectables he'd have to offer there.

The girls kept saying "Oh, I'm not hungry yet!" "No, I don't feel like eating." But I stood my ground and said "Well, I ate at 8 am, and I am hungry. So, you can sit with me and watch if you want!"
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We didn't have to walk very far before we found it.

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And look what greeted us when we walked in! Lovely cheeses and sausages and breads. The smell of coffee and various sweets filled the air; and over on one side, fresh baked Christmas stollen with it's fruit and nuts and almond paste and icing sugar was being wrapped. It was heavenly!
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I was perusing the lunch menu trying to decide what to have ....................

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..... Then I turned to the left. And ..... well, there's no other way to explain it .... I FELL IN LUST! Yes, bloggie friends, this display case was the Chippendales that ignited overwhelming passion in my loins that afternoon. (And still does on reflection!)

As I stood there -- forcing myself with every fiber of my being NOT to press my body up against the glass and sigh .... eyes glazed over .... drool dripping from the corners of my mouth --- I made the lady behind the counter describe what every single thing was ---- slowly please! Not just their names , but what's in them. Many of them had French names. Ahhhhh! It was like poetry!

Then 4 little foreign bodies lined up next to me in rapt attention. "Maybe I'll have one of these!" "Yes, perhaps I will too". So, we each took something different to the table while we awaited either a tall, fluffy hot chocolate or a small fluffy cappuccino.


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This was my desert. It is a brioche filled with French vanilla cream custard on top of a layer of almond paste and glazed with a very thin toffee-like almond/honey mixture and sprinkled with powdered sugar. OMG! I was falling in love! As they sing in Motown ... "Hep me, hep me!!"***
This was my second choice and Nadine's pick. Isn't it beautiful!
She let me have a nibble, and that was the moment I knew I was really smitten! (Isn't that a great word!) Okay, let me describe this beauty to you from the bottom up: It has a beautiful shortbread crust, with a generous layer of white chocolate, then it's filled with bittersweet truffle cream and dusted with bittersweet cocoa power; and it's topped with a dark chocolate wavy ribbon/flower.

I could feel myself being overcome by "the vapors and the dizzy spells" (said in pseudo Southern accent!)

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Kurumi had this chocolate bread pudding. (I didn't know her well enough to demand a taste.) Do they share in Japan??

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And Diane had Black Forest cheesecake which looked divine. I would have possibly asked for a wee corner to taste (being as I adore both Black Forest cake and cheesecake --- and for the sake of sharing this necessary knowledge with my viewing public!). But alas, before I could finish my first whiff of cappuccino, Diane had inhaled her cake and was repeatedly demanding her hot chocolate. Oh well; you snooze, you lose!!

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Adriana was hungry for lunch; so she had a turkey sandwich and a huge, yummy peanut butter cookie.

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We all enjoyed our "lunch"; and my girls and I all said we wanted to come back again to sample something different!

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To my bloggie friends I offer this: If you come to visit me (and you're welcome to stay at my house), I will take you to Julian's .... if you promise me that I can have a nibble of whatever you're having!

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We finished off our trip with a walk around Chester and a visit to this little craft shop. Thanks for joining us on our trip.