In these coming entries it will be difficult to explain how I lose instead of gain weight on this trip (but I do walk A LOT when I’m roaming) because just looking at windows in these patisseries around Europe is enough to pile on the pounds. I know, it’s easy for you to say stop looking inside the windows then, but how can I resist any place with a canopy just begging to provide shade from the sun and treat for the eyes?


All I know is that a whiff of the sweet scent triggers a Pavlovian behavior in me…the salivation begins and before I know it, I’m inside the store–in today’s case I’m at Demel, the famed chocolatier and pastry shop–induced into some sugar frenzy where my mind can justify paying an arm and a leg for a tiny box of chocolates meant for people with elfish appetites…


but judging from the crowd of other zombies…er, tourists…it seems I’m not the only one on a candy high. Honestly though, who can resist these types of pretty displays:


I should say the candy boutique is to the right of the entrance, which I suppose most people may miss because when you first come inside the store, you are mesmerized by the pastry display that immediately catches your eye. I tell you, the choices are so varied you just want to weep because there are not enough hours in a day to eat everything…though I’d like to give it a shot!


If you can pry yourself away from the pastry counter, you will see a beautiful mahogany bar ahead, where you can order any kind of coffee (I prefer the strongest expresso possible) to go with your sweets:


You can also grab a quick lunch here…


but who am I kidding…let’s get back to the sweet stuff, shall we?


Geez, I’m drooling now just looking at the pictures again. But I digress. Walk past the bar toward the back of the joint and magic will find you. For it is here that you get a glimpse of the bakers in their white uniforms working on the sweets:


Is it wrong to want to live in this kitchen? Do you see all those chocolate cakes on the counter in the last photo? More about that tomorrow.

By the way, here’s a cake rendition of me falling into a pastry coma, courtesy of Demel (like my shoes?)…

Please don’t wake me up.