August. Whining.

I meant to write more frequently this summer. There were so many times I thought "I must write a post about this!" or "Oh, here's something important that I want to remember and therefore need to write it down!" or "I want to capture this moment/mood/feelings!" And every time, I would say to myself - just a little bit later, after I finish x, y, and z. But I never did, because after "z" was done, I would need to get started again with "a".

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We came back from our trip to Europe just a few days ago. 

I miss good bread. I miss dairy (how is it that milk tastes so different in different places?). I miss the cheese variety so badly I could cry. I miss going to the bakery in the morning and getting pastries for breakfast.

I miss free public transportation in Luxembourg.

I miss efficient (if not particularly tourist-friendly) metro in Paris.

I miss people actually following common-sense rules (like standing on the right side of the escalator and letting those in a hurry pass on the left! - Why can't we have this in the US?).

There is not enough walking.

There is too much sugar in everything.

I don't think I want to live in Europe permanently. But there are so many nice things that would be amazing if they could be adopted here. High-speed trains. Fresh bread every day. Produce that tastes good (like farmers-market good) even if it doesn't look as perfect as the plastic stuff (peaches, looking at you) in tour supermarkets...

I know, I know -  I'm being ridiculous. Fresh fruit and vegetables vary in quality depending on where in Europe you are. 

It is possible to find good produce, dairy, and bread in the US - you just have to know where to look (and be willing to pay extra).

We have good bread at the local farmers market for $$$ - there's typically a long line, too, begging the question why, if there is a demand, there are no local bakeries selling this stuff. There's often freshly baked bread at Costco from their own (in-warehouse) bakery (not much variety, which is normal for Costco, but I love their cranberry/nut loaf).

Dear Reader: what's your favorite yogurt, sour cream, bread? Where do you typically get your produce and are you happy with the quality?