Piggin' Out at Pigalle

On my first full day in Groningen, Netherlands, I started the morning off with a delicious coffee and breakfast at Croissanterie Pigalle.

Uhm, first of all, YEAH I CAN'T BELIEVE I TOOK A WEEK-LONG VACATION IN THE NETHERLANDS.

Also first of all, I CAN'T BELIEVE I SAW MY BEST FRIEND, URVI, AGAIN AFTER TWO AND A HALF YEARS!

To back up a little, Urvi is one of my best friends, and she's living in the Netherlands working on her PhD. (Yeah, obviously not cool and remarkable at all.) We last hung out at Hidden Grounds in New Jersey, AKA my previous post. I decided I really needed a vacation, so off to the Netherlands I went and reunited with Urvi!

So, Croissanterie Pigalle, simply known as Pigalle by locals. Urvi mentioned how weekends at Pigalle are packed. Luckily, we paid Pigalle a visit on a weekday morning, and we snagged seats, but even then, it was steadily getting busier.

Right outside the entrance, there's a display of all the delish baked goods it has to offer. Inside, Pigalle is a cafe for sure, but it's a fancy shmancy one, bordering-on-restaurant vibes. Even so, it's still nice and cozy.

A fanciful display of Pigalle's yummy baked goods

I got started with a cappuccino, which was tasty. Urvi got a ginger-lemon tea. I found it cool that you get actual slices of ginger and lemon.

Cappuccino from Pigalle

The issue for me, my friends, was...deciding on what to eat since I wanted to try everything!! Their menu is pretty expansive, ranging from sweet and savory baked goods to sweet and savory sandwiches to bread and toppings combos. A great note here--they emphasize that all toppings can be served on gluten-free bread (for an additional cost)!

I wonder who's behind the menu. Perhaps an incredible woman named Urvi. Just guessin'.

Urvi got a brie, honey, and walnut hot sandwich--delish. Ultimately, I landed on a powdered sugar cinnamon roll with real whipped cream and fresh strawberries. And. I was NOT disappointed. It was roll good (hehehe). Cream of the crop (hehehe). I actually wanted it to last forever. The bread was super light and fluffy yet crispy at the same time, and ahhhh, just delectable.

Observe me NOT disappointed...I am now craving that roll while writing this caption. PC: Urvi.

Even though it was my first morning in the Netherlands (I had arrived the afternoon before), I was painfully aware that I only had a week to explore but more importantly, only a week to spend with Urvi. Some would say it was a breadfully short amount of time, considering I hadn't seen her in almost three years. Seriously speaking, it made me realize that to make most of this short time, I truly had to live in the present moment. Even though I'd brought along a laptop to potentially work on writing or prepare for my new job, I consciously made the decision to not work during that week. To simply enjoy the moment.

Then again, how lucky was I to have been able to go on this trip in the first place? I was in between jobs, allowing me to go on vacation, and gosh, did I need it! Sometimes, fate is on our side.

We left Pigalle to continue with the rest of our day. In a few hours was a lunch reservation at a cat cafe, which undoubtedly will have its own post at one point. I left Pigalle knowing I probably wouldn't be able to fit in another visit during the remainder of the trip, but I knew I'd loved it while I was there with Urvi, and that felt fulfilling.

I was right! It was Urvi all along! :) <3

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