If you have been reading Crème de Citron for a while now, you probably already know that Nantes is one of my favourite cities to visit and has been mentioned a few times in various travel blog posts. And if you happen to follow me on Instagram, you also already know I spent two weeks in France last month, most of it in this beautiful city.

Because I lived in Nantes for 5 years as a student but also because I spent a lot of my school holidays with my cousins there as a young girl, I am very familiar with my surroundings, the streets and the various landmarks there. 
However, now that I live abroad and do not get to see it evolving on a daily basis, I am constantly amazed by all the changes the city encounters.

​Last December, we started the winter season with a long weekend in Barcelona. I am aware this is already three whole months later but a little throwback is good now and then, especially if this means sharing different ideas of places to visit and where to eat from our last time there.
Since E. was attending a music festival with some of our friends just outside the city, I took the occasion to go and spend a long weekend with my brother who lives there. 

Winter time is such a perfect season to enjoy all types of comforting and warming food. And to me, one of those comforting things is definitely a big bowl of delicious soup served with buttered crusty bread.

At home, soup is on the menu at least once a week during the colder months (that said, a chilled soup is also lovely in the Summer). We alternate between some of our favourites that I make more regularly: butternut, tomato and leek. I also like to try other recipes every now and then. One that has been added to the list lately is creamy mushroom soup. 

Hello 2019 and happy new year to you all!
I am back here after a bit of a break so I could make most of the time I had with family and friends over the holidays. 
I also used that time to look over what 2018 has been. And while I am grateful to the people who helped make parts of it lovely (and better in some cases), I am really glad to say au revoir to it. I am welcoming 2019 with wide open arms, bring it on, let’s see what it is made of!

And like every year, I also looked at how my goals went. As I have mentioned here over the past two years, I am all about goals rather than resolutions. While a resolution to me has a sense of having to be absolutely done or else it is a big fail, a goal that you set feels more reachable. If it is not achieved by the 31st December, it is not the end of the world because it is a work in progress.

To be honest, in terms of not achieving goals by the end of the year, 2018 has been pretty much that for me.

Dear readers,

Another year has passed and it is time for me to take a small break for the end of year festivities. A time I will spend enjoying lovely moments with family and friends, cooking delicious meals to share together, relaxing with good books and movies, walking in the fresh air and taking some deep breaths more importantly. Yes, because the many goals I had planned for 2018 did not become a reality so I want to start the new year properly and catch up on the many projects that got put aside along the way.

As always, I am really grateful to you for spending the time to read this little blog of mine with its many food, travel and everyday life adventures.
I will not be posting during the holidays but you can still find me sharing stories and vignettes of everyday life over on Instagram: ( @cremedecitron) until I am back here next year.

Wishing you all a wonderful time over the holidays and many lovely things for the New Year 2019!

Yolène

'Tis the season to be merry and eat chocolate! And what about making your own beautiful chocolate bark for the holidays? It is quite easy as it happens and there are endless possibilities with festive toppings.

As the last recipe I will share on the blog for 2018, I present you a delicious dark and blond chocolate Christmas bark with meringue on top.