No, Bo and I didn’t buy a ticket to Paris last night and spend a day in the city of lights, wine, cheese, and delicious, crusty French bread.

Instead, we made our second to last day in Seattle include a small taste of Paris. When I was in Paris, my favorite activity was walking the streets, talking to local vendors, listening to street musicians, and tasting anything that sparked my curiosity while washing it down with a splash of wine.

For those of you who don’t know, Bo and I were supposed to spend this week vacation in Paris until many unforeseen events made a continental trip the more rational decision.

We spent an hour and a half earlier, taking an unfamiliar path through the market stopping everywhere that interested us. We talked to local produce vendors, smelled fresh lavender, and sampled 16 year old vinegar.

 Bo and I also have a theory that if someone wants just a taste of something and a shop won’t sell or offer a small sample, we are able to buy the item, have as much as we want and give the rest to a needy person. This way we only eat what we want but have the opportunity to sample everything we want!

The scent of fresh made donuts lured us into buying a half dozen mini donuts, made fresh while we stood talking to the owner. During the height of summer, they will sell 40,000 of these little donuts to tourists flocking to the market. I am so glad we chose to visit Seattle during the start of its off-season. The tourists have been manageable everywhere we’ve been but nothing is closed for the season.

We each tried a bite of their four different flavors before giving the bag away. My favorite by far was the cinnamon. The warm donut mixed perfectly with the light cinnamon sprinkle and reminded Bo of the warm, doughy donuts he grew up with in Avalon, NJ during his childhood summers.

Our next stop was The Pike Brewing Company which has been on Bo’s list since we arrived. He loves trying local brews and also heard earlier in the week that they offered a six beer sampler. The bar is covered in beer memorabilia from across the world. In fact, the owner had so much that he recently opened a museum.

Unfortunately, after only a few sips of each beer Bo was ready to move on to our next location. He liked their original ale, Pike Pale.  Their hop wasn’t assertive enough and they were all very malty. Unfortunately, none of them were memorable.

DiLaurenti was calling our name again as we decided we wanted to enjoy lunch on our hotel rooftop deck this afternoon tasting market tasts, sipping wine, and enjoying their delicious cheeses.

We walked out with our favorite taste, a Gorgonzola Dolce and a gorgeous bottle of olive oil.

We made four more quick stops before setting up camp on our roof deck for a relaxing lunch.

The smell of Cinnamon Works caught my attention our first morning in Seattle but I promised I’d save their wheat and gluten free pumpkin cookie for a treat towards the end of our trip. Bo wanted to compare this to their original so we bought one of each.

Our cheese needed a mate and Le Panier had the perfect mate. Bo purchased a two foot long epis loaf. The loaf was a unique take on a traditional french bread. Crusty on the outside and delightfully light and chewy on the inside.

Our final stop was thanks to many different Twitter suggestions, including the awesome Katy Widrick who has suggested many different locations during our trip! Piroshky Piroshky is a small Russian bakery located in the market. Opened in 1992, it is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before featuring fresh made piroshky of multiple different flavors ranging from celery, cheese, and onion to salmon.

     Mission accomplished we were ready for a relaxing lunch on our rooftop at the Inn at the Market.

      Sitting on the deck of Inn At the Market, sipping delicious Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir, and eating wine and cheese with Bo. Could life be any better?

Have you ever tasted your way through a city or market? Ever indulge with wine in the afternoon?