Starbucks No More

I thought I would miss Seattle coffee and I do to some extent but the comparison is difficult to make. It's a completely different culture - Italians do everything slow and leisurely, except when it comes to drinking espresso. They're in and out of the cafe (or bar as they call it) in 90 seconds, giving you whiplash. No studying and savoring your drink for over an hour but its so fun to watch how cafes operate. I usually despise hot drinks (what's the point? they get cold so quickly) but I've adapted here, yum yum.

Espressos are in wee little cups and customers drink it first and then down an entire cup of hot water afterwards. A touch odd and I haven't tried it yet but sign me up! Not to mention a cappuccino is usually under a Euro, making Starbucks sound extravagantly priced. I haven't seen a single store here and good riddance, despite having a McDonald's, I have a feeling the Italians would never go for setting up a Starbucks and threatening the local little cafes.

The photo is of this AMAZING hot chocolate but it'll have to do! And yes, Barcelona was one of the best weekends of my life. Nightclubs on the beach, flaming drinks, nights filled with salsa dancing and the fun all beginning only after midnight. Goodness and I thought NYC was the city that never sleeps.

P.S. Note to self: Start a journal. I completely forgot to bring mine here and I hate having fragmented diaries (I get bored and start new ones ... because they're pretty & hard to resist) but I'll just have one specifically for my stay here. Not everything can go into this blog. =)