Co
Coffee
Donna writing here: At home I am the person with the 14 ounce commuter mug of coffee that lasts until noon. I drink coffee on the tennis court (between games), in the car, while reading the paper, doing housework, out in the garden. I stop drinking at noon, because I think it disturbs my sleep.
Recently, a California friend opined that French coffee is terrible and that the French don’t have a coffee culture as we do in the Berkeley/Oakland area. I couldn’t disagree, because Sam and I are picky about our coffee – where to purchase it, which beans to purchase, how to store them, what grind to use for which coffee preparation method…
However since we’ve been in Europe, what I notice is that while Americans (especially in the Bay Area) are focused on Coffee:The Product, Europeans seem more focused on Coffee: The Process. Folks are sitting around cafés with their friends and family having a conversation and enjoying a relaxing time with a cup of coffee. We mostly have not seen people sitting in coffee shops with their phones or laptops. They are there to have a break in their day. I have not seen ONE SINGLE commuter cup, and in fact when Sam asked a barista in a small café if he could fill one for us, the barista had no idea what he was talking about! Sam: We see no coffee pots or urns at coffee shops; every cup is made to order.
So I am becoming a Coffee: The Process person. I have enjoyed almost every cup of coffee I’ve had since we got here. I am enjoying my single or double cup of coffee in the morning and going on with my day without hauling my stainless steel 14 ounce cuppa joe! And guess what? I am sleeping better as well!
Airbnb
This might better be titled Ikea! We have stayed in 4 Airbnb places so far and what I have noticed is that Ikea seems to be the main provisioner of Airbnb furniture (except for the UGLIEST table in the world in Beaune!). Every sofa, every bed, every vanity, kitchen cupboard, sink, bed linen, towel, decorative accessory, wall decor, dish, flatware, cup, glass – you name it – seems to come from Sweden! Do they offer a special discount for folks furnishing an Airbnb space? We had matching couches in Beaune and Como. Matching cupboards in Archamps and Como. Matching book shelves/room dividers in Archamps and Lyon. BTW, we’re going to Sweden in August to pick up our new car–an Idea whose time has come.
Until we reached Treviso (more on this later). This little flat has all Olde World furnishings. A floral couch, an armoire and bed painted white with gold trim , copies of Carvaggio paintings and botanical prints on the walls, rococo gold mirrors, gold and white ceramic chandeliers. Kind of refreshing after a steady diet of Swedish Modern!
Driving
Whether on the Autoroute or off, we have had a great experience driving (mostly Sam). Folks seem to mind the speed limit, they ONLY pass on the left, they universally use their turn signals and the roads we have been on are in wonderful condition for the most part. As mentioned previously, we were in a terrible traffic jam leaving Paris, and we ‘ve been in a couple of jams involving an accident ahead of us or roadwork requiring a lane closure, and people are pretty polite – they take turns letting you in and don’t try to cut you off. It’s as though the drivers on 880 took a Polite Pill!
While we see an unbelievable number of models of cars and vans in three countries we’ve been in, the size generally falls between diminutive and small but with a few big cars here and there. Not so, trailer trucks, busses and delivery trucks–they are the same as we see in the U.S. The autoroutes have ample lanes but in towns and cities, the road width was established long before the automobiles came along. Drivers exhibit skill and intrepitude at every turn! The #7 Lora bus in Como, took us up and down the hill from Como to our place. On the main hill stretch the 8-meter wall is several centimeters on the right and the centerline is few from the left, but each driver negotiated it at speed and nary a scrape or crunch! We were wondering if the drivers test for intrepitude and have to have rating of at least nine to drive the Lora!
We will be sharing our wonderful stay in Como soon!
Donna, Sam and LuLu
LuLu's Outta Town 
This Coffee Process post is so very interesting! (And, I don’t even drink coffee.) A friend of mine moved to Paris for a year with her husband for a business opportunity. Her husband had a lunch date with his new boss and as they sat in a restaurant and ordered their meals her husband started to “talk shop” about work matters. His French boss stopped him, saying, “David, in France when we work we work, when we eat we eat”, ending all talk of business during lunch. So civilized!
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