Coffee and Contemplate

I freakin love coffee...too much, way too much!  It doesn't matter what kind, either.  Brew.  Espresso.  Latte.  Americano.  Macchiato.  Cappuccino.  Mocha.  Flavored.  Sugared.  Milked.  Any of it, all of it!  Just a little FYI a shot of espresso is basically very hot water ran through a high concentration of coffee grounds creating a very condensed, very strong coffee (except it's not coffee like brew, it's espresso).  Latte is Italian (I think) for milk.  So, milk (typically steamed) is added to the espresso.  A Cappuccino is a Latte but with less milk and more foam.  Switch out the milk for hot water and you have yourself an Americano.  Take a Latte, add chocolate = Mocha.  I think a Macchiato is like a Cappuccino, maybe stronger though, but I heard once that the proper way to make a Macchiato is to add milk first and then the espresso on top whereas in a Latte you would add the espresso first and then the milk.  Who knows?!  Some of these facts may be a little off but you get the idea.

I couldn't say I have a favorite coffee shop or coffee drink even.  Rather, I have a favorite location for drinking coffee.  Europe!  Those dang Europeans know how to make good coffee!  The best cup I have ever had was in Spain!  I'm sure the circumstances played into why it is so good in my mind, but my goodness it was wonderful!  Unfortunately, I don't remember any of the names of places we went or the city we were near.  I can tell you we were on the northern coast near Santander and Bilbao.  So on the day I had my best cup of coffee, my parents took us on a cable car up a very cool mountain (wish I knew what it was).  At the top you could overlook the valleys and even more gorgeous mountains.  There was a gift shop and restaurant built atop this mountain and we decided to get ourselves a nice warm cup of coffee as it was a bit chilly outside.  BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE!  The English language does not even contain the proper terms and words to express how delicious it tasted!  (I'm even salivating right now just thinking about it.)  I am almost certain it was simply an Espresso with a bit of cream and sugar.  SO GOOD!   Also, it seems Europeans do not make drip/brew coffee very often.  When you order a coffee in Europe, it is generally understood to be an espresso.  (From what I could tell.)

Enough about coffee though, or I could go on about it for a very, very long time.  I wish I had the pictures from atop the mountain to post but alas, I have lost the CD that contains them.  I do hope I find it soon.  Maybe if my possessions were a bit more organized (and I could recall where I place things), this issue would not happen.

In Spain we did a variety of activities from beach bumming to mountain "climbing" to ruin seeing.  Funny thing looking at the ruins of a society.  It brings to the forefront the brevity of life.  The complexity of it as well.  And the odd intertwining of mankind juxtaposed to the disconnect between him.  The new built atop the old.  The new existing because of the old.  This being ideas, traditions, beliefs, etc.  Ancient yet current.

I finally was able to stop listening to Burn on repeat.  My sister introduced me to a newer (?) band called Royal Teeth.  They're awesome!  Go check them out, kinda folk and techno at the same time.  Mind Blown.  Currently, I can't stop watching these YouTubers.  They are out of control, or I am, and both!  DailyGrace has me watching her every day.  MirandaSings is a genius!  Go watch them if you want!  Then, you'll understand why I'm hooked, or maybe you won't.  That's OK, maybe it's just my type of humor.

Contemplate the frailty of life.  Don't just mindlessly wander through it!  And take the time to enjoy a nice cup of coffee (or tea if you prefer).            

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