TRAVEL BLOG
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Espressamente - A real Italian coffee chain
I had read this article in Business Week about Illycaffè and how they are opening a chain of cafes called Espressamente. I am all for the espresso, so I support this concept. I saw this Espressamente at Budapest Airport.
Espressamente Budapest Airport
Espressamente Budapest Airport
Labels: airport, budapest, cafe, coffee, hungary
Monday, August 28, 2006
The national snack food of Hungary
Friday, August 25, 2006
Hotel Bus - Budapest
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Espresso - Budapest
Monday, August 21, 2006
Dandy Workman - Budapest
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Cow Parade - Budapest
This post has moved to Cow Parade - Budapest.
Labels: blue melting ice cream, budapest, cow parade, hungary
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Budapest from the air
Sunday, August 06, 2006
London coffee shops - What could have been.
I love London and I consider it my second home, so it pains me to tell you that it has a terrible cafe scene. Britain is well regarded for its cozy pubs with its polished brass and potted flowers. Probably the most endearing feature of British pubs though are their names and accompanying sign boards. This is a feature which goes back to 1393, when Richard II made it compulsory for every inn in England to display a sign. Examples of which can be found at The Inn Sign Society.
The British pub scene left no room for a cafe society like on the continent. Up until the 1990's getting a coffee in Britain usually meant instant coffee in a greasy spoon diner.
Lack of cafes in Britain meant that when coffee became fashionable in the early days of New Labour, there was no resistance to the onslaught of the American style coffee franchises. Just about every British High St now has a Starbucks, Cafe Nero, Costa or Coffee Republic. Big High Streets will have all of the franchises. Really big High Streets (like Oxford St London) will have a all of the francises two or three times over. Small independents are few and far between.
I was pondering all this while walking through Regents Park in London. In the park there is a cafe in what was probably a gatehouse. This hole in the wall sized coffee shop is called the Cow and Coffee Bean. It has a great sign out the front that Richard II would have approved of. This sign made me think of would could have been here if cafes developed along the same path as the pubs.
Cow And Coffee Bean Regents Park
The British pub scene left no room for a cafe society like on the continent. Up until the 1990's getting a coffee in Britain usually meant instant coffee in a greasy spoon diner.
Lack of cafes in Britain meant that when coffee became fashionable in the early days of New Labour, there was no resistance to the onslaught of the American style coffee franchises. Just about every British High St now has a Starbucks, Cafe Nero, Costa or Coffee Republic. Big High Streets will have all of the franchises. Really big High Streets (like Oxford St London) will have a all of the francises two or three times over. Small independents are few and far between.
I was pondering all this while walking through Regents Park in London. In the park there is a cafe in what was probably a gatehouse. This hole in the wall sized coffee shop is called the Cow and Coffee Bean. It has a great sign out the front that Richard II would have approved of. This sign made me think of would could have been here if cafes developed along the same path as the pubs.
Cow And Coffee Bean Regents Park
Labels: cafe, coffee, england, london
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Duck and cover
New York City fallout shelter sign.
Fallout Shelter
Fallout Shelter
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