I just need to add this post.  I know it may seem like I’m a coffee snob (which, guilty), but I also go to Starbucks or another chain every so often.  I’m not above that.  And, every summer, I have a tradition: I get a Frappuccino.  I did it in New York.  And well, since I’m not in New York this summer – and don’t foresee that happening – I figured I could keep up tradition in Poland.  So, while I needed to kill an hour till my bus, I stopped into this Starbucks in Wrocław’s Main Railway Station.  And three things:

One, the barista wrote my name on my cup right without any help from me, which is hard enough in the States, but in Poland where Maggie is very rare, it is a redoubtable feat.

Two, the Java Chip Frappuccino my fellow barman mixed me was the best I have ever had.  Perfect balance between coffee and chocolate, the ideal amount of chips, a flavor aside from ice and sugar (that if you’ve ever gotten a Frappuccino you’ll know is far too often the classic taste), and whip cream of the perfect amount and consistency.  It was glorious.

Third, this is the most beautiful Starbucks I have ever been in.  The walls painted royal green and trimmed in maroon, the ceilings with gold and bronze designs, the lanterns with Ticker Bell pixie dust, the expanse – just such a lovely place.  A magical space very worthy of a good book – which is exactly the way the lady next to me, seemingly parked there for many hours, felt as she was deeply engrossed in a story herself.