TOUR DE COFFEE: Wakey uppy juice, A cup of the good stuff!

Today, this hilarious video motivated me to get around to writing a post on coffee. 

“I'm trying to de-wank my coffee so i'll just have an International Roast. You know that powdery, instant coffee that comes in a big white tin." Kitty Flanagan on ABC's The Weekly


Currently Rob and I are enjoying coffee in Santander. One reason we are glad we chose to spend a month here, is they have a great cafe culture. It came at a time when we were really wishing we could walk down the street and simply "be" at a Melbourne cafe, even a snobby one! 

Before leaving for our trip I had a GRAND PLAN to do away with coffee for a year. Or, at least, to reduce my reliance on my morning coffee. 

This failed miserably. 


Leading up to our adventure was a very busy period that involved goodbyes (over coffee), alertness to move/sell/pack (cue caffeine), Christmas and New Years (hourly offers of coffee) and the grand event of a wedding weekend (a certain coffee scenario). 

Gilmore girls coffee-ism

It wasn't just that I kept my coffee habit way into the New Year as we inched closer to our departure date, but also that before we knew it, we were in Vietnam. The cafe culture in Vietnam is really like no other. I would live to take this moment to lay almost all of the blame the country for continuing my reliance on coffee! (This is probably more a compliment than anything else.)

...and so began our 

TOUR OF COFFEE!

Our coffee and cafe passion/habit has created a huge dent in our budget but I think it has been worth it. It is has been truly fascinating seeing just how different coffee is perceived in different places and how variable the cafe experience can be. We have found it surprisingly hard to predict when a "good" coffee will be served and when it won't. Our tastes have also evolved and we have realised just how much of a Melbourne-centric view of what makes a coffee good. 

Malaysia
Our first destination is certainly more hazy in my mind than other places. Adjusting to the humidity, trying not to get lost in our first country and still faintly clinging onto the notion of giving up the drink, coffee was not top-of-mind in Malaysia. I have previously tried the infamous Kopi Luwak (coffee cherries eaten and defaecated by a civet) which is mainly found in Indonesia but I also spotted it in Malaysia and Vietnam.

In Kuala Lumpur we did try something new (and hideously over-priced even by Melbourne standards!): coffee ice cubes that melt as you add hot milk.

Not really worth it!

Nepal
Nepal, naturally, was more of a place to sample tea. Outside of the touristy areas, cafes serving espresso coffee are scarce. Since Rob was last there in 2009, the expansion of cafes is astronomical because coffee machines now exist. Well, they might have been there but he didn't notice because it would not have occurred to him to buy a latte back then!

The tourist cafes ranged dramatically and you could not rely on first impressions! Of course, it is pretty amazing, and kind of outrageous I suppose, that a country battling with massive weather challenges, poverty, vast electricity restrictions and a range of other issues has any of these cafes at all. Our best coffee was probably at Himalayan Java (the Starbucks of Nepal) in Thamel.

Latte art! 

Lady selling Nescafes in Durbar Square

Cambodia 

Cambodia was really more about continuing my love affair with mango shakes/juice/smoothies but we did sample a few lattes. Importantly, we got the teeniest cutest take-away coffee you have ever seen!

Baby coffee for the bus

Phnom Penh latte

Vietnam's Ca Phe
Ca phe is serious business in Vietnam. Having spent a month in Ho Chi Minh, we tried to sample the dizzying array of styles. The big Vietnamese coffee chain, Trung Nguyen Coffee, has a multiple page coffee menu offering everything under the sun. Trung Nguyen are everywhere but that doesn't mean there aren't a multitude of other cafes. (Quite like Melbourne!) 

Rob and Ann at ca phe time!

What initially makes the cafe experience in Vietnamese unique is that often the coffee is brewed slowly at your table using a gravity drip system. Even at the most basic cafes your coffee choice involved numerous factors: black, white, hot, cold, ice cubes, milk, condensed milk, ice cream, etc. The beans are from everywhere, including Vietnam. It took us awhile to get our heads around the concept of having ice with a hot beverage. The best thing about the cafe culture in Vietnam is also probably the highlight of many aspects of the country: the community atmosphere on the streets.   

We actually failed to take many photos of our coffee experiences but I did capture Rob having coffee on the Mekong so that's something! 

Ca phe sau on the Mekong!

French Quarter cafe in Hanoi (note the mopeds outside)

China
Finding ourselves in another country famous for its tea and tea rituals, we didn't have many expectations for China. However, we had recently left Vietnam so caffeine was not optional at this point! We got by with instant and 3-in-1 packets (better than nothing!) for much of the time. When we splashed out on a tourist coffee (priced as such), it was hit-or-miss. This was kind of a let-down as when we did buy it, we saw it as a luxury. 

Drinking Beijing yoghurt was really a better
idea! (On the street so you could recycle the jar.)

Not all coffee was targeted at tourists. We have to give an honourable mention to the Guang Zhou cafe: One Dollar Coffee which did not, in fact, provide $1 coffee. It did provide a huge coffee that I would not recommend. 

Looks a lot like Starbucks!

In Beijing, Sarah, Rob and I visited a cafe with a great set-up overlooking a garden. It would have fit right in at home. When we were there it was absolutely dead and I wonder how viable it will be into the future.

Japan
Oh Japan! ...I don't want to say anything bad about you...still....months down the track and many km's down the road. However, coffee is not always your strong suit. A bit unfair to say when tea is obviously the priority. (Viewing a tea ceremony in Kyoto was a beautiful, tranquil experience.) 

In an exception to the rule, in Kyoto I searched the net for a cafe with good coffee being the sole criteria. I came across a cafe with coffee that an Australian tourist promised would transport me to Melbourne*. Vermillion Espresso Bar almost got there! Rob was even confident enough to order a soy latte. This has been extremely rare!

Kyoto for coffee

Kat's sideways latte

Rob's sideways SOY latte

* Whilst writing this post I found out that the barristas/owners lived in Melbourne for many years. They say that they drew their inspiration for the cafe from Melbourne. Uh huh! 


Mongolia
We didn't have high expectations for Mongolia but inside the capital we were most pleasantly surprised. Ullan Bataar seemed to have its own unique style of cafe culture going on. Possibly it is due to the boom times of recent years, but whatever the reason, we benefited. In UB we did a fair bit of planning and I did some work so it was great to have a plethora of cafes to choose from each day! We even had a Luke's! (For those not in the know: "LUKE'S" a homey cafe; your local; the place you want to be in the morning for your cup of joe! Origin: Gilmore Girls)

This was not the best UB had to offer but not too bad!

Finland
Excited to be entering a new continent full of coffee potential, but wary of the Northern Euro price tag, Rob and I found ourselves at our first European stop: Helsinki. Initially bursting with joy at the sight of outdoor cafes and European squares, I could hardly contain myself. Then I found the Finnish knew the way to my heart: a small chocolate on my coffee saucer.

Danger: Fairly consistent chocolate
accompaniment! Pretty good coffee.

Bearded Rob and Oliver at Robert's Coffee
Chain Cafe- they were everywhere!

You might think that was the end of it. That once in Europe life was a coffee dream. No, not quite! You see, I do prefer a cafe latte and, obviously, milk isn't really the way in most of Europe. So I have been switching it up, an espresso here, a cafe latte there. Apparently there is a Parisian cafe that serves Flat White's now! 

Ireland
During our road trip of Ireland we found the coffee to vary greatly. Our first Irish coffee (actually invented for tourists apparently) was absolutely horrible. Not at all what Mum had remembered from the past. Luckily those that followed were better. 

The best part coffee-wise in Ireland for me was that Mum gave Rob and I Keep Cups! (From an Australian company but sold in Dublin!) They have been brilliant, especially whilst we were on the road in Ireland and then on our various camping expeditions.

On the "interesting" side...

Keep cup coffee!

Mum with her Irish coffee!

Scotland
Still flummoxed at my discovery that "Lemon, lime and bitters" is not a drink found commonly in the UK (or Ireland) but actually a beverage of Australia invention, I took awhile to assess the coffee landscape in Scotland! When I did, I found some great coffees and some average ones. 

One of the better coffees was at Loch Lomond at Cafe Street Mocha or maybe I was influenced by the clever handle at the entrance!

Loved this door handle 

Latte art! A side of toffee!

The Netherlands
We were welcomed to the Netherlands by a sunny street-side picnic lunch and coffee with my friend Ilir and his housemate, Jackie. A fantastic way to kick off our time in a beautiful country....until Jackie mentioned that he had his coffee with milk- "the WEAK way". Thus we were welcomed to mainland Europe! Really, it was about this time that I put a bit of extra effort into embracing the espresso. (Rob was ahead of me on this one!) Regardless, I did have some good lattes in the Netherlands and not much beats a coffee on a pretty canal in Utrecht.

A cycling pit-stop for coffee

Mini stroop waffle!

Coffee along the canal

France
During our first half of our short time in France we were spoilt by relatives, in all ways including coffee! We weren't in France long enough to visit a huge amount of cafes however, given the fact that we sought out the French quarters in many other cities does give some indication of what we expect from French cafes. (Refer to Vietnam above for example.) That said, we had an absolutely disgusting coffee in Montmartre!  

In Bordeaux we visited the Medoc region for a chateau tour. Apart from the wine tastings we were presented with a beautiful picnic that included a great coffee and the regions celebrated Caneles de Bordeaux. 

Bordeaux style

Spain
So far Spain is right up there in the coffee stakes! Not only is the espresso good but they make a great cafe con leche- finally I've hit the jackpot. The price tag is also much more condusive with our coffee habits. So far my favourite cafe is el museo de la musica which perhaps doesn't really sound like a cafe at all. I actually want to eat here at some point.

First coffee in Santander

"TAKE-AWAY" POINTS

• You really can't really generalise about a country's coffee: surprises abound
• Noone seems to serve coffees in latte glasses like at home! 
• We are coffee snobs...but only a little bit. Nothing gets in the way of us and caffeine, even a lack of latte art or a 3-in-1 packet.
• Coffee is an adventure!

Amsterdam Loves You

Having left our bookings a little late for the peak time to be on holiday in Europe, we ended up living a somewhat festival-like experience in Amsterdam..but without the music.

The canteens at Dutch campsites provide everything from eggs to lollies, camping stoves to pastries and 3 course dinners.  Amsterdam was absolutely no exception.  The very idea of personal space was laughable, every square inch of grass was used (even the parts that are no longer grass) and, even with thousands of visitors, the WiFi was, bafflingly, good enough to have a Skype interview (as that need did happen to arise).  

Camping Zeeburg was a pretty easy 20 minute tram ride from the city centre, close to the inter-city bus park and it had a fantastic restaurant/bar and well equipped laundry, kitchenette with hotplates and vending machines.  But, if you are one who kind of likes the green space between your tent and the next, not waiting in line at the toilet and avoiding the 'special Amsterdam scent' then Zeeburg might not be the place for you, at least, not in summer.  Never-the-less it was a cultural experience.  

Get friendly with your neighbours

While in town, we had two reunions, an informative walking tour from a South African local, a look at Amsterdam Museum and a truly memorable visit to Anne Frank Huis and enjoyed wandering along the canals.

Amazing carpet at Amsterdam Museum that represents the
179 nationalities living in the city

The first reunion was with a bunch of my old work friends from Melbourne (who are still friends despite me leaving). It was grand to catch up with the motley group of Steve, Will, Josh and Phil as they danced, walked and blasted their way through Berlin, Amsterdam and Budapest. Kat had found a great activity for us; some cheese, some stroopwafels, some insanely expensive grapes, some beer and wine, a boat and a basic 2 minute instruction course - what else do you really need?  Well, not a shirt, that's for sure; within 5 minutes Steve was doing it like a local, shirt off enjoying the sun.  Phil was left in charge of the map (a good thing too), as Will and I steered our little dinghy around the canals, dodging tourist boats, luxury homes, bridges and rusting bicycles.  Kat and Josh just came to look pretty, and settle the disputes...oh and take the photos.

Dodging bridges (Steve jumped over it)

Bridge successfully dodged

The Anne Frank Huis and museum was extremely popular with tourists.  The smart ones, booked online, ahead of time allowing them to just straight to the start of the line. We tried that but the allocation was already full so we lined up from very early in the morning with the rest of them, buying over-priced coffee and making chit-chat in the line.  I actually had my head in my phone as my friend DJ had just announced the exciting news that he and his wife Christie are expecting twins!  Thanks for helping me spend the time DJ!

While waiting, we were entertained by this bloke on the canal, whose boat drove itself in circles while he sang and trumpeted in time to the nearby clock tower.  It was quite a performance!

Entertainment outside Anne Frank Huis

The Anne Frank was a great museum, and worth the wait. It was very high on Kat's agenda as she had read the book at a young age and been profoundly affected by it. When my family visited Amsterdam in '94 I don't think I was quite ready to understand everything we were told about the place other than Anne Frank lived there.  Actually, one of Dad's favourite stories is to recall how we went on a walking tour, and the guide discreetly warned him that we would be going through the Red Light District, and perhaps it wasn't suitable for an 8 & 10 year-old, Dad told him not to worry about it; in fact, I remember that conversation more than I remember the tour, so I'd say for this part at least, we were a bit too young to fully understand or appreciate it all.  Maybe I should also point out that I really couldn't understand how a windmill could be used to move water from one place to another, but I just had to accept it at face value.

Anne Frank Huis

Back to the museum, I really got a lot from it, and should read the book.  As we stood in the final reception room, seeing comments left from visitors and dignitaries over the years, I was forced to reflect on the places we have been, and the things we have learned or to which we have been further exposed (S-21 & the Killing Fields in Cambodia spring to mind).  Learning this history and reflecting on it, makes me weary of empty but well meaning statements like "we should not let this happen again", but we must try to learn from our past and remember to extend a helping hand to those who need it.  

Anyone know what these are?

Our second reunion was with Katie and Premtim (well, it was a reunion for me and Katie at any rate).  I think it had been 10 years since Katie and I had seen each other, what a way to do it!  Unfortunately we missed out on meeting up with Kirsten by 2 or 3 days. After several introductions, we caught up about old friends (many of whom recently met up at the International House 50 year reunion) and we talked about where we are going next.  Premtim gave us some great ideas for Eastern Europe, and hopefully one day we can get to see some of the places he mentioned in Albania.  

Catching up with Katie and meeting Premtim

Cycling Adventures 4: Zaanse Schans and Landsmeer

Day 5 - Edam to Landsmeer
Our second last day was a rather short distance to cycle. We again became obsessive about the beautiful gardens and houses, taking photos left right and centre of traditional dutch homes.

Traditional green Dutch house and exquisite garden

Another lovely green garden and green house

Before finding our campsite we cycled to Zaanse Schans, a neighbourhood of Zaandam with preserved windmills, workshops and houses. It is a popular tourist attraction due to its proximity to Amsterdam. 

It was a beautiful day and Zaanse Schans was packed with tourists. We were rather glad that we had done our cycling trip in a clockwise direction so that we visited Zaanse Schans last. It meant we had more of a glimpse of "everyday" Holland before seeing this tourist set-up. Not to say it wasn't good, but I am glad we didn't just do a day trip out of Amsterdam and stop at that. 

Zaanse Schans is pretty much full of things the Netherlands is famous for: clogs, windmills, cheese, stroopwafels, etc. Our favourite part was learning what the windmills were used for in addition to pumping water. There used to be over 600 mills in the area and now there are ten. The mills are used for sawing wood and grinding oil, spice and flowers.

Zaanse Schans mills

Drying our towels in Zaanse Schans with the ducks and geese

Pretty Zaanse Schans

From the viewpoint at Zaanse Schans

After our time in Zaanse Schans we continued on to our campsite, located east of Zaandam and north of Amsterdam near Landsmeer. An initially grumpy lady reluctantly took our money and found us a spot to set-up. The campsite was next to a lake so we took a quick dip and read our books before heading to town for a drink. To our surprise the waiters brought around a complimentary cheese board for all the patrons to nibble from. Heading home to our tent we were thrilled to find that not only were we camping next to the Outnumbered family (!), but the man next to us was having a BBQ and managing to funnel the smoke directly towards our drying clothes and tent!

On the road to Landsmeer

Landsmeer house with cute bridge

Traditional tent photo

Day 6 - Zaandam to Amsterdam

Our last day of cycling was another short one. It is amazing how close the countryside is to Amsterdam. Then all of a sudden, there is the railway station. We initially planned to cycle on to Utrecht to spend another day in Utrecht, say goodbye to Ilir and get the rest of our luggage. We decided to take the train with our bikes to have more time in Utrecht. This also meant we would get to our Amsterdam campsite at a reasonable time...or so we thought...

Cycling Adventures 3: Zandvoort, Alkmaar and Edam

Day 3 - The Hague to Zandvoort (continued)

Leaving the Hague in the rain it wasn't too long before we hit the beach. It wasn't a hard choice to push on. By midday we were ready for a break and some lunch by another beach. We had a drink at a dead beach resort restaurant to get away from the wind. When we came out it had started to heat up and it wasn't long before we were stripping off layers and dreaming of beach afternoon at Zandvoort.

Raincoat and shorts turned out to both be good choices!

A large part of our route on day 3 was through the Meijendel sand dunes on the west coast. The sand dunes provide a natural protection from the threat of the ocean. In other areas artificial sand dunes are constructed for the same purpose. It was such a departure from the sight of the green Netherland's countryside and paired with the sun's reappearance we felt like we were in the middle of a desert. 

Cycling to the sky

The sand dunes were vast and appeared to go on forever. Cycling up and down the small hills we didn't seem to be moving anywhere and wondered if we would ever see the beach! Eventually we made it to North Holland where we took a break to celebrate.

Made it!

Sand dunes as far as the eye can see

After some serious up-hill as we approached Zandvoort, the beach finally seemed within reach. Zandvoort is one of the major beach resorts in the Netherlands. The campground we stayed at had everything you could need (well, no toilet paper) but was extremely cramped. The idea was to fit in as many paying customers as possible and it was certainly an experience.

After setting up camp we still had enough time to enjoy the beach with a book and a drink. It was too cold for swimming and perhaps that is why the beach there is so built up with shelters and cafes.

Zandvoort beach

Traditional photo amongst the masses!

Day 4 - Zandvoort to Alkmaar
Today we rode through windy, country roads on our way to Alkmaar. We enjoyed some street art, the cycling, some windmills and an ice-cream before making it to the B&B where we would camp that night. 

We hadn't booked our accommodation assuming we could just show up in the middle of August. It was a B&B place setup by a husband and wife team, who also allow you to camp or park your caravan in their backyard.  We hadn't booked - because it was virtually impossible to do that at any other campsite, but here the owner informed us that they usually have a 2 night stay minimum.  Rob said "OK, we'll go somewhere else", luckily, the owner accepted his bluff and showed us where to setup, because I didn't feel like cycling to the next campsite across the other side of Alkmaar. This spot was certainly a contrast to the chaos of the beach resort site the night before. With cows as our neighbours, we slept well in the backyard, waking to the sound of birds chirping.

Excitement and fireworks on the streets of the Netherlands

Happily cycling through the countryside

Windmill ahoy!

Bit of a rest after an ice-cream break

Traditional tent photo, cows included

In the evening we explored Alkmaar, another town famous for its cheese. There were some impressive buildings in town, the Waag (balance scale) building in particular really caught my eye. In the 14th century it was a chapel for the adjacent hospital, later it was converted to a weight-house and now it houses the cheese museum.

The Waag, Alkmaar

Pretty Alkmaar

Day 4 - Alkmaar to Edam
This was my favourite day in our cycling adventure, mainly because we learnt more about how the Netherlands manages its water challenges but also because the day included a few other things I love to do.

Twenty six per cent of the Netherlands is below sea level and much of it is prone to flooding.  The country uses a complex drainage system that includes sand dunes, dikes, dams, floodgates, canals and pumping stations. Developed in the 15th century, polder windmills used the power of the wind and scoop wheel to bring water up out of the polder into the canals for drainage. Mills were combined to increase the pumping height and later mills used an Archimedes screw to further raise the height of the water. Drainage mills were replaced by pumping stations firstly using steam and then diesel and electricity.  

The Museummolen Schermerhorn that we visited, is one of the eleven windmills left from the windmill complex of the Schermer polder in North Holland. For almost three centuries the Schermer polder was drained using windmills. The museum included a great video on the history of water management and the opportunity to see inside the mill. We left in awe of the Dutch and what they have achieved. I think a lot of people would have just given up and moved somewhere else (easier said than done too I suppose) but the Dutch persevered  The current level of maintenance and necessary forward thinking for the future also cannot be underestimated.

Museummolen Schermerhorn

Another windmill across the way

Water: enemy and friend

Inside the windmill

Picnic on the canal

After some more cycling we stopped for a picnic lunch on a little canal. Our lovely, calm spot was barely 20 metres from the supermarket. It was one of those days were everything just went to plan!

Enjoying the beautiful day we rode on to charming, little Edam (of the cheese notoriety). I realise I sound like a broken record but Edam was truly out of a storybook with its quaint houses and bridge and gorgeous gardens. I felt like I was in a chalk drawing and if I stepped too heavily or fell in a canal I might just break the spell of the place. 

Beautiful Edam

Don't fall in and wreck the spell!

House with traditional Dutch shutters

That evening our campsite was alongside the IJsselmeer, an artificial lake constructed in 1932 when a dam closed off an inland sea. (Another example of the Dutch command over water.) It was a lovely campsite and we were pleased to enjoy a swim and some lakeside reading in the afternoon. The pier provided a great place to watch sunset and I had fun chatting to some kids that were trying to convince me to dunk my shoes in the water! Their Dad soon followed in their footsteps to apologise and I ended up talking to him too. Soon Rob joined me and we saw the last of sun with a bit of pier yoga. It's like paddle board yoga but on a much more stable surface!

Tent photo with towels drying on bikes