Pondering layouts over Nescafe, originally uploaded by MontanaRaven.

Not the most exiciting of photos, but one I enjoy ... because it conveys one of the bizarre pleasures of our mornings in Crete -- that cup of Nescafe. I wanted my coffee in the morning, and although I have quit drinking coffee (oh, that drug of choice!) many many times over my 50+ years, and it's really not that hard to "quit" ... still, I like my coffee. On the island of Crete, we had the choice of "Greek coffee" or Nescafe. The Greek style of coffee is sweet (unless you ask for it w/o sugar, in which case you get some pretty intense looks from the restaurant owner) The bottom 1/3 of the coffee is what I lovingly called "sludge" -- you definitely do NOT stir unless you want to be straining super-fine coffee grounds between your front teeth (in my case, front crowns).

The alternative, Nescafe, was a shock to my espresso/double-short-Americano-with-room self. At first. Then, the realization hit me. It was either quit the 'feine altogether over the next two weeks ... strain bitter sludge through my teeth ... or just get used to Nescafe.

The Nescafe won out. Now that we're back home and Tim is making me my little pot of espresso every morning again, I kinda miss that foamy instant coffee. I miss the flavor of my Crete mornings.