Koffie! Koffie! Lekker Bakkie Koffie!

Today has been a gift for me as the past week was a flurry of activity that doesn't look like it will slow down anytime soon with Thanksgiving around the corner, work and commitments.
I had a puttering sort of relaxing day today at home getting the laundry done, the fridge cleaned out for a major grocery shopping event this evening, and cooking a dutch meal of Nasi Goreng,
a spicy rice/pork dish that is actually Indonesian but the dutch often eat this.
This afternoon I took my lounge chair into the sunshine to enjoy this perfect Fall day with my coffee and some reading material.
I thought that I would share what I just finished reading with you:
"Coffee is a national institution. The most significant classical dutch novel is about coffee. A cup of coffee marks all the goings out and comings in. It is the point around which friendships, funerals, birthdays and office life pivot...." It is the essential ingredient for gezelligheid.
(cosy comfort and warm hospitality)
In the Netherlands, coffee is generally served black and strong,or sometimes with evaporated milk added.
Most cafes serve a biscuit alongside the coffee.
So I ask you, my coffee fans:
How would you like to wake up to the fragrance of coffee
every morning no matter what time it was?
There is a large factory in the town we stayed in, the Joure, that manufactures coffee for distribution world wide.
We were served DE at every home and coffee shop we visited, discovering that coffee is the universal language of hospitality in Friesland. The cup below is a large
landscape structure at the entrance to the town, advertising the Douwe Egberts factory.

Outside the Douwe Egberts Museum in the Joure:

There is also a new phenomenon in homes around the Netherlands with the invention of the Philips Senseo which you can read about in the English version here. They sure know how to make their coffee a pleasant experience!

Koffie met hazelnut torte at an outdoor cafe in Sneek:

Koffie met gebak and slagrom(coffee with cake and whipped cream)
served in the Hema, a large department store:

Koffie met appelgebak and slagrom in Hindelopen:

Koffie/tea met stroop wafels:

Lekker bakkie koffie op de boat (coffee served on the boat)

And today, the weather was just perfect for a cafe au lait in the back yard surrounded by nature's autumn beauty and a few good books:


A dutch song for my coffee friends:

Café au lait

These photos were taken yesterday while the sun was shining and the day was leisurely.
My plans were to get the laundry completed, the house work done, then get outside to enjoy Jodi Picoult's latest book, "House Rules", a difficult look into the world of Asperger's Syndrome.
I wanted to post just one more 'french' item that I have so enjoyed, however, the computer was not cooperating with me. Thanks to my high tech son, it's all good again.
Let me introduce you to my French Coffee Press and the joys of a good coffee, along with a compelling read. I have really enjoyed immersing myself into the french culture, even if just for a few weeks. Next week I will move on in my blog posts, however, I have decided that I do not want to pronounce french words with a dutch accent, so I have ordered a french program on disc so that I can speak proper french.
Remember this: " You are never too old to learn"
I am living proof:)
Now it's off to the library to share my love of learning...
Added for Nan who shared that she loves accordian music. This is the CD we had playing during our french evening and I would recommend it: Café Paris
Perfect Café music!