One More!

You will remember that I told you one of the reasons for this blog was to encourage me to write more. In fact, change that, to post more content. There, that sounds more in keeping with today’s terminology. In a perfect world I would spend most of Wednesday night writing feverishly about my previous week so as I could meet my self imposed Thursday deadline and therefore not disappointment my readers. Reader. Me. 

Believe it or not some weeks pass by where nothing of note is written anywhere so I have to delve into previously drafted writings to see if any of them are perhaps worthy of a second look and involve anything that could be classed as ‘Classic Adams’.

I got lucky today – it’s June 7th 2024 and I find myself in Santorini, a quite beautiful island in the Aegean Sea. Often the best place for me on a visit to this port it onboard the ship. Now not going a shore is a sin. But getting to this cliff top town of Fira means going through some potentially uncomfortable moments.

One: the ship anchors which means a tender to the shore. Which in turn means getting off a big ship onto a, often jam packed, smaller boat where I will be surrounded by people.

Two: a cable car ride which takes maybe five minutes but offers no upgrade so I will be joined by five other  people.

Three: people. Way too many people.

However, if I make it to the top I will be rewarded with a Gyro Portion and a Frappe.

Santorini is a place I have visited a lot so there were no worries about finding good coffee.  I know where it is. My only concern was if the place is still standing. It’s a constant cause of angst for me. Too many times a personal favourite has bitten the dust so now, against my better judgement, I will often post about the good spots so others can enjoy them and keep them afloat until my next trip there.

Today I got out of cable car number five and headed down the quiet street of jewellery and souvenir stores until I took a right, climbed a few steps and smiled as I saw the tables and chairs outside. 

Espresso Caffe is still open.

Frappe ordered.

A second Frappe ordered.

“You know Greeks take three or four hours over a Frappe?” 

I looked at my watch. Pointless really as I didn’t take notice of the time when I arrived but I think I have been here seven minutes.

And then I had an idea for my ‘Classic Adams’ blog. I searched my iPad knowing that I wrote one about the Frappe years ago and thought, ‘I’ll make use of that cut and paste option, change some tenses and bang, I will have brand new blog.’

I needed some info so armed with my pad I headed to the bar to ask permission to take some pictures and also find out the name of the town. I was introduced to the owner who was beside me. We talk for a while about a mutual love, coffee. Minas has owned Espresso Caffe for 26 years and is a fountain of knowledge about coffee. I explained that I am a coffee snob so the Frappe shouldn’t be a drink I’d ever order but cold coffee has long been the speciality of the Greeks and when in, well, Greece…We discussed cold brew, a relatively new form of coffee and it is then that Minas offered me a Freddo Cappuccino.

“Freddo is Italian for cold,” Minas tells me with so much glee I wouldn’t  hurt his feelings by telling him I knew that. I was ushered to the other end of the bar and treated to one on the owner. 

The bartender made one but Minas made mine complaining that the new generation make them differently and I should enjoy one prepared the old fashioned way.

I watched as espresso is pressed through the machine before being poured into a cocktail shaker. Kinda. The coffee is poured first, followed by the foam then the milk which has been blended to a milkshake like consistency. Sugar, if needed, is the last to be added and as it is heaviest it falls to the bottom and the creation is complete. Four colours in a fancy glass. It looked good but I needed pictures before I could taste it.

I went back to my table to carry on writing. I made lines and lines of notes because if I didn’t  finish this draft then I would forget everything I had just experienced.

Oh, it was delicious. 

I headed back over to Minas and the bar tender, Spiridoula, to tell them exactly that and more conversation ensued. 

Minas and I were friends now, bought together by coffee, age and attitude.

We’ve both been doing what we do so long that we don’t really have too much interest in the way the ‘new generation’ do things. I mentioned this blog and how it’ll be online next week and I’d like to add his social media only to be told that he isn’t active on either Instagram or FB but Spiridoula shook her head and gave me the info I needed.

“We need the younger generation,” I reluctantly admitted. “Social media is here we may as well use it.”

Before I walked away I learned a new phrase: ‘Ena Acoma.’ It means ‘one more’. I have built up a knowledge of key words in several languages. ‘Hello’. ‘How much’? ‘Thank you’. Are all important but to me the most important words to learn in a new language are ‘one and more’.

And my time in this coffee shop is over. I have been here considerably longer than seven minutes and I have loved every second of it. 

My time here has been ‘Classic Adams’.

I completed this 1028 word blog and I haven’t cut or pasted anything which means there is still a blog about the creation of the Frappe that you’ve not read. But you will, one week, one quiet, uneventful week.