Dear Nana, I've got bad news...

There are no starbucks here. None. Not one. (Although I did look it up and there are apparently 40 stores in Paris.) And even if you do want a cup of coffee, most likely you have to sit and drink it at the cafe. The concept of "To-Go" doesn't really exist here,

which is unfortunate when you have to decide between really wanting a cup of coffee and wanting to keep shopping/sight seeing (especially when you're on a time schedule).

While we were in Nimes last weekend we stopped at this little cafe for a bite to eat and I wanted a coffee really bad. I ordered a cafe au lait (coffee with steamed milk). I was thrilled when I recieved this cup of coffee. Here's why: Up until this point all the coffees that have been brought out to me have been either in tiny little coffee cups or in a regular sized cup but less than half full (I'm being pessimistic I realize, but its the truth). What I do order is normally very good. Of course, not as good as a white mocha! And probably only "very good" in comparison to the burnt tasting "diner coffee"-as Janelle calls it, that's provided here on campus. I end up finishing it very quickly and it never seems to be enough to satisfy. The cup of coffee that they brought out to me was in a good sized coffee mug and was also totally full. I was SO happy and the coffee was really good! It even came with one of those tasty biscof cookies. yum!

While we were sitting there finishing up our lunch (We sat outside), I noticed these two women walk away from the cafe with these little red to-go cups. I got really excited for a second but didn't want to get my hopes up. I thought surely it HAD to be coffee in those cups. And I wanted one. For all I knew this may have been my only chance for a to-go cup of coffee while in France. I asked the woman in my poor French if they had the cafe creme "to-go" She said "Oui!" and I excitedly told her I would like one of those s'il vous plait! (She probably thought I was crazy. But I didn't care.)

It was an exciting day for coffee. I walked away from that cafe a very happy girl, proud of what I had discovered. But still, there are no Starbucks nonetheless. And even if their were, It probably wouldn't be as good as it is in the States.