Enjoy Your Caffe Latte, though Prices May Vary

As I entered class this Monday morning, I immediately regretted not stopping in a bar on the way to school for a quick cappuccino. I had a moderate “case of the Mondays”, but soon enough I was back in the routine and was able to cure myself completely of this ailment during our ten minute break half-way through the discussion. Most of us crossed the street and entered a local coffee bar called Dante’s Bar. I wanted to try something other than a cappuccino, so I decided to try the caffé latte. The latte contains about one part milk, one part espresso, while the cappuccino contains more than half espresso. It came in a taller glass and after adding a sugar, the latte tasted very similar to how I typically drink my coffee in America.

After I was finished, I went to the counter and paid the cashier the two euros he requested. I returned to class and before we began, Mike was telling us that usually when you visit the same bar every morning and the employees get to know you, they will give you your drink at a lower price. This seemed a bit peculiar to me, but I found out later just how true this was. About two hours later, a few of us had returned to Dante’s for a quick caffé before watching an Italian movie (Bicycle Thieves by DeSica). When we went to settle up with the cashier, my drink was fifty euro cents cheaper than earlier that morning. I couldn’t believe that the price actually did vary! Moral of the story: get to know your local coffee bar and save!