Lebanon – Confessions of a Lady Sindbad

This cup of coffee, the morning cup is the “jewel of all coffees “..it has absolutely no match. It simply tastes different…forget the brew, forget the blend, it’s the whole experience…an experience one fails to recreate later on throughout the day; I’ve endeavored to duplicate it though…for a certain period of time I’ve been wondering with each sip of the magic brew whether it tasted as good as the earliest one only to admit the evident: regardless of the place, whether outdoor or indoor, sipping my first coffee in silence seems the most enjoyable mission . This recurrent daily small pleasure is one of the simplest and cheapest life enjoyment, it’s the ritual I look forward to when at night I close my eyes in bed , and despite the build up I’m never disappointed. It’s a selfish pleasure…no company needed…

One home requirement though: the mug…I stick to on specific style and it shouldn’t be heavy, absolutely not…who wants to do weight lifting in the morning?!

However I have to admit, my morning coffee is not the crowned King of all beverages … I have another daily ritual: the afternoon tea …and that’s another love story.

Arabic coffee, at The Emirates Palace Hotel’s Beach tent, Abu Dhabi UAE– 7 December 2018

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Capuccino italiano, Hotel Villa d’Este Cernobbio, Lake Como, Italy – 15 July 2016

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Palace cappuccino sprinkled in real 24-carat gold flakes at Le Café, the Emirates Palace Hotel’s – Abu Dhabi UAE 24 April 2015

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Latte, historic Demel Konditorei (1786) Vienna Austria – 12 July 2016

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Mochachino Mzaar Intercontinental Kferzebian Lebanon – 26 December 2017

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Café liégeois Liège, Belgium –3 Septembre 2018

Café gourmand Champs-Élysées – 9 September 2018 & Butte aux Cailles – 8 September 2018 Paris, France 

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Kopi Luwak AKA civet coffee Bali, Indonesia –20 August 2012

It includes partially digested coffee cherries eaten and defecated by the Asian civet. Coffee producers claim that this process improves the coffee due to the following:

⁃ selection as the civet choose to eat certain cherries only

⁃ digestion affects the composition of the coffee cherry

Although kopi luwak is a form of processing rather than a variety of coffee, it has been called one of the most expensive coffees in the world, with retail prices reaching US$700 per kg.

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Coffee with a spectacular view Hotel Alila Jabal Akhdar, Oman – 13 October 2017

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Tent service “morning coffee” campsite between Paro and Thimphu, Bhutan – 11 October 2016

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“On cloud nine” coffee between London-Abu Dhabi, Airbus A380’s lounge Etihad Airways – 18 October 2018

This is for all the good times I enjoyed with my secret lover. Yes, I’m admitting it now, I’ve had one for many many years.

This relationship only brought me extreme happiness and fond memories. I still remember how I used to check furtively the time while helping the children out with their homework. I’d steal a glance at my watch longing for our daily dates then I’d rush quickly – literally running outside – in anticipation of the strong emotions I’d feel whenever I feast my eyes on my lover…and because being one minute late meant I’d be stood up!!

I didn’t mind this zero tolerance stance because of the flexibility I was allowed: my love never missed a date, followed me everywhere even to Lebanon and didn’t mind if I was too busy to show up!

The other thing I enjoyed about my lover: I could be myself; I didn’t have to dress up for our daily date…casual outfit, no salon visit.

How convenient is that!

How did I manage to keep this relationship going on for so long? Honestly it wasn’t arduous despite my lover ‘s dynamic schedule (a fluctuation range of one and a half hour plus or minus ) for I was fortunate we lived conveniently near the Corniche so I cleverly timed my routine jog according to our daily dates.

Our relationship came to an abrupt halt when we relocated to a new house, quite distant from the Corniche…just like that.

For all those waiting for me to reveal the identity of my secret lover, sorry to disappoint, no juicy info: it’s the Sun right before it sets…

Well it must be something really out of this world to be able to compete with my hombre

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