During our travels, mostly thru Europe, I kept a lookout for what should represent Rick and I in our forthcoming coffee house.  It was important that we be able to show our customers our personal side by how we decorated our shop. For me, it is a lot of glass decor, pictures, light fixtures, etc.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris, the glass art work in Germany.  I want a curio to sit in a corner to show what we had collected to decorate our coffee house.  While in Germany, we saw a live demonstration of a German glassmaking artist creating an exquisite work of art from industrial glass.

And of course, we each bought a piece from his collection.  Rick picked out a ship in a bottle and I selected a glass paper weight that lit up in different colors. 

We also saw a live demonstration of Rudesheim Coffee consisting of coffee, brandy. sugar, whipped cream, and dark chocolate.

While traveling thru Paris, I made a point of visiting many of the Bakeries, and of course, I had to try a treat from each of them.  I wanted to get the feel of walking into the Bakeries to know what I want our customers to feel.  I saw how the Bakeries were decorated, how the employees responded to the customers, and how the they worked together in their tasks.  I wanted only a selected handful of treats to be served with our coffees.  My main specialty will be coffee cake and apple pecan strudel.  Of course, we will have a small selection of muffins and cookies.

While on board the ship, we did have the opportunity of meeting with the Chef.  We asked him what were the most popular pastries on the ship, and the coffee drinks.