Starbucks

One of the most «European» ‘Bucks I’ve stepped inside. Plenty comfortable and inviting. Free internet. Most expensive drinks I’ve ever seen. But hey, you’re in the capital of Switzerland. Rather than look down at Starbucks I’ve come to appreciate it for what it is: a place to sit down, get free internet — possibly get a drink, but you don’t have to — and that’s just not a concept they have in Europe. If you sit, you pay, that’s how it normally goes. Not at Starbucks. Thanks :-)

Dieser Starbucks ist mit der von mir am häufigsten Frequentierten in Bern. Ich genieße meißt an Wochenenden hier meine Morgenkaffee bevor ich mich auf eine ausgedehnte Wandertour im berner Oberland begebe.
Ebenfalls ein Starbucks, wie die meisten anderen. Guter Kaffee, leckere Snacks und Gebäck. Sehr solide und gut.

Starbucks «normal»

La déco est invariablement la même, les prix sont invariablement élevés, mais j’y reviens invariablement, le cheesecake est tellement bon et j’adore l’ambiance! A part ça, quand on donne un avis sur un Starbucks, on donne sûrement son avis sur tous les Starbucks…

i cannot help myself. sometimes i am drawn to starbucks. i am invariably disappointed at the quality. the drinks are far too milky, never enough coffee. they are always lukewarm, never hot. the staff is rarely friendly. but i do not come for any of that. i come for familiarity and comfort. starbucks cafes are decorated in exactly the same way all over the world. if i tune out whatever language people are speaking around me and try not to look out the big plate glass windows at whatever foreign scenery happens to be out there, i could be in the starbucks a few blocks from my house. that is a powerful thing.
and so i ended up at the starbucks in bern. it was sunday when i arrived in the city. everything was closed. i had been wandering around the sickeningly cute little streets for an hour. the snow was starting to come down. i was cold. and then i saw the bubenbergplatz starbucks. i peeked in. immediately i got a smile from the man and woman at the counter. the café was very clean and spacious, and there were plenty of those nice cozy starbucks armchairs. i went in and spent several hours.
and if you get a drink with whipped cream they give you a gigantic mess of the stuff, especially if you stay there and have it in one of their large ceramic mugs. mmmmmm