My quest continues: global domination in the form of Yelping every cafe and espresso bar in the…read morePontevedra province. After losing miserably to the son of my host family at Call of Duty, I had to treat the winner to a coffee. We descended upon Muffins Café, due to its proximity to the ATSA bus stop (God only knows how many of those buses we've missed) and its inviting outdoor patio. The cafe itself is very modern and trendy, even by the standards of my very modern and trendy Spanish friends. The decor is sleek (I think the bar stools are from Ikea) and the photos and paintings that adorn the wall are international in both feel and scope. Despite the departure from the traditional cafeteria ambiance, Muffins Café does not come off as pretentious. I received an average café solo. The consistency was a little thin for my liking, although the coffee did not lack in flavor. It was also strange to receive a gominola (gummy candy) with coffee, but I suppose there's a first for everything. For those that prefer tea, Muffins offers a selection of tea much larger than all of the cafeterias in the area (and probably all of Pontevedra combined). After a caffeine break, it was time to head to a local bar to play some futbolin and do something about my losing streak...

My host family is appalled by 1) the amount of coffee I drink and 2) how horrible my Spanish can…read moreget if I don't have enough coffee. Tu Pana Tu Cafe is there for me when the afternoon grogginess and pangs of headaches arrive. In addition to a wide range of coffees, the shop also offers a number of teas and specialty tea drinks. This also appears to be the neighborhood spot to purchase a fresh loaf of bread for the day - many patrons come and go throughout the day to purchase una barra gallega. (This bread is like heaven on earth.) My cafe solo is always excellent - it is smooth and robust, without any bitterness or odd aftertaste. When I have my coffee to stay, instead of receiving the customary complimentary dried-out cookie, I receive a miniature pastry. These pastries are decadent, to say the least. My favorite (so far) has been the "elephant ear" - the flaky pastry drenched in a coating of honey. Each cafe solo constitutes the most utilitarian 1.05 euro I have ever spent.