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In 1963, the Braun company had come out with one of the world’s first commercially available dripolator machines, the Braun Coffee Maker. Designed for commercial use, it changed the way people looked at making a cup of coffee.

Before the Braun Coffee Maker, people used a stove top percolator machine to brew their coffee. From home to commercial use, perking coffee was the only way to get a cup of joe. Later versions of percolator machines were electric, and could be plugged directly into a socket.

The difference between percolators and dripolators is what changed the world of coffee as Americans knew it. Instead of having to perk coffee, people were able to fill up a separate water reservoir, put coffee grounds into a filter and put the filter into a basket. From there, one simply had to plug in the machine and turn it on.

The water would then heat up in the water reservoir and drip onto the freshly ground coffee. As it made the journey through the grounds, the water would turn into coffee, much like one would brew a cup of tea. By the time the hot water made its way through the coffee grounds and dripped into the empty pot below, it was a perfect cup of coffee.

The filter kept the grounds from mixing in with the actual coffee, and a new way to complete a daily task was born. While the Braun Coffee Maker was the first one on the market for commercial use, it wasn’t the first one to hit the kitchen counter of the average American citizen.

What the Braun Coffee Maker did for commercial use, Mr. Coffee did for home use. In 1972, Mr. Coffee was on store shelves. Pitched by former baseball player Joe DiMaggio, the machine became wildly popular in the 1970s and 1980s.

There are many places in the world to see,visit and experience; yet there are only a few and in fact only one that I can say will give you the feeling that you are dreaming and you will need to pinch yourself to make sure that’s it’s not a dream when you see Venice for the first time.

It’s sheer beauty, the baroque architecture and magnificent Palazzos in rich earthy colors,reflecting off the shimmering waters of the Grand Canal,makes Venice somewhere that you will never leave behind; intoxicating and romantic, this glorious city on water is like no other place on earth; no wonder it’s has inspired so many writers and artists – Peggy Guggenheim created an ongoing landmark in Venice with the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the most renowned museum in Italy, for European and American artists to exhibit.

Inaugurated in 1980 it features Peggy Guggenheim’s personal collection of the 20th century and is located in Peggy Guggenheim’s former home,on the Grand Canal in Venice.

Although Italy is full of Piazzas, no where will you be treated to a place like St.Marks square in the heart of Venice; one the most photographed landmarks in the world, defined by surrounded walkways of baroque arched columns framing the imposing giant square.

During the season,St. Mark’s Square is filled with people and pigeons; feeding the pigeons in the square is a popular activity.You can visit St. Marks Church or go to the top of the Bell Tower where you will be treated to spectacular views of Venice.

After visiting some of the sights, stop for a drink at the historic Caffe Florian or Caffe Quadri, both of which feature, live open air orchestras playing in the square – full classical orchestras entertain you while you sip your proseco at an outdoor table, or if you prefer you can choose the cafe that features a cool jazz orchestra on any given day;  a soulful experience, indeed.

Every region in Italy has it’s own produce and cuisine, the Veneto region is well know for it’s delicious dishes and fabulous wines,but even more for it’s pastries; many pastry shops line the narrow alleyways offering trays of freshly baked cakes, one being the famous strudel influenced from the northern parts of the country. Don’t leave Venice without sampling the pastries.

Yet Venice would not be Venice without it’s Gondoliers, showing their artful balancing style perched right at the end of their Gondola’s, a traditional Venetian rowing boat, all wearing their recognized trademarked, nay and whit, horizontally striped Gondolier tops.

Gondolas were for centuries the chief means of transportation within Venice; called traghetti ( ferries )today their primary role, is, as a means of transport and to carry tourists.

I had always used the bridges when going from one side to the other of the Grand Canal; however I learnt, only during a recent trip, via a friend, that there are seven points on the grand canal in between the bridges, where a Gondola service takes you from one side to the other,for just 50 cents; just hand to the charming Gondoliero who will hold his arm out to steady you as you get on and off.

I found the whole experience absolutely enlightening and a quick,easy way, to cross the canal and be treated to spectacular views at the same time.

If you catch the traghetto near to the Rialto market in the morning you will see the local women who do this daily with their shopping bags, standing all the way, with their experienced sea legs.

Whether your coming to Venice for the sites, the art, the food, the music, the gondola ride, or all of these pleasures – which is usually the case, you might like to try renting a self catered apartment which seems to be the new way of traveling when looking for  Venice accommodation; saving on expensive hotels and experiencing the city like a local, shopping at the open fruit markets docked at the canals and doing some home cooking, without the obligatory need to eat in restaurants.

Many people are finding that renting an apartment in Venice ; you may be lucky enough to find one with a canal view, gives them more space at more affordable prices than a a hotel

Depending on the number of people, you can find a wonderful selection of apartment rentals in Venice on www.venice-accom.com

Traditionally, wedding cake designs are tiered white, square or round, with butter cream frosting. At Patisserie Concerto your wedding cake design is a different story: you can design the cake of your dreams, in any combination of shape, style, flavour, colour and decoration. We believe that your wedding cake design should be unique and match your own personal style and taste, as well as the wedding décor and colour scheme.

Deciding on the shape and size is the first step in designing your wedding cake. Many shapes are available to enhance and give a unique look to your cake. You can go for square, round, hexagonal, heart shape or any other shape.

When designing your wedding cake, choosing the filling for the cake can be tricky, as you have to choose something that all your guests will like. We suggest that you have the top tier of the cake as something you and your partner like and the rest of the cake can be something that all the guests will like (our shops always have a large variety of cakes you can try before deciding). If there is any other filling you would like but we don’t have ready, please ask and the chef will be more than happy to prepare it for you.

The final touches to your wedding cake design are decorating your wedding cake. Here, your choices are endless. You might like to take a particular element of the wedding décor and design the cake around that theme. We can decorate cakes with the look of embroidery, lace, appliqué or elegant drapes or swags. For instance, many brides will use the lace or other details from their wedding gown as a design for their wedding cake. Bring in a picture of your gown and our chef will be delighted to incorporate the lace or pearl beading detail into your wedding cake.

Your wedding cake design might incorporate fresh or confectionary flowers or satin ribbons that co-ordinate with the wedding colour scheme. If you like, your wedding cake design can be decorated to match your china patterns or a specific theme using a painted on technique where the chef paints designs on the cake for a truly exquisite look.

If choosing flowers for your wedding cake design, please keep in mind that some flowers are seasonal, so please discuss your flowers with us before finalising your choice.