I moved to continental Europe over a year ago (from Sydney) and was appalled by the terrible coffee here. Most of it comes from a push-button machine if you're lucky to get an espresso-based coffee at all. Those that are done by hand are not so great either: I've seen the same grounds be used for several coffees in a row, for example. I had to time my order so I got a fresh grind! The only good coffees (i.e. up to my Aussie standards) I've had were in Milan at a very top coffee shop and the top-of-the-range degustation restaurant in my city (in Belgium)! I've travelled a lot since I got over here too.

It got to the point where I decided to buy my own machine. But the ones you can buy in shops here for reasonable amounts are all the push-button stuff with substandard heaters etc. So I asked my boyfriend to bring one over from Sydney (just a cheapie Sunbeam one with a boiler) when he came to visit, and since then (and after acquiring a very expensive grinder locally) I've managed to make decent coffees. So much so that my local friends/colleagues continually ask me when I will be inviting them around for coffee next. I even had a bunch of Italian colleagues tell me that it was one of the best espressos they'd had. And I'm not a fully trained barista either, I just learned from my dad :)

Really though it makes me sad that I've had this experience, but it means I can really see the potential for good quality coffee making over here.