Treasures and Pleasures

I couldn't care less at that point, as all I wanted was take a shower and get into bed. To stay true to my habits, I first flushed the toilet. I always felt better knowing that it functioned properly. Behold! The water, not unlike we had earlier witnessed at the Falls, started to pour forth with no indication of ever stopping on its own, was flooding already the bathroom.

My husband, the faster thinker between the two of us, turned off the little knob on the wall, ordered me to dress and called the Front Desk. They apologized, quickly sent a repairman who even quicker established that in no way would he be able to fix the problem. The only bigger problem consisted in the hotel being fully booked. Still, they promised us some kind of satisfactory arrangement. Indeed, in a short while, a bellboy showed up and asked us to allow him to take our luggage - a small carry on case - to a new room. At the very end of a winding corridor, he stopped in front of an impressive double door with the inscription "Queen Elizabeth II Suite".

What we found behind the door was even more impressive. My eyes, powered by the attention span of a two-year-old at this point, kept jumping from one area of the suite to the other. I was trying to absorb size, colors, style, and the richness of the materials covering the furniture. The fireplace, in the middle of the living room area was most inviting with the pleasant glow of embers, yet its warmth was subtly tempered by the air conditioning. Bookshelves were surrounding the back walls of this area and they extended into a wonderfully romantic writing nook, marked by a small desk under a green wood shutters and white lace-curtain trimmed window. The dining room, in hunting lodge style, boasted a rugged wooden table for twelve and a huge boar head was eyeing me from the wall; it was my least favorite place of all. There was also a small kitchen and a fully stocked bar.

The bedroom walls, decorated in rich burgundy and gold brocade wallpaper, nestled a tall canopy bed with enormous fluffy pillows invitingly calling like sirens from underneath the deep velvet bedspread.

The bathroom, I discovered, was a real site on its own. Clean lines of the natural rattan furnishings and dainty white lace decorating trims, significantly contrasted with the size and the amenities this room offered. The Jacuzzi bathtub was huge and deep, while the double showers made one wonder where to really stand. At the end of my survey, I told my husband that this place looked tenfold better than the Venetian Gritti Palace. In fact, I was so pleased I announced, that I would stay put and read rather than stump in the mud outside. He just nodded his head and smiled.

The following day, after a magnificent breakfast, I changed my mind, and since the rain stopped, I did agree to venture outdoors to check out this muddy little town. As we stepped outside, the sun was playing hide and seek from behind the thick green crowns of ageless oak trees from across the little park. The air felt velvety, balmy, and yet still cool. "Not too bad", I had to admit. We took a left turn to the side street with no paved sidewalks, the street that would take us up the center of town.