My friend picked me up from work at 6 and rushed me home so I could get changed. In the end I went for a black dress that I've had for about 10 years (this was probably the third time I wore it, but hey, can't go wrong with a black dress!) and I even dared heels... after all I wasn't going to do much walking as we'd also been told we could use the hotel car park. I only hoped that either the room would be on the ground floor, or there would be a lift, as heels and stairs do NOT go well together, as far as I'm concerned!
We arrived with plenty of time to check in before the buffet and screening were due to start. As we turned into the mews where the hotel was, I started uh uh-ing to myself, as even from the outside the place was obviously major league posh. Not that I don't like posh, but it does deviate a bit from a muddy field on a German rock, full of long-haired (or balding, no half measures), middle-aged rockers in jeans and leather. Footmen swarmed on us eager to carry our luggage... which we didn't have as I'd packed everything (change of clothes and underwear, toothpaste and brush, spare shoes, body lotion, etc...) in my bag. That raised a few eyebrows and set the tone for the rest of the night. They took our car keys to go and park the vehicle while we were checking in.
At the reception desk a smiling lady took my details before handing me the key and asking if we'd like a wake up call and complimentary paper. I could hear the other guests, arrived just after me, talking to the other staff. All the conversations seemed to follow a script: "I've just flown in from..." followed by Brussels/Paris/Rome/Milan/New York/some faraway location. When the lady smilingly commented "Madam is travelling light?", I replied "Yes, we've come from up the road". I think I noticed a slight flinch. She handed us over to the concierge to show us to our room. A smiling man in a penguin suit immediately approached us and asked "Madam would like me to carry her bags?"
Thankfully this was the last time that I had to swing my bag before someone's face explaining that no, all I needed was there. Fortunately I had decided to take a 1a Classe bag that my mum had bought me a couple of years ago and that I'd never used before, lacking an appropriat event, and that finally was taken out of its protective case and shown off at every opportunity over the course of the night. I think it's the first time I've actually had matching bag and wallet :)))
Anyway, by the time we reached the lift I was starting to have to disguise fits of giggles. I'd stop every other step pretending to find something particularly interesting and looking at it, when in fact I had to or I'd have toppled over on the heels. To be honest, the hotel was stunning and did merit close scrutiny, so it wasn't much of a pretense. The concierge politely made small talk all the way to the room, then showed me how the key worked and swooshed us in. All I'm saying is that the shower was almost as big as my whole bathroom, and the room almost as big as my flat, and they had more gadgets than I could shake a stick at. It was absolutely gorgeous and for a moment I just gaped while he was showing us all the features. By now I was finding it increasingly difficult not to giggle, and I just wanted him to leave the room so I could burst into a laugh. He walked backwards to the door wishing us a pleasant stay, I heard the door open (I couldn't see it, it was around the corner) and waited a few seconds. When I judged enough time had elapsed for him to leave, I roared... and then I heard the door clicking shut. Oooooooooops! :D
When I recovered from my amazement at being in such a gorgeous place (I didn't, really, but at least I managed to close my mouth), I quickly emptied my bag leaving only my purse and a few other bits and off we went to the Bourne Ultimatum premiere.
The movie itself was very good. I hadn't seen the first two but I still enjoyed it very much. The service was truly first class, both on the part of the hotel and that of the company I'd won the night through. There were a couple of glitches but both were resolved very smoothly and pleasantly.
After the film we went for a stroll around Soho and saw some pictures hanging on street walls, part of The Grand Tour.
I spent an enourmous amount of time in the shower before bed, as it was really, really luxurious, including the exclusive toiletries and linen. In the end I decided not to exploit the fact that I was finally alone in a bedroom with the guy I'd been trying to catch for over 10 years. He was willing enough, but it didn't feel right, so we slept in the most comfortable bed I've had in years, lulled by soothing classical music.
The only pity is that we had to leave very early the next morning as work was waiting. We were out of the door before 7 am, enjoying almost empty London streets and feeling like cats who'd got the cream :)))
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