Taking the Scenic Route

We pulled up the hotel and parked in an area that looked more like a patio than a parking lot. He took us inside, where it looked like a restaurant, not a hotel. Zach and the driver retrieved the bags while the hotel guy disappeared and I stood there not sure what to do. Eventually, the guys returned with the luggage and the hotel guy returned with the key. The two German guys talked a bit, then turned to us and asked if we wanted breakfast. We said yes, so they said to put our bags near the door and the driver left. We sort of stood there and looked at each other and the hotel guy disappeared again. I read someplace that you usually seat yourself in most German restaurants, but wasn’t sure if we should just help ourselves to the food at the buffet or not.

Eventually the dude came back and basically got across to us that we should go eat. lol. So we did. It was a continental breakfast with some rolls, a meat and cheese tray, yogurt (we guessed by the packaging) some fruit, some juice, and eggs (I assume they were hard boiled, but didn’t really want to take the chance). We got a roll and meats and yogurt and then tried to figure out how we were supposed to eat the meat and just put them on the roll and made a sandwich. No idea if we were tacky or not, but it didn’t really seem like finger food and we happened to sit at a table with no silverware. Eventually somebody came by and asked if we wanted coffee. YES! I figured out which of the little packets was cream and poured what I hoped was sugar from one of the shakers at the table. (it was…thank goodness…salt in coffee would have been bad). The thing we thought was yogurt tasted mostly like yogurt (or something akin to it if not). The food was good. The meat and cheese was especially good…more flavor or something. Maybe the preservatives are different in it because it didn’t have that plasticy aftertaste a lot of cold cuts do when you get them from the supermarket. I am going to get spoiled here, I can tell.

Nobody gave us a bill for the food and we sat there not knowing what to do for a while. (a theme that will be repeated often in this trip). Eventually we tracked down the guy that greeted us at the door and he had our room key. He indicated that Viega pays for the breakfast, but didn’t give us anything to sign. He said he would show us to the room which was around the corner in a different building. (The patio/parking lot has a green triangle, the building we are staying in has a red circle. You have to walk around on the street, walking in front of the hotel bar/restaurant, and a little shop where we had supper later)

So, we followed around the corner down one of those one-car streets and showed Zach where he could park the car, how to work the key to the building and we went up three flights of stairs (again, me with my luggage trying not to look like I was having a rough time with it) to another weird doorknob (pictured) and a sign that said “Rosen Suite”.

We went into the room and it was still being made up, he said it would be another half an hour until it was ready, so we left our luggage there and slipped back out the door and down the stairs, trying to decide what to do. We walked a little, but it was raining and we had no umbrella, so that didn’t last long. We went back to the hotel, this time into the bar area instead of the breakfast room to see if we could get a cup of coffee and sit while we waited. We said coffee, the same thing as earlier, but this time we got espresso. Really good, but not what we were expecting. Another couple came in and had the same thing, so I guess we weren’t doing anything weird (like sitting in a restaurant that is supposed to be closed but they let the stupid Americans in anyway). We sat there for about 45 minutes, and didn’t have anybody offer refills (or really even come back into the dining room) and weren’t sure what to do about the bill, again. Finally the guy came back and we asked if we needed to sign anything. We aren’t sure of what exactly he said, but he said something about Viega paying and disappeared again. He didn’t come back, so I guess we don’t have to sign anything. I tell you what….years of working in hotels and restaurants make “not signing” anything feel really uncomfortable.

We went back to the room and they were done. Wow, what a room. I was expecting a small room with a big bed and just hoping that we had a private bathroom. We had that, plus a kitchenette, a sofa, a table, and a tv area.

In the kitchen are two burners, a microwave, a coffee maker, and a built-in hidden (as in we didn’t discover that it was behind the cabinet for a while) fridge. In the shelves were plates coffee cups and a large selection of various wine glasses. Underneath were pots and pans, and there was silverware in the drawers. There was even a spice rack with 6 spices in it on the counter.

On the table was a tray with two bottles of sparkling mineral water and glasses made especially for mineral water and some gummy sheep. (sheep? I’ve seen bears and worms, but sheep was a new one. lol) In one of my German books it said that people in Germany don’t drink tap water, even though it is good quality and fine to drink. Everybody drinks sparkling water instead, so this showed me that book was probably on target.

In the bathroom the sink is huge and the toilet is attached to the wall. There are two buttons to press above it. After some trial, I think that one of the buttons is for a smaller flush and one is for a larger flush.

Some of the view…I will take more pictures when the light is better. It was really gray outside.

I am just enjoying the view.

Zach is trying to get an internet connection. (we ended up getting one just fine from the kitchen table, so I am posting from there, not the window. It would be pretty, but there is 4 story drop to the ground which is just begging for an expensive accident.)

Now, if anybody can tell me what this thing is, I would appreciate it. It is next to our door. (the top square toggle is like all of the light switches, but it doesn’t appear to go to anything. Not sure what the little box thing under it is)