Less of a success on night two of our journey north; The hotel was willing to take dogs and greeted Sophie with the sort of effusive welcome she is rapidly becoming accustomed to. That's where the good news ended. Our room on the ground floor of a sixteenth century castle didn't have air conditioning. Usually this wouldn't matter but in these infernal temperatures the inside was unpleasantly warm. The humans found it just about bearable; their canine companion extremely uncomfortable; We took it in turns to go to the bar to ask for a glass full of ice cubes to cool her down.The barman parted with these reluctantly as if we had a secret drinking habit and were mixing Whiskey Sours in the toothbrush mugs in the bathroom.The ice cubes were added to copious amounts of cold water and a few tempting kibbles to keep our shaggy companion hydrated and cool. A large party of wedding guests were there for the weekend and had taken all the available fans . "Monsieur There are rooms much hotter than yours' the understandable but unhelpful response from, the front desk. The bathroom had a coolish tiled floor but for some reason Sophie refused to go into it. That PON logic that says if I go in there I"ll be murdered . So she suffered on the thick pile carpet
At eleven thirty and again at one Angus and a heavily panting Sophie did a tour of the garden to try to cool down. At two thirty the heat broke and the thunder rolled in. Dog and master were a strange sight sitting out on the terrace in the pouring rain and relatively chill winds . I reassure the nighttime security man that I'm a guest and that I"m enjoying the rain. If I'd been French he'd have called the police. Being foreign he accepted this behaviour as if it was the most natural thing in the world. There is a brief and noisy run in with a Belgian man taking his Pomeranian for a restorative early morning walk. The less said of that the better . 36 at ten at night. 20 by three in the morning. Hallelujah.
The grand total for the devilish night ( inclusive of a rather good dinner and a so so bottle of Macon ) came to e666. 'The Font' finds this to be highly amusing. Let it not be said that there is no such thing as Swedish humour.
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22 comments:
Quick trip from a night in heaven to a night in hell! 666? Perhaps because I'm Swedish, I agree with 'The Font'. That's pretty funny! :)
Oh, what a contrast! Do you think the bill was a judgement on behalf of the less than helpful management?
Just in case you happen to be given another room without air-con, perhaps it might be an idea to pop into a store to buy an electric fan, suitable for cooling an over-heated PON? It's something we've taken with us in the past and didn't take up much room in the car. We would put it on the floor so that the dogs had the benefit of the cool air.
bonjour ami angus et la petite famille!666 ! ne cherchez pas, cest le chiffre de la bete dapres je ne sais plus quel evangeliste;ce n est pas grave,vous avez fuit cest l essentiel;votre voyage est passionnant;je vous suis sur google maps ,amities merci paule caillou
Just wondering what your opinion of the hotel would be if the temperature was more normal so the lack of AC was not an issue. Were there croissants for Sophie's breakfast? Were the hotel staff sufficiently adoring to the diva? And respectful of the foreign travelers' needs?
I'm not Swedish and, not having to pay the hotel bill, I did raise a smile at the €666.
Presumably Sophie understands the main purpose of a bathroom and even in those infernal temperature, did not welcome the prospect of a B-A-T-H.
Do hasten on to Scotland, the weather's been lovely here, at least in the Northeast.
Cheers, Gail.
Are you sure you didn't buy the castle .
Onward Ho !
More North more cool, I hope.
The bar looks just as I'd pictured the bar in "A Gentleman in Moscow" - one of my favorite novels. By now you three are safely ensconced in the frigid A/C of the new car and enjoying the beautiful countryside.
Got to love the Fint.
May tonight’s lodging be a much better(and less expensive) experience.
Hahahaha! I love "the font"! Hysterical. Can't understand my fears and worrying about you three - I'm a little obsessed about it. I will be so relieved when you arrive at your new home. Love, LizinOregon
Your travel updates are a delight, Angus!
I must echo Lizin Oregon! I love The Font’s sense of humor!
I’m certain there were a few choice words for the bride and groom and their selfish guests around midnight.
Just another part of the adventure. Onward…..JoAnn in Maryland
At least the security guard didn't find you and Sophie in your car with the air con on all night! If you are considering the suggestion by Coppa's girl of buying a fan then a rechargeable USB one works well. Our USB fan follows where our dog sleeps, and moves to, without needing extension cords for me to trip over.
Much the same in Portsmouth, where we get the ferry south tomorrow. Poor hairy dog is truly struggling.
After the success of the previous night, this hotel must seemed like an absolute horror. I hope your next stop is back to the suitability of your first. I'm in Virginia, and we've had a mild summer with low humidity but high winds. Today's high was 77F. Still, I'm followed round the Internet by ads for a small, portable A/C cube. It's less than $90.00, and the ads claim it will lower humidity and cool a room. If it works, that would beat a fan. Safe travels.
One hot August trip, I don’t book hotels without ac
I recently stayed at an Ibis 'Red' Hotel in Orleans which welcomed dogs. We had a perfectly acceptable meal and breakfast, and slept well. Cost about €180.
What a let down, after your first idyllic experience. not all Motels/hotels in NZ have AirCon, but it is something I specifically check before I make a high summer booking. Poor Sophie, and poor you - that wasn't the best night's sleep for any of you! I'm hoping the next report of back up in the "Wonderful, we'll come here again" category.
A short drive or just sitting in your car with the air conditioning blasting cold air cold gives a bit of relief. Hot climate resident here.
There are times when you just have to laugh at life. The receipt sums up the hellish visit! Here's to a cool and good night's rest for all of you.
While the photos (except the last one) of the castle look inviting, they do not make up for the torture you three experienced. May tonight be a much cooler stay.
No surprise Sophie was slightly less than gracious with the pom.
It does look lovely and I suppose installing air conditioning in such a building would be quite the feat.
Which they should be able to afford given those prices.
Fingers crossed for the next stop.
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