We meet again

Two pair of eyes met in the museum's crowd. One pair was green grey, the other blue grey. The blue grey ones narrowed, while the green grey grew wider. The face of the tall man with the blue grey eyes was unreadable, and there were no signs he recognized the other person. The other person was smaller and lightly built. He also pretended not to see somebody familiar.
For an outsider nothing gave away the quick communication going on between the two. The lightly built, dark haired man left. He was followed shortly afterwards by the tall man. The smaller and older of the two was cursing all the way to the next cafe. The other one took it more philosophical and was wryly amused, but as unhappy as the other to have met. They had a history together.
The older gentleman took a seat outside. Five minutes later the tall joined him. "What are you doing here, Fin?" The dark haired man asked. "I'm on assignment, Charles." "Ha! I wouldn't have guessed that!" "And what are you doing here?" Fin asked impatient. He was blond. "The same." Charles grumbled. Both were burglars and had worked on one heist together. Unfortunately Charles Harold Fox and Coldham Fintan Noose couldn't stand each other. Jealousy played a big role. During the preparation for the heist Charles had made Fin's life difficult whenever possible and tried to undermine his authority, since Fin was second in command. Fin had tried to take it cool and ignore Charles' behavior. When this didn't work, Fin tried to talk to Charles. It fell on deaf ears, so Fin resorted to a last solution and punched Charles once, breaking Charles' nose in the process. Their boss demanded from Fin to apologize and gave both a lecture, nearly firing them. Fin refused, because he wasn't one bit sorry. Charles and he managed to call a truce and keep it until they were able to go separate ways.
Charles had behaved badly, because he was jealous of Fin's position and felt he was entitled to Fin's job. He was more experienced after all.
A waiter approached them in Hungarian. Fin replied haltingly. Charles felt another stab of envy. Fin seemed to be always so perfect and speaking god knew how many languages. Fin switched to English, smiling disarmingly at the waiter. "Sorry, but that's as far as my Hungarian goes." Charles snorted, not believing a word Fin said. The waiter appreciated Fin's effort. "What can I serve you, gentlemen?" Fin tried his ordering skills and asked: "Lehet, hogy van egy kávé és sütemény, kérem?" "Why not?" The man replied in Hungarian. Fin looked uncomprehending, so the waiter knew, Fin didn't understand. Fin had asked for coffee and cake. The waiter switched language and told them what types were on offer. Charles chose a coffee cake and Fin Dobos.
"How long are you in Budapest?" Charles asked. "A little bit over two weeks. And you?" "A week." "What are you after?" "A piece of Italian artwork." "I'm after a Di Bernardino." "What?!" Fin had suddenly Charles' full attention. "Is it "The Flight of the Holy Family"?" Charles asked. "Yes." Fin wasn't too happy about this development. Both had time to gather their thoughts, because the waiter returned with their order. "Me too." Charles admitted. "Okay, who's your client?" Fin asked, his eyes turned blue, a sure sign he was angry or upset. "I won't say." "Okay, Charles, I'll divulge my source. Does Giovanni Armando ring a bell?" Charles' facial expression told Fin everything. Normally they wouldn't have discussed details, but they spoke now on what each had agreed with Mr. Armando. It disgusted Fin that Charles would have gotten 13 % more than him, if Charles had been successful. The two had four options:

1. They could work together, steal the painting and share the profit.
2. They could try each to work out faster how to get the artwork and deliver it to their client,
3. One of them decided to drop out and the other went ahead,
Or
4. They could walk away from the contract, telling all their friends Giovanni Armando had tried to cross them and make sure nobody was going to deal with him ever again.

Fin wasn't in a charitable mood and thought about others, who could find themselves in the same situation, so for him there was only one way. Knowing Charles' ego Fin thought they would come to the same decision. He wasn't wrong.

Charles and he met at Charles hotel near the castle and rang their customer. Charles had him on loud speaker. "Mr. Armando, these are Charles Fox and Coldham Fintan Noose. We have found out you have engaged both of us to get an item for you. Can you explain why?" Fin was wondering how Charles managed to stay calm. He hadn't made the impression before. "Well, I wanted to make sure I'm getting what I wanted as fast as possible, and competition has never done any harm." He had a thick accent. "Mr. Armando, you have broken a golden rule, when dealing with criminals: Never engage more than one person to do your deeds." Fin added. His voice was cold and showed his displeasure. "Och, come on guys, don't you understand a bit of fun?" Fin and Charles replied in one: "No." "Mr. Armando, since you stabbed us both in the back we are withdrawing. You'll have to find somebody else, who's getting the painting for you." Charles explained. What he didn't say was that they already had spread the word of the betrayal. Mr. Armando never found any high profile burglar who would have been capable of executing his wishes. Charles and Fin moved on to their new jobs in Australia. Revenge was sweet.

©2013

Caxton Bar, St. Ermin's Hotel, London

Before we travelled to London we informed ourselves what was in the Intercontinental Westminster's vicinity. Of course we had heard about the St. Ermin's Hotel before. It had re-opened ca. a year ago after a refurbishment.
It is built horse shoe shaped, in Queen Anne revival style and located in Caxton Street. Originally the St. Ermin's Hotel was an apartment complex, but in 1899 it opened its door as a hotel and has operated as one ever since.
St. Ermin's is quite quirky and has a checkered history. It has a connection to MI6 and Winston Churchill.
During our visit we went to Caxton's Bar. When entering the hotel the restaurant and bar are to the left.
Overall the room felt very decadent with rich stucco on the ceilings, a library and interesting artwork.
The tables were interesting too. There was a table cloth underneath a large glass plate and a nice plant on top of it.
We had informed us on the internet and realized that the cocktail menu was different than the one online. When we checked with our waiter he advised that unfortunately the internet hadn't been updated and the printed menu at the hotel was correct. They didn't stock the ingredients for previous cocktails any longer, so EW's choice was not available. Instead the waiter suggested an Espresso Martini, which was similar to what EW wanted. My better half decided to have a think and studied the two page cocktail list. I had made up my mind already and asked for a Caxton Fallen Angel. He had in the end a Maple Leaf. Feeling a little bit cool from walking quite a long time outside we had a cappuccino and a hot chocolate as well as some desserts. He had the chocolate fondant and I the bread and butter pudding with peanut butter ice cream and banana. All was very delicious.  My dessert was served on a wooden plate, his came sprinkled with edible gold. We both loved the strong flavors.
The waiter was quirky too, btw. Because when we ordered dessert he said: "Why not?"
The other patrons were a mix of younger and older people; some were on leisure, others on business. Even though the bar was full, it was quiet. The atmosphere was relaxing.
The waiter was attentive and friendly.
The bill came in at slightly under 50 GBP (ca. 58 Euro or 75 USD) including 12.5 % service charge.
The impression the St. Ermin's left was so good we are going to stay at some stage there.

©2013

Travel Report: Intercontinental Westminster London, United Kingdom

We were waiting for the opening of the Intercontinental Westminster since we first heard about the plans to convert St. Anne's Chambers in the heart of the political district into a hotel.
As soon as it was bookable last year we grabbed the chance and used the points and cash option at Intercontinental Hotel Group's frequent guest program called Priority Club. We had a really good offer with 30.000 Points and 70 USD cash for one night.

We spent the night prior to our flight at the Hilton Dublin Airport and took the 07.45 hours hotel shuttle bus to Dublin Airport Terminal 2 for our 10.10 hours Aer Lingus flight to London Gatwick or at least so we thought. To our surprise we had been bumped up to an earlier flight leaving at 08.50 hours and only realized it, when we had gone through security. Without stress we managed to arrive at the gate before it closed. We were glad we could leave earlier and had a front row seat, so we had more time to enjoy London.

We took the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station. Due to the location of the hotel we were able to walk to the Intercontinental, passing Christchurch Gardens with sculptures commemorating Henry Purcell and the Suffragette movement, St. Ermin's Hotel, an MGallery Collection Hotel by Accor and New Scotland Yard.
Taking our time and photographs we arrived at around noon. If walking normal it shouldn't take longer than 15 minutes. The hotel is located opposite St. James's Park tube station.
We were asked by the door man, if we wanted to check in. He informed the bell captain, who asked for our name, offered to take our carry on luggage and directed us to reception, where he introduced us. He assumed the booking was in the name of my companion, so he used my last name, but added Mr. in front of it. It was a bit amusing.
The check in was smooth and very quick. Our room was located on the highest floor, the sixth.
The ground floor space is large with the lobby to the right. There are a lot of colorful flowers, art work, including the Queen without face, and a small atrium.
When heading towards the elevators, there is the lounge to the right, a staircase to the left and when heading straight you can reach the Blue Boar Bar and Restaurant.
With elevators you can access all floors, but there are no markings, for example stating where the lobby or restaurant is located. It wasn't a problem for us.

Our room was large with views over New Scotland Yard and the hotel atrium. We had a small hallway, a huge wardrobe with safe, umbrella, shoe horn and luggage rack.
The room was completed with a huge king sized bed, a medium sized writing desk with comfortable chair, a club chair and ottoman, a coffee table and a large mirror TV with all the channels one could wish for.
The color scheme was light brown, grey and white with dark carpets.
All carpets show a million finger prints, connecting with the building's past.

Guests don't have to worry about adapters either. In front of the writing desk is a panel with outlets from around the world.

On the coffee table were magazines - Tattler, Bazaar, Vanity Fair (one of my favorites) and the Economist.

The mini bar contained Folkington juices, chocolate bars, a good alcoholic and soft drink selection. There was also fresh milk for making coffee or tea, a Nespresso coffee machine including capsules and a kettle. The cups were by Heritage.

In room dining was available 24 hours a day and came directly from the Blue Boar Restaurant. If you want to you can also have a large bottle of for example vodka and make your own cocktails. All utensils you need are there, including a shaker.

The bath room was as large as the bedroom with dark and light marble and granite.

The towels were all made in Portugal. They were large and soft.

There was also a hanger for the bathrobe.

The bath tub and shower were separated.

The amenities were by Agraria, San Francisco. If guests have forgotten something it can be also found on the room, including shoe shine equipment, shower caps and armory board.

We enjoyed our room very much. The writing desk and chair were comfortable to use, the bed allowed restful sleep and we liked the textures and color scheme. One of the more interesting designs was the headboard. It was made from wood and leather and reached up to the ceiling.

The bath tub was excellent too. The shower had good water pressure and hot water supply was never a problem.
Both can get a bit slippery, though.

After photographing the room we went out exploring. At our return a welcome gift was waiting for us - a fruit platter and a handwritten note from the guest relations team.

I also requested additional bath gel. It was promptly delivered and followed up by reception, if we had received it. This was a nice touch.

The wake up call was on the dot and the ordered free newspaper was also waiting outside.

We had in room dining twice and used the mini bar.

Our dinner consisted of a rare tea from Taiwan for two, minute steak sandwich, Thai Green Chicken Curry with rice, two mini house salads, which were in reality two large ones and a pineapple dessert.
All was excellent. In fact the standards were so high we wouldn't be surprised, if the Blue Boar Restaurant earns a Michelin Star in the future.
We loved especially the dessert.
Dinner cost ca. 72 GBP including 12.5% service charge and 5 GBP tray charge (ca. 84 Euro or ca. 109 USD).

The breakfast choice is quite big, ranging from Continental to Health to full English. Of course items are also available a la carte. We chose Japanese Sencha Green Tea, Cappuccino, milk (choice of full fat, half skimmed, fat free), pink grapefruit and orange juice, Eggs Benedict, low fat yogurt with berries and a bakery basket, containing sourdough bread, toast, croissants and pastries, with butter and jam. Again it was the finest quality and worth every penny paid. Breakfast came in at ca. 58 GBP (ca 68 Euro or ca. 88 USD).

Check out came way too quick, but the experience went flawless.

The only thing that needed improvement was the hair dryer. It didn't function properly on the highest speed. I mentioned it at check out and was promised an engineer would take care of the problem. Since the hair dryer was just a bit slower and louder than usual, it wasn't really a big issue.

We loved how detailed the hotel was, the comfort of the room, the flawless, friendly, discreet and efficient service, excellent food and location.

This is the best hotel we have stayed at in London beside the Swissotel The Howard, which does unfortunately no longer exist.

Of course there are some other hotels we want to try in London, but this is definitely on the go back to list.

©2013

Afternoon Tea at the Gallery, The Westbury Dublin, Ireland

Our plans for the weekend were to go the Grand Canal Square to check out how far the Marker, a new hotel and member of the Leading Hotels of the World (LHW), had progressed, since the opening is only planned for 02.04.13. There is still some building work going on, but most rooms seem to be ready. After having spent hours outdoors, we were hungry and went from the Docklands to Grafton Street. Our destination was the Westbury, a fellow member of LHW. We had decided the previous evening to go to the Gallery. The Easter Cocoa Atelier Afternoon Tea seemed especially tempting, based on the description on the website.
The Gallery is located on the first floor and guests can either go up the beautiful staircase or use the elevator.
The staircase is split into two. When turning to the left you arrive immediately at the Gallery, if turning right you encounter the reception, concierge and elevators to the guest rooms.

There was a host already waiting to seat people. Unfortunately we didn't have a reservation, and the lounge was really buzzing, so our hostess asked us to take a seat at the bench and she would try and arrange something for us or we could head for the Marble Bar. Since we wanted Afternoon Tea we decided to wait. It didn't take more than a few minutes and we were seated near the piano and a group of ladies having a baby shower.
Soon a waitress handed us a menu. To our surprise there was no sign of the Easter Cocoa Atelier Afternoon Tea. On the website it didn't state from which date it was available. When we asked the waitress she had never heard of it before. She promised to investigate. After a longer wait our waitress returned with a print out, saying unfortunately the tea wasn't available yet. It is served between 27.03.13 and 07.04.13. It didn't matter to us, so we ordered the Traditional Afternoon Tea for 30 Euro each (ca. 40 USD). If you prefer to have it with Champagne it costs 36 Euro per person (ca. 47 USD). The Easter Afternoon Tea would have the same price. Additionally we ordered freshly squeezed orange juice for 4.50 Euro each (ca. 6 USD).

While we were waiting for our service we took in the scene. The hotel had originally only classic features, but thanks to a renovation a few years back it has completely changed and has a more contemporary flair. In the lounge are abstract paintings, a modern fireplace, sumptuous sofas and chairs. The colors are mostly grey, blue and red. There was a good atmosphere and the age group was mixed from young to old.

Back to our tea. To give it an elegant atmosphere our table was covered with a white linen table cloth. We ordered both the Granny's Garden Tea. There were at least nine different sorts of tea available. Ours was a fruit tea with rhubarb, vanilla and other flavors. It harmonized with the food. The tea was a bit unusual served, because the sandwiches came on a separate plate than the sweet items. We were asked if we wanted the cakes and scones at the same time or after we had finished the savories. We said we would wait for our sweets. There were egg, turkey and cranberry, ham and crab sandwiches. We both had as a favorite the turkey and cranberry sandwiches, but EW loved the egg sandwiches, while I had as second favorite the crab.
After a short wait we received the tower. On the lower part was the clotted cream, a pot of butter and jams. The middle one contained four scones (two plain, two fruit, and they could be ordered again without any extra charge) and the top contained the cakes, which was the highlight for us. There were pistachio cakes with a raspberry, cocoa and pistachio macaroons, meringue and chocolate brownies. All was fresh, full flavored and from the finest ingredients.

When we wanted to pay it was difficult to get the attention of one of the waitresses. In the end our hostess took care of it.

We spent around two hours at the Gallery and felt relaxed and rested afterwards. We also reserved a table during the week the Easter Cocoa Atelier Tea is available, so that we can try that one too.

©2013

Talk in the Shed

"No, Daddy, no!" Kenneth Loesing held his youngest son Javier by the arm. They were going to have a "talk" in the shed. Javier was struggling, but Kenneth was of course stronger. He pulled his seven year old along. Soon they arrived at the gardener's shed. One handed Kenneth opened the door, still dragging along Javier he switched on the light and pulled out an armless chair from under the work bench. Javier realized there was no escape, so he decided to cooperate, unbuttoned his trousers and waited until his father tipped him over his lap. After a little adjustment Javier's bottom was raised high up in the air, his upper body and legs were dangling above the ground. Javier held onto the chair's legs. He hated staring down at the cold concrete floor. It was interesting what he noticed. There were some cracks. Javier suddenly felt his father lower his underpants to half mast - as Kenneth liked to call lowering those to halfway of Javier's upper thighs. The cold air brushed Javier's behind and made him shudder. Javier clenched and unclenched his buttocks. Then the first smack came. It wasn't too hard, but Javier knew from experience the sting would build up with each spank following each syllable. Kenneth's hand was nearly as large as Javier's behind, so he was able to cover a lot of ground.  "You are going to pay attention in class and not disrupt it! Is this clear?" The pain had increased with the slaps. Javier was yelping soon. He knew his father was expecting an answer to his question, so he replied between gritted teeth and close to tears: "Yes, sir." The next volley of spanks followed. "You are not swearing at your teacher! This is unacceptable behavior." The last smacks were harder and landed on Javier's sit spots, making him screech. Javier had started to cry earlier. His behind was stinging and had taken on a darker shade of red. "Okay, have you learned your lesson?" This time Kenneth didn't raise his hand. Javier nodded vigorously. The whole "conversation" had maybe taken up a minute, but it wasn't too soon for Javier. Before Javier had disliked the cold draft, but now it cooled his burning skin. Kenneth pulled up Javier's underpants and helped him to his feet. Kenneth hugged Javier close to him and said: "I'm sorry I had to punish you and hope I don't have to repeat it. I love you." He let Javier cry in his shirt until his dark blond and grey eyed son had recovered somewhat. Kenneth helped Javier put on his pants and let him go. Javier fled into the darkness of the night. Kenneth sighed. He knew Javier was going to his pet rabbit Brewster, telling him about his sorrows. It helped Javier, so Kenneth let him be.

©2013