I travel a lot. That means I get to experience a wide variety of lodging accommodations.
Most of the time it's a typical hotel arrangement and sometimes I stay at the homes of close friends, but it's never at a Bed and Breakfast. It's not that I haven't had the opportunity; it's that I choose not to. It takes an air of adventurism that I just don't have.
Last week, with the help of a friend and co-worker, I somehow ended up with a two night stay at a B and B. I couldn't refuse, in fact, I was grateful for the last minute help. Another co-worker stayed there as well, arrived before me and when I apprehensively called to see how things were, assured me it was fine.
But let’s face it; staying at a Bed and Breakfast is just like spending the night at someone’s house you don’t know. It has a certain homey feel that can give you the creeps, because it’s not your home. I rolled my bags up the porch and stood at the front door of the house. As I stared at it, I wondered about Bed and Breakfast etiquette. Do you knock or do you walk right in? Once inside, it’s was almost like an out-of-body experience. I didn’t recognize anyone in the family pictures hanging in the hall. Someone, who didn’t live there, is lying on the sofa clicking the TV remote. The air was hot and thick. Who manages the thermostat in a Bed and Breakfast anyway? It smelled like something in my past, maybe my Grandmother’s house.
The bedroom I got was very clean and well appointed. No TV, of course. That’s downstairs in the living room. There’s a bathroom/shower/sink combination, reminiscent of a jail cell setting, but I am thankful for it. The other rooms on this floor share a community bathroom. Things wound down and to be honest, I got a great night’s sleep. The “Bed” part of Bed and Breakfast worked out just fine.
Now, here’s one thing that I’m compelled to share. I clean up the old-fashioned way…lather up with a bar of soap. But it must be customary to use “Body Wash” at a Bed and Breakfast. Body Wash is an ineffective soap substitute in a squeeze tube clearly made for women, not men. It doesn’t lather, so how can you really get clean. It smells like flowers, in my case Gardenias and a tube won’t last too long. I only took a couple of showers but used a whole tube of the stuff.
The breakfasts were outstanding. Our hostess prepared exotic dishes that I couldn’t pronounce but enjoyed eating. I really think, though, it was just another way to prepare pancakes or eggs. I liked the “Breakfast” part of Bed and Breakfast.
As we left, my co-worker asked if I’d stay there again. I shrugged. Given a choice, who knows? I still felt a little like a cat burglar snooping around someone’s house after dark.
It could be unnerving if you let it.
On the airplane headed home though, I thought “What’s with me? I could probably stand to expand my horizons…learn to appreciate new and different experiences”.
Then the lady sitting next to me asks, “What’s that delightful aftershave you’re wearing? It almost smells like Gardenias.” I think I’m missing the B and B already.
-Steve
