A Traveller's Appraisal...

 

Upon entering the Princes Square Apartments in Bayswater in London (UK), I noticed the scaffolds on its front facade and I began to worry.

After having shared my anxiety upon check-in, the lovely lady at the reception desk understood quickly that noise made by handymen hammering on concrete was not a friend of mine.

She listened to me while I calmly told her that I was totally unaware of this kind of work done at the front of the building. My hotel reservations were made on line and there was no mention about these ongoing works.

Without a word, she cleared my anxieties on the spot and upgraded my reservation without additional fee to a one-bedroom apartment at the back side of the hotel.

The efficient way she handled the situation, with poise and professionalism, impressed me. She even took the time to accompany me to the apartment, pulling my suitcase and holding the elevator door for me.

 I must admit that, during my regular trips to London, it’s been a long time since I have been treated in such an exclusive way at a any hotel and I felt the need to express my appraisal in writing.

This young woman whose name is Diana if I recall correctly, welcomes many guests in her line of work. It is therefore important to, not only observe but also, pass the word on to her employers that such a gem in their team will win them a crowd of returning guests.

The apartment was at the back of the hotel overlooking a small patch of sunny heaven, with green grass and some other botanic life.

Early next morning, I was greeted by the nearby Church bells and the singing of birds…

What an exceptional way to wake up, I thought happily, and an even greater experience as I reminded myself that I was in the deepest of London’s heart!

Feeling resourced after a peaceful night sleeping dreamlessly, I was getting ready for a morning bath.

Unfortunately a new challenge had been brought to my attention.

I realised that the “plug” in the tub wasn’t tight enough. The water was disappearing as fast as the tub was being filled and that disturbed me, knowing how costly water is.

I took a shower instead and finished my morning “beautification”, ready to go out and shop for refreshments at the nearby Marks & Spencer, but making a mental note about of the tub.

On my way out, past the reception desk, I thought I had to signal this matter of the tub. And I realized I would report another negative detail to Diana.

However my young lady had been replaced by a smiling young man, perfect in his business suit and attentive in his manner.

In few words , I expressed my concerns about the water and the tub and the defective plug, stressing upon the fact that, as I am a protector of our mother earth,  I know water is expensive and that I don’t  like when water is being abusively wasted in such a disrespectful fashion.

Something should be done, I politely added.

When my problem had been properly and dutifully exposed for reception manager Mr. Sam Karimi who hadn’t interrupted me once, I could see that my approach around my water concern had been successfully delivered.

With quiet deference, Sam reassured me that this would be fixed as soon as possible, and in the most beneficial way for me.

Although not a plumber myself but having watched enough handymen in my life, I knew this impediment couldn’t be fixed “in a jiffy “, of which both Sam and myself agreed. The plumber would need more than one jiffy to fix this.

Upon which Sam who was on duty at the reception desk for the day, wished me the best of days letting me know that he would have this repaired while I enjoyed London.

This was the second time I had turned to the hotel staff to present a problem and I felt it wouldn’t be long before I would be judged and fall in the category of the “typical grumbler”. However I have dealt with humans for so long, no matter in what capacity or line of work that I have learned to recognize, through the spoken word, the universal language of the body!

So through our two ways of communication, I could hear and observe I had been taken seriously and cared for with the utmost respect, and by both representatives of the Princes Square Apartments, Diana the day before and now Sam!

It is then given to me to write a few words about the positive impression they both made on me.

As a result, my appraisal which commends the quality of their performance at work , how they handle and take care of the guests, should make their gracious employers quite proud to have in their service team such young people representing them!

Without forgetting those who are behind the scene: housekeepers returning smiles, office managers friendly nod…those wonderful people who are indirectly responsible to maintain their guest’s wellbeing!

Simple acts of kindness along with the willingness to listen and treat a hotel guest as he or she was unique and respectful of their claims or queries represent the highest standards of any hospitality establishment.

Thank You For Making My Stay An Unforgettable Moment In Life !

                                                                                                         

                

“Treat everyone you meet as though they are the most important person you'll meet today.”

                                                       (  Roger Dawson )

A New Dawn...

 

When does the child pass the baby pacifier of its first years onto the challenging years of adolescence which , in turn,  hands the bridles of its life over to the mature adult without knowing how, without training , if only through words of mouth and the wise parental guidance ?

And through all these stages from the very first breath of life?

Although I had cashed my first real pay check, I must confess that within me, the impulsive pangs of a singing and carefree youth still tickled me.

Celebrating my farewells to childhood or teens might have been easy because of the excitement I felt to grasp life with a serious mind. I was thus overpowering the left-over of innocence which, of course, made me stronger, when in truth, words such as responsibility, obligation or commitment hadn’t appeared in my vocabulary yet. They were even frightening me a bit.

Only the calm poise that I had felt emerging slowly in my heart made me realize that I had indeed changed in between my two good-byes to France.

After the triumphs of my surprise visit at my parents house in France, which had brought me right back to the homely comforts of the child , I had left, once again but this time , I would cherish the memories of seeing my parents’ happy faces. They had admired my success.

Their pride weighed more in my favour now.

Forgiveness had replaced the agonies of a long silence I had imposed upon them.

I had turned my head and heart once more, pointing west towards my life in the USA.

It was exactly what I had done. I had declared myself totally independent, cutting the invisible umbilical cord now and forever, the bonds from my birth country and its own future.

I had become a proud and respected member of the great TWA flying family.

Americans had accepted me with open arms, I loved them and the land, the varieties of everything, especially the way I was treated. Not as a foreigner who speaks English with a pronounced French accent, but as a compatriot of all passionate Latin souls or everything else which came from the Old continent!

Upon landing in JFK-I in New-York, if anyone had asked me then, I would have smiled triumphantly and declared myself totally in charge of my own destiny.

Shortly after I had entered the apartment, closing its door from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, so relieved to find it empty.

This lovely safe haven of inner peace would be the perfect companion for my thoughts.

Being able to, or having a safe place to drop my shoulders completely, and then enjoy the silence and the absence of trivial conversation through the quietness of the rooms had been a balsam for my soul.

I needed to think in total solitude.

Now that I had a fantastic and secure job, how to settle my private life as well?

This studio occupied by five airline hostesses whose relationship to one another had been the kind of “off-and-on”, the throwing of light hellos and the “have-a-good-flight “in a hurry, either coming or going, when the only greetings were the click noises of suitcases or the clacking of high heels on the wooden floor -all this had been our first living place and situation right after graduation but we all knew this was not a permanent one.

With a head boiling with ideas and at the same time a body so terribly exhausted, the emotional journey to France had drained the last ounces of energy in me.

When sleep fell upon me, one last thought:

I had decided time had come to inform my lovely and invisible roommates that I was ready to fly on separate wings!

A new dawn was about to begin…

“Let every dawn of morning be to you as the beginning of life,

and every setting sun be to you as its close.”

- John Ruskin -

Carry - On ...

When I was created and delivered to my final destination, it didn’t take too long to wait until I was offered as a personal gift from TWA to an Airline Hostess upon graduation day.

I was so thrilled to enter the life of one as an international escort and my joy had no limits when I was assigned to my French mistress. I would always be ready to move upon her instructions.

I was born in 1910 in Denver, Colorado USA and my creator was Jesse Shwayder. I was named after Samson who was the Biblical strongman and later, my entire family was called Samsonite…

My mistress was ever so tender and proud to have received me although she knew I had many siblings which looked just like me… beige coloured, thin and with own key but it was the personal luggage tag which distanced me from the others as it clearly stated I belonged to one special person.

I had to be carried by the top handle whilst my grandchildren today have wheels which increase, of course, the pressure upon their bottom through asphalt, rain or snow.

When I entered my mistress’s life and along the million and half miles of duty, I became her faithful companion around the world.

I was her first, the strongest and I served my mistress well during the longest time of her flying assignments, until I retired due to wear and tear.

But I was carried and taken good care of during all moments of active duty and I know for sure that I would be regarded as a sentimental value, which is what humans feel.

Never did I join the rest of the awesome travelling crowd in the aircraft’s belly - although the sheer pleasure of jabbing my sharp corners at a Louis Vuitton trunk would have been an extraordinary feat for me - I felt privileged and honoured to be placed inside the cabin, in First class, right in front of the dividing curtain, supporting the back of its last row’s seat.

I remember the care I was given. Although the tossing and bumping, the hardships of intense travelling were very much a test of endurance, it was all worth it. 

Upon each return from a journey in the air, from a night in multiple hotel rooms to the countless examinations by Official uniformed custom officers, men or women of the world, and finally arrive home to rest, along with some of my sisters, in the tiny studio flat in Manhattan, I experienced a hectic and passionate life which reflected very much the personality of the emotional human pretty face of my mistress.

During this short moment of respite, only three days for my lady to rest and resource in between flights, have her uniform dry-cleaned and the silk lingerie hand-washed, I was never forgotten.

First emptying the personal contents I had protected with great responsibility, I was for each time cleaned, inside out, towards the final check just to make sure I would be ready to be locked to follow my mistress for new adventures in the skies, carrying everything she needed.

Sometimes I felt her mind to be elsewhere and there was nothing I could do about it, except watch her disarray or frustration when she became angry for her forgetfulness during a stop somewhere in the Middle-East or anywhere else in the world…

You could say I was the perfect silent partner and from the very beginning, I realized I was the one which meant everything in the life of my busy lady at the time. She didn’t own anything else therefore each item placed inside my bosom would always have a special significance.

I ended my services but would forever exist in a special collection my mistress called memory.

“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go.                                                    But no matter, the road is life."

                                                        - Jack Kerouac -

The Human Factor...

Sitting in First Class, upon the aftermaths of a divine feed, I had gone into a dreamy half-consciousness, letting my mood flow forward - with soft thoughts as its escort!

However and, gradually, although a passenger enjoying the comfort of a spacious First Class seat , I couldn’t help but feeling totally helpless and, for the first time, nailed as I was, being constricted to a seat with belt on, had not only begun to stress me but had killed Morpheus brutally!

I knew the signs …

High above the Atlantic, between New York and Paris, in the middle of the night, some four hours away from France, while I had been offered a fantastic time to dream and in luxurious surroundings, my instincts were telling me something entirely different.

I had become acclimatized to night watch.

My well-adjusted biological clock had made no mistake.

No matter how much I had tried, the ramblings in my mind had made so much noise that my eyes had popped open whilst my heart pumping the usual adrenaline rushes.

Without further ado, the dreamy state faded away.

Slowly unbuckling the belt, quietly moving out in the aisle for fear of disturbing those who were mercifully sound asleep, I had opened the galley’s curtains with great care - knowing the crew was behind it, whispering to each other, taking a break.

Pointing to my glass - it had been filled instantly, no words uttered, only the tenderness of a smile…as a caring recognition.

Back to my seat, I had tucked myself in again.

With Champagne and a Camel cigarette - let peace come to me naturally, I thought.

Apart from the fact that I had been now fully awake in the middle of the night, realizing that I had altered my own clock and developed this mental awareness while working in flight, in order to survive through the temptations of a blissful sleep - I had found it awfully frustrating as a passenger. I had huge problems to calm down.

However - was it the “clock” the only one to blame?

Oh no - I had reasoned - as an unknown observation made its entrance …

Being “in control“ of so many souls, in such a restricted-space-flying-machine and humanly foreign environment, had changed me very much as well and I had shamelessly concurred with myself that I had fallen in love with - me!

So - while I had gained so much self-confidence working in the cabin and my whole posture oozed with it, I felt totally helpless and weak sitting there, desperate and counting the hours left to the flight with nothing to do - except light another cigarette or cogitate some more …

I had been given the ability, not the power, to interact easily with “my“ passengers and I had often found myself in strange situations when this attribute of mine - the extrasensory perception - had made me able to foresee a passenger’s wish - or anyone else’s.

However now, buried in deep thoughts, time had quickly ebbed away and without realizing it, we had been approaching Paris.

How would I foresee this future event?

Although the feelings that I had accomplished so much already in my life had made me so happy, now the family obligations had shown themselves in hordes, and these were nagging me with anxiety.

A test!

Would being “on top of the world“ in as many wonderful ways as possible give me enough courage to keep me in full control over – myself - or would my emotions take over?

Yes, a test!

                          “It’s Your Time to Rise above Today’s Bumps In The Road.

                             You Are Closer To Success Than You Think! “

                                                     - Billy Cox -