Tuesday, 12 August - Part 5
Eksjö
Towards the evening of the next-to-last day of our road trip, we arrived at the City hotel in Eksjö, situated right by the main square. We've stayed there once before, and could not recall any serious problems to deter us from repeating the experience.
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| Evening view from my hotel room |
As usual, we took some time to get ourselves settled in our rooms on arrival; but decided to meet up again to go for a little stroll about town before it got too late.
But... When my brother came and knocked at my door a bit later, I was unable to open the door from the inside! I should perhaps add that it's an old hotel, and - rather unusual these days - one had to lock and unlock the door with an old-fashioned key. Which had got stuck, and could not be turned. It seemed not to matter what I did - I just could not move it!
My brother could hear me through the door, though, so I asked him to go down and fetch the (male) receptionist. Who came up and instructed me through the door that I had to pull the door handle inwards, towards me, with one hand, at the same time as turning the key with the other... Obviously this was a known problem that had happened before! So I really wonder why he didn't inform me about it when we checked in in the first place!!!
There are also no phones in the hotel rooms any more, so if I had been there alone, I might have panicked more. I did of course have my own mobile phone, and the hotel's phone number could be found in a binder with various other info... But I'm not sure how quickly I would have thought of that!(?)
Ah well. Once I'd learned the special trick, that "did the trick", so to say - so no more help needed for the rest of our stay (only one night)...
The church across the square from the hotel, in evening light.
Another, smaller hotel in an old wooden building, which we came across on our evening stroll through town. (Maybe we should try that one next time??)
A charming "old town" courtyard
The city of Eksjö dates back to medeival times, and there are a lot of old wooden houses from the 17th and 18th centuries preserved in the town centre.
You'll be seeing a few more of them in my next post.
The door problem was unexpectedly exciting and could have given rise to panic in another patron. The smaller hotel you saw looks inviting. The communities you photograph look so clean and tidy.
ReplyDeleteJanice, most touristy old towns probably make special efforts to keep that image, not least in summer... (And a clear blue sky always helps, too!)
DeleteThe receptionist should have indeed warned you about the temperamental door lock! Many years ago, I was staying at a hotel near Frankfurt airport for work, and every day had to cross various security gates on my way to and from the Book Fair (where I was working). The first evening back at the hotel, my door would not open to the magnetic card... I thought I was at the wrong door but no, it was my room number. Eventually, I made my way back downstairs to reception and told the member of staff. He asked immediately whether I'd been through security gates, which I affirmed - and it turned out this, too, was a known problem; the gates made the magnet strip on my key card defunct, and I needed to come to reception for a new card every night before going to my room!
ReplyDeleteEksjö looks beautiful, a lot to explore. The evening light on the church is special. Is Eksjö pronounced in Swedish more or less like one would pronounce it in German?
Meike, I can imagine Germans having problems with getting it right just from reading. "Ek" (oak) should be pronounced with a long e (like in "ewig"), and "sjö" (lake) like "schö(n)". English tourists might struggle even more with getting it right, though...
DeleteWhat a pretty town for an evening stroll. I can imagine your frustration at the thought of being marooned in your room - thank goodness your brother was coming to meet you!
ReplyDeleteI have two doors that need manipulating in a similar fashion - usually after it's rained. The handles need replacing but I never seem remember !
Carol, it's often all to easy to just get used to certain quirks rather than have them fixed... ;)
DeleteBeautiful blog
ReplyDeleteWhat a great little village. I love your photo of the church and the horse statue reflection. What an adventure you had with your doorway. Happy travels.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, re-living the road trip on my blog makes it last a lot longer... :)
Deleteyes, please try the old red hotel, dying to see inside it.. I would have asked for another room, yikes, trapped in a hotel room by a KEY.. glad you had your brother to check up on you
ReplyDeleteI like this courtyard! Good grief, the hotel could at least have a sign about the door, or put a small instruction sheet on each door. What if you had been alone?!
ReplyDeleteGinny, I don't think they had the same problem with all the doors as my brother did not have any trouble with his. I do think they could have thought to inform about it in that room that *did* have the problem, though!
DeleteBeautiful photos! And I agree with dear Ginny!
ReplyDeleteWhat an ordeal though at least you mastered the quirky key trick, I can see why that other little hotel looked tempting for next time
ReplyDelete