From the Hotel Bar...

I love hotel bars.

It's not for the 'bar' part necessarily, (though it certainly doesn't hurt) it's for the ebb and flow of the people, the interactions and steady buzz of excitement that permeates the room. 

It's a slightly different vibe than a dedicated 'bar' bar. Most of these people are on holiday, they ask the desk attendants for dinner ideas, where the nearest park is, what they should see in the city.  It's a wonderful place to sit, think, write and of course, people watch.

If I'm still feeling the effects of a long flight or time change, this is where you'll find me. Too tired/discombobulated to go out and explore, I'll order a glass of wine, latte or occasional whiskey and open my notebook and just sort of freeform write. Soaking up the aura of adventure and excitement cuts right through the fog of jet lag.

I like to imagine where the other patrons might be headed to; a museum, boat tour, train to the next town. Or maybe they are just killing time with a margarita before they can check into their room and nap. Channeling that energy into ideas, some of my favorite passages were written in similar situations, just trying to stave off sleep and get a feel for the area.

Every so often someone will comment on my notebook or the tickets taped into pages. I'm a bit of an introvert, so sometimes the conversations can be a little strained - but I do generally enjoy talking to people about their vacation (and mine.)

This particular hotel bar was no different, I nursed a glass of wine for about an hour as I wrote about our time in Miami, plans for Ireland and brainstormed for a few new projects. A nice family from Morocco sat in the both next to me and asked if I knew where the train station was. Thankfully, it was about the only landmark I did actually know and we got to talking about their travels. Turns out they're headed to Miami in a few weeks for a wedding and I was able to give them some restaurant ideas.

Successfully dodging the afternoon jetlag slump, I returned to our room fresh with ideas, awash in excitement and ready for dinner.

Onto more adventure tomorrow.

<3