I would like to thank Alexandra my editor for correcting my English and her wise remarks.
Prologue
I was planning my visit to a professional trade fair in Cologne in Germany. I do have a habit of spending one or two exhausting days in the fair and then allowing some quality time with myself, as due to our company's policy I travel alone. After surfing the net for a while, it became clear, the only hotel rooms available in the city were terribly expensive, so I decided to search out of town for accommodation. I found several hotels reasonably priced, but one of them made a better impression on me. It was located in the beautiful Eifel region about an hour drive from Cologne and had an all inclusive deal of free use of the fitness room, sauna complex and adjoined covered pool, heated to 29 degree Celsius, a spa robe and sauna towels for free. Breakfast included a large buffet and a glass of Sekt to start the day in a proper manner. They boasted a creative German modern cuisine in the dinner restaurant. All for less than fifty Euros per night, a real bargain! Was there anything else I should ask for?
First Day
I arrived early afternoon at the hotel parking from which I could see through the glass wall some people sitting beside the pool enjoying the sun's rays through the glass roof. The landscape was stunning. The hotel looked lovely. The room was cozy and had a small balcony with chaise lounge facing the forest behind the hotel. It was mid April, still early in the season and the hotel parking wasn't full of cars. A good sign, as I hoped for relaxing a few days before returning home.
I thought a sauna would work wonders on my tired body and soul from the long journey, so I stripped off my clothes, put on the bath robe, took a sauna towel and walked down the stairs that led to the sauna and pool complex.
At the entrance there was a sign asking guests to shower before entering the complex. I looked for the men's showers sign, but found only one communal shower room with several shower heads without partitions. Since no one was around, I decided it was OK to use this shower and later on ask about the men's shower. I took a quick hot shower, dried myself and donned my robe. A few steps and I opened a door that led to the pool area. "Lucky me", I thought, as there were only a few people in the pool.