Four stars

Normally, Bill and I do not stay in 4-star hotels when we're in Europe. However, due to circumstances surrounding the New Chaucer Society conference and the paper Bill presented there, we did not make reservations until it was too late to obtain a three-star hotel.

Now as many of you know, perhaps my biggest disappointment in Europe is the lack of washclothes. So you can imagine my delight when we found that our four-star hotel room had two washclothes!



Not only that, but the clothes rod had its own built-in light when you opened the doors. Now that's a nice touch!



If the view inside our room wasn't enough, then we simply had to open our two French doors onto a view of the Tuscan valley.

Needless to say, I could get used to travelling in such style. Oh, one other thing, this room had a real kingsize bed. The "matrimonial" beds one generally finds in Italy are just too small for these two "light-sleeping" Americans who have grown accustomed to ample space at bedtime.