"You have reached your destination.". I peered through the front window to the right. There stood a canopy with a sign: 'Little Hotel Apple Bee'. A few meters away, I spotted an empty parking spot, so I park there. After ensuring the car was parked correctly, I walk to the back and took my baggage out of the trunk, lock the car, and walk to the door of the hotel. I stop in front of the building and put my bags down, I look towards the door, take a few steps back and pull out my phone. I take a picture of the hotel. It's a weird habit I picked up in the last few weeks. I post them on my blog. It contains all of my travels, the route, restaurants and the places I stay at. I post tips as well for people that want to visit the states.
It's a beautiful building. It seems like it has stood here for a long time, yet it has been maintained well. In front of the building is the small canopy covering the stairs, it has pillars on either side of the stairs. In front of each pillar is a large planter with bright yellow, dark red and sunset orange flowers in it. The door is a double door made of glass, it has these little engravings, as if roses are growing against the window. I smile as I remember the first motel I stayed at in Seattle. The owner was very nice, and he lent me all kinds of things.
I pick up my bags and go inside. As I walk in, I look around to take everything in and make sure not to miss anything. It is an old looking building, but it smells like flowers. That isn't strange because everywhere you look there is a vase or pot filled with them. To the right there are wooden stairs, with on the posts of the banister's little flowerpots. Straight ahead there is a check-in desk, where there is also a vase full of flowers. Seeing how there is no one there yet, I decide to look around the room first. On my left there is a dresser with old pictures on it and above it a large painting. It's pretty. A young man and woman seem to be dancing. Not in a modern way, but in an old-fashioned way with his hand on her back and the other one holding hers...
"Pretty, isn't it?", a woman's voice says. I am brought back to reality and jump a little. I look to where the voice came from. Behind the counter is an elderly lady. She smiles.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you". She starts walking over to me and point at the picture.
"It was taken in a building a few blocks over from here. Years ago the held dances and me an my husband loved going to them. Nowadays the don't hold them anymore, the dances" her eyes look a little sad, but only for a minute.
It's very beautiful", I tell her and smile at her. Now that she is standing next to me I notice that she is much smaller than me.
"I'm Elodie" I stick out my hand to shake hers.
"Ah yes, you called earlier today for a room, didn't you?". I nod in response.
"I'm Idina, me and alton are the owners of the hotel. How long did you want to stay?" she asks. I tell her that I don't know yet, but that I think it will be at least two weeks. She smiles and tells me it's fine and I should just let her know when I decide. She walks back to the counter and types something into the computer, I hand her my passport and credit card and wait till she's finished. She has red brown hair, which is starting to turn gray, and a sweet face, that too is starting to show her age. Behind her is a picture of two little boys and a girl, they must have been her children when they were little. Next to the picture is another one, on it is a couple dressed for a wedding.
"That's our wedding day, Alton's and mine. It was one the happiest days of my life" she tells me. I can see a tear forming in the corner of her eye, but she is smiling so it must be a tear of happiness and I smile back.
"So I see you are from the Netherlands. I don't remember having more then 10 people from your country staying here. Did you just arrive in the states?" she asks.
