Friday, October 28, 2005

Vacation: Avoiding the Crowd



Day One, After Dinner*
I love the intimacy of a bed and breakfast. The monstrous sameness and corporate efficiency of major hotels is depersonalizing and often the only choice for travel. When available, I prefer someone’s quaint residence to a decorated industrial cubicle, especially when prices are comparable.
However, drawbacks exist. I noticed that many people use bed and breakfasts as social vehicles. When I entered the living room to connect my laptop to the only available phone line, a wall of eyes greeted me. Glistening with anticipation, eight eyes followed me across the room. No one spoke, but I could feel that a few pairs of eyes were ready to have their owners re-arrange furniture so I could sit in on the "Hello, where are you from?" conversation.
On occasion, I love to hang out, be chatty, goofy and sociable with like-minded folk. Nevertheless, my internal introvert clock eventually sounds and I must escape and do about twelve crossword puzzles. I don’t dislike people; I just prefer them in limited doses. After a six-hour drive, I sought the comforting remoteness of the Internet, not in-your-face pleasantries. I imagine I will avoid the living room for the rest of our stay.
* Since we had no Internet hook up, and my entries are backlogged on paper I’ll post my trip entries in a screwed up chronology until I get caught up.

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