Eleven years ago I received a lovely Christmas gift from John–a weekend get-away at the finest hotel west of the Mississippi.  Then life happened.  Every few years, we’d pull out the gift certificate and wonder when we might break away and go.  We tried to go before we left for Yakima a few years ago, but never made it.  Our lives get so very busy.

Sheepishly, John called the Grand America again a few months ago to see if there was any chance they’d still honor the certificate.  They said they’d be happy to.  So we finally set a date and actually went this last weekend!  We are trying to finish things that need to be finished before we start another new adventure.  What a delight it was to check this one off our list!

I admired the fresh cut flowers in the reception area while John admired the warm chocolate chip cookies!

 Afternoon tea was being served while a gentle harpist played.

Here is our room.  Ahhh, so lovely.

Sometimes it’s nice to have a glimpse of heaven and such beautiful things.  It always makes me feel so guilty, I’m almost uncomfortable, but I tried to let go of that this time and just enjoy the peace and calm and the beauty and time with John.

Here is the view from our room on this rainy weekend:

I brought a new book to read, and it was perfect–here’s a brief review:  A Gentleman in Moscow is the 30-year saga of the Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, who is placed under house arrest inside the Metropol Hotel in Moscow in 1922 when the Bolsheviks spare him from death or Siberia because of his 1913 revolutionary poem written in university. The relationships he forms with staff and guests, his handling of twists of fate, his moral rectitude and his perseverance to go on in the face of his lifelong imprisonment for being a Former Person make for a compelling tale, told beautifully by Towles.

It was the perfect setting for a wonderful read.

Saturday afternoon, after checking out, we went to our favorite Sigfried’s German Deli.  I’d eat here every week if I lived in Salt Lake.  It’s really that good.  I’d pay just to smell the food there!  Oh how I love German food.  I know I’ve got German blood flowing through me because of how my heart responds to the smell of the food!

We love the different Brats, the Rotkohl or Sauerkraut, and the warm Kartoffelsalat.  We topped that off with some German pastries–Bienenstich and Apfelstrudel.  A perfect ending to a perfect get-away!

A slice of heaven, this whole weekend!