This was bound to happen sooner or later and it finally occurred early on the fourth day of my trip. I felt a sudden urge to laugh uncontrollably. At exactly 7 a.m. I went to the breakfast room on the 8th floor of Hotel Kharkov where I am staying. This is a rather comfortable four star hotel with a polite staff and all the reasonable amenities. I skipped breakfast yesterday because I decided to sleep in, but today I was exposed to the full humor of the situation. I was served a small glass of orange juice, a tiny plate with cheese and salami and then I was given a choice of sausages OR eggs. I could not have both. What is more amusing is that I could not even pay to have both unless I went to the restaurant on the ground floor. This was not a big deal because I was given plenty of food.
The funny part came later when I was offered tea or coffee. I chose tea and enjoyed a very nice cup of black tea with lemon. After I asked for a second cup, I was told that the limit is one cup of tea per customer. The English tourists were clamoring about that in the neighboring room, but I had assumed that they were joking. But no, one cup per customer is the deal and, you guessed it, the only way to get more is to go to the restaurant on the ground floor.
I am now back in my room wondering how the managerial staff has not figured out that this is not the way to turn a profit in a four star hotel. But then again, I am certainly not a businessman, so I perhaps I am missing something. On the positive side, missing out on that second cup of tea should allow me to take a short post-breakfast nap that I badly need before my upcoming stroll around the city. Life is good! And funny!
