On our regular drive to the hospital we pass through Regents Park, Primrose Hill and along the Marylebone Road. and I am always amazed to see row after row of grand properties each probably worth more than ten million pounds.
On yesterdays journey I was reflecting on the post about it not being money that necessarily makes you happy and I definitely believe that, but do some people have both?
In the evening, as I looked through my brothers holiday snaps (It is so good to have him back) and gazed in awe at the sleeping quarters on the BA flight I was reminded of a very diffetent parellel universe and a holiday Colin and I shared.
A few years ago I used to be into entering competitions. It’s not necessarily because I wanted to win anything in particular, it wasn’t even really about the winning, it was the anticipation of winning that I so loved. I do the lottery because I feel excited about getting a call from someone saying I have won and I wonder what I would do next, where they take you, who I would tell.
I remember winning my first prize, a camera, as a child, by designing an upside down ice lolly. since then I have won a few small things such as DVD’s , perfume, tickets to a show and a folding bicycle.
Then the red envelope arrived.
When you win a big prize you think it must be a scam. Colin and I just stood there staring at the letter for what seemed like hours, reading it over and over again before finally having the courage to ring the number on the bottom to confirm our acceptance.
I had been dreaming (visualising) a holiday as I hadn’t had one for a few years and then we got presented with the holiday of a lifetime for free, imagine that!
A dream holiday for filling in my contact details in an online competition.
So in Jan 2008 a few days after my 45th birthday we jetted off to the Gstadd Palace in Switzerland..
The Gstaad Palace is the ultimate in luxury even the carport has a chandelier. Whether you want to ski, dog sled, ride in a horse and carriage or a hot air balloon the hotel will help you arrange it. In fact, the staff will see to your every whim before you’ve even had chance to think of the whim yourself. Hand your coat to a porter when you arrive in reception and you’ll find it hung in your wardrobe barely a moment later. I had heard of a film called The Secret and before the words even seem to have left my lips there it was on the desk in my bedroom.
The room we stayed in was enormous with three televisions, one in the bathroom of course, we also had our own steam room, and a whole room just for our clothes.
The hotel had five restaurants for us to chose from offering cuisine from around the world. La Fromagerie had been decorated to look like the inside of a traditional chalet but my favourite was the blues bar with an amazing singer serenading us very discreetly as we dined on truffles and gold leaf delights of some kind or another.
The spa, well that was another thing all together. It looked like it should be in a Bond villain’s lair thanks to the stone walls with water running down them and circular central fireplace. The inside Jaccuzi opened up to the outside by the touch of the glass the wall rises and you swim out into the open air where at night it’s lit up by torches of fire. We would just put on our fluffy complimentary dressing gowns and take the lift down from just outside our room.
Whilst there we were there we were treated like rotality with champagne receptions, balloon flights and various trips out to other amazing restaurants. We visited the famous Gogreen night club in the hotel. And danced the night away, drinkinng Bollinger on the dance floor over the pool. No worries if you didn’t have the right thing to wear there were a few exclusive shops within the hotel selling designer clothes, diamonds and other such trinkets.
We were among 30 other couples who had also won by entering different competitions, one couple won a Audi sports car and £50,000 in the same competition.
The most amazing thing about it all was that you were made to feel completely at home. Staff would suddenly appear, they always remembered your name and would just say things like I took the liberty of ordering you some afternoon tea. Just in case and a few cut off cucumber sandwiches and a mini chocolate something or other might be in order.
Every night the bed was turned down my nightdress was laid out ( good jobI didn’t take my Primark jimmy jams) a chocolate was left on the pillow and classical music turned on to play in the background as you entered your room.
It really was a very different Parellel universe.
I just thought I would share that special memory, normal service will resume tomorrow …
I really have been very lucky but there again do you make your own luck?
Have a look at http://thesecret.tv/
If you fancy having a go at winning this is the site I use http://www.loquax.co.uk/
Better go now, I have a few competitions to enter!
X
