Down to Colchester last Tuesday for a long overdue overview with our friends from Essex. Decided on lunch at Greyfriars as we had enjoyed it at our previous lunch, which we were shocked to see was way back in February – our meet ups are getting rarer and rarer it would seem. Anyway, we got there just about on time despite the twenty minute delay on the A12 and I immediately ordered the Vesper cocktail, which is, I am told, the original James Bond martini – “Three measures of Gin one of Vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large, thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?“. You can tell!!
Lovely to catch up with the “China couple“, although as age imposes its own vagaries upon us all, we often sounded as though we spent more time with the medical professionals than anyone else as we regaled each other with our current complaints. Generally however, all was well and we are at least all still standing. I think we all enjoyed the meal (I certainly did), albeit no doubt helped by the pleasant wine and after dinner espresso martini. I should at his juncture point out that we had booked a last minute overnighter in, as I thought, a junior suite. After we had waved off our friends, we went to check in and were told we had been upgraded to a signature suite, which was it has to be said was a delightful surprise. We made the most of it and it was followed by a fine breakfast the next day. After a morning coffee to try and revive tired legs and a little shopping, we made the trouble free journey home after a very pleasant break at the Greyfriars; our third visit I believe and we have yet to be anything other than delighted with the hotel.
The video on the right is a feeble attempt to show the hotel suite in all its glory. It doesn’t do it justice and it also messes a little with the usual site and post layout. You do however get a little peak at the feeble video creator. There was a time I would have persevered ad nauseum to get it right.
Now, not so much…… 😱 🙈