Everything's Up to Date in Poznan Poland

but I don't know if I would find this kind of hotel in Kansas City or any place in the United States.

My church has three services on Sunday, one starting at 4:30 PM. After the late afternoon service there is a soup supper. I don't usually stay for that, but did one time in early January because I had a volunteer activity to complete after the soup supper. My church has more than 1000 members so it is not possible to know everyone, particularly since people make a habit about which service they choose.

I sat down to eat soup by a man I'd never met before. He asked if I was retired and I told him yes, but rather was trying to be a fulltime volunteer. When I told him about teaching English in Poland, he began asking me questions about that. He said he was reading a book with the thesis that the three best educational systems in the world are found in Finland, South Korea, and Poland. He said, "How could this happen in Poland when it is an undeveloped country?" Well, I quickly told him Poland is NOT an undeveloped country.

I find technology is being implemented is wonderful ways in Poland, so I'm going to describe my hotel. Puro Hotels are found in Poznan, Krakow, Wroclaw, and Gdansk. I picked a reservation with Puro because its location was close to the rynek and because it had an in-house restaurant.

Here is the outside. I walked in and  found two Puro staff at computers ready to help me. I gave them my name and one handed me an envelope and said, "Here's your key." Just like that I was checked in.

The key is needed to operate the elevator -- many have been in elevators (lifts in British English and windy in Polish) that need a key, but this one is easy. Just swipe it. No trying to figure out what slot to put it in or whether to leave it there and so forth. And obviously it opens the room door too. The key is also needed to operate the electricity within the room.

I was given two keys and that is great help. I can leave one key in the slot to keep the electricity on to charge electronics while I'm out of the room and have the other key to use to return to the room.

The room has very modern decor. And you can see my trusty pink cane leaning against the bed.

The bathroom is wonderful.

At the right in the photo is the wonderful walk-in, rain shower.

The rectangular shape shown in the picture above is the drain. I always look for the drain after an experience in Berlin. I was in the shower, water running, when I looked down and thought, "There is no drain in this shower." Then I noticed an almost imperceptible space between the tile edge of the shower floor and the wall of the shower and that's where the water drained. Another time in Krakow I nearly flooded the bathroom. I thought the drain was plugged. I reported this to reception and they told me the construction was wrong in the room and the housekeeping has to clean up the water every time!  So shower drains are on my mind!

The wall of the shower has translucent glass. So there is a curtain that can moved across this wall if there is a need for privacy in the shower.

 The art about the hotel is very modern as well.

The ground floor has the restaurant and then common seating areas with an outdoor garden to one side.

Above is one view of the restaurant area.

Above is a view of part of the common area and the outdoor garden. My Wi-fi connections work just fine here and in the restaurant as they do in my room, but they do have to renewed every 24 hours. The key card operates the coffee machine in the common area. It is lovely to go sit there with a book and a chocolate cappuccino.

But here is the most fun, One operates everything within the room with an Ipad. It controls the lights, the temperature, can be an alarm clock, one can make local and international calls without charge, use the internet, order room service, operate the TV, put on a do not disturb symbol on the room door pad, order room cleaning, and alas check out.

The Citizen M chain, stay at the in Schiphol all the time, that began in the Netherlands is much like the Puro Hotels -- but related to can you find this in the United States -- yes, Citizen M now has a hotel in Times Square.

I had great fun yesterday afternoon using Google Translate on the Ipad while watching Polish television, What's that word -- zip through Google Translate and there it is is.

When thinking about making a reservation for the hotel I of course read reviews and found one where customers complained that they were too old to use the Ipad -- they reported their age as being in their 30s! Well my kids are almost out of their 30s and I can figure this out and I think using technology this way is awesome.