NOT (QUITE) ANOTHER HALLOWEEN POST.

It's that time of year again, that time when things go bump in the night OR if you are like my elderly neighbour that time of year when you are too scared to answer your door for fear, of not of the ghosties and ghoulies and four-legged beasties but, the juvenile delinquents who demand payment not to vandalise your property. Yes love it or hate it there is no escaping tomorrow being All Hallows Eve (Laughs demonically).

Not truly popular here in England until fairly recently, it seems we have taken a leaf out of the books of our friends across 'the pond' in America and Halloween is becoming big business.

But I digress.

I'm not a big fan of horror stories and certainly no fan of horror films - as I was saying to one blogger buddy THE SHINING and THE SIXTH SENSE are about as brave as I get - so imagine how scared I was when I found myself living the stuff of my nightmares (cue creepy music.)

As many of you know I love the Christmas markets in Germany and as we have friends there Husband dearest and I aim to visit every other Yuletide. Usually we stay with friends but due to a change in circumstances this particular year we found ourselves staying in a hotel.

A huge, rambling building, though we arrived late at night, there was not a light on in the place. "I'll just give the night porter a knock," said Andreas, our friend who, as always, had collected us from the airport.

Standing freezing in the street, it seemed an age until Andreas appeared, along with him a man who could well have starred in a 'horror' film - picture RIFF RAFF from The Rocky Horror Picture Show (OK so I may have exaggerated here) - who pulled out a huge key and let us in to the seemingly deserted hotel. (I swear the door creaked as he opened it but as I said I have a vivid imagination.)

Now as anyone who has ever travelled at Christmas will tell you hotels are generally bustling with lots of guests coming and going. I wish. With not even a receptionist in sight, Riff Raff examined our passports, got us to sign the visitors book (were those cobwebs?), gave us a bunch of keys and got Andres to inform us that as well as the keys to our room, he had also given us the keys to the hotel, could we make sure the doors were locked if we needed to go out. Yeah! Now I was scared.

Anyway we made our way to our room along corridors reminiscent of those in The Shining (post 1970 for those of you who haven't seen the film) I swear I would not have been at all surprised to see twins appear (SEE CLIP but only if you are not easily scared - oh and take note of the decor!)

Eerie enough? Next morning, after a shower, in which I got Husband dearest to stand guard just in case, (Need I mention the shower scene from the film Psycho? Click HERE if you haven't seen it but be warned it is scary) we went down to breakfast only to find a table set for two, but still with no other living being in sight (not that there were any dead beings in sight either you understand.).

Never have we stayed in a more strange hotel and though I'm sure some would pay good money to have had such an experience we never went back. Actually I'd love to tell you that though we walked down this very street countless times after this we never again saw the hotel BUT this wouldn't be the truth as we did indeed see the hotel again - we just never saw anyone go in OR come out.

PS. To see my Halloween Survival Guide simply click HERE.