I stayed in three hostels during my trip, and had varying experiences. Some things are the same regardless of what country you are in though — the noise, the drunk frat guys stumbling in at 3 am (”Duuuude, I can’t find my keeeys”), the breakfast (bread, cereal and coffee, maybe fruit), and the weirdness of sharing a few days with complete strangers in an intimate setting.
In London I stayed at the Astor Museum Inn. It’s located in a converted house with four floors; I, of course, stayed on the fourth floor. My room was a 4-bed female-only dorm, with two bunk beds and a sink in the room. Two shower rooms and a toilet were down the hall. Here’s a tip for staying in budget hotels: take your shower at night, because there will be no hot water in the morning (and it may not reach the 4th floor, either). I met some really cool girls from all over the world, and it was nice to have people to go out with at night to dinner and whatnot.
In Paris, I stayed in a single room at the Le Montclaire Hotel. The room was quite spacious, all things considered. It had a single bed, a closet (!) a small writing desk and a sink with a mirror. The showers are only on every other floor, though, and they have the kind of nozzle that you have to push continually to keep the water coming. While it was nice to have the space to spread out, I think I would have had a better time in a dorm, where I could have met more people.
In Amsterdam, I stayed at the International Budget Hostel. No free breakfast here, but they made a good ham, egg and cheese sandwich that you could buy. This was the most awkward hostel experience for me, because I was in a 4-bed dorm with three guys. They were all very nice, and I never feared for my safety or anything like that, but as I said before, sleeping in the same room with strangers is very intimate, and sleeping in a room with strange boys was a little too intimate. Plus there was nowhere to change except the shower stalls, which were wet most of the time. But being back in a dorm let me meet more people again, and the lounge area was very comfy for watching TV and reading.
I don’t think I would want to do the hostel thing every time I travel, but once you get acclimated to it, it’s not that bad.
This is a picture of one of the rooms at the International Budget Hostel in Amsterdam, where I’ll be staying for three nights. Doesn’t it remind you of the nursery rhyme about the Three Bears?
I can only hope that my bed will be “just right.”
Last Saturday was the last of the sunny days around D.C. for awhile. I went to the Rembrandt exhibit at the National Gallery of Art and then strolled the National Mall and took some pictures. The one above came out brilliantly, I was so pleased.
I’m over my previous indecision about my trip. I started having wild fantasies of going off for three weeks and trying to pack in as many cities as possible, but have calmed down a bit and decided to go for quality over quantity. So the trip is like this: three days London; four days Paris; three days Amsterdam; with a day for transfers between each city (each train trip will be about four hours, so it’s hard to plan sightseeing on those days). I feel much better about this plan, and while the price isn’t any less than before, I think the overall trip will be much more relaxing.
In a little more a week until I go to Las Vegas (!!!). Better go buy some 3-ounce bottles for when I pack my liquids.
In September 2007, I will hit a milestone - my 30th birthday. I know a lot of people get worked up over the big 3-0, and while I don’t feel pressure to complete a list of goals by that time, I also don’t want it to turn into a pity party. So I’m taking 30 by the horns and planning a solo trip to Europe. What better way to mark the occasion than by experiencing other cultures and having a few stories to tell later?
The itinerary is ever-changing (and probably will continue to be so until I buy my plane ticket and book hotels), but right now it looks like this: London (3 days), Paris (3 days), Brussells (1), Amsterdam (1), back to London, fly home. With the flying, it works out to 10 days. London is the only city of the 4 that I’ve visited previously, so quite a bit of “unexplored terrain” awaits me.
Needless to say, I’m tickled about my big adventure. I’m hitting dozens of travel sites, trying to coordinate everything as much as possible. I’d love any tips from anyone about what to see and do, any other stops I should add to my trip, etc. I’ll update this blog frequently with notes on this trip plus other things I have in the works.
