Wednesday, March 19, 2008

hostels are for kids

I was pretty sure I was too old for hostels, but now I know for sure. I didn't have a place to stay in Warsaw, but a friend had told me about a hostel where he'd stayed before that had private rooms and a great location. I figured, hey, one night in a hostel, I can do it. So I walked there and it was full. (Who goes to Warsaw in February?) But the girl at the desk found me another place nearby. I had a private room and even a private bath, but this is what the bedroom floor looked like:


I was scared to touch the floor, or any other surfaces for that matter - those crocs stayed on all the time, including in the shower. The mattress was totally hard and had cigarette burns, the sheets had holes, the duvet had hairs (I put two covers on it, but still, ew). So if you ever go to Warsaw, I can't really strongly recommend the Tamka Hostel. (To be fair, the bathroom was clean, the common areas were pleasant and the people at the front desk were super nice.)

So, yeah, I guess my standards in accommodation have risen as I've aged. Also my standards in conversation - I met the most boring Australian girl in the common area. I was like, wow, talk about yourself a lot, don't you, early-20-somethings?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wimp! What's a little dirt compared to an extra $80 a day to spend on dinner?

I tell you, you haven't lived until you've bunked in a converted cell block in the Ottawa Jail Youth Hostel.

(Well, OK, it's not *that* interesting.)

erin*carly said...

thank goodness someone invented crocs, huh. some of the kids on my israel trip had done some european traveling and stayed in hostels . . . apparently there's some website where you can find places, read reviews and post your own. too bad i can't remember it.

towwas said...

Ok, ok. I'll amend my statement: I'm too old for bad hostels chosen without internet pre-research.

Unknown said...

I assume you were kidnapped and tortured, since as an American, I now assume that happens to everyone who stays at a European hostel.