So My Roommate's a Douche (and other facts of hostel life)

Hostels are whole different breed of animal from your traditional housing options. Much like hotels and motels, once you start swapping out letters your selection of amenities changes dramatically. A hostel is somewhere between that dive next to the Interstate and summer camp, but with a hint of psych ward thrown in just to keep things interesting. Before you immediately think, “Oh hell no!” allow me to elaborate on the subtleties of hostel living.

I’ve stayed in many hostels, mostly because I’m cheap and have a certain flair for disastrous excitement. Some people get their kicks from skydiving; I prefer off the wall accommodation. For the record, every example I’m about to give is a completely true and accurate account of my experiences.

Some hostels greet you at the door with a stack of free drink tickets and a beer stein full of condoms. These aren’t good hostels; these are the BEST hostels. It could be the shittiest place in the world, but if you give me free drinks, you’re getting a 5 star review.

Other hostels greet you with the offer to help suck the cocaine they just spilled out of the carpet. These are not good hostels. Offering to share with a stranger is generally considered to be a sign of good manners, but there’s some things that the 5 second rule just can’t cover.

Some hostels forget to mention that they’re still under construction and that they also share a quad with the local gospel singing group. Good luck getting any sleep there.

Some hostels are all night parties, and you will participate whether you want to or not. Others are like sleeping in a crypt.

Sometimes the average age is 15-18, other times it’s 40+. Some hostels even have family floors, so don’t be surprised if you see children running around from time to time.

My point is that no hostel is the same, so I can’t really write about a “typical” hostel experience, but I’ll do my best to explain some of the most common features.

For the most part, every additional amenity will cost extra at a hostel. You want sheets? That’s going to be an extra 2.50. Towels? Same deal. You want a lock for your locker? That’ll set you back a euro. Be prepared and bring you own stuff. A microfiber travel towel is a necessity for a cheap and happy hostel experience.

If you don’t choose a private room (which will cost significantly more) you’ll be in a dorm. You can choose between male and female dorms or co-ed. Either option is fine, and you’ll also be able to choose between 4, 6, 8, and even up to 32 bed dorms. Dorms feature bunk beds and lockers for you stuff. Use your locker whenever you’re out of the room, even if it’s just a quick trip to the bathroom.

The lockers in the most recent place we stayed at.

Speaking of bathrooms, these can also be co-ed, and sometimes you won’t know until the opposite sex exits the shower next to you. That’s ok; don’t freak out. Showers can range from sparkling to … yeah. Bring your shower shoes.

Some showers have this awesome feature where you push a button and the water comes out for 10-30 seconds. What really adds to the fun is that the water seems to be a different temperature every time you push the button. It’s like playing Russian Roulette with ice water and potential scalding. You’ll most likely experience cold water in this situation, as hot water is a precious commodity in most hostels. Some even charge for it, so make sure you have some change available.

Heat is typically free in hostels because they don’t want their pipes to freeze, but air conditioning is completely optional. If your hostel offers free air conditioning, use the hell out of it and don’t be that jackass who turns off the AC when your roommates aren’t looking. We don’t give a shit if you’re cold. Put on a sweater and shut the hell up.

Speaking of roommates, you’re sharing your space with complete strangers. These strangers are the type of people who won’t spring for traditional accommodation and probably enjoy an alternative lifestyle of traveling and not holding down steady employment. In other words, you’re going to meet some interesting characters, and you’d be surprised how many people snore.

If you’re the type of person who sees the glass as half full and believes that the world is generally full of good people, you’ll enjoy the hostel experience. If you’re like me and are a bit more cynical, you’ll probably find the same ratio of cool people and assholes that you experience everywhere else. Look around the subway, then imagine sharing a room with your fellow travelers.

If all else fails, remember that everyone you meet is bat shit crazy, just in varying degrees and ways. This includes you. You are just as crazy as everyone else, so you may as well embrace it.

Most hostels have a shared, industrial-style kitchen where everyone cooks their food. If you’re saving money by staying in a hostel, you’re also probably not eating out at restaurants. Write your name, your room number, and the date you plan on leaving on your stuff in the fridge. Anything that’s not labeled is considered to be free for the community. Additionally, not cleaning up after yourself is a serious faux pas in the hostel world, so wash your dishes.

I’ve met a lot of really cool people in hostels and have had some amazing times. I imagine I’ll be that old person who still stays in hostels during her retirement. This post may seem to bash on the hostel life a bit, but that’s only because I think people generally have a better time if they go into a situation with eyes wide open. The lower your expectations, the happier you will be. If you know what to expect and understand that a hostel is not like staying at the Hilton, you will be fine and you’ll probably have an awesome time. If you’re roommate’s a douche, just avoid him. Either you or him will move on eventually, and it’s just a bed.

Side note: as I write this, I'm overhearing a conversation about one of my hostel mates who drank gasoline. Apparently it makes you very tired, and you should avoid it at all possible. So that's a life tip I can take away from this hostel.

Surprisingly not as refreshing as Gatorade.

Sagrada Familia

No trip to Barcelona would be complete without visiting Sagrada Familia, so that’s where we started. Sagrada Familia is a massive basilica designed by Antoni Gaudi. It’s been under construction since 1882 and won’t be completed for at least another decade. Their goal is to complete the entire thing in 2026, to celebrate the centennial of Gaudi’s death, but I think that’s a rather ambitious goal.
 

The construction is a private contract, and many things have contributed to the length of its construction. Funding will always be an issue for a building of this magnitude, but even more problematic was the Spanish Civil War. Plans and photographs were stolen, and sections of the church were destroyed. Luckily, construction continues, and the entrance fees to visit the church are contributed to the building fund. Even though it’s not complete, it was recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

It’s a stunning building, inside and out. You could stare at it for days and never see all of the details. Each and every piece of the cathedral represents something, from the number of pillars to the style of the façades.

We arrived at the Passion Façade, which was K’s favorite portion of the exterior.  As expected, it depicts the Passion of Christ, but we would have missed half of the details if we hadn’t spent the extra 3 euro on the audio guide. For example, on one section of the wall is a series of numbers that is actually a puzzle. No matter how you add up the rows and columns of numbers, they always equal 33, or Jesus’s age when he died. All of the sculptures on this façade are sharply carved and free of ornamentation. The entire wall appears stark and skeletal, but it’s oddly attractive.

Inside, it’s a cascade of colors and columns. Gaudi’s love of nature can be seen in every detail, from the way the pillars resemble a forest to the spiral shell staircase that seemingly reaches towards the heavens.

The columns are meant to look like a forest.

I’ve visited more cathedrals than I can count, in several countries, and nothing prepared me for the beauty of this interior. I can’t put into words how gorgeous this structure is, and pictures just can’t do it justice.

Light from the stained glass reflecting off the pipe organ.

Catholic or not, this basilica will leave you speechless for a moment. You can view the official image gallery of the building here.

We exited through the Glory Façade, which will eventually be the main entrance to the church. On the massive door, you can read “Our Daily Bread” in 50 different languages.

We wrapped around to the Nativity Façade, which is the busiest looking section of the church. It is literally covered with sculptures and decorations, which is meant to be a contrast to the Passion Façade. Everywhere you look you see trees, animals, and scenes of Jesus’s birth and childhood. Above all of this stands a sculpture of the Tree of Life, with doves nesting in the branches.

We spent almost 3 hours at Sagrada Familia, and I can’t wait to return. I would love to see the finished product, so I guess we’ll be returning to Barcelona in 15 years or so.

Adventure Preparedness

Good morning from Barcelona! You may be looking at the time stamp on this post and thinking, “N, it’s 2:30 in the morning. Don’t the adventure partners sleep?” Well, yes. Yes we do. However, we got stupid drunk off of sangria and took a “siesta” from 7:00 pm until I woke up looking for Motrin, so here we are. It wasn’t even good sangria; it was the 3 euro plastic bottle from the liquor store and it would’ve been the 1 euro bottle had the clerk not persuaded me otherwise. My Spanish may be crap, but I understand a head shake and a “No no no!” when I hear it.

See all of those natural ingredients? Yeah, ours had none of that.

Normally when I wake up in the middle of the night, I would be upset and wondering how I could possibly go back to sleep. Then I realized that as a newly unemployed individual, I don’t have to maintain any sort of “normal” schedule. My commute involves rolling over and plugging in the laptop. I’m like a call girl for words.

But I digress. Back to the original point of the post, which is preparing and arriving in Barcelona.  I tried to pack several times. "Packing" involved standing in front of my closet, looking at my new backpack, and realizing that everything I needed was not going to fit. Then I’d distract myself by watching back episodes of Californication.

The day before our trip I decided it was time to get serious. I moved everything I wanted to one side of the closet. Then I looked at the backpack, realized it wouldn’t fit, and got a pedicure instead. My bag may not have been packed, but my toes looked fabulous, and that’s good enough for me.

I didn’t actually pack until an hour before we had to leave for the airport. It started out something like this…

Then I tried to walk around with my overloaded backpack. I couldn’t have carried it to the check-in desk, let alone the rest of the trip.

I pared everything down to 2 skirts, 1 pair of shorts, 1 pair of capris, 3 tank tops, 3 T-shirts, 2 pairs of sandals, and a swimsuit, as well as essential undergarments, toiletries, and a bandana. For a month. All told, my luggage weighed less than 20 pounds at the airport, so I’m quite proud of myself. (We won’t discuss the weight of the carry on…)

One of our friends was kind enough to drive us to the airport, all while giving us restaurant recommendations for our trip. Italy sounds delicious.

After a rousing trip to the airport bar to celebrate our new found freedom, we successfully made it to Spain and took the airport shuttle to the metro.

The Barcelona metro is super clean and easy to use. I may have lived in England for too long because I was shocked by the lack of garbage and the fact that it didn’t smell like piss. Thank you, Spain. It’s the little things that count.

Look how clean that is!

We chose the T10 metro card, which is an excellent deal. Each trip costs us less than a euro, more than one person can use the same card, and it doesn’t expire for a year. You just swipe the card for your adventure partner and after they figure out how to use a turnstile, you swipe yourself through. It works out to being more than 50% off the normal price of 10 rides.

We finally made it to our hostel and checked into our dorm. We’ve been exploring the sights and sounds of Barcelona ever since, but that’s the topic of another post. Gracias for reading!