Paris Sights

I had such an amazing time in France, it really is one of the most beautiful countries I've ever seen. One thing about Paris is that every area of the city has something amazing to see or experience. My first few days there I stuck to the more touristy areas near the Louvre, Eiffel tower, and Notre Dame, but then I decided to see what else the city has to offer. Not that the tourist sights aren't amazing, do not visit Paris without seeing all of the quintessentials.

A really great, but still a little touristy, area is the Latin Quarter near Norte Dame. Here there are some great shops and restaurants, and so many festive side streets and little squares. I thought this was a great area to grab a little street food and just wander around for a bit. There are of course some remnants of the Roman roots here which are also really fun to look for and enjoy. And you can admire the St Michel fountain while you're there.

One of my favorite parts of Paris was the church overlooking the city- Sacre Coeur. You can take a little trolley to the top, but I walked up the million steps to get to the church and see the incredible views of the city. It was really interesting to go into the church because it was a Sunday and a service was happening, which I enjoyed seeing. Unfortunately by this point I had been unwillingly accompanied by a Frenchman who would not leave and did not speak enough English to understand that I did not want his company. I actually lost him in a crowd at one point and he WAITED for me next to the church for over 30 minutes. When it comes to Frenchman trying to befriend you, just say no otherwise you could spend an entire evening trying to get rid of them- word to the wise. Anyways, near the church is an amazing area called Montmartre with some beautiful winding streets, great food, and because it goes up the hill you get some very cool views. Everyone should check out this area if they are in Paris, it is one of those places you can walk around for hours just enjoying. Then of course is the seedy area of Paris where you can see the Moulin Rouge in all of its slightly trashy glory.

One part of the Paris experience that I found slightly overrated was my trip to Versailles. Although the palace is amazing and completely over the top ( the French were not afraid of covering everything in gold which I appreciate) the whole thing just felt over hyped. I think one of my problems was that it was raining that day, and the gardens are not as impressive in the rain when you can't actually sit and enjoy them. Also, none of the fountains were actually on when I went, which really just made the whole place seem depressing, like it was run down. And of course it is low season so no flowers and lots of maintenance being done. Overall, I would really say you can skip Versailles if you are going in winter or the beginning of spring, you can find better ways to spend 18 euros trust me. I'm sure the place is glorious when they pull out all the stops, I know I wouldn't mind living there.

Finally, at least for Paris, I definitely think anyone who goes to the city should take some time to check out the cemetery located there. The Pere Lachaise is an incredible sight, especially if you are used to American cemeteries. This place is packed, they almost stack the graves on top of each other, and so many of the tombs are old an incredibly intricate. Plus you can visit some very famous grave like Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, and Chopin. While I was there I was grabbed up by a local who gives tours and he told me all about the cemetery and the people buried there which was amazing. The places is weirdly beautiful and romantic for a graveyard, and there is a really moving holocaust memorial there with a monument for each concentration camp in the Paris area.

Since leaving Paris I spent some time in Lyon and after an epic journey I am now in Spain. More details later, I am running on literally no sleep for the last 27 hours so not a lot is making sense in my head any more. Also, I have pictures of the graveyard but they are on my phone and I don't have the energy to deal with multiple technologies right now.

The Hostel Life

 

When I was doing research for my trip to Europe I found a lot of great advice about staying in hostels scattered around the internet, hiding in articles about backpacking in general. When you head out on a budget trip anywhere, but especially in Europe, hostels are going to become a huge component of your trip, and they will ultimately play a huge part in determining your happiness. With this in mind I wanted to put together a little overview of life in hostels: the different types, what to expect, and how to find the good ones, among other things. Hopefully some of this advice can help you be happy and comfortable while traveling on a budget.

Hostel Basics

Getting started, here are the basic things you can expect from just about any hostel in Europe:

• Basic beds with, at most, one pillow. Hostels generally provide you with the bare minimum needed to sleep decently. Generally you will have a mattress, small pillow, and blanket- and that's it. It is important to keep in mind that although many hostels provide linens, many do not, so if you want to ensure you have clean sheets either bring some with you or check and be sure they are provided by the hostel.
• Showers and toilets. All hostels will have bathroom facilities and showers, however the quality and cleanliness vary greatly. Also, although some hostels will have facilities that are separate for men and women, this is by no means standard. Showers and toilets will come in any combination, sometimes they sore in the same area, sometimes they are separate. If you book an "ensuite" room the bathroom will be directly connected to your room!
• Bunk beds! Unless you get a private room, more than likely you will be sleeping on bunk beds. These vary in quality from very sturdy to wobbly and squeaky, and I've seen them go three high. Sometimes you pick your bunk, sometimes that is decided for you.
• Electrical outlets. There will be, somewhere in the hostel, a place for you to plug things in and charge them. Some hostels have outlets for each bunk, some have one per room. There are usually outlets available in common areas as well.

 

Some other amenities are pretty universally available at hostels, but it's best to check first before booking:

• Lockers. Most hostels will have a place where you can secure either your valuables or your entire backpack. Some places will have a safe at reception for valuable, some will have lockers in the rooms. Also, although some places provide locks, this is not standard and I would advise bringing a small travel lock or padlock with you just in case.
• WiFi/ internet. Almost every hostel I have come across has had free wifi for guests, and many have computers with either free or pay as you go internet, but this is not grantees!
• Towels for hire. Hostels do not generally provide towels! Some do, which is awesome, and some will let you rent them for a small fee, but to be safe always bring your own.
• Free earplugs. Inevitably you will end up sharing a room with someone who sounds like they are possessed when they sleep, and earplugs come in handy. Most nicer hostels will have these sitting in reception for free which is amazing because it is really easy to lose earplugs.
• Touristy info. In general hostel staff will be familiar with the area and be able to tell you about things to do or give you directions, some will even have free maps, walking tours, and be able to book other tours for you.
• Breakfast. A lot of hostels provide a basic free breakfast to guests, although some places charge a small fee if you want breakfast. It's rare but there are places that don't have breakfast available- I don't stay at those places.
• Kitchens. A large portion of hostels have basic kitchens for backpackers to use to store and cook food. Generally they will have the basic tools necessary to prepare a meal, but this can vary greatly and I have come across a few places that do not have kitchens and do not allow outside food.  
• 24 hour reception. Since backpackers are generally working with weird schedules based on buses/trains/planes, most hostels make themselves available to help you at all hours. This does not mean you can check in whenever you want, generally you have to wait until the afternoon, but along with 24 hour reception most places will have a way for you to store your bags until you are able to check in fully.

Not as common features you should look out for:

• Bars/restaurants. Some of my favorite hostels have been the ones with bars or restaurants attached because they generally have decent priced drinks and are great places to meet fellow travelers or locals!
• Laundry facilities. These are nice when literally everything you have is dirty and you are tired of washing things in the sink. Some places have really good rates as well.
• PRIVACY CURTAINS. These are amazing. Some places actually have the bunks rigged with little curtains you can close so nobody can watch you sleep.
• Personal shelves/charging stations. I mentioned this briefly before, but some places have shelves in each bunk with places to plug in all of your electronics- including USB plugins.

Hostel Types
The types of hostel you chose can have a really big impact on your trip so it's important to pick one that suits your purposes:

• Youth hostels. These generally have an age restriction limiting the guests to young people which makes it easier to meet fellow travelers your own age.
• Party hostels. Generally these are also youth hostels, but they emphasis a party atmosphere with organized events and drinking, if you are looking for a quiet place avoid these.
• No age limits. Anyone can stay there, including kids. Be wary of these ones, you can run into school groups and that many kids gets annoying.
• Cheap hostels. You can generally tell based on price and amenities which hostels are really cheap, and although they may be a good deal you will also run into people who actually live in the hostel dorms, which can be awkward or uncomfortable.
• Hotel like hostels. These usually have smaller rooms and emphasize a quieter atmosphere, and they welcome guests of all types. If you need a good nights rest these are usually the places to go.

There are really so many different types of hostels you can chose from, so this is by no means a definitive list, but hopefully it helps you avoid any places that really do not fit your plans.

What to Bring
Besides the basic things you would normally bring on a trip, here are some things you should remember if you are staying in hostels:

• Towel
• Small lock
• Power converter/adapter
• Flashlight- for when you get to a hostel at night and people are sleep, you don't want to be the one waking everyone up
• Alarm clock of some kind- I have yet to see a hostel that provides these
• Shower shoes- if you don't like germs you will want these in hostel bathrooms

Basic Hostel Etiquette
Don't be the person making everyone else miserable:

• If the lights are off in the room and people are sleeping, be respectful. Don't turn the lights on if you can help it, and be as quiet and quick as possible
• Keep a clean space. You can leave your bunk however you want, but don't leave a giant pile of your stuff on the floor or in other common areas
• With that in mind, clean up after yourself in the kitchen as well, it's nobody's job to do your dishes for you
• Respect other people's things and their privacy
• Be friendly! Smile at people and help them out of/when you can

Finding the Right Hostel
There is no really great way to find the best hostel in any one place because each one is so different, and a lot of the hostel experience depends as much on the people you're staying with as the hostel itself, but my best advice is to read reviews from other travelers and make your best judgment. I have had a lot of great luck with reviews, but you have to take each of them with a grain of salt. Don't write a place off because of one bad review and don't pick a place because of one good review. Look at the overall consensus. Also, keep in mind location when choosing a hostel. If you don't mind walking or taking public transport, a place further away may be perfectly fine, but if you are alone and the hostel is in a shady area you may want to think twice. It can be really easy to be swayed by the price, but paying a few extra dollars for a place more centrally located or with nicer staff is almost always worth it. A good starting point for finding hostels is www.hostelworld.com, there is an incredible amount of selection and the reviews cannot be beat.

This article turned out to be a bit longer than anticipated, so I will stop there, but please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions or want to know about any of the specific hostels where I have stayed!

Freezing Beaches and the City of Lights

The past week I spent a few days at the beach in Noordwijk in the Netherlands, and even though it was beautiful it is one of the coldest times of my life. I spent a lot of time shivering while admiring the scenery, and while most of Europe is amazing even during the off season, this little town was dead. Still, I got the chance to see the flower fields as they began to blossom, and the windmills there are not without their charm. This is a place I would go back to in warmer weather.

For reasons nobody seemed to understand, President Obama was coming into the town and as I was there they set up so many barricades and traffic stops it was unreal. I was actually lucky to leave when I did, right after I left for Paris the President got there and along with him came a lot of security and passport checks. Thanks Obama.

Paris is truly a magical city, but it was the biggest headache getting there. With the Eurail pass in France you are limited to the types of trains you can take, so I ended up taking 6 trains over the course of 8 hours to get into Paris. Luckily the people at train stations are incredibly helpful, otherwise who knows if I would have made it or if I would have just given up and stayed in Amsterdam forever. But, to make it all worth it, I got to witness the most beautiful sunset of my life on my final train into the city. Completely priceless.

Of course my hostel is in the shadiest part of Paris, which is an adventure. The Moulin Rouge is near by, and with that comes all of the joys of a red light district. On my first couple of days I got an amazing look at the big sights Paris has to offer. There is the Louvre and the former royal palace, along with the gardens. Then of course the Champs Elysees and Arc de Triumph, and the Eiffel Tower. None of these sights are realistically within walking distance of each other, but that didn't stop me because I have no common sense apparently. After a day of walking the city I watched the sun go down behind the Eiffel Tower and drank wine while the lights of the city came on. It would have been more magical if a guy didn't decide I was incredibly beautiful and expend a lot of energy trying to woo me. It may sound flattering, but European men are very over aggressive and it gets very old. Plus they really want to get into your personal space. For future reference , just say no and walk away. But not even that could ruin the beauty of this city at night. There is nothing more I can say to describe it.

I also visited Notre Dame and saw the many brides around the city where loves come to attach a lock with their names on it and throw the keys into the river. Although there is a famous bridge in the city for this, people do it all along the river and you see the locks every where. Special tip, if you want to do this at some point, put you lock on the bridge behind Norte Dame, those locks are never removed, but elsewhere in the city the locks get taken off periodically.

The Louvre is probably the most impressive and overwhelming museum I have ever been to, I do not recommend going there after you have already been walking all day. On Friday after 6pm the museum is free to anyone under 26, so I decided to take advantage. When I got there it was easy to get in, and after seeing some amazing painting and visiting the Mona Lisa I realized that I had barely scratched the surface of what you can see there and got very overwhelmed. Needless to say I decided to leave the rest of the museum for another time and went to admire the pyramids from outside, where I was promptly harassed by another very enthusiastic Frenchman who really enjoyed touching my hands. No thank you. I decided to go home at that point.

There is still so much left to see here, and so much more cheap wine (1 euro a bottle!) left to drink, I can't wait to settle into my new hostel tomorrow. Although the place I am now seems fairly nice, they have given me the run around a little bit and I'm tired of that nonsense.

I can say that British travelers are some of the best I have met so far. They have been so genuine and interesting, and have no trouble talking for hours with anyone they meet. On this trip I have gained a real appreciation for the British, a wonderful lot of you asked me. One of my hostel mates, a hound Brit named Matt, spent quite a while one night attempting to do the cup sequence from the movie pitch perfect using a toilet paper roll. It was priceless.