My First!

I arrive in Rotterdam, just two hours from Amsterdam and stay in my first hostel.  Rotterdam feels like NYC on steroids! OK not as big and not as many people, but super,super modern. A great China town, magnificent bridges, buildings and museums.  I am told, by other back packers, this is a 5 star hostel with only 58 beds!! This is considered small and cozy compared to the 150+ beds some hostels have.

I have a room with 4 sets of bunk beds – 8 in a room.  I do beg for a bottom bunk! Each floor has two rooms of 8 and one room of 4, 20 guest sharing two toilets and 3 showers. The math does not work but somehow I never stand in line for either a toilet or shower.

At night there is a symphony of sounds- snore, cough, talk in sleep, belch, turning over and rattling the metal bed frame, but I learn to fall asleep to the sounds and I am sure once asleep I add my own sounds to the symphony.

In the common room, which is large and comfortable with lots of sofas and chairs you hear Polish, Italian, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese.  There are young travelers from all over. I am the oldest one there. A few guest ask if they can take my photo, to send back home,  I am not sure if I am a novelty or super star. I can only imagine the quote they add to it.

The kitchen is big, very clean and modern.  It seems someone is always cooking and the hostel has a community dinner every night for about $6.00. It is the best part of the day, sitting with others from around the world and hearing about why they are traveling and where they have been and what they are doing.  There is always a great exchange of information to share about places to stay, what to see and food.

I meet a young man from Canada on his way to South Africa to become certified to dive and work on oil rigs. Yes, he could have done this in Canada as well, but as he said,  why not go to the school in South Africa and have an adventure.

Another young man from Sweden, an engineer, was up for promotion and a large raise at his job.  He dreamt of the new car he could buy.  But then one-night thought, I have a nice car, why do I want a better one.  If I continue like this in life, I will be stuck in a place for years just to keep buying newer things.  So he resigned and drove off in his car, planning to travel as far as the car will take him or until his savings give out.

I planned to stay two nights, but end up staying 4. I wanted to boast that I was the oldest person to stay there but the owners tell me that last year they had a couple in their 80’s who walked in with backpacks and hiking boots. They have 20 years on me. Now the challenge is on – can I do this again in 20 years! I promise to return.

   Hostel Cat – but not hostile!

My room                                          

Modern art that I think I could do – despite the fact that my daughter gave me a book last year titled “Why a 5 year old can not make Modern Art.”

They even have escalators for bikes – going down to a parking lot for bikes!

Philosophy for Back Packing- a little blurry but you can see the most important parts!  Travel Often! Life is Short!

The oldest and youngest at the Hostel. This young girl, 18, is from Mexico City. She talked her mother into letting her backpack through Europe only because she has an aunt near by in Switzerland and she has to text her mother every 2 hours!