The Hostel Life

Whether you're travelling in America, Europe, the UK, or South America, you will almost always find a unique place: the hostel. When I went to Ireland, I stayed the whole time in a hostel and it is definitely a different experience. The biggest difference between a hostel and a hotel is that hostels are designed as a quick accommodation for backpackers while hotels are designs for comfort. One of the upsides to staying at a hostel is that they are much cheaper than a hotel. When I told people that I would be staying at a hostel, the first response was "hopefully you don't get stabbed". Most people have a bad view on hostels and hostels have gained the reputation of being a dump and a slum, but the reality is, most hostels are not.

If you will be travelling and are thinking of staying at a hostel, there are some things to consider:

1. Hostels are a dorm setting. Because they are designed to be a simple accommodation for backpackers, they often have multiple beds in a single room. This is a big change for many people. Some people are uncomfortable sleeping in a room with 16 strangers. In many hostels, there are mixed dorms so you would be staying in a dorm with mixed genders. This is the first thing to consider: would you stay in a room with a dozen strangers? It's something to get used to, but can be an awesome experience.

2. Because you are staying in a room with lots of strangers, be sure to watch your belongings. Most people you meet in a hostel are very friendly, but you still run the risk of someone walking off with your stuff. The hostel I stayed at in Ireland, many people just left their bags laying around their beds. At this hostel, that was probably okay. But some hostels you wouldn't want to do that. Most hostels have security lockers and safes (some offer them free) to store your stuff. When you are in bed, it's not a bad idea to have your bag in your bed with you (depending on the size of it). This will lessen the risk of someone rummaging through your stuff in the middle of the night.

3. Make sure to adequately research your hostel(s). Some hostels are luxurious and pristine, others you wouldn't dare take your shoes off. As you research the hostel, look at the cleanliness and overall makeup. You will find that some hostels can be nicer than most hotels. Make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. Reading reviews is the best way to scope out a hostel. Hostelworld.com is a great site for looking up hostels.

4. Most people think of a hostel as a place with rooms and beds, nothing else. However, most hostels will sponsor special events, bring in performers, throw parties, and have tours of the city. You will find that most hostels have more than just an accommodation. Most have game rooms, continental breakfast, TV, break rooms, kitchens, WIFI, and internet.

5. Don't stay in the same hostel for more than 2 nights. If you are a backpacker or traveler, you want to see a whole array of things and have different experiences. When you stay at the same hostel for more than 2 nights, it becomes redundant. You see the same thing every morning, you get too comfortable, and it becomes dull. Even though the hostel you are staying at may be awesome, it's good to experience other hostels.

6. Be courteous of others. It's easy to stay out late and when you come back, remember that other people are sleeping in the same room. Don't let the door slam, keep light to a minimum, don't make excessive noise. I have had times when people come stomping in at 1 AM when I was trying to sleep. Also remember to clean up after yourself. Most hostels have a kitchen so you can fix your own meals. Don't leave dishes around for others to clean. Be courteous to other people staying there.

Staying at a hostel can be a great experience. Just remember to follow the above guidelines and your trip will be much more enjoyable. Ultimately, the best way to experience it is to just get out there and stay in one.

Ireland Day Seven

It's been fun and to be honest, I don't want to leave. I've become quite used to Ireland. I can say that I'll be ready to come back here. 

 

Today was my last day eating the continental breakfast here, so I ate a pretty big one. I had to be at the bus station before 10:00, so I was up pretty early. I did make sure to have some warm clothes packed. 

At the bus station, I bought my ticket for the Glendalough tour. I figured that the tour would fill up quick, so I got my ticket an hour before departure. I managed to take a short nap prior to departure. 

As we boarded, I learned that only three of us were going on the tour. The other two were from Hong Kong and were interesting to talk to. 

The first part of the tour was in Dublin. As we made our way out of town, the guide gave us the history of certain areas of the city. However, our first stop was at Powerscourt Garden this was a garden owned by a wealthy landlord back in the 1700's. At first, it didn't look like much, but after walking through, it was impressive. The Japanese garden was particularly cool. 

After there, we headed for the Wicklow Mountains. The route went through heavy farmland where we saw lots of sheep. As we got closer, the mountains became visible. 

Our first stop was near the visitor center. We geared up because of the light rain and headed off. The bus driver, named John, led us to the ruins of a monastery. The ruins were unique. There's a gate that we entered through that was used in protecting the monastery. Inside the gate and to the right is a tall bell tower. Tall bell towers were common at monasteries, not only for the bell but also for defense. We saw the catherdal that was used there as well as the St. Kevin's chapel. St. Kevin was the monk who founded this particular monastery. 

Next to the cathedral is St. Kevin's cross. Finally, littering the whole grounds were thousands of grave stones, many of them Celtic crosses. 

The guide left us here to go exploring where I took many pictures of the site. I followed the path to the smaller lake which is more like a swamp. But walking farther, I came to the big lake which was awesome. The lake is in between two mountains which creates a valley. It rained most of the time and because of the geographics, was very windy. Though it was not uncomfortable. The path we took to get to the lakes goes by several unique forests, one of which was used to film the wedding scene in Braveheart. 

I made my way back towards the bus (as we had to be there at 3:30). Along the way, I came across a Scotsman who was dressed in an 1800's British uniform with a black kilt. He was portraying a Scottish British soldier and was telling stories. When England got involved with Ireland, they recruited Scottish soldiers because the Scottish were already used to the hills. At the end of his storytelling, he played his bagpipes. Actually they were smallpipes, which are smaller and quieter bagpipes. It was cool watching him tune it and started taking song requests, including Amazing Grace. 

We took off from there and headed up the mountains. The driver pulled over on the top of one of the mountains so we could take pictures of the valley. We didn't stay there long because it was windy and cold. The thermometer said it was near 0 degrees Celsius, which is 32 degrees Fahrenheit. 

As we made our way back, we went through the mountains so we could see it from different angles. 

We got back, close to the bus station and I made my way to the hostel where I took a quick shower and did a load of laundry. As I waited for laundry to finish, I hung out in one of the common areas and talked to someone from Minnesota. After that, I went out for dinner and finished up souvenir shopping. 

On returning to the hostel, I finished my packing for the trip home, to include my backpack and pannier. I spent about 20 minutes disassembling my bike and packed it up. This must occur here often because no one was phased by it. After this, I was set for the flight home. My flight goes out at 8:30 so I need to be there at 5:30. I will probably get up at 5 to make it to the bus station for my ride to the airport. 

It has been an awesome trip and I will definitely do it again. I think the only two things I would do differently are spend more time here than a week, and take someone else. I would love for other people to enjoy this. I hope you have enjoyed this as much as I have. 

Ireland Day Six

One more day to go and I must say, I'm not ready to leave. There's so much more to see and I'm really liking the culture here. Not to mention, the sights are beyond compare. 

Today started like most of the others: getting up early, eating breakfast, and getting my pack ready for the day. When I woke up, I heard it raining outside. After looking at the forecast, it was supposed to have light rain all day. I made the short walk to the bus station, which wasn't bad, and got my ticket to Trim. 

As I waited, I met an older Irish woman of whom I talked to for nearly 30 minutes. She was quite interesting and friendly. 

My bus was boarding, with only 3 of us, then we were off. It was a shorter ride than yesterday, maybe an hour. Unfortunately, the bus stop is quite a ways from the castle. 

I walked to the castle along the roads, later to find out there was a shortcut. The castle has ruins of walls with paths that lead to other ruins. I crossed a bridge, over the Boyne River, to a series of paths that lead through a field and a few ruins. One of the ruins was a bell tower from St. Mary's church. The bell tower is all that's left. 

Another path led to the city gate. All thats left is the gate. Back in the 13th century, most cities were surrounded by walls, but all that's left of the wall is the gate. 

I made my way back to the castle and towards the entrance. Near the entrance is a cannon that was once used in the castle in the later years. 

The admission to the castle is €4, but I paid the €7 for the tour of the keep. The keep is the main structure of the castle. Surrounding the keep is remnants of the certain wall. The main gate that we entered through was actually a restoration, but there's another gate that has not been. The other gate is pretty cool. It was equipped with doors and bridges that could be mechanically moved to prevent people from entering. 

Along the curtain walls, were 10 short round towers. Some of them still stand. In one corner is the Great Hall, which was added several years after the original building of the castle in the 1100's. A small apartment building was also added for the few residents that lived in the castle. Walking along the walls was pretty cool, seeing the secret enterances and arrow slits. 

We were finally able to tour the keep and met the tour guide at the bottom of the stairs. The door is actually about 10 feet off of the ground with intention of making it harder for enemies to get in. To get in the door into the castle, the guide had to unlock it. I think the lock was the coolest thing being that it was from the 1700's. Not to mention the awesome key. 

The keep has been restored with new floors and some walkways. Most of the rooms looked similar but most had a different purpose. The building has a square center and 4 other square buildings coming off of it. One of them was the "septic tank". One building, however collapsed several years ago. 

The lower rooms were used as a cellar for food. Some of the upper rooms were bedrooms along with a kitchen, dining room, chapel, and great hall (which was later replaced by the second one built). 

The tour was pretty cool. We were able to walk to most of the rooms, including the upper rooms. We even got to use the spiral staircases, which were a little difficult to walk down. We eventually ended up on the upper most part of the castle where the guard towers were. We had a awesome view from here, though it was really windy. 

The castle was used starting in the 1100's as a fortress for the city. It was owned by the lords in controll of the area. However, it was partially own by the king of that kingdom. During its lifespan, it had 3 additions onto it done by 2 different lords. 

The tour lasted maybe 2 hrs, but I spent an additional hour looking at the ruins around the castle. One of the cool aspects of the castle is the fact that Braveheart was filmed here. 4 scenes were filmed including the seige on York, the execution, when Longshanks threw the guy out of the window, and one of the scenes when the French princess met with Wallace. I was fortunate enough to miss the rain in Trim. 

(The wooden object was a part of the rack used to torture Wallace in Braveheart. The only piece they have here from the movie)

It was a bit of walk back to the bus stop, though it was shorter because I cut through a nearby field with ruins. Fortunately, it was only an 8 minute wait for bus. I did quite a bit of walking today so I took a short nap on the way back. 

After getting back, I decided to go souvenir hunting for family back home. I had planned to do it tomorrow but don't think I'll have time. On getting back to the hostel, I took a shower and headed out for dinner. 

Today is Cinco de Mayo so the hostel celebrated. There was Mexican music playing, sombreros, and a piñata before turning on the football (soccer) game on the tele. 

As I sat here watching, I met 2 people who are also here on there own. Heather from Toronto and a German of whom I'm not sure how to spell his name. I later met a guy from Croatia and a guy from Russia. We had a pleasant conversation for while be ogre they took off for dinner. It seems like everyone I meet tries to teach me some of their language, which is pretty cool. 

Tomorrow is the last day and will be going to Glendalough in the Wicklow Mountains. That is an all day tour so I should have a lot to share with you. Oh, and I almost forgot. I was supposed to represent Donnellson Fire Dept. in Ireland, so here it is.