Both Laura and I found the hostelling experience to be quite different during this trip. While we had both been to Europe before, we had travelled primarily during the summer months, when most backpackers are plying their trade. During the spring, as it were, we found that there were fewer travellers, and more so people who were spending the week or weekend in Madrid or Barcelona as apart of their spring break. There were, for instance, a lot of other European guests at the hostels, who were just in town to party and remain as un-sober as possible. We also encountered a number of American college kids who were most likely on their first trip to Europe, and who were preoccupied with finding the nearest McDonald's or Starbucks. As a result of this new "mix" of hostellers, there seemed to be very little adherence to the unwritten book of the road, which requires one to observe an expected code of conduct that all travellers understand to be holier than the Bible (such as buying the first person you meet a pint). Although we did manage to meet a few people along the way that had some interesting stories to share, all in all, the caliber of the hostel guests was quite lacking. However, I did walk away with a few new "hostel types" to add to the ever-growing roster:
1) The Princesses - These hostel types are exclusively female. They can easily be identified by their propensity towards spending hours straightening their hair, applying copious amounts of make-up and carrying around cell phones for all of those potentially important text messages that they might receive from their friends back home. These types can be especially annoying, not simply for the redundancy of their conversations, but for the potential that their cell phones will go off in the middle of the night, inciting them to have a conversation with someone equally as annoying while everyone else in the room is trying to sleep.
2) Dirty Hippies - These types can be clearly identified by their dreadlocked mullets that appear not to have been washed since before the Jurassic period. In fact, they kind of smell as if they stepped out of the Jurassic period. Wouldn't be surprised.
3) Techno-Tourists - I'm especially proud of this label. This is an altogether new breed of hosteller, so it was exciting to be able to observe such a relatively new species in its' newfound environment. The Techno-Tourists comprise of tourists who instead of spending their time sightseeing or meeting new people, carry around their laptops in search of the nearest wireless connection. Apparently the newest uploads on YouTube are infinitely more interesting than architecture by Gaudi.
4)Fuckin' Deutschebags - If I said I was proud of the "Techno-Tourist" label, I'm even more proud of this one. Just to make things clear, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Germany when I visited the country two years ago. The people were very friendly, and the food, in all its' meaty variety, was to die for. However, sharing a dorm with German tourists can be an altogether different experience, and quite frankly, leaves me with very little desire to return to Germany if it weren't for the beer that flows from fountains in Munich. "Fuckin' Deutschebags" can easily be identified by their propensity to sleep until 3 in the afternoon and stay up until 4 or 5 in the morning. If you disturb them before 2 PM, you risk having them turn into bats and sucking your blood. I'm not exactly sure what their problem is. They tend to think that they're some kind of master race. They all come across as arrogant, rude, and inconsiderate, and walk around with the attitude that only they matter; anyone or anything else is inconsequential.
Inside the Oasis Hostel in Granada.
While technically not a hostel, the overnight trains also provide adequate, and spacious, accomodations for the traveller on a budget.
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