I’ve spent the greater part of the last two days immersed in European research, alternating between the extremities of panic and elation. Looking at rail schedules and prices I feel overwhelming sickness but looking at hostels and thinking of having the privilege of merely walking through such beautiful streets is cause for ecstasy. I think I’m going to wait a while before making any decisions about rail passes-as of right now it seems a 1 month Global Pass might actually be practical-it would amount to around $20 a day and would decrease quite a few lengthy fares by a few hundred dollars each, down to minuscule amounts like $11 or $29… Specific calculations will have to be made in mid September when rates are more available to ensure it would be the best idea. With the constant train travel I will be engaging in, I’m starting to wonder if my assumption that it would be a monstrous waste of money was rash….. Still, I’m not totally sure, and I’ll have to venture from site to site for each and every country before coming to a decision. A lamentable process, but booking all this in advance will help save a lot of time and money once I’m over there. And I’ll have the man in seat 61 to help so it shouldn’t be all bad!
Until then, I’m trying to concentrate on the more flamboyant aspects of the trip, like what shoes to pack and what feminist events to attend and how much is too much for 1 extravagant night in Paris. Before considering train schedules, I will keep listening to French and German podcasts [through all this French training my once-pretty-good German is omg AWFUL, perverted with a French accent and little vacations into French phrases], will keep researching fun things to do, and will keep sewing. Hopefully I can sell a few purses soon and pay for a hostel or a sturdy pair of shoes, and hopefully I can get started on the sister blog to this one, Æ, which will function as a sort of public log of my aesthetic consumption in varying degrees to provide more adequate distraction from my tight finances than this stagnant, lazy book… Hopefully a retrospective of French films and a rabid search for locations depicted will help, too….
Over the last few weeks, I’ve cemented more or less my itinerary by making a few more bookings and by purchasing Ladytron tickets [which is also why advance rail tickets will be an okay idea]. So here are some freshly updated calendars; Green represents hostel/hotel bookings; Fuschia represents secure itinerary plans–the cities I’ll definitely be visiting and when, and orange are leftover activity notes. Concerts and other special time-restrictive events are in blue.
Calendar for October
Calendar for November
Calendar for December
So.. On to New Bookings!!;
1. Brighton
26 October
Paskins Hotel
£45/night, taxes/fees/breakfast included
Tel: +44(0)1273 601203
I found Paskins in my Lonely Planet Europe on a Shoestring Guide, described as an Art-Deco hotel situated in an old home which specialized in vegan-friendly foods and organic materials. The website presents the very same sort of earth-conscious ethos, with vegan certified natural ingredients and supplies. It looks fairly adorable, though I feel cautious about the booking, which required I divulge credit card information via email… Other than the paranoia and obsessive account-checking this has caused, I’m very much looking forward to staying a night here. It looks earthy and modern and will be a lovely & refreshing place to be.
I decided on this place due to my respect for their ethics, but it was not the first consideration in my trip from Manchester to Rouen. Also considered was the town of Lille, in the north of France near Belgium, which featured some incredibly expensive hostel rooms which all looked like lovely beachhouses… Everything was very white and the whole stay seemed to be centered on the most fresh & decadent breakfast imaginable. Also Oxford, the University town with a very luxurious hotel that used to be a prison called Malmaison. Although most of its rooms are now lush & elegant & way too expensive for me, some still include prison bars and views to the former prison exercise yards. Since stumbling across this I’ve found a couple other former-prison-hostels [one in Sweden, with a train hostel], but this one looks to be the most upscale, posh, opposite-of-actually-being-in-prison selection.
2. Rouen
29 & 30 October
The Morand
$73.03/night [or $155.30 for 2 nights] taxes & fees included
Tel: 33-2-35714607
I’ve been wanting to stay in Rouen due to my affinity for Flaubert, and the Morand is described as being a typical little Normandy hotel which may or may not just mean it has endearing woodworking. I’m not entirely sure there’s a lot for a tourist to see regarding Flaubert when there [I think much of such materials are in Paris], but I’m hoping to engage his spirit for a few drinks & wisdom or something via location-osmosis. Otherwise, I think it will be a relaxing couple of days in non-Parisian France. Since I didn’t give myself the time and the possibility to engage in laughing encounters via a visit to Bordeaux, this seems like the best option for a pretty locale outside the major city. The area looks very pretty and soothing, and there’s a Cathedral and lots of Joan of Arc-oriented sightseeing throughout the town.
Also, the Morand is a proper hotel so it will have a hairdryer and all that [presumably]. I booked on hotels.com, which gives a free room under $400 after 10 bookings of $40/more. When you complete your stay with a hotel you booked on the website, you’re credited and can stay wherever. This seems somehow legitimate and like a lovely little special, and my poor-person-optimism assumes it doesn’t carry with it any sort of additional fees or crazy requirements or something….. http://www.hotels.com/
3. Vienna
16 & 17 November
The Ruthensteiner
Winter Rate not specified. Rate through November 1st; €18
Tel: ++ 43-1-8934202 or ++ 43-1-8932796
I adjusted the tenure of my stay in the Meininger Hostel because this just looks so, so, so fun. The outdoor chess is really charming to me, as are all the fun little photos of magicians and musicians and other jovial sorts of people. I like the warmth and the accepting vibe given by the website and people involved. Its the sort of hostel that looks like it will make you feel truly like a backpacker, and looks to be one of the more open hostels for socialization & group activity. Everything so far with this place has been exceptionally pleasant & seamless so I’m really excited.
4. Prague
Miss Sophie’s
20 & 21 November
Tel:[in country;] 296 303 532 [out of country;] +420 296 303 532
$97/night
private
Ohmygod. Just ohmygod this is absolutely phenomenally gorgeous.
5. Oslo
27 & 28 November
Anker Hostel
Tel: p. +47 22 99 72 00
$36.66 & $38.41/ $75.07 total
This is an ensuite 6-bed room, chosen from a small amount of hostels available within the city during the winter season. I’m not expecting to spend a great deal of time at this hostel [or the other place I’ll have to book for the 29th, so its look and amenities are more or less irrelevant to me. For those with a higher available budget, Anker also has a hotel nearby which actually looks quite pretty.
PS… I’ve found a website which calculates mean/median/mode, so I can verify whether or not I’m meeting my $60/day lodging goal. Prices so far are;
40, 92, 92, 85, 102, 102, 73, 73, 44, 36, 60, 27, 27, 97, 97, 76, 76, 23
Which makes the current per day rate; $68 So while I’m planning to book a really expensive night in Paris, I’m going to have to start making some cheap bookings or couchsurfing arrangements soon… $68 isn’t that far off, so it should be able to be fixed with just a few cheap nights!
