Mostly about lodging...

11:30 AM and in the bar, several British guys are already drunk and that way since 10:00 AM.

Welcome to Europe.

Not much has gone on since the last post. Being sick really slows down what you can do! Mostly coughing now and I'm sure that has more to do with smoking in the hostel than the cold I had.
Got out one night with some German girls from the hostel here. They were great fun to be around and Polish vodka has a kick to it! Boy oh boy! Though oddly enough, after drinking, staying up way late, walking in the cold, yelling to speak and being in a smoky club.... my cold and sore throat went away pretty quick!
The body is just, odd at times! Well, glad I wasn't in an anti social mood then, which I was for most the week seeing as I had a cold.

Hmm lets see. Well I think I shall go into greater detail of lodgings.
Now, the break down, from the lowest lodgings to the top.

First off, camping! Basically well me and Philip while in Germany and Belgium lived out of a messy tent and car. Also due to a rush we also got a not so good burner for cooking. Basically it was setup for coffee, not meals. We also forgot the can opener too! Sooo, it was interesting to say the least. So mornings Philip would start the burner and get bacon and or beans going, course one morning we had hash and potatoes! That was the apex meal of camping. I was lucky having a camp bed cot, but Philip had a good mattress, if it was full of course! Now at the camp sites it cost about a Euro for 5 min of hot water for a shower, a shower which looked really creepy and gross! Plus site fees were about 10 euro.

Next up, floor. Sometimes a floor is very nice, even more if you have a cot. On a floor, it might not be wonderful, but you do tend to have heat and its at a friends. So not a bad deal. Plus it's free! This is a nice option, but like camping, is only so fun, so long. Like 4 days tops.

Now, hostels.... They can be worse, better, or the same as sleeping on the floor, but for practical terms, I'll put it above.
Now for thoses that might know much about hostels, I'll explain.

Pretty much on average a hostel has many dorm rooms that can fit from 4 to 36 people in each room. Sometimes there are bunk beds, or regular beds, or a mix. At times a hostel has maybe a few private rooms for couples or small groups.
Everything is shared in a hostel, from bathrooms, kitchens and the comuters or TVs if there are any. Now hostels don't tend to be the cleanest seeing as there are many people. But it tends to be good enough for most people. Hostels are designed to be very cheap places that are more social than a hotel or motel and tend to be in a city, where a hotel costs much much more.
The average age is 18 to 35, give or take. Most are between 22-27 however. People over 40 are rare in a hostel, unless they are working there. The ones that are staying there at that age are... different.

Course there are many different types and setups. Some hostels are very big and easy to find. Some have enough lodging for 500 people, or as low as 20. Sometimes a hostel can be barely noticed except for a sign out front, and then you might have to go up 2 floors just to reach it. Or it might have big signs out front. Security with hostels is mixed, but if you don't take anything worth stealing, its not bad. Just remember keys or the security code to get back in if the doors get locked! Sometimes there are lockers in the hostel, either under the bed or upright. Other times there is nothing. Beds can range from lovely firm things or cheap pieces of crap. Same goes with the inside. Sometimes new paint and microwaves, or old rubbish. Biggest thing in a hostel is the people however, not the material stuff.

Now, you have 2 differences with hostels, private and assosition kinds. Assosition hostels are very bland, and are part of a larger system. They tend to be like living in a military barrack and everything seems regulated. Also lockouts are common with these, but it is for cleaning. These are better for groups or if it's the only game in town. These must have been much better choice before the internet and ratings systems.

The other is private. These vary much much more in quality and size. Assosition kinds are the same nearly everywhere, bland but you know exactly what you are getting, but the private one can be a hell hole or the best ever. Generally it is worth the risk. Course the place I'm in now is a party hostel. Alright I guess if you like drinking, don't mind bed bugs chewing at you and don't have a cold. So not the most social of people unless you are in the group and far more interested in parTAY than local stuff. Oh well, live and learn. The next hostel is just in the next city and there is almost always a few people in a hostel to get along with. Booking tends to be done online, I like hostelworld.com myself.

So, now we move up to Hotel/B&B. These tend to be nice places and cost about $50-60+ a night. Service is so-so compared to some American standards. But as I've noticed, Europe is so great, I don't mind the bad service, I just expect it. Course sometimes service is fantastic and the best in the world! Now the hotels/B&B's tend to be much cleaner than other American lodgings, so good points there. Having a wooden floor helps I think.
Course places like this cost more than a hostel, so I don't stay in them often. Though they are nice breaks. Can't cook in them too, so again, that doesn't make it easier on the wallet.

THE best out of all these is a real bed, and a real room to yourself at a friends house. Good company, great room and a kitchen. All pretty much free as well. Hard to beat!

Oh now for the special lodgings! Now, sometimes while traveling, it takes a long ass time to get somewhere, even while flying.
So, again low to highest.

Bus... oh boy! "Fun" things to travel in. Slow, stops often and crammed, but damn cheap! Having an overnight 8 hour trip in one is not on the top of my list, but if you get to the top front part of the bus, you might get a few hours of sleep. Reading is hard on this, seeing as it makes me sick. So kick back and go crazy sitting forever!

Car.... Europe they go as fast in the USA, well mainland Europe. The Autobahn in Germany is great for hauling ass. Plus everything is so close your there in no time. Sleeping in a car also seems much easier than a bus though. Course car travel is only so much fun.

Boat/ferry... Not done the long haul, but seems like fun to travel on. Easy to get a nap on the ferry by finding a seat in the cafe and sleep away!

Planes... Now I love flying, I think it's great... except for a 9 hour flight with no personal TV screen thing like on some of the Atlantic flights. Sleeping is VERY hard on one of these. Only hope is to doze off and hope the steward does slam a cart into your knee! Really best to have a book that is an easy read. Not good for Plato!

Trains.... Now these I find are the best. Sleeper car or normal seating. The way a train moves is very relaxing I find and it tends to keep moving not getting stuck in traffic like a bus and you can walk around easier on it than a plane. I've been on a sleeper train twice, and soon will be 3 then 4 or 5 before the end.

So long post here, but covers much of day to day lodgings. Now time to check out the rest of Krakow before I leave tomorrow to Budapest Hungary, plus find a crazy cheap place to eat!