Something shifted in the vibe of the hostel, or maybe just the dorm, and I’d been having trouble sleeping. One bad night isn’t too bad, but two, with added total obliviousness from the previously OK residents, and I hit my limit; I had not realised the difference & consequences between “small chill hostel with privacy curtains and dorms set up well” & “mega hostel without those things”.
The social & common spaces in the hostel were great, and the dorms weren’t in any way bad; I think I’ve just aged out of that style of dorm/hostel.
A new arrival who waited until 11pm to get herself prepared for the next day didn’t help. Who irons in a hostel at 11pm? Why did every object she needed come in a plastic bag or a case with loud catches?
It was one of those situations where by the time you realise that there’s a problem, you’re too annoyed and tired to deal with it sensibly. So instead I just found a nearby hotel in the morning, made a booking, and left. I’d rather enjoy my time here, and that’s not going to happen if I can’t sleep.
As my tourist thing of the day, I went on a canal tour. A little boat chugged along the canals, and the commentary pointed out various things of interest.
Because I was leaving with a few days left on my stay at the hostel, and there are no refunds, I didn’t have any particular hurry to pack up, so I did the tour and then went back when I was confident that the room would be empty and I wouldn’t have to maneuver around everyone else to pack my stuff up. As a system, it worked pretty well.
I knew when I booked it that the new hotel was right by the station; What I didn’t know is that it is over the top of one end of the platforms, which I think is awesome, because you can look out the window of the hallway or from a skybridge from one part of the hotel to the other, and be looking along the tracks or down onto the platform
