Hostels Are Not Made for the Young at Heart

Okay, yesterday I checked into my hostel in Paris and it was the first time that I had slept in the same room with other people. I know it is not the glamorous way to travel, but if you had my budget that is where you would be staying.

Anyway, when I got back to my room after my long walk to the Eiffel Tower (I will tell you that story a little later....keep reading) and the Arc de Triomphe, I was greeted by my roommates. All three are women, but please do not get any ideas because it is far from "Girls Gone Wild". They are from China, South Korea, and Boston. The women from China and SK are about 30 with Botox. However, the woman from Boston takes the cake (notice I have avoided the phrase "young ladies"). In the first five minutes of meeting her, she informed us that she is almost 60 years old! Being 60 was not the bad part, it was that she would not shut up.

In keeping with our friendly meeting,we all decided to go to Eiffel Tower to see it at night (I know I agreed to go back). On our way there way stopped to get some food and the Korean woman claimed she got an urgent phone call that she had to go back to take. The Chinese woman decided to follow her back. Yeah you got it, they both bailed on us like they had it timed.

So the "grandmother" from Boston talked and talked and by the 6th time she mentioned that she went to Harvard and told me about her divorce, I was hoping one of my friends would call with an emergency (Erin where were you when I needed you). She is a very nice person, but I cannot do motherly figure for the next three days. So, for today, I will be like the Korean woman and avoid her like the plague.

The point is, leave the YOUTH HOSTELS to the youth.

**** All of the women do have names, but I am really bad with them but perfect with ethnic origins*****

Briefly, I decided to go up the Eiffel Tower the cheap way, I walked (I am on a tight budget). The walk up is not for the "out of shape". About half way up to the first observation level there was a hold up on the stairs. There was this five year old girl who was screaming and crying because she could not go up any further. For one it seemed like she had one to many animal crackers in her previous 4 years of life plus she seemed scared. What made it worst is that her parents were literally dragging her up the stairs as though there was a million euros waiting for them at the top. Then a couple who passed by me turned to each other and said, "They must be Americans".

Hope you enjoyed the pictures.......