Farewell to our hostel at Å
Thursday morning we checked out of our hostel at Å. It was a very nice place to stay for a few days. It was great to be able to prepare our own meals in the kitchen, and our room-- with two single beds and a sitting area around a table overlooking the ocean, or more specifically, Vestfjorden--was very nice. It was also great to meet and be around the other people at the hostel. We arrived at the hostel at the same time as a group of young people from the Netherlands who were accompanied by one Norwegian. While we were at the hostel, there were other guests from Japan, Hong Kong, Russia, Turkey, Italy, Germany, and Sweden. Staying at a hostel is inexpensive, whether one chooses the least expensive option of a shared dormitory room or a slightly more expensive private room like we had. This hostel also rented out private cabins with private baths.
In addition to the bed or room being cheap, the ability to cook one's own meals saves greatly on food costs. Food is expensive in the Lofotens, so the savings are substantial. The inexpensive nature of the hostel attracts a different group of guests--ordinary people from all over the world who are interested in travel. I was the oldest person at the hostel. The next oldest were probably a pair of Russian parents in their 40s who had brought two children along with them on the trip.
On the day we left the hostel, we spent some time helping an approximately 40 year old woman from Hong Kong and a younger woman from Turkey who had been locked out of the women's dormitory-style room with some of their belongings inside the room. Both of them had a bus and and a ferry to catch, so they were quite concerned about the prospect of either leaving their belongings behind or missing the bus and ferry. Hostel staff (all one of him) was not on duty in the morning, so we spent some time trying to contact him by phone and text, and I also spent some time walking around the property to see if I could find him. We also checked the key drop box outside of the reception office to see if another person who had been staying in that room had dropped off a key. As it got later in the morning,we learned that both of the women were planning to take the same 3:30 ferry that Trygg and I were taking. The problem was that the only bus heading in the direction of the ferry left at 11:45. Consequently, Trygg and I agreed to come back to the hostel at 2:20 and to give them a ride if they were still there. Trygg and I then headed a short distance south to the area of a tourist information center for another view of the area around Å. While we were there, we saw the women boarding the bus in the nick of time, their belongings in hand. Trygg and I spent some time in the squint-inducing bright sun looking around Å before eating our lunch in the car and heading to the ferry.
In addition to the bed or room being cheap, the ability to cook one's own meals saves greatly on food costs. Food is expensive in the Lofotens, so the savings are substantial. The inexpensive nature of the hostel attracts a different group of guests--ordinary people from all over the world who are interested in travel. I was the oldest person at the hostel. The next oldest were probably a pair of Russian parents in their 40s who had brought two children along with them on the trip.
On the day we left the hostel, we spent some time helping an approximately 40 year old woman from Hong Kong and a younger woman from Turkey who had been locked out of the women's dormitory-style room with some of their belongings inside the room. Both of them had a bus and and a ferry to catch, so they were quite concerned about the prospect of either leaving their belongings behind or missing the bus and ferry. Hostel staff (all one of him) was not on duty in the morning, so we spent some time trying to contact him by phone and text, and I also spent some time walking around the property to see if I could find him. We also checked the key drop box outside of the reception office to see if another person who had been staying in that room had dropped off a key. As it got later in the morning,we learned that both of the women were planning to take the same 3:30 ferry that Trygg and I were taking. The problem was that the only bus heading in the direction of the ferry left at 11:45. Consequently, Trygg and I agreed to come back to the hostel at 2:20 and to give them a ride if they were still there. Trygg and I then headed a short distance south to the area of a tourist information center for another view of the area around Å. While we were there, we saw the women boarding the bus in the nick of time, their belongings in hand. Trygg and I spent some time in the squint-inducing bright sun looking around Å before eating our lunch in the car and heading to the ferry.
Comments
Post a Comment