Why the sudden change in plans? Well, it's simple. I need a good nights sleep. I know, I know. I insisted on this "get there early spend a week at a hostel plan", and you know what? I give myself props for trying that. For literally jumping into a room with 12 other strangers and actually looking forward to it. Well done Laura, you're as naive as ever.
I haven't complained about the hostel because honestly there isn't much to complain about- except the sleeping situation. And I've been going to bed really early so I can get a decent night's sleep. Still, a semi-good sleep wedged between 2 hours of trying to fall asleep and one hour of I-don't-want-to-get-up-yet-but-that-idiot-is-so-loud, gets rough.
Tonight the room was full. 12 solid. And for the first time, it was mostly guys. Loud, clunky, rude guys that were mostly spending their first night here. Idiot #1 thought he was alone in the room... But he was not, I was in there trying to sleep. Idiot #2 wouldn't turn off his cell phone, so his foreign ringtone would go off, followed by the text message alert, "You just got a f-ing text message!" (Sweet dreams Laura) Then Idiot #3 came in with I swear, 5 laptops, which he clanked inside 5 different metal lockers, 3 of which were right next to my head. All the while different people kept coming and going, 4 people checked in after 8pm alone. At 1am I left the room to get a drink of water and take a few deep breaths, when I ran into the old man in the short shorts who likes to pee with the door half open. That was the tipping point.
Maybe I'm too much of a goodie-goodie. I don't know. All I know is when I hear someone moving around next to my bed in the dark, and all my personal belongings that I'll need desperately for the next 3 months are within arms length, I'm gonna open my eyes and see what the hell they're doing by my bed.
Christopher McCandless famously relinquished all material things because "stuff makes people cautious." I get that. And it's a fine goal, to be sure. But the way I see it- as a woman, people are always gonna want certain things you have. Why not at least make yourself comfortable?
So I'm writing off my hostel experience as a checked box on that life experience chart I keep somewhere. Glad I did it, but 4 nights is more than enough. I think there's a reason why people backpacking across Europe keep moving on. 1 night in 1 hostel is sufficient.
Where to now? Well, when I searched cheap hotels in the area, one popped out at me. It's called the Mill House Hotel in Kingham, right in the heart of the Cotswolds. I really want to visit there, so why not now? I can spend 2 peaceful days there and rest up before I return to Oxford and my new living arrangement... whatever that may be. I've learned from my Highclere Castle experience this weekend, and so I checked train times and bus times to Kingham, as well as how far the Kingham train station is from my hotel- which is 2 min by car or 10 min on foot. yay!
I found one of the managers of my hostel at 1am and convinced him to give me a refund for the next two nights. I wouldn't have switched otherwise, as much as I couldn't stand another night here. I hope this whole Cotswolds plan works out. I initially figured I'd make this trip with some people I'd meet during term, but what if we ran out of time or I never got the chance? I'd regret not taking this trip.
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