Internet Cafes

Currently in Florence, saw Michaelangelo's "David" yesterday. Went to Budapest, Salzburg, Venice and Rome since my last post.

Finally get a chance to use an Internet cafe and of course the computer's locked up so I can't post photos *sigh*. It's too bad because I had a few good ones, I'll get them up soon. I took a recent comment into account and have one documenting poor hostel accomodations. However, most of the problems with hostels are unphotographical. I am working on another photo essay for this trip unrelated to hostels but it won't be ready until after I get back, I have to write a bunch of captions for the photos.

To give you a taste, examples of bad accomodations: hostel rooms being at the top of four flights of stairs with no elevator, hostels located in red light districts with aggresive bouncers trying to lure you in, general noise at night in the hostels. In Prague, the hostel room at the top of four flights of stairs, was probably the worst. We had no less than four keys for the place. One key to open the door from the street shared with a restaurant, one key to open the entrace to the stairs, after climbing four flights of stairs you used a key to open the hostel apartment. You then used another key to open the door to the room where the beds were, we also had another key for lockers they supplied us with. Not only that, the hostel was littered with warning signs about not letting in strangers who might knock. Our first night there we were sitting decided what to do about supper when there is a knock at the door to the apartment. M and I gave each other a puzzled look as we had both commented on the numerous signs saying not to let anyone in who knocks. Our American hostel mate who had been milling around the room immediately goes to the apartment door and lets the stranger in, walking by numerous signs telling him not to let strangers in. The stranger comes in, doesn't say anything just sits at the table with M and I. The American who let him in then immediately leaves, leaving just M the stranger and I in the room looking at each other. We did manage to determine that he was actually staying in the an ajacent bed room and his friends had a key, but it took about twenty minutes of talking to him to determine that. The only way to capture that in a picture would me punching the American who let him in in the face, but then I would still need this long winded story to explain why there is a photo of me punching someone in the face.