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March 19, 2005

Jen and Lisa's Baltic Adventure – Day Five

Today's lesson: looking for hostels over the internet is a hit-or-miss process. We left our lovely hostel in Vilnius this morning, after I caught the leg of the breakfast tray on the edge of my bed and spilled the apple juice everywhere (I now have some sticky clothes).

We walked up through a different section of town with our backpacks (why, oh why, did I pack so much stuff?), and saw the University of Vilnius and the Gate of the Dawn (the only surviving original gate of the city) on our way to the bus station. Once there, we caught the 12:40 p.m. bus to Riga. Thankfully, we were on a real bus this time and had two seats each. Having taken a full dose of Dramamine, just to be on the safe side, I slept almost the entire five hours, but Lisa took the opportunity to read up on Riga and do some planning for sightseeing.

We arrived in Riga at just before 6 p.m. and made our way through the bitter cold to the river, where we followed the road around to Old Riga where our hostel was located. After a little confusion over the address (there was only a teensy, tiny sign on a nondescript door), we were buzzed in to Friendly, Fun Franks Backpackers Hostel. We chose this particular hostel over the internet (just like the one in Vilnius) because the description made it seem like a good option:

We are the newest hostel in Riga. The Friendly Fun Franks is Australian, British and Latvian owned. We are situated in the Walls of the Medieval Castle of Old Riga.

All Rooms are Newly Renovated with Panoramic Views Overlooking the Picturesque Daugava River.

If you want to enjoy friendly Australian Hospitality/British Quality Service, LATVIAN Cultural Experience, then Friendly Fun Franks is the place for you!

Additionally, it had free internet access and laundry facilities, and was advertised to have "just been renovated". While Lisa and I had joked that we were certain to be disappointed after our room in Vilnius, we were unprepared for Friendly, Fun Franks.

To begin with, we were greeted by an extremely loud Latvian young lady. To be generous, I am sure she was both friendly and fun, but it was just too much after being on a bus for 5 hours. She practically pushed us into the common room, which was a smoky, orange room filled with beige leather couches and empty beer bottles. To add to the stuffy ambiance, there was also a young man passed out on one of the couches, clearly the result of a night of heavy drinking (or perhaps a day of heavy drinking?). The receptionist then proceeded to proclaim at the top of her lungs all of the best Riga sites—such as the Russian clubs, the Latvian clubs, and the strip clubs. Clearly, this was a friendly and fun place to be. Lisa and I were unable to make eye contact (with both of us facing the woman), so we just smiled and nodded.

Next, we were invited to see our room. We were led around the corner from the common room, into an old rickety hallway. The unlit stairway was missing posts for most of the banister (and swayed precariously), and the shallow steps were unevenly worn. When Lisa questioned the safety, the woman managed to find a bare light bulb on the second floor that threw a little light onto the stairs (but the shadows it created made it look even more of an OSHA violation). We were guided past an open doorway filled with garbage, paint cans, renovation equipment, and more empty beer bottles to our room, which was opened to reveal our new home.

It was atrocious. There was barely room for the two beds (which, to be honest, had lovely sheets and blankets) in an otherwise empty room. There was no table, no chair, no curtains, no heat, no chest of drawers, no place to hang our coats. The room was freezing, with no central heat, and the only potential source of warmth in the room was an oil heater that used the only outlet in the room. In short, it was like a prison. Or perhaps more like an asylum. Certainly, we felt that we might go crazy if forced to stay there.

In the picture above, notice the lone electrical outlet, the unpainted walls, and the uncurtained window. My backpack was sad being in that room.

So once the lady left, we had a quick conversation and decided to wander around and see if we could find another place. We agreed that it was worth spending more money to upgrade, but decided that we probably couldn't get away with using the computer to search for a new room—since the computer was set up directly next to the reception desk and was currently being monopolized by the newly revived sick guy. Walking around was the best option and we wasted no time. After a comedic (and yet telling) moment when the doorknob to our room fell off, temporarily locking us in, we managed to escape.

Fortunately, God had decided that we were punished enough, because after a five minute walk we came upon the Hotel Centra Viesnica. (Check out the photo gallery!) It was gorgeous from the outside, and we approached warily—having read that it was difficult to find comfortable lodging for less than $100 a night (which was about our limit). The inside was equally daunting—a minimalist décor with a finely dressed receptionist (unlike the hostel woman who was dressed like she was on her way out to one of the clubs, in a short black mini and stiletto ankle boots). We nervously approached her and explained our sob story. She was gracious and polite, despite our somewhat grubby appearance. And luck was with us, because she offered us a room with a 10% discount. She took us up to look at the room, which nearly knocked our socks off.

The room is decorated in a simplistic but elegant fashion, with dark wood accessories and pure white linens. There's a TV, a full bathroom (done in blue tiles and chrome), free broadband internet access, and breakfast is included. Yippee!

Thrilled to be getting this room for 81 Euros a night (about $110), we went back to Friendly, Fun Franks and explained the situation to the woman at the door. To her credit, she graciously accepted our reasoning, and let us go up to the room to get our stuff. After another fight with the doorknob, we took some pictures to document the room, grabbed our stuff, and navigated the stairwell. At the main hallway, we ran into Frank (who is admittedly, both friendly and fun), who nicely tried to remedy the situation. He offered us another room, but when we explained that we had already made other arrangements, he relented and even offered to refund our non-refundable deposit. Good for him, and for us, since I will recommend this place to others who would like the particular kind of "friendly fun" offered by the hostel. And I also think that the place will be worthwhile (if still a little strip-club oriented) once the renovations are complete.

Still, we were ecstatic to be free of the place, and gratefully checked into the hotel. Having dropped our stuff in the room, we ventured back out for a late dinner. After wandering a little (the roads of Old Riga are windy and not well marked), we found our way back to the hotel and had dinner at the Amsterdam Pub across the street. For once, the dinner was great (I had potato pancakes stuffed with spinach and cheese), even if the service was a little lacking—they were neither friendly nor fun.

Once back in the room, Lisa called home while I took a long, hot bath. It was delicious and relaxed all the kinks out of my shoulders and back that had accumulated during my slumped nap in the bus. Then we switched, and I checked email while Lisa took a bath. (We are so deprived in Sweden, the presence of a clean tub that actually drains properly is almost overwhelming.)

And now, it's just after midnight and time for bed. Tomorrow morning we'll get up and partake of the included breakfast and I'll drop off some laundry (including the apple juice-soaked clothes and the jeans I spilled dessert on this evening). Then, we're off to do some sightseeing. Since it will be Sunday, a lot of the stuff will be closed, but we hope to look at a bunch of the art nouveau apartments in Old Riga and perhaps visit the ethnographic museum. Yay!

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