First Experience at Youth Hostel

Last week I talked to my good friend and business partner Dave Richmond (President of Comcate) via Skype since I'm in Switzerland (the quality of the VoIP completely blew me away!) and before talking business he told me a story of a youth hostel he stayed at in Switzerland.

Right then I resolved to move ahead with my possible weekend trip to Geneva and Zermatt (see my Zurich Blog for forthcoming details on the jaunt). It seems everyone has memories from when they were a broke student and stayed at a youth hostel.

So Saturday afternoon I checked into the Geneva Youth Hostel for only 30 Swiss-Franks for one night. I walked into my room on the third floor and there was another 40-something black guy already unpacking his stuff. He turned around: "New York." I guess that's how you introduce yourself. "San Francisco," I responded. Another guy walked in later. Also very old. "I'm from San Francisco," I said. "Ireland," he said. Another guy was from a country I had never heard of. During the night, one guy was talking in his sleep in a language I had never heard before.

Other things overheard in and around the youth hostel:

• "Man, you need to stop doing so much crack." Response: "Hey, at least I snort, you smoke!"


• "I feel you bro, let me tell you, the only thing that's stayed the same in my life the past six years is my cell phone number."


• "Jlksjdflkajsdfl" - gibberish spewed out by a guy who decided to move his mattress right into the middle of the hallway.

You can't beat the price. Despite being a "Youth Hostel" (I was youngest there) I guess even adults won't mind a slight hurt to their ego by finding the cheapest bed...wherever it lies.