I finally took some dorm pictures with the beds all made up. Thanks to my model Andrew for the action shot.

Yay for friends visiting! Last year, it seemed Lee and I couldn't beat them away with a stick (not that we wanted too). Since becoming more and more busy though, we haven't had the steady stream that spring 2007 brought. So it was great to have Andrew and Kyra in town this weekend from London. After a few solid nights of drinking and staying out late, I have no idea how we managed last year without any major injuries or illnesses.

What goes up, must come...

Our elevator is not the best but it'll get you to your floor,


eventually.

While its age is charming, it's still just old. We've already rescued three guests from it's rusty embrace but today was a first for me: the good Samaritan rescue. I couldn't help but hear the pounding and pleas coming from the elevator shaft as I was tidying bathrooms and checking out guests this morning. To my delight, the pounding was coming from a few floors above us.

In the continuing war with the cranky neighbors, I'd like to think this was a small victory. Not only are we constantly on neighborhood watch 24/7 but we're always here with a helping hand in case they get stuck in the elevator. What I want to know is, had I not come to the rescue, how long would it have taken for the two offices full of people between my floor and the floor the elevator got stuck to get off their culos cuadrados and do something?

I just had a pair of door-to-door office supply salespeople stop by to sell their wares. I was hoping for a free pen out of it, so I humored them by answering their annoying questions about every office product we use down to the last staple. They insisted on taking me through virtually every page of their 426 page catalogue.

The highlight was Mr. Office Supply taking one look at our hard plastic Ikea chair behind the front desk and warning me that sitting here for 16 hours would lead to a "culo cuadrado" while Mrs. Office Supply nodded gravely as if square butts are something of a national epidemic they are working together to cure.

As far as I can tell none of these people stayed at the hostel. Hmmm. Still a mystery.

"With home comforts at hostel prices, clean, spanking new interiors and 24 hour travel hosts, this ‘boutique hostel’ aims to scream out quality. You’re going to have to listen past your squeeking (SIC) IKEA bunkbed to hear it, though. But who’s complaining with these rates and the brilliant location?

Run by two Chicago born sisters, they have ambitions to expand throughout Europe, so make nice with them now." Urban Junkies

Who writes this stuff? I'm going back through our reservation log to see who could have possible enjoyed our squeaking ikea beds so much (SquEAking right? not squeeking? or is it some weird british thing?). No idea. Thanks for the (backhanded) compliments, I guess.

We've been looking for someone to work Fridays and Saturdays overnight at the hostel. Lee and I have been pulling those graveyard shifts since the start, and it's getting to be a little too much. Everyone else who works for us has been people that contacted us directly or came through friends, so we were a little wary about posting an open ad for staff. With another long weekend looming, we finally sucked it up and posted an ad on Loquo, the Spanish Craig's List.

You wouldn't believe some of the responses we got. Most people just send a very professional blank email with a sloppy resume attached.

But I really can't get over how European resumes (CVs) always include pictures. And secondly, I can't believe some of the pictures people send. Would you hire any of these people?



The photos don't exactly shout "I'm responsible and mature. I don't have a drinking problem. I can be trusted with your brand new business. Hire me."

Then there's the guy who informed us that he's Irish American so he can "drink and tell stories" and hates George Bush. Thanks. If I were looking for a college roommate, you'd be short-listed.

We were particularly impressed by one guy's seemingly professional attitude and invited him for an interview. After having to air out the lobby for an hour to rid ourselves of his BO, we realized it wasn't quite a good fit.

All's well that ends well. We've found a Hoscar winning Chilean guy that's starting on Friday. He's got a good attitude and, more importantly, good hygiene.

I was all set to write a post about dealing with irritating guests when the main target of my ponderings up and had a heart attack. That's right, a heart attack.

This guy stayed with us for about five days. He was slightly older but spent a good deal of time at the gym and doing an 11k run on Sunday. Then Monday he's complaining of a pinched nerve in his shoulder. We tried to get in touch with an American chiropractor we know here. I finally found a private clinic outside the center that had English speaking doctors and called him a taxi, happy to have him out of our hair. Then we get a call a few hours later informing us that our guest won't be returning; he's spending the night in the hospital. I asked what happened, and they told me (violating any american sense of doctor patient confidentialty) that he'd had a heart attack. Fantastic. At least he was polite/coherent enough to cancel his reservation!

Oh, but no. In true form, he showed back up around 1am demanding Gil order him food, which is impossible at that hour. He settled for honey roasted peanuts and coffee, a cardiologist's dream diet no? After three hours of sleep, he took off to the airport. Very strange indeed.

We escaped from the hostel for a few hours last night to see Gil's baseball game against Sant Boi. Barcelona won. The stadium on top of Montjuic has some pretty cool views plus the added bonus of a great concession stand and 1 euro beers con alcohol (unlike Camp Nou where the soccer team plays that only sells 3 euro non alcoholic beer).

It figures. Today, I put on makeup and there are no glamor shots!

This morning´s check out theme has been besos. Anyone who knows me knows I´m more of a two feet away handshake kind of girl but for whatever reason, three of our checkouts today have leaned in to give me kisses upon leaving. A couple of people have commented that they´ve felt like they were guests in our home. That makes me feel good and I suppose explains away any weirdness in kissing your patrons goodbye.

Parting Shots

Why is it that when guests want to take photos with their lovely hostesses, we're never at our loveliest? Never fail, every time I'm on the 6am weekend shift with my hair still matted on one side (a curl, according to Kelly Gates) and big rings under my eyes, some wise guy wants to take a picture with me.

It's been one of those good-to-be-a-hostel-owner mornings. Despite the extra strain on the bathrooms that the bunks have added, I think they also take our average guest's age down by about 10 years and add a lot more of a social atmosphere. We've got some really friendly people staying with us now. We've got two really nice guys from Paris staying with us, which is refreshing after we've had some not so great experience with previous guests of that nation. There's a Japanese guy on an around the world trip that loves Barcelona so much he's visited the last three years in a row.

Then there's the photographer who has photos on display next to Man Ray in a galllery in town. He arrived wearing an "Impeach Bush" shirt so we were a little wary. He seems like a really great guy. He wants to take pictures of Lee and I and submit our story to the New Yorker, which is kind of a laugh.

Everyone who checked out today had complimentary things to say about the hostel, which is a nice change of pace from yesterday when the angry Belgian lady mumbled (presumably mean) things in a mix of languages she knew I couldn't understand as I helped her with her bags. I'm not sure people who haven't heard our story understand how personal Lee and I take negative critiques. Constructive criticism is one thing. But I'm learning slowly to block out irate, crazy ranting with a smile on my face.

I forgot to mention it earlier, but the very first people to make a reservation (Kim & Cintia) stayed with us last weekend. It was great to meet them, and I hope they enjoyed their stay!