Re: [CR] Youth Hostels

(Example: Framebuilding:Norris Lockley)

Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2007 09:39:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Fred Rafael Rednor" <fred_rednor@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [CR] Youth Hostels
To: Michael Allison <cyclo_one@verizon.net>, Stronglight49@aol.com
In-Reply-To: <085a2bb7fcfce68a3259d4cb214f064b@verizon.net>
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

> Bob Hanson wrote: > > "The following two photos are scans of two > postcards which I still have of a British youth > hostel at which I spent two nights in 1970. > This site was formerly the old City Mill in > Winchester, Hampshire, England, originally > built on the site of an earlier mill dating > back 1000 years." > That is one fantastic hostel. I have no photos, but I can relate that some of the American hostels were of the same theme as the joint in Winchester - although not located in such a grand edifice. For example, the hostel in Putney, Vermont was a converted church. But in that case the building was one of those old wooden, New England church buildings with white siding. The pews had all been removed and the sactuary was divided into 3 sections - male and female sleeping areas, plus a sort of parlor. There was a small kitchen, too, which must have been part of the church's original facilities. My daughter's best friend is actually from Putney, so I've learned that this hostel no longer exists. The building might still exist, but if so it's serving another purpose. The other Vermont hostel I remember was near one of the ski areas - perhaps Stowe or Jay Peak. (Not that any of these places are so far apart.) Anyway, this hostel was actually a ski lodge in the winter. Now I don't mean ski lodge in modern terms. In those days (which really weren't that long ago, were they?) there were some really rudimentary lodges in the valleys near the Vermont ski mountains. In this place, you slept 3 or 4 to a room and there were shared baths. For some reason, I don't have any strong memories about the other hostels in Vermont and New Hampshire. I remember the towns - and even the roads - pretty well, but my recollections of the hostels themselves seem to have melded together. Even the hostel up in Montréal is something of a haze to me right now. I remember the façade (the place must have once been a very grand town house or small hotel), and the strict "Matron" who ran the place, but not much else. (Well, there are aspects of the neighborhood I do remember well, but those aren't related to cycling. Suffice it to say, the place was located near McGill University and the "counter-culture" section of town...) By the way, the Washington, DC hostel has been at the same location since the 1970s at the very least, and is a converted hotel. When in DC, it might be worth passing by just to get a feel for the place, especially if you've never spent time in a youth hostel. It's on K Street, NW, just a few blocks from the more famous tourist attractions. What I find interesting about his whole discussion is that is shows how for so many people on this list, cycling really has been a way of life - and not just exercise - even in North America. Cheers, Fred Rednor - Arlington, Virginia (USA)

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