HOSTELS SPIFFING UP: When you picture a youth hostel, images of Birkenstock-shod backpackers sleeping on ripped sofas may come to mind. No longer. Now there are designer hostels, aimed at “flashpackers,” who want cheap, but contemporary, lodging.
In London, YHA (www.yha.org.uk), which operates more than 200 hostels in England and Wales, recently spent nearly $3.5 million renovating its Earls Court Hostel. Double, twin-bedded rooms start at about $116 per night, while those willing to sleep in one of the two communal 10-bed, single-sex rooms need pay only about $35.
In Edinburgh, the Scottish Youth Hostels Association has opened Edinburgh Central (www.edinburghcentral.org). It has a restaurant open from morning until night, serving wine, beer and food (no main course exceeds $12). Beds start at $30, single rooms at $51.
In Berlin, East Seven (www.eastseven.de) has beds starting at about $17, a garden area with coffee and beer available, and even baby beds. And in Prague, the Czech Inn (www.czech-inn.com) has beds in dorm rooms starting at about $19, private rooms at $27.
EUROPE RIVER CRUISES FOR DISABLED: Handicapped-accessible cruises are not as common on European rivers as in the U.S., but here are a few. Before you book, however, call the company directly to discuss your physical limitations and ask if the cruise is appropriate for you.
Eurorivercruises (www.eurorivercruises.com), based in New York, offers three cruises on ships with handicapped-accessible cabins. However, each ship has just one of these cabins and no elevators. If you can navigate stairs, they might work for you. One is a seven-day Peter Deilmann cruise (www.deilmann-cruises.com) on the Dresden, which sails the Elbe River between Prague and Hamburg. Another is offered by a French company that changes its itinerary but does the Holland waterways in the spring. Cruises are six nights or less.
We also found a barge cruise that sails the Burgundy canal in France. Offered by GoBarging (www.gobarging.com), it’s a six-night cruise that runs from April to October.
SPACE CENTER IN KALAMAZOO: The Air Zoo, an aviation attraction in Kalamazoo, Mich., has opened an interactive, hands-on space and science center with space travel artifacts.
Among the attractions of the 17,000-square-foot Michigan Space Science Center are engines from Saturn V moon rockets, a full-size replica of a Gemini space capsule and astronaut flight suits.
Details at www.airzoo.org.
