Wandering around Harajuku after picking up some souvenirs at Kiddy Land, I found Gyoza Lou on a tiny alley just south of the main drag.

The gyoza (dumplings) are fresh and very tasty. I got them fried, with garlic and a cold beer, but they’re also served steamed. Don’t miss the small plate of cucumbers with miso dressing.

Frommer’s (via NYT) says the address is 6-2-4 Jingumae, but I couldn’t get that to work with Google maps. Here’s a pretty good idea of where it is.

Follow Google’s Street View car (in reverse) up Rue Mouffetard (and other streets) in Paris’s Latin Quarter.

This video takes you from my favorite Paris hostel, the Young and Happy, to Notre Dame cathedral.

Also in HD at Vimeo or YouTube.

When Google added satellite photography of virtually the entire planet to its popular Google Maps service this summer, travel nuts finally had a wider use for the website than finding nearby Thai restaurants. ‘Gmaps’ is not the first web-enabled incarnation of satellite imagery. But when combined with Google’s predictive-downloading navigation engine, escaping to the Provençal countryside during a dull conference call is now magnificently simple. With both the web-based Maps and desktop-based Google Earth software available, armchair travel has gone mainstream, evidenced by the popularity of Google Sightseeing and similar sites.

Getting There

The logical starting point is Google Maps’ homepage, maps.google.com. For cities and addresses in the United States, searching is the easiest way to pinpoint your target. But European destinations require a little more work—while Google’s city database is rich for the 50 states, much of the rest of the world is still sketchy. Try using anglicized names, such as ‘Florence, Italy’ and ‘Munich, Germany’. Smaller towns are not generally included in the search database, but their fuzzy, low-resolution photos aren’t worth much effort to begin with. Sharing and bookmarking views is easy: click ‘Link to this page’ for a permanent URL.

My Favorites

After hours of exploring, retracing old trips and scoping out future destinations, I’ve compiled a few of my favorites. Many of these are places I visited during my 2004 backpacking trip across Europe.

As Google upgrades its satellite imagery, I’ll continue collecting (and eventually posting) more of my favorite European destinations.

Dan Frommer is LightPacker’s editor. He lives in New York.

Hostels are rated using the Modified Golden Backpacker Method, devised and refined by Dan Frommer and the Golden Backpacker at the Backpackers Hostel in Lucerne, Switzerland. Assessments are objective, subjective, standardized, irregular, opinionated and irreverent. If you disagree with anything, let us know.

How It Works

Ratings are based on a 10 point score, 10 being the greatest. Points are based on the following criteria:

Location, Location, Location (3 points maximum). Hostels should be easily accessible from the city’s main train terminal(s) via foot or public transportation (1 point), should offer easy access to the city’s main attractions (1 point) and should be close to food, nightlife and culture (1 point). This is the most subjective category, but we’re okay with it.

Security (1 point maximum). Hostels should have reasonable security, such as 24 hour reception, locking room doors, and/or should provide lockers or similar secure luggage storage, ideally for free (1 point).

Facilities (2 points maximum). Hostels should provide a clean, well-maintained kitchen for communal cooking and laundry machines (dryers not required) or laundry service at a reasonable price (1 point for either) and decent sleeping/living facilities including beds, lighting, toilets and showers (1 point).

Character (2 points maximum). Hostel atmosphere should be informal and friendly. Hostels full of excessive vapidity or those resembling commercial warehouses will be marked down in this area. Hostels should also be conducive to traveler interaction. The best will have a bar or common room/outdoor patio for winding down at the end of a long day.

Value (2 points maximum). Hostels should be appropriately priced based on location, city size, facilities and competition. Bonuses included in the fee, such as ‘free’ Internet and/or breakfast, are considered in this assessment.

Future Improvements

While this system is not perfect, it works for now. Future improvements may give preferential treatment to hostels that offer online booking with immediate confirmation, hostels with no curfew or lockout, hostels with free bed linens, hostels with free Internet access, or a few other parameters. We encourage your comments.

Ahhhh, Paris…

I checked myself into a relatively decent hostel for my last few nights in Europe, and started to re-acquaint myself with what is supposed to be one of the world’s most romantic cities. And romantic it is, with its winding streets scattered with Parisians strolling stereotypically with baguettes in their hands.

I met up with a couple of other solo travellers, which there seemed to be an abundance of, and headed off into a Parisian night at the Eiffel tower on my first night. Stocked with cheap wines and high spirits, we found a comfy piece of grass at the tower’s base and after a few bottles found ourselves chatting away with some South Americans, a couple of Germans and a fistful of Moroccans.

Once an hour, on the hour, the tower lit up with a dazzling light show, like an oversized Christmas tree with enough strings of lights for the entire neighbourhood. Without fail all conversation would come to a standstill, and all heads turned to the sparkling tower. I imagine our eyes all widened a bit, and a complacent grin fell over our lips as we each retreated into our own thoughts, hopes and dreams. Yes, life’s pretty good.

The next couple of nights were spent sitting on the steps of la basilique du Sacré Coeur de Montmartre, offering one of the best views of the Parisian skyline while I made a great new friend from California. A small crew banded together, unified not only by the regular traveller bonds – language, distance from home and virginity to so many new cities — but by something even stronger: we were all going home.

With mixed emotions I boarded a plane last weekend and began the final leg of my trip. I was flying home. The flight passed with relative ease, and after what seemed like countless hours (about ten, but who’s counting?) I was back on Canadian soil once again. After greeting loving parents, I was whisked away from the airport in a big cozy car.

And now I sit in reflection, home a week and already back into classes at school for another year. When I look back at what I’ve gained and lost over the summer past, I can’t help but be happy with what I’ve done. Sure, my finances have suffered (I dream restlessly of bankers rubbering their hands greedily with teeth-bared sneers) but all of this is nothing in comparison to the things I’ve seen, learned and experienced. The world is a big place, and I but a small piece of it, but I can safely say I know both just a bit better now.

Those who wander are not always lost
-Anonymous-

I sit now at a dirty internet cafe in Paris, but before I discuss this, there is some backtracking left to do.

The football tournament was a blast, although a bit short-lived in retrospect. We drew a tough pool, having to play the Brazilians and the Croatians. We were hoping that both teams would actually be made up of Austrian kids looking to have a bit of fun, but we would not be so fortunate. The Brazilians were, well Brazilians… and likewise with the Croatians. Read the rest of this entry »

The last week has been a fast blur of a blast.

With a few days off work as usual, I hit the train to Innsbruck, determined to get to know Austria a little better than just Salzburg and a bit of Vienna. Read the rest of this entry »

My return from Berlin was one of mixed feelings. Berlin was comfortable, despite its busy bustling lifestyle. There seemed just so much to do, and coming back to Salzburg seemed a bit of a bore in comparison. This isn’t meant as a bash to Salzburg — I still love the city — but it simply doesn’t hold the same buzz… nowhere near as much history, a tiny population in comparison, and quite frankly, not as much to do on the surface. Read the rest of this entry »

What to Expect

Top to bottom: A Yoho room, the bar and one of the numerous breakfast options. (Bottom two photos borrowed from Bibicall’s Flickr page.)

From its electronic key card door locks to its coin-operated showers, Salzburg’s Yoho screams efficiency. Large and modern, the Yoho is the prototypical backpacker’s hostel, offering basic lodging with a few perks — in this case, a lively bar.

Salzburg is a popular stop on the ‘beer route’ from Munich to Prague — the Yoho crowd is especially young and boisterous. Thirsty guests pour into the bar around 6 o’clock for happy hour, swapping war stories over a pint of Stiegl, the local brew. In an hour’s time, I met twangy students from Atlanta, snippy British girls and a chatty lone vagabond from Israel.

Later, groups cross the Salzach river to Salzburg’s old town, whether for an evening stroll, a Mozart concert or continued intake at the Augustiner monks’ famous beer hall.

Quirks

Directions

From the main train station, exit left and follow the road (Rainerstrasse) toward the city center. Turn left and walk under the rail bridge. Continue straight on Gabelsbergerstrasse past the overpass for one full block. Turn right onto Paracelsusstrasse. The Yoho is a block down on your right. A map and directions are provided.

Disclaimer & Call to Arms

Things change. These reviews are written based on the last personal visit to each hostel. Use this guide confidently, but at your own risk. If your experience was different, we would love to hear about it.

What to Expect

Ostello Archi Rossi’s two outdoor patios and their well-stocked fridges. (Images stolen from the hostel’s website.)

Ostello Archi Rossi’s lively atmosphere and ‘free’ bonuses (Internet, breakfast) help make it popular, but as far as I’m concerned, this place is all about the patios. After a busy day of Renaissance art or sightseeing, lounging in the warm Tuscan air in Archi Rossi’s two outdoor patio areas (complete with gurgling fountain) made for memorable conversation on a nightly basis during my stay.

Until now, the running joke about Archi Rossi was “you’d love it, but there’s no way you’ll get a bed there.” They never accepted reservations and the only way to get a bed was to get in line early — they often fill by 8 a.m. For whatever reason — probably fervent demand — Archi Rossi now takes online bookings through their website. While this is immensely more convenient for many travelers, it’s a bit sad to see one of the last holdout ‘walk-ins-only’ hostels join the online reservation revolution.

There’s no hiding the price tag: starting at €21, Archi Rossi isn’t cheap. But in return, travelers gain access to quality accommodations and my favorite: the patios.

Quirks

Directions

From the main train station (Firenze Santa Maria Novella), exit left and walk straight, through a Vespa parking area and to a large street, Via Fiume at Piazza Della Stazione. Cross Via Fiume and walk straight along Via Nazionale. Turn left at Via Faenza. Walk for a few minutes. Ostello Archi Rossi is on your right. A map is provided; Google’s is also good.

Disclaimer & Call to Arms

Things change. These reviews are written based on the last personal visit to each hostel. Use this guide confidently, but at your own risk. If your experience was different, we would love to hear about it.