Europe

This is a work in progress. I was goofing off and realized that I don't remember writing about the 3 month trip I made to Europe in 1980. It's getting late, so I'll do more later.

In the early 1970s, my cousin Lolly worked for Vista (Started by Lyndon Johnson as the American version of the Peace Corp). The deal with them was that you worked for 2 years, somewhere in the country, but not likely near your home, and got paid half of your salary. At the end, you got the rest when you finished. Lolly worked in Florence, Oregon (on the coast) for her time. At the end of the 2 years, she and a friend took the money and went to Europe. That was in the early/mid 70s. Lolly travelled around for 13 months before she came home. I remember sitting around with her, listening to her tell stories about where she’d been, what she’d seen, and wondering if I would have had the courage to do what she did. In 1980, the chance did come, and I packed a backpack and left for 3 months. My only regret was, sitting on the plane, on my return, thinking, “I didn’t need to leave now – I could have stayed longer.”

While travelling, I hitchhiked from London, up to Scotland, over to N. Ireland (I did pay for the boars along the way) back down to Dublin, back to London, and to the coast. I took the ferry from Dover to Calis (the ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre was popular, but I did want to see the white cliffs, which are really dirty grey) and then managed to get to Paris. Mom and Dad bought a Eurail pass and sent it to me, but I didn’t activate it until I left Paris. On the train, headed to Amsterdam, Denmark, Germany, Berlin (through E. Germany at the time), back out, to Sweden and Norway, back to Paris and down to Rome and Florence, back to Paris, London, and home. Eurail pass doesn’t work in Britain, but it had expired by then anyway. Had to wait a day to get on a plane, and realized, sitting on the plane that I really could have, and should have, stayed longer.

I took $3k, in traveler’s checks, in a money belt that I’d sewn, that I wore 24 hours a day, inside my pants, which was handy when half a dozen Gypsy kids accosted me on the outskirts of Dublin, and had hands in every pocket until a friendly passerby scared them all off. I kept the traveler’s checks and passport in the money belt. I had one extra pair of shoes, lots of socks, enough clothes to change on occasion and a sleeping bag, which I really never used. I only did laundry a couple times – that’s why you have a poncho, so you have something to wear when you’re washing everything else. I had a light pair of hiking boots that I wore most of the time. If you go, wear comfortable, well ventilated, shoes. I know I walked a marathon on several days.

I was extraordinarily lucky. The only real rain I encountered was up in Scotland where it seems to rain about 380 days a year. Which explains why it’s so green. In Italy, in December, there was a cold spell and they had freezing weather all the way down to Naples. One night I did take the train to Vienna, and at 7am when I got off the train, it was snowing and cold, and I really didn’t have winter clothes with me. So I got back on the train and headed down to Italy to warm up. I don’t speak any other language, but I was there from mid-September to mid-December, so lots of folks had gotten over the crush of rude Americans and were willing to put up with my English. I really didn’t have a language problem anywhere I went. I really did almost no planning – when I got on the plane in San Francisco, I really had no idea where I’d go, how I’d get there, what I might see, etc. A bit of planning would have been nice.

When I first landed at Gatwick, someone leaving, gave me a rail system pass that had one more day left on it, which I used to get into London. At the time, unfortunately, I didn’t realize that I should have used it to ride all over town. Buses in London are cheaper than the Underground, but the underground goes everywhere and has a really nice map, so is much easier to use. I found a B&B, but after day or so, found Astor’s hostile which was much cheaper. I’d bought a random travel book, looking for rail routes, etc, that wasn’t a lot of use, but it did two things. (1) it mentioned another book that did have schedules, and (2) I think I found both Astor’s Hostel and the Hotel Neslie (cheapest hotel in Paris, where, “Cleanliness was not their forte”).

I wandered around London for a week and a half, mostly walking, but taking the underground to go farther. There was a nice, inexpensive place to eat around Seven Dials that I went to every 2nd day or so. (Interesting, if you type == London s == into google, Seven Dials comes right up.) I spent parts of 2-3-4 days, wandering around in the British Museum. One afternoon, I leaned back and fell asleep. A bit later the guard said he wasn’t supposed to let anyone sleep, but I looked like I needed it. Balmoral Castle (which I didn't see) looks like a castle. Windsor Castle, in London, which I did see, looks more like a fortress. Probably appropriate, considering when it was built. "Windsor Castle is the largest and oldest inhabited castles in the world. A Royal home and fortress for over 900 years ..." Yep.

I went down to Croyden / Purley and stayed overnight with friends of mom and dad. Mom or dad bought an Eurail pass and mailed it to them, and I picked it up after I’d hitchhiked up to Scotland, over to Ireland, down to Dublin, back to Wales, etc. Thanks.

Next I hitchhiked up to Coventry and met a friend that I’d worked with at Torrington Mfg. They were headed down to Lyme Regis to go fossil hunting, and I rode with them. Next day, they headed out, but I stayed at the B&B. They came back with some trilobite fossils that they’d picked up along the coast. (I wonder if you can still do that?) I rode back with then to Coventry (I think I stayed one night) then headed north to Edinburgh. It was pretty rainy, so after a couple days, I hitchhiked to the west coast to look for a ferry to Ireland. That part of the country is pretty sparsely populated, and, riding with a trucker, we were on a one lane road. Really one lane. With a wide spot every quarter mile or so, so that cars could pass. At any rate, made it over to N. Ireland and stayed in Balfast a couple days before heading down toward Dublin, stopping at Newgrange along the way. Was in Dublin 3-4 days before heading to the coast to catch the ferry over to Wales. Stopped at Stonehenge and it was surprisingly deserted. I nearly had the place to myself. There was a rope around to politely show you how close you were supposed to get. Back in London, I got the Eurail pass and after a couple days, back at Astor’s hostel, I headed for France.

Took the ferry to Calis. Stayed the night in a small town near Calis and went to Paris in the morning. I remember passing a village on the train where the streets were all flooded and there were rowboats in all the driveways. (Or, was it canals that were always that way?) In Paris, checked into a nice B&B, but after a day or so, moved to the Hotel Neslie, after someone broke into my room. The door lock was on the floor, almost as if someone bumped into the door and the wood frame was balsa wood. Nothing was missing, but I think that my backpack was open, and stuff was rather neatly laid on the bed. At the Neslie, I’d assumed that they changed the sheets and made the bed before I checked in. They certainly didn’t make the bed while was there, and, considering how cheap it was, I didn’t ask. From there, I walked all around the center of Paris.

I honestly don’t remember where I ate, although breakfast was always the tan liquid and somewhat stale rolls. Generally while traveling, I tended to pick up something – anything – at a market and munch while I was walking around.