Caryn Navy and David Holladay were very good friends who met as freshman at MIT in 1971. David's parents conceived of a European bike camping trip as a means to meet up with David's sister Cathy, who had a summer break from being a Peace Corps volunteer in Gafsa, Tunisia. This way, we could see Europe, get to visit with Cathy and Mike (Cathy's good friend, and also a Peace Corps volunteer in Gafsa, Tunisia).
Bill Holladay started writing his memoirs in 2001, almost 30 years after these events. It is feat of memory. He had no log book or photo album to guide him. Bill Holladay got his doctorate in Holland, so his family lived in Holland from 1955-1958. Bill taught in Beirut Lebanon from 1963-1970, so there are references to students or fellow professors who we visited. At one point, Bill made a side trip to Rome (by train) for a meeting with an editorial board. It turns out that I cannot quote from Bill's memoirs, so I will paraphrase.
Caryn's journal was sealed away for decades, and only rediscovered recently. It is an amazing document that brings back long forgotten events.
Most of the characters of this story flew on June 5th from Kennedy airport to Frankfort Germany on Saturn Airways, which was a cut-rate charter airline. They flew back from Cologne Germany on August 19th, also on Saturn Airways.
How old were we? Bill turned 47 on the trip and Jean was 44, Peter was 15 turning 16, Martin was 18, David was just under 20, Caryn turned 20 on the trip, and Cathy was 22.
Caryn and David would like to mention three mistakes that were made by this merry crew: (1) not preparing for simple repairs. Broken spokes and chain glitches could have been fixed with lightweight, inexpensive tools and supplies, (2) Not bringing enough over-the-counter-medications for diarrhea and (3) not thrashing out the goals of the trip before leaving the USA. We probably would have split up anyway, but with less acrimony.
These should be obvious in context. The mom and dad are Caryn's parents, Paula and Simon Navy, who died many years ago, Joel and Linda are Caryn's brother and sister-in-law. Frieda is Caryn's aunt. Lynne, David, Pat, and Robbie are Caryn's friends from the New York area. Lynne, David, and Robbie traveled to Europe that summer, but arrangements to see them in Europe fell through. Hanneke Waterreus was Cathy's friend from when she lived in Holland.
Photo taken in 1981, 8 years later. Pictured: Martin, David, Cathy, Caryn, Mike, Marie, Peter, Clark (kneeling, was not part of the trip), Jean, and Bill. Caryn's guide dog was also not part of the trip. Not pictured: Tristan Hickey.
Not our bike, but similar model and color. Ours was a 10 speed, and had 3 brakes (2 wheel brakes and a rear hub brake)
Not our bike, but the general idea. Our back saddlebags were bigger, and we had our tent and sleeping bags on top. We did not have the red back handlebar bag. We didn't have as many water bottles, but we did have an air pump attached to the frame.
This image is similar to the pup tent Caryn and David shared for the summer.
Bill wrote about planning for the summer of 1973. There were several ideas floated about, such as a car trip across North Africa (to get to visit Cathy and Mike). Eventually, we settled on a bike trip in Europe, meeting up Cathy and Mike.
Bill and Jean ordered bicycles in Frankfort Germany to be ready when we landed. One of the bicycles was a Gitane tandem, the rest were Peugeot regular bikes. Lightweight camping gear (tents, sleeping bags, and cooking gear) was purchased in the Boston area.
We wanted to start the bike trip in Holland, but we bought cheap charter tickets to Frankfort. The plan was to land in Frankfort, get our bikes, and take a train to Holland.
On the appointed day, Bill, Jean, Martin, and Marie arrived at Kennedy airport by van. Caryn and David were already in New York City, and got a lift to Kennedy.
★ Tuesday 6-5: David and I were mugged at Prospect Park. Joel, Linda, Mom, Dad, and Frieda came to the airport, but Lynne and David did not make it. We boarded our Saturn Airways D.C. 10 about 9 PM and took off around 10:30. We were fed neatly packaged snacks, and then I went to sleep. [This was my first time flying.]
★ Wednesday 6-6: I woke up when we hit an air pocket. David said he thought we were landing, maybe in Cuba. When I asked him if planes feel that way often, he said, "No." I guess he was just sleepy. [What was I thinking? He was being a jerk.] We had eggs, ham, etc. for breakfast. David and I sat next to a young German girl who had been studying in America and talked to her about politics. She was pretty good [whatever that meant to me at the time]. We landed at Frankfort Airport about 11 AM Central European Time, 5 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time. Had to pay 30 pfenigs to piss at the airport. No customs. Took train into the city itself. Because we're here early, the tandem isn't at the bike shop yet. Took subway to campground, but only Bill got off at the right stop. The rest of us did not know we had to press a door button. Without too much trouble, we all got to the camp ground anyway. Only Bill speaks German.
★ Thursday 6-7: David and I tried to go to the bathroom at 4:30 AM but could not get in because someone was cleaning it. Later we had breakfast and went into the city by subway. First we did some shopping. We went to the bike shop, but the tandem was not expected for a few hours. We wandered around and had lunch. We returned to the bike shop when it started to rain, and the tandem was there. At about 4 PM, wrestling rush hour traffic, we biked back to camp. The seats hurt our crotches. After supper we listened to the Watergate hearings on AFN, American Forces Network. The Germans appear very efficient and uptight about cleanliness and rules (even for pigeons).
★ Friday 6-8: Woke up at 5 and began biking to the railroad station at 6. Believe it or not, it was already rush hour. Had trouble with the tandem gears but got to the station at 7, two hours before having to board our train to Holland. My seat was a little more tolerable because we readjusted it last night. Reserved seats for ourselves and bought bicycle tickets too. Took out breakfast things but had to move because we were blocking a tobacco display. Had breakfast on the platform. The train was right on time, and we had 16 minutes to board. Left promptly at 9:06. Some Turks were sitting in our seats, and the conductor had to ask them to move. Our compartment for six was pretty classy, second class though it was. We were exact to the minute all through Germany, but once in Holland started losing time. Passports stamped at border. Bill and Jean both speak Dutch, but Bill somewhat better. Got off at Utrecht just past 2:30 PM. Rode to a campground on a great bike path with underpasses and all. After supper, Arto (Armenian friend from Beirut) and his rich Dutch wife Ruth came to visit us with two bottles of wine. They are very friendly and both speak English well.
★ Saturday 6-9: In the morning the males went into Utrecht to fix bikes. They were not put together well in Frankfort. Started for Amsterdam about 12:15 PM. David and I found the riding strenuous. After 52 km, at about 6 PM, we reached the crowded campground in the Amsterdam woods near the suburb of Amstervane. Had a good supper, tried to make some phone calls including one to Robbie, and went to bed. We can get BBC here. There are many foreigners, and the radio is full of English rock music.
★ Sunday 6-10: In the morning David, Martin, and Bill went to meet Peter and Tristan. Peter rode the back of the tandem on the way back to camp. Again the tandem was hard to ride. Then David realized that the brakes had been on all along. I talked to Robbie, and I will wait until New York till I see him. We all took a bus into the city. There are narrow streets and lopsided, narrow buildings with steep stairs. There are also many hippies. David, Marie, and I split off. The tourist places were closed by then. We walked around and had rijsttafel at an Indonesian restaurant. Took the bus back and went to bed.
★ Monday 6-11: David and I and his parents bussed into the city. Went to the Ann Frank house, which was incredibly moving. Had rijsttafel at another restaurant, went to the municipal modern art museum, slept in a public garden, and bussed back. The bus passed Marie on her bike. She got lost and got back awhile after we did. We five had supper, went to a cafe in Amstelvane, and went to bed around 10 PM. I heard Martin and Peter and Tristan come in about 1 AM.
★ Tuesday 6-10: All but Marie biked into the city. She took the bus while Peter used her bike. Peter bought a bike, and David and I got our brakes oiled. Some of us had a cheap but very good lunch at a subsidized student house. After lunch we explored the red light district. Bought some braille paper at a blind agency. I went to sleep by the Van Gogh museum while some others went inside. All but Peter and Tristan biked back together. I don't like bicycling in Amsterdam with all the heavy, noisy traffic, and I am glad to be getting back to the Dutch countryside tomorrow.
★ Wednesday 6-13: Bicycled hard against the wind to Katvijk-von-Zee. Bill visited his old professor, de Boer, while the rest of us went on to a campground. There are two in Katvijk, and Bill went to the other one. He found us after much time and effort. After supper we went to the beach on the North Sea.
★ Thursday 6-14: In the morning we went into town for shopping and banking. The Holladays lived there once, and we passed their house. David does not remember much of it. We visited Mrs. Waterreus, an old friend and mother of Cathy's childhood friend, and had a good time. Her English is not that good, and we talked mostly about politics. I also got a letter from home. Just before we left for Rotterdam, we had trouble with the tandem. We brought it to a repair shop, but they could not and did not want to help us. People were very uptight, especially since we did not even know what was wrong. Then David noticed a chain irregularity, and he and Martin more or less fixed it. Left for Rotterdam about 3 and got to a camp there about 6 after a nice ride. For me, the highlight of supper was the krupuk, an Indonesian fried shrimp cracker. Another Dutch delicacy we have had is biscuit with chocolate. I love Dutch bread and cheese and yogurt. David and Martin love salted licorice, a Dutch treat from their early days. Oh yes, Tristan's handlebars broke just as we got to camp.
★ Friday 6-15: In the morning we did laundry, and Tristan got his handlebars fixed. After we left for Bergen op Zoon, not too far from the Belgian border. Hot day for biking. First we went through Rotterdam and the Maastunnel in the city. It was really fun, with a special section for bikes, including escalators. Another tunnel and a toll bridge were also in our route. We went about 5 km out of our way and then backtracked. We stopped for French fries and limpia (like an egg roll) and finally reach camp about 7:30 PM after about 85 km of riding.
★ Saturday 6-16: Got off on another late start on our way to Belgium. The big event of the day was Marie and Jean and Bill getting separated from the rest of us, and that took about two hours. We finally got to Antwerp, which is full of lousy cobblestones and does not have a nice tunnel with escalators. At one point I got dizzy riding in the city. Oh yes, there was not even a border check at the Belgian border. Reached camp, and David and I went shopping with his parents. Campground is very crowded but has a pool. We went swimming.
★ Sunday 6-17: Kind of a rotten day. Left camp early but soon had the same trouble with the tandem chain. The repair shops were all closed for Sunday. For awhile David acted crazy. Dragged on to Ghent, a quaint, medieval town, although it has its cruddy, industrial aspect too. One quaint sight was the remains of a very recent accident, complete with chalk marks and blood. There was also a mashed tripod, and a shoe had been thrown a good distance. Apparently a photographer was taking a picture of the picturesque church just across the street and got zapped by a car. Went into a crusaders' castle from the 12th century with everything from huge banquet halls to grim torture chambers. Landed in a rather dumpy campground. It is full of ants, and the smell of sulfur permeates the air.
★ Monday 6-18: Very early David and Bill bought a new chain for the tandem. Peter and Tristan set out by themselves for Paris. Long, uneventful day on the saddles. Not even a border check when we entered France. The day-long route beside a truck road was culminated by the monstrous rush hour traffic of Lille. Stopped for French fries there. I was impressed by the lively French chatter around us. Got to a lovely, wooded campground in nearby Neuville after a record 95 km. The friendly camp manager told us we were the first bicycling Americans he had seen in his ten years. His obvious delight revived us somewhat.
★ Tuesday 6-19: Tired out, we left camp after lunch and went only 35 km to the next camp ground in Brunemont. We stopped on the way to fix Martin's bike. Heard that there was swimming "a good kilometer" away and went to find it. After 5 km we reached the beach. It was fancy and cost 3 francs, and we decided to return to camp for cold showers. David and I got lost on the way back, but his meager knowledge of French and vague recollections saved us. Rest of the day uneventful.
★ Wednesday 6-20: Rain kept us in our tents til after 11 AM. Started out around noon on very small roads. Each of the many villages we passed is set on a hill and has a central war monument, usually listing about 30 names of villagers killed in World War I. There are also many military graveyards, mostly British. Rich fields all around. Roosters in the villages and owls and cuckoo birds in the forests.
Five of Bill's back wheel spokes broke, and we stopped in a village with a bike shop. While Bill tended to the repair, the rest of us bought lunch groceries in a housefront store with a delightful 76-year-old matron. She liked the idea of Americans on bikes and told us about other foreigners she knew. Reminiscing about World War I, she told us how the village's chateau was destroyed and only a shrine remained from the church. Since then the church has been rebuilt. She showed us two pictures, one of the lone shrine and the other a postwar village street scene done by a British woman in the early 20's. She danced around to illustrate the glorious life of the marquis in the long-gone chateau. She gave us three free tomatoes. Had lunch at the site of the former chateau, and then the injured bike was ready to go. Stopped in Bapol to mail a letter to Lynne. When we stopped to buy evening groceries, we got a free bottle of hard apple cider from Normandy.
Got to a camp ground in Treux after 65 km of hills, a new bicycling phenomenon for us. The camp ground is set on a farm with an eccentric but jolly farmer and a majestic farmhouse. The farmer told us in English about the history of the place. The land with its chateau had once belonged to Louis XIV. He supposedly was born with one tooth, and so no wet nurse could be found. They finally found an excellent one, and in appreciation Louis left her family this land upon his death. Our guide's great-grandfather bought the land from this family. Our guide's grandfather inherited the estate and was convinced to take down the chateau and reuse the material to build a new farmhouse. He showed us some family antiques: a 1910 Chevrolet buggy, some old wines in a wine cellar, pictures of the old chateau, an old closet where a woman's lover could hide when the husband came home, etc. He said each female in his family had kept 40 pairs of shoes and life was elegant. His great-aunt, unhappy with the man chosen for her, ran to the river to drown herself on her wedding day, but restrained, lived as a happy spinster to a ripe old age.
He himself is quite a worldly man. Born in Haiti, he went off to France by himself at the age of 17. He traveled around a great deal and married a Spanish girl. Speaks French, Spanish, English, and German. He came to live here in later life and recently started the campground to supplement his income. He also sells firewood in Paris in the winter. Later he told Bill he has a bed slept in by Edward VII or VIII of England. Even if some of his stories are not quite true, he is a lot of fun.
★ Thursday 6-21: Awakened by crowing roosters, we bought fresh milk and eggs from the farmer for breakfast. Started out about 10, and again the way was hilly. Surrounded by fields, we borrowed fresh peas and turnip greens for lunch. We passed the Somme River, site of a major World War I battle. After more than 85 km, of which 6 lovely continuous ones were ddownhill, we reached a rather dumpy campground in the city of Compiegne.
★ Friday 6-22: Took a hot shower in the morning. Bill went to replace another broken spoke. We all went to see the railroad car in Compiegne where the Germans surrendered to Marshal Ferdinand Foch in 1918. A World War I museum has been built around it. Curiously enough, not even a word was said about the French surrender to Hitler in the same railroad car in 1940. Place swarming with school children.
Continued on our way toward Paris over quiet, scenic roads. After lunch we passed the ruins of a Roman theater from the second century a.d., but David and Martin went in over the fence. Later we stopped at an old chateau turned museum, also closed.
Decided to go on all the way to Paris to a campground in Neuille sur Marne, actually a suburb. Finally arrived there about 7 PM after 97 tiring km.
★ Saturday 6-23: In the morning we contacted the Gabus family, friends from Beirut, to see if Peter and Tristan had called them, but they had not.
Biked to a Paris laundrymat where we paid 15 francs in all. Apparently that is not expensive for Paris. While we sat by the washing machines, Bill went to buy a train ticket for his approaching trip to Rome for a Biblical meeting.
Then we all had a birthday lunch for Bill. Pretty bad food. The French, who drink so much wine, are very worried about their livers. Is that why every time you order meat, it turns out to be liver?
Locked our bikes and took the Metro to the Square Etual. Saw an ancient Chinese exhibit at the Petit Palais. Walked to the Arc de Triomphe. Only Martin and Marie wanted to go to the top. The guard started babbling away at Marie and would not let her get in. He felt that her "half-nakedness in her rude halter top" would offend the unknown soldier in his tomb. Everybody in the area seemed interested on Marie's behalf.
That scene sent us back to camp, first on the Metro and then on our bikes. Realized we could get on the Metro for free by repunching already-used tickets at machine stations. When we got back to camp, there was a message from Peter to meet Tristan and him tomorrow at noon at the Eiffel Tower. They are staying at the Bois du Bologne campground.
After supper we observed the celebration of the festival of Saint Jean in the central square of Neuilly. Huge bon fire, music and dancing, much food for sale. There was a waterlogged cross in the fire which did not go down until the very end.
★ Sunday 6-24: Had our reunion with Peter and Tristan outside of the Eiffel Tower, but nobody went up. After lunch we went to the Gran Palais for an exhibit on pre-Phaoroh Egypt, then to Napoleon's tomb (David, Bill, and I stayed outside), and finally to a free exhibit of Escher's works. Then Peter and Tristan left for their campground, Bill got the train to Rome, and the rest of us returned to Neuilly. By now we are accustomed to the bicycle route between camp and the first Metro stop. We are to meet Peter and Tristan tomorrow noon at the Notre Dame Cathedral.
★ Monday 6-25: Met Peter and Tristan as planned. Lots of American tourists at Notre Dame. Walked toward the Louvre and had lunch by the polluted Seine, where two French kids mooched some food off of Jean's inability to say no. Went to the Louvre. Asked the first guard we passed if I could touch statues, and he brought me to the big chief, who wanted proof of my blindness but finally said okay. Then we had to tell each guard that I had permission. One poor woman said okay, but then, seeing a big cheese, she came running back to beg me to stop. Only one guard, a black guy, apologized for having yelled at me. I examined mostly Egyptian statues. In Egyptian art, the wife is always much smaller than her husband, and the children are just miniature adults. Monstrously huge statue of a phaoroh. Sarcofficus with picture of the dead guy's wife painted naked on the inside. Wow!
On the way back to camp, stopped to buy food at Mammoth Market, a huge, American-style supermarket and department store. We have seen many rightist, anti-immigration posters around.
★ Tuesday 6-26: Bicycled to the Bastile, but there's nothing to see there. Took Metro to meet Peter and Tristan at the Arc de Triomphe at noon. Marie and I cashed travelers' checks at a tourist bureau. After lunch we decided to go to Mont Martre, an arty section. By mistake we went to Mont Parnasse, on the opposite side of Paris. Walked around in the intense heat and fumes, took Metro to Mont Martre, beautiful. Walked up huge grass-covered hill to the serene Sacre Coeur Church, not too tourist-infested. Bicycling home, I felt dizzy, probably from a salt deficiency.
After supper Jean talked about her family history. Marie and I learned that we both watch Edge of Night. She filled me in somome things that predated my viewing, and I told her about some things from this year. We both cracked up at the thought of discussing Edge in Paris.
★ Wednesday 6-27: Left about 11 to go south to a campground in Sainte Genevieve de Bois near the Gabus' home in Ris-Orangis. Dumpy campground with strangely constructed bathrooms. Camp's swimming pool will not open until July 1. Rain. Peter and Tristan arrived about 11:30 and Tristan immediately threw up. He had lost his passport and travelers' checks during the day and then got them back from the police.
★ Thursday 6-28: All but Peter and I vomited overnight. The Army guy next door with a screaming baby gave us some leftover official U.S. Army milk with stars and eagles and the words "Reevaluate, reconsider, reenlist" on the container. We had thought of going to Versailles, but many of us were too sick. Lay around all day. Bill rejoined a semi-revived group about 4 PM. Having stopped at the Gabus', he had a letter for me from home. Rain had us in bed before 8.
★ Friday 6-29: Having heard others getting sick in the night, we decided the camp water is the culprit. Gladly left to see the Gabus, who are very nice and had a phone message from Lynne in Amsterdam.
Headed for a campground in Malesharbes. Many stops. Peter had five flat tires. Tristan fell down a slope but was not badly hurt. Marie threw up. Stopped for swimming at Milly. There Bill and Jean saw the Cocteau Chapel. Peter found a piece of grass in his tire rim. At night we tried to call Lynne from a hotel, but it would take more than an hour and the hotel desk would be closed by then. The tandem lights are broken. The Gabus told us about a campground by Lac des Settons, and Martin says we can get there by Sunday night.
★ Saturday 6-30: Called Lynne from the post office after over an hour's wait. David, Jean, and I returned to a squabbling group back at camp. Relations tense all day. Peter fell and hit his chin on the pavement. In Chateau Landon, a storekeeper, after yelling at Peter, gave me a Tour de France bicycling cap for free. Stopped for the night in Cepoy near Mont Argis.
★ Sunday 7-1: Started at 9:30 on our way toward Toucy. A vacationing Parisian in a summer home gave us water and orange juice. Great on a hot day. After lunch we stopped for a few hours at a swimming pool. Roughly 6 little French kids began playfully pushing us all in while saying, "You big pig!" Got to campground at Toucy about 7 PM.
★ Monday 7-2: Campground has swimming and miniature golf. It's so nice that even Martin agreed to stay here today. Went swimming. Took a sunbath while all but Bill played miniature golf. After lunch I took a nap while David read. I was annoyed when he wanted to go to sleep after he finished his book. Got over it. He said he would read me a book sometime soon. He was reading Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonegut today.
★ Tuesday 7-3: In a tourist booklet Jean found a nearby reservoir with camping. We decided to go there although it is not on the way to Montsauche and Lake Settons. Arrived at the Reservoir de Bourdom near the town of Saint Fargeau before lunch. No facilities like water and bathrooms, but the swimming is not too bad and there are tents all around. Saw a whole family taking turns at changing in a special changing tent that you pull on over your head.
Went into Saint Fargeau and learned that Joan of Arc was there in 1429. The famous chateau there was closed.
After supper David and I started to ride around the reservoir on the auto road. Thinking we were on the wrong road, we turned back. Then we went all the way around with Peter, starting out on a dirt path and finishing up on the same auto road.
★ Wednesday 7-4: After a breakfast using boiled reservoir water, we left for Tannay. In the morning we stopped at a chateau with an exhibit of local pottery and artwork. Afternoon marked by intense heat and oppressive hills. By the time we reached camping in Tannay, we were all dead tired and my stomach hurt. Campground just a field with a bathhouse. Only one other group is spending the night here.
★ Thursday 7-5: I had a hard time getting to sleep last night and threw up just before midnight, when my birthday began. Later I got diarrhea and found that Jean, afflicted with the same malady, was camped out at the bathroom with her sleeping bag. I joined her. It was a big, clean room. Took some of Jean's pills from Newton Highlands. No intruders. By morning Jean much better and I somewhat better. Returned to the others. Martin read me his birthday poem. As a present, Jean gave me two pottery cups from yesterday's chateau, two little Dutch teaspoons, and some seashells from Katvijk. Soon all the kids but David and me left for the lake, and Bill went to replace some spokes, but without success.
After lunch at about 1:30, David and his parents and I left for Lake Settons, near the town of Montsauche. Took one nap stop and, not far from Montsauche, encountered rain. Stopped briefly in a wooded shelter but, as it was not letting up, decided to continue. Had tea at a nice little Montsauche cafe. Went on in the rain again. Got to the campground at 7:40. Found the other four. On the way Marie had gotten sick and some of Peter's and Martin's spokes had broken. We four put on dry clothes and had soup and French fries at the camp's cafe. They said we can't stay after tonight because the place is filled up with reservations for the weekend. Gave them a sob story and they said we can stay in Mr. Metz's place. He has reservations starting from July 1 and hasn't even explained his absence to them. Thank you, Mr. Metz. What a birthday!
★ Friday 7-6: I felt fine today, but the weather has not improved much. It was cloudy and overcast all day and rained a little. The other four chose a site just outside of the campground, whose facilities they will still use guardedly. We are staying in Mr. Metz's place, and intergroup relations are a little tense. Relaxed and did nothing. Lots of Dutch families here.
★ Saturday 7-7: Still overcast but a little better than yesterday. Did laundry and dipped in the lake a little. By now the two groups are friendly again, and we all bicycled into Montsauche, about 7 km away, for a birthday dinner for me. Salad, chicken, vegetables, fruit, cheese, and wine, all for 11 francs. Then we had a glazed apple and appricot pie which Marie and Martin bought on the way under the pretense of stopping to fix Marie's bike. There was a rabbit right outside the restaurant's bathroom window, and the euphamism "going to see the rabbits" was coined. The whole night was a lot of fun.
★ Sunday 7-8: More of the same inactivity. We realized that, in the turmoil of our arrival, they had not taken an identity document from us, and so we can escape without paying. At night I was reintroduced to the card game oh hell.
★ Monday 7-9: Went to Montsauche in the morning and met another bicycling American family. Received a letter from home and sent off some postcards. After supper David and I attended an oh hell party with the other four.
★ Tuesday 7-10: David read a lot of Sirens of Titan to me. We leave tomorrow toward Switzerland. Peter and Tristan will go to the south of France or to England. Martin and Marie will do something or other by themselves. I forgot to say that Martin and Peter and Bill got their spokes fixed on Saturday morning.
★ Wednesday 7-11: My stomach rebelled again last night, and we stayed put here today. Finished Sirens of Titan.
★ Thursday 7-12: Feeling a little better today. Debate between David and his parents about sneaking out. David won, and we casually bicycled out. Said goodbye to the other four. Went only about 30 km to camping in Saulieu. Free hot showers. Some magic powder cured my diarrhea.
★ Friday 7-13: Saw a Saulieu church from 1100. Headed toward Beaune. Stopped at a chateau in Thoisy la Berchere. Everything very elegant, especially the bedrooms. Traveled 77 km, with the last 10 downhill, to Beaune in the heart of Burgundy wine country.
★ Saturday 7-14: We thought we would stay in Beaune for Bastile Day but learned that nothing is going on here. Bill and Jean visited a winery and an elegant 15th century hospital while David and I stayed in the campground. Burgundy, including both Saulieu and Beaune, has long been a rich region thus endowed with many beautiful chateaus, etc. After lunch we went 33 km down the road to Chalon, an industrial town on the Rhone River. Saw fireworks at night.
★ Sunday 7-15: Morning rain, but the camp had a nice shelter. After lunch we headed for Sainte Germane les Arlay about 60 km down the road. Reached the campground just before a big storm hit, and we had dinner in a little shelter. The campground is an orchard and honey farm, and the owner is very sweet. He has a good feeling about Americans from his experience in the French resistance during World War II. Cleared up before long. Went to a cafe for awhile.
★ Monday 7-16: Bought some fresh honey. In a village en route Bill replaced two spokes, and we bought a new pump for the tandem, since ours was ripped off in Paris. Saw a church with the equipment and costumes from a historical play and light show. Had a fancy restaurant lunch. After 38 km we stopped at a campground in Champagnole. It began to rain, and soon the rain got heavy. The tents got very wet. We began cooking in a dishwashing room. A workman kicked us out. Jean gave one of her famous sob stories and said we were American and not German as he might have thought. Soon he relented and said we could stay in the men's wash room as long as we wanted. Bill slept in his tent, but we three slept in the wash room. A nice British guy whose trailer was parked next to our tents brought us cots.
★ Tuesday 7-17: Got off to an early start and crossed the Swiss border about 3 PM. They just asked what color an American passport is, and color blind Bill said blue instead of green. We all thought it was funny. We stopped at a campground in Orbe. The highest point of the day, just before the Swiss border, was 1010 meters. It rained in the evening.
★ Wednesday 7-18: Left early and had an uneventful day of bicycling, much of it on a highway beside Lake Geneva. Stopped at a campground not far from Geneva. Bought a newspaper. Spoke to some campers from New Zealand and some others from Oregon.
★ Thursday 7-19: Bicycled through Geneva and found another campground much closer to the city. Got settled and did laundry. Bicycled into the city. Went to American Express and to a book store. Went to the lakefront and walked out on a footbridge to the city's main fountain. Did some shopping and returned to camp.
★ Friday 7-20: Before lunch David went to the I.T.U. while the rest of us went to the U.N. Got a tour and then sat in on an international seabed conference. After lunch we went to the book store again, to Calvin's church, and then just around the streets of the old quarter. Stumbled upon a braille library and took out two books, one by Dickens and one a collection of Spanish works. Returned to camp.
During the day Bill had called Thurel Kueng. He and his wife led the 1947 summer youth hostel project that Bill and Jean were part of. We were asked to lunch tomorrow. The Kuengs live in Gex, near Geneva but in France.
★ Saturday 7-21: Rained last night and much of today. Thurel drove us to and from his house. Mrs. Kueng speaks English very well. Stayed a few hours and had a great lunch, including roast beef, potatoes, carrots, home-grown green beans, salad, cheese, fruit, and yogurt. Rest of the day uneventful. Finished the Dickens book, Cricket on the Hearth. Boy, was it soppy!
★ Sunday 7-22: Still kind of damp today. Read some Spanish in the morning. When it got partially sunny, we decided to leave Geneva. Left my books at the camp office to be mailed back. We spoke to quite a few Americans at that campground. Took a boat on Lake Geneva to Rolle, which we had already passed through on the way to Geneva. Bicycled a few more km to a campground in Buchillon.
★ Monday 7-23: Started early and stopped at Morges to replace Bill's spoke. Jean bought some things at a health food store. Had a good bicycling day and got to Estavayer le Lac. Nice lakeside campground. More rain.
★ Tuesday 7-24: Bicycled on a red road to Bern. Once we tried an alternate wite road route, but it was too hilly. Arrived before 4 PM at a nice campground in the woods just outside of Bern, the capital of Switzerland. More rain. I learned to play whist. We will stay in Bern tomorrow.
★ Wednesday 7-25: Rain in the morning. Then we went into Bern. Just before leaving camp, David noticed that our back tire was ready for a blow-out. Bought a new tire. It rained some more, but the tourist section has covered walks. Went to a book store, had a restaurant lunch, did some window shopping. Went to the famous bear pit and watched the bears wrestle and climb trees. At 4 PM we heard and saw Bern's famous but overrated clock. Sat in the train station for awhile. Met some nice but curious Algerians at the campground.
★ Thursday 7-26: Left about 10 AM and went about 70 km along lovely yellow roads to Aarburg. There is a school for the blind there. Still damp and drippy. The campground has a beautiful shelter with tables and a fireplace.
★ Friday 7-27: Left at 10 AM en route to Zurich. Started yellow but switched to red when the climbing got rough. Sought campground shown on the map, but there were no signs. Finally somebody told us it had closed three years earlier. Our informant told us how to get to another Zurich campground. Stopped for coffee at a cafe. Expenses for the entire day were 81 km. Jean realized that this lakeside campground is the one that she, the kids, Ruth Fish, and Peter True stayed at in 1965. Met the same Algerians that we met in Bern. That gave us the illusion of traveling as fast as a car. Weather much nicer.
★ Saturday, 7-28: Used laundrymat in Zurich. Shopped at Migros Supermarket. Returned to camp. Went to a concert of the Schafer High School Band from Southgate, MI. Returned to camp for supper, which included canned Soviet elk meat and venison from the camp store. We have yet to try the boar meat. Last night and tonight David had a net gain in slot machines.
★ Sunday 7-29: Stocked up on boar meat and elk meat and left camp. By afternoon we were riding on the narrow strip between a beautiful lake and some spectacular mountains. Went through a few alpine tunnels. They were scarier than I expected.
Stopped at Murg. Tied the two tents together to make them one. A fascinating British artist, ex-RAF navigator Sean Bayley, is sharing our plot with us. We dipped into the lake for a few minutes, but it was icy cold. At night we went into town with Sean. He is quite a good storyteller. He is a Quaker who hates war and is afraid of flying. He can't understand how the Americans could have elected Tricky Dick. Does not like Heath either. He bought David and me a banana split to share.
★ Monday 7-30: Said goodbye to Sean and left for Liechtenstein. Stopped at a campground just outside of Vaduz, Liechtenstein. A woman working in the camp store lived in Cincinatti for thirty years.
Went into Vaduz and bought a tourist pamphlet written by Baron Edward von Falz-Fein, the chief tourism promotor for Liechtenstein. Had chicken dinner at the hotel-campground restaurant.
★ Tuesday 7-31: Visited Vaduz. Saw part of the prince's private art collection, largest in the world. Soon some tourists in a red car stopped to take a picture of the tandem.
Had lunch after getting into Austria. Stopped for the day in Feldkirch, not far from the border. Encountered the advance party of a Trailers International group from America with huge trailers and cars and a lot of old American Legion types. Went into Feldkirch and had a dinner of boar meat goulash.
★ Wednesday 8-1: The day began with a parade of American trailers to fill up a whole soccer field. It was announced by a Texas guy saying, "Here they come!" We took pictures of them. David even took a picture from up in a tree to get a better view. Met some sweet New Zealanders. Just before leaving we heard a p.a. announcement for the Americans about a Switzerland excursion which ended with, "It will be a short meeting. You don't have to bring your chairs."
Camped for the night in Arvon, Switzerland right beside Lake Constance. At night we went into town to see the celebration of the Swiss national holiday. All the little kids had paper lanterns and flags, and everyone was shooting off fireworks. When a thunderstorm came, the heavenly fireworks surpassed all the others. The rain forced us back to camp.
★ Thursday 8-2: Dried out from night's rain. Crossed into Germany at Constance. Got dinner groceries in Gottmadingen and continued on to campground in nearby Beatingen. The campground did not have camping gaz, which we forgot to buy earlier. So we ate out. I had weiner schnitzel, and it was very good.
★ Friday 8-3: Entered Switzerland again at Schaffhausen and saw the Rhine River waterfalls there. Immediately reentered Germany. More rain. Camped at Waldhut. The place has a cafe with an organ player who annoyingly never stops playing. The owner stared at me while I played solitaire. Had dinner in the special kitchen room. Went for a walk along the Rhine.
Saw a list of the camp rules. Rule 3 forbids cohabitation by unmarried people of opposite sex. We all played cards in the cafe. Owner asked questions about braille and then about me. Bill, thought to be David's and my father, played along. When the guy heard our bicycle route, he shook Bill's hand. The guy in the next tent has a color TV! Some camping!
★ Saturday 8-4: Gave the owner, Heinz Ginter, his name in braille along with the alphabet. Rode toward Basel through Germany. More rain. Entered Switzerland at Basel. Soon entered France. Took shelter in a brief downpour. Then went on a short way to camping in Huningue, France. The campground is within half a km of the pylon which marks the intersection of Switzerland, France, and Germany. The intersection is in Basel Harbor, but the pylon is on Swiss land in Basel.
★ Sunday 8-5: Did sight seeing. Visited the Jewish museum, the art museum, which has a lot of Picaso works, and the ethnological museum with a special youth and authority exhibit.
★ Monday 8-6: Picked up poste restante mail. Went to the zoo. After supper we took our bikes on a free ferry across the Rhine to Germany. Rode to the pylon in Switzerland, back to Germany, and then took the ferry back to France again. It is very close to our campground. Today was a very hot day.
★ Tuesday 8-7: Rode to Neuf Brisach, France, a defensive border town built in 1609. More rain. Got A.F.N. radio from Frankfort again.
★ Wednesday 8-8: Left early. Stopped at a Maginot Line museum. It's an old bunker, the only one where a battle was ever fought. It was on June 15-17, 1940 after Paris had already been taken. Also Hitler visited it. It would have been good for the stationary warfare of World War I. Now they play Bach organ music there.
Continued to Strasbourg. On the way the tandem got its first broken spoke. After about 75 km we reached the campground. A big supermarket called Bagg is very close, and there's a very nice beach called Plage Baggersee by a small, probably artificial lake. No mail and no other Holladays are here yet.
★ Wednesday 8-9: Went into town to fix the tandem. A guy told us to come back tomorrow. Returned to the campground. Jean went to the beach and found Peter there. He and Tristan had gone to England, and Tristan flew from London to Boston. Peter got here about 7 last night, four hours after we did. We all sat around the beach most of the day. I played on the water see-saw with Jean, but I found it scary.
★ Friday 8-10: Today is Peter's birthday. David and Bill went to get the tandem fixed, and Peter, Jean, and I played on some logs in the lake. In the afternoon David and Peter and I took out a pedal boat for an hour.
Bill and Jean gave Peter a deck of sexy cards with some betting chips for his birthday. We played poker, not for money, and I lost.
★ Saturday 8-11: Martin and Marie showed up in the morning. They had gone to Saint Tropez, a nudey beach on the Riviera. Had a nice leisurely day on the beach before lunch and around the tents after lunch. We took bets during supper on when Cathy and Mike would show up. They arrived at 7 PM, and Martin won 4.50 francs. We spent the night hearing stories from Tunisia and Senegal. It's great to meet Mike. He has a wonderful dry sense of humor.
★ Sunday 8-12: More inactivity. At 5 PM David and I, Cathy and Mike, and Bill and Jean attended an all-Bach organ concert by Barbara Schwartz in a church. At 7:15 we met the others and had a great birthday dinner for Peter and Cathy, whose birthday is July 22. We all had veal with lots of trimmings.
★ Monday 8-13: More sitting around the beach. Letter from home. I wrote to Lynne and Pat at Spring Valley [at Vacation Camp for the Blind]. Went shopping at Bagg.
★ Tuesday 8-14: Wrote to my parents. Lay around the beach. Played poker and won 65 centimes. Peter drank 2 liters of beer by himself. Cathy and Mike made cabbage, tomato, rice, and sausage for dinner.
★ Wednesday 8-15: Today is Assumption Mary. Everything is closed. We talked to Dennis, a Chicago hippy and cab driver, in the trailer next door. He's crazy. Peter stayed there for a long time.
★ Thursday 8-16: Went into town with David, Peter, and Bill in the morning. Peter got a plane reservation. Bill stayed in town to help Cathy and Mike buy bicycles. We went back to camp. Marie, Martin, and Jean were not there, but their bicycles were. We could not figure it out. When they got back, they said they had gone to the hospital because Marie has an abscess on her left breast. Cathy and Mike and Bill got back about the same time. They will puncture and drain Marie's breast tomorrow morning. After lunch Cathy and Mike, David and I, and Bill and Jean went across the Rhine to Germany and called the charter airline people in Bonn. The plane leaves Sunday at 10 AM from Cologne. We all went to the train station to see about a train to Cologne on Saturday. Mike and Cathy and Bill and Jean went to change Peter's reservation. David and I got lost on the way back to camp but got there.
★ Friday 8-17: Last full day at Strasbourg. In the morning Peter and Bill went to Strasbourg Airport to learn the best route. Also, Martin and Marie and Jean went to the hospital, but the abscess was not ready for puncture. They just gave her some medicine. The medicine was all she had to pay for. I stayed around camp and went to the beach a little. A book package was made and mailed. After lunch Cathy and Mike went to get their bikes tuned up. Mike's pump and Cathy's water bottle were stolen in the Bagg parking lot. Had leftovers for dinner. There was an argument about pornography all through dinner. To get rid of European money, we had Mars Bars, pastry, and appricot liqueur. Played oh hell.
★ Saturday 8-18: Peter and Bill left before 6 AM for the airport. Cathy and Mike left about 9 with much equipment donated by the group. Marie said she could bike to the train station in Kale, just across the Rhine from Strasbourg. Got to the train station at 11:15 AM and boarded at 12:17. Changed train in Offenburg and got the next train about 1 PM. For a short time a severely dazed man sat by us. Apparently his wife had just died. Reached Cologne about 5:30 PM. Saw the cathedral briefly. Then had Serbian bean soup in a small restaurant. After bicycling about 17 km to the airport, we were there by 8 PM. Messed around and ate. Bedded down on a concrete floor in a stairwell. Not too busy an airport.
★ Sunday 8-19: Woke up early to disassemble our bikes. Plane took off late at 1 PM. David and I sat next to a native-born German woman who is an American citizen but seemed like a Nazi. Had one free drink, a gin and ginger ale. Had a big lunch and later a snack. The plane landed at Kennedy Airport at 9 PM Central European time, 4 PM Eastern Daylight time. Put our bikes partially together and went through customs. My parents, tired of waiting, and Doug Green with a truck [I might have had the wrong name here, since Bill gives a different name] were there to meet us. "Caryn, you're so thin!" shrieked my mother as my parents quickly took me away from the group.
| Number | Date | Border | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 6 | 🇩🇪 Germany | ✈️ by Saturn Airlines |
| 2 | June 8 | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 🚃🚃 only border crossing by train |
| 3 | June 16 | 🇧🇪 Belgium | 🚲 first border crossing by bicycle |
| 4 | June 18 | 🇫🇷 France | 🚲 second border crossing by bicycle |
| 5 | July 18 | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | ⛰️🚲 biked over a pass in the Jura mountains |
| 6 | July 21 | 🇫🇷 France | 🚗 first of 2 border crossings by car |
| 7 | July 21 | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 🚗 second of 2 border crossings by car |
| 8 | July 30 | 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein | 🚲 beginning of "peak border crossing week" |
| 9 | July 31 | 🇦🇹 Austria | 🚲 |
| 10 | Aug. 1 | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 🚲 |
| 11 | Aug. 2 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 🚲 |
| 12 | Aug. 3 | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 🚲 |
| 13 | Aug. 3 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 🚲 |
| 14 | Aug. 4 | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 🚲 |
| 15 | Aug. 4 | 🇫🇷 France | 🚲 stayed in French campground to visit Basel Switzerland |
| 16 | Aug. 5 | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 🚲 implied by journal |
| 17 | Aug. 5 | 🇫🇷 France | 🚲 implied by journal |
| 18 | Aug. 6 | 🇩🇪 Germany | ⛴️ cross Rhine river on a ferry |
| 19 | Aug. 6 | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 🚲 |
| 20 | Aug. 6 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 🚲 |
| 21 | Aug. 6 | 🇫🇷 France | ⛴️ cross Rhine river on a ferry; end of "peak border crossing week" |
| 22 | Aug. 16 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 🚲 dealt with travel arrangements |
| 23 | Aug. 16 | 🇫🇷 France | 🚲 |
| 24 | Aug. 18 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 🚲 last border crossing on a bicycle |
| 25 | Aug. 19 | 🇺🇸 United States | ✈️ by Saturn Airlines |