Blogs from Europe - page 14495

February 17th 1972 - Day 5 As we were staying in a student house, I guess it was no surprise that the last people got up fairly late which was strange having been used to the strict time restrictions at German YHs. One of Margit's friends called Regina (a stunning beauty)promised to take us for a ride so that we could see more of the countryside around Heidelberg. We were driven to a mount overlooking the city - the view was very picturesque but alas the hazeness prevented any reasonable photographs. We had a good walk around before returning to the Cafeteria for a healthy sized lunch - roast meat, vegetables, fruit and milk so very good value. As Regina and Margit had afternoon lectures it was time to move on with the next stop Rastatt ... read more

February 15th - day 3 St Goar was an ideal place to have stopped overnight because it was opposite the Lorelei Rock which is the narrowest point of the Rhine. We admired the view before hitching South to Bingen and from there by ferry across the Rhine to Rudesheim. I travelled with Heather today. This region is certainly a beautiful part of Germany with the Rhine running through a long narrow gorge and the hillsides full of old buildings. Rudesheim was notable for its historic buildings and a couple of castles. Unfortunately we arrived on a Bank Hoilday and most of the shops and the cable car were closed. After a shortened look around we decided to press on towards Heidelberg. However it was not a good hitchhiking day. The first car took us close to ... read more

Sunday February 13th - day 1. It is 7am on Sunday morning and I am too nervous to eat much breakfast. It is time to pack the rucksack with the final items and to use this opportunity to leave a few more items behind. Arrived at London Victoria train station at 9.15am which means it is only 45 minutes before the train leaves. Three of us are starting this journey - Michael (an old school friend from Bournemouth), Heather (his girlfriend) and myself. There are about 10 people standing on the platform to wave us goodbye - relatives and friends - who knows when we will see them again? We have reserved seats and in 12 hours time we will have arrived at our first destination Koblenz which is situated at the confluence of the Rhine ... read more

From Milan, we flew to Paris where we met another coach and a new local guide. Without missing a beat, or a stop in Paris, the group set out for the Loire Valley and its famous château country. It was a Friday afternoon and everyone was rushing to leave Paris for the weekend. Valene appeared to be getting along well with the local guide and complimented her on her chic attire. However, there evidently had been some sort of falling out overnight. By morning, the local guide had split, and was on her way back to Paris. Valene took over courier's seat and microphone. From our base in Tours, we were able to visit four château: Amboise (16th century), Chambord (1547), Chenonceaux (1522), and Azay-le-Rideau (1527). I returned to Chambord and Chenonceaux in 2015. Wonderful as ... read more

A visit to Luxembourg was the prelude to seeing Germany, Austria, Italy, and France in summer 1970. At that time, the cool way to travel from the USA to Europe was via Loftleidir Icelandic Airlines. Loftleidir flew from New York to Reykjavík and then on to Luxembourg, offering pioneering discount transatlantic airfares. Traveling this way, a one-night, one-day stopover visit to Iceland was added as a bonus and Luxembourg became the first country one encountered on the continent. We indeed had spent a day in Reykjavík to see the city, the geysers, and wooden churches in the countryside. And a bit of flightseeing. Then it was on to the Continent the following day, with the first stop Luxembourg--another definite bonus. I'd first known about Luxembourg through reading the book Five Little Countries of Europe. It was ... read more