We didn’t have a lot of money, and most would say we couldn’t afford this trip, but we knew once we started a family, it would be years before we could venture off so far by ourselves. I had visited Germany, Austria, and Hungary when I was in college and Paul had never been to Europe, so we saved as much as we could and made our adventure over the sea to a world of unknown language, culture and terrain. We decided the cheapest transportation would be getting a Eurail pass which allows you to travel by train through Europe for a moderate fee. We packed two small carry-on bags (and no, they didn’t have rollers) my heavy camera bag and purse. It was a very cold March in Europe but instead of winter coats, we wore layers and an outer trench coat. We were gone fifteen days, so there would need to be a day or two to wash out some clothes. We knew very little about where we were going or where we would stay. This was before internet, or cell phones, so any advanced booking would have to be done by sending a letter or calling which could get expensive.

We flew from Chicago O’Hare to Dusseldorf, W. Germany. On our arrival we had planned to take the first train to Auchen, W. Germany. We missed the train to Auchen, so we got on a train to Cologne, which wasn’t far from Auchen. When we got to Cologne, we discovered the trains to Auchen were delayed and I remember standing (freezing) on the platform trying to figure out what they were saying in German. We were naive and a bit scared. What had we gotten ourselves into. I knew from my college trip that if you approached someone younger, they would probably understand English, so I went for it. We were told to change platforms and catch a different train and so we did. The luckiest and most educational part of our trip was visiting an exchange student from Auchen, Anna Reichel, whom we had previously met in the states. She had come to Chicago to study and happened to attend our church where Paul was the pastor. We enjoyed getting to know her, so when she left, she invited us to come visit her family in Auchen.. Her father was a medical Doctor and her Mother was an educator and they graciously hosted us for three nights. When we arrived, Anna picked us up and took us on a great tour of Auchen. We toured the Emperor’s Cathedral and Anna translated what the guide said. We loved the brick streets of Auchen and how the buildings all connected in a row. The first night we had dinner with the Reichels and they took us to a local Pub. Paul enjoyed traditional sauerkraut and ham bone and I had a steak and german potatoes. Why do I remember this? Well, I didn’t, but it’s all in my travel journal, which to this day, I love to record all the details of our trips.

We had planned to take day trips to Cologne, W. Germany, and Brugge, Belgium. Mrs. Reichel served us a typical German breakfast of bread, jam, cheese, and hot tea. She also graciously packed us a simple lunch of fruit, bread and cheese. Each day we would take the train, visit a new place and then return to Auchen by dinner. The Reichels drove us the second night about twenty miles to the Netherlands and to the top of a winding hill to a monastery where we joined monks for their evening prayers. It was so beautiful and an experience I will never forget. They read from the Psalms, and sang a Gregorian Chant. They wore black hooded robes like I had seen in the movies and the interior of the monastery was cold, dark and sparse of any furniture. After the prayer service, we drove to one of the largest hospitals in Europe where Dr. Reichel was associated. Anna made fun of the ultra modern design. It was painted bright colors and had exposed ductwork and pipes in the interior. Once we returned to their home, we sat down to discuss the rest of our trip with them and they showed us some beautiful slides of Switzerland. As we were explaining our plans to take the train overnight, they kindly interrupted us to give us some much needed advice. “Americans want to come to Europe and see it all in a few days. If you travel overnight, you will miss some of the most beautiful scenery along the Rhine River.” We humbly conceded and let them plan the rest of our days in Europe and we were so glad we did! Not only were the Reichels great hosts, but they enlightened us to all that Europe has to offer and to slow down and take in the best parts.

After three days in Auchen and seeing Brugge, and Cologne, we said our goodbyes and boarded our train to Munich. I can still remember watching Anna and her Mother waving white handkerchiefs as we boarded the train. A tradition in Europe that is so beautiful. As we rode the train, we reflected on our first three days. So far Brugge, Belgium, the Lace Capital of the World was my favorite. I bought some lace of course and we talked with some locals. We strolled by a park and The Lake of Love where I attempted to take our picture together using the camera timer and setting it on a bench. Our first selfie! I had seen Cologne in 1981 on my college tour, but was excited to show Paul the cathedral and climb to the top. Last summer we were in London and opted out of the trek to the top of the St. Paul’s cathedral. At the time, it felt like too much, but now I wish I had. The views of a city from the top of a cathedral are magical.

Our ride down the Rhine River to Munich was spectacular. Castles and small villages along the route. Arriving in Munich after a six hour journey, our bodies were ready to walk. We found a tourist office and they recommended a place to stay. It was comfortable and clean, but we shared one bathroom with other guests down the hall. It was a good price. In Munich we saw museums and the beautiful St. Peter’s Church and other cathedrals, then took a train to Olympic Park where the 1972 Games were held. Also where the horrendous Munich Massacre occurred when a Palestinian terrorist group took eleven Israeli Olympic team members hostage and killed them along with a West German police officer. Even though it had been years ago and the park was now converted to apartments and other community venues, it had an eerie feeling to it.

Again, since I had been to Munich with my college group, I also wanted Paul to experience what I had. The most difficult, but important stop was to see Dachau Memorial site. No words can describe it and pictures are haunting. We must never forget what happened to our Jewish brothers and sisters at the hands of Hitler. If you ever have a chance to visit the site, I highly recommend. It will change you.

While in Munich, we also experienced a lot of German culture. The Reichels had recommended a great restaurant called Augustine. There were large community tables and as Americans not used to eating with strangers, we found a few seats at the end. There were baskets of bread and pretzels scattered on the tables and as we were accustomed to, we began to eat them. Then we ordered the white sausage and Paul had a beer and I a coke. The sausage was not to my liking. When we were ready to pay, we were asked how many pieces of bread we ate. “I’m not really sure, we did not keep track!” Apparently we paid for what we ate, so we had to guess. After that embarrassment, we frequented McDonalds to gain a little taste of home in the form of a cheeseburger and fries. Our next stop would be Salzburg, Austria.

I loved everything about Salzburg! I felt like the Von Trapp family would meet me around every corner, The colors of the markets with bright red and blue Austrian wares and the mountains that surrounded the city were breathtaking. Gorgeous hanging baskets with bright colored flowers lined the cobbled streets. We took the tram (Funicular) to the top to see the Castle of Hohen. The views were a bit overcast, so pictures didn’t do it justice. This was another place to purchase postcards to remember everything in the best light. We saw the Cathedral where they filmed Maria (Julie Andrews) getting married in The Sound of Music, which was stunning. We enjoyed some shopping and Anna had recommended a Pension for $52 which was very nice. I wasn’t feeling the best while in Salzburg, so on our last evening, I decided to take a warm shower to ease my aches and pains. While I showered, Paul was exploring the functions of a knob under the sink and accidentally turned off the cold water. My shower quickly became scalding hot and ended quickly. I was ok and I’m sure he felt worse than I did. The morning we left, the old gentleman who owned the Pension tried to charge us more than we had agreed upon and we baulked. He said ok, then proceeded to charge us for our “free included breakfast.” We learned to keep a close eye on our expenses and write down any agreed upon pricing. On to Switzerland.

Train rides were generally very relaxing. We could sit pretty much where we wanted and each car had separate small seating compartments where about four people could sit with a privacy curtain. If you have seen Harry Potter then you know what I am talking about. We often had the little room to ourselves, but we also met some very interesting people. We met a woman who spoke English and wanted to talk Baptist Politics which we definitely knew something about as Paul was a Baptist pastor at the time. We also met some Texans and enjoyed sharing travel insights with them. There were Americans that were easy to spot if we listened. A couple of ladies were looking out on a field from the train window and saw a man walking alongside his dog. With great fervor they exclaimed, “They must not have very strict leash laws here!” To this day when Paul and I see a dog not on a leash, we simultaneously repeat the phrase…”They must not have very strict leash laws here!” and chuckle. Our train stopped in Interlaken and several people got off the train. We stayed on and made the trip up to Wengen, Switzerland as the night sky set in and the glow of the moon shown on the Jungfrau mountain. It took our breath away. We arrived and walked the streets of Wengen to our hotel. It would be our most expensive night at $120.00. We were aghast at the price, but it was only for one night. I should look to see what the cost would be today. The next morning we had breakfast in the hotel restaurant and were amazed at the window views of snow covered mountains. We were anxious to get out and see the skiers and maybe take the lift to the top. We quickly got ready to go out and as soon as we walked out of the hotel, a sudden fog moved in and we couldn’t see five feet in front of us. We made our way to the bunny hill where children were learning to ski and I tried to capture with my camera their cute little faces poking out from their bundling head to toe. We didn’t know how long the fog would last, so after about an hour, we decided to make our journey back down the mountain. We were so disappointed.

The rest of the day would be gloomy as we rode the train through Switzerland, stopping in Bern and Basil. We spent the night in Basil in a small room above a bar. Little did we know, that day was the celebration of “Carnival.” There were parades and festivities all around and lots of people dressed as clowns. Unfortunate for us, the party lasted through the night and we could hear drums, trumpets and one particular piccolo celebrating into the wee hours of the night. Lesson learned: Maybe not a good idea to choose a room above a bar. Next stop Paris.

Both of our parents had visited Paris at different times and they both talked about how unfriendly the people were. Paul’s dad had been pickpocketed there, so we were a bit nervous as we arrived at the train station. Another city, another country, and a new currency to figure out. We fumbled through our thick Fodor’s travel guide trying to find a recommended place to stay. Remember this was before cell phones. We stood at a pay phone calling what seemed like an endless number of places, but they were all booked. It was Fashion Week in Paris and we were clueless. Finally Paul found a place and we would need to take a bus to get there. We crossed a busy major street (four lanes) to what we thought was the bus stop, but the number for the bus we were given was not listed on any of the signs. We crossed back to the other side of the street where other buses were stopping, but nothing there either. I swear we crossed that street back and forth five times. I wanted to ask directions, but we couldn’t even pronounce the name of the Street or Hotel we needed. In an all out panic, we decided to get on a bus and ask the driver. As we got on a already crowded bus with our luggage, we asked the driver and he mumbled something and nodded his head. I guess that was our sign. Paul reached in his pocket for change and gave the driver a large coin. Apparently it was equivalent to giving him a $100 bill for a $ .50 bus fare. Waving his arms at us and clearly frustrated, he helped Paul get the right amount into the coin slot. We tried to move to the back of the bus with our suitcases and find a seat. Eyes rolled at us and I just wanted to go home. Hoping we would get to our hotel, we sat in silence. I don’t remember if the driver told us to get off the bus or if we figured it out ourselves, but we found the street and walked a few blocks to the small boutique hotel. We walked in and a gentleman behind the counter asked if we were the Americans that called for a room. We said “yes” with reluctance in our voices. He grinned and begin his speech: “You know it is Fashion Week and everything is booked.” Then he held up his little pinky finger and continued on…”You know you are very lucky because my pinky finger told me to hold the room for you. You took a very long time to get here, but I waited and now you are the lucky ones to have this room!” (Oh boy). After his speech, he said, “come, I show you your room!” He led us to the elevator and it had an iron gate that he slid open to reveal an elevator for two. I certainly didn’t want to ride alone with this crazy man, nor stay behind. Paul and I got on thinking we would figure out the room by ourselves, but no, the three of us and our bags would somehow magically squeeze into this small box that would get us to a room we had no clue what would be like. To our surprise, the room was lovely and it even had a small shower stall built into the corner of the room. We were livin’ large!

After the trauma of getting to our hotel and room, we made the decision not to take public transportation anywhere. We would walk to EVERY SINGLE significant tourist attraction in Paris. I think we averaged 7 miles a day. The Arc de’ Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre all on foot. Paris was memorable.

Our last country to visit was England. What a much needed diversion from feeling lost and unable to communicate. Our travel from Paris took us by train to the coast and then we took the Hovercraft across the channel. I had read about the Hovercraft in our Weekly Reader magazine in grade school. It’s a boat that can also move across land using air to lift it and thus “hover” over different terrain. I was worried about getting motion sick as that was normal for me, but this time it was Paul who did not fare well with the motion and noise. We both were happy when the boat made it to the shore. Fortunately, we had a connection through Paul’s Uncle and the only preplanned reservations made at the University of London. We stayed in a dorm room with twin beds and ate with students in the cafeteria. We were just glad to be speaking English and have a clean room that cost us so little. We enjoyed London and saw as much as we could. Toured the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey for Vesper service, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Speakers Corner, several museums and ate fish and chips. We took the train to the Prime Meridian and toured the museum there. Our whole trip had been cold and rainy and London didn’t give us a break, but we were happy to be there and enjoyed all that we saw.

Our trip home had us taking the London Tube to the train station, then the train to Dover to get on the Ferry crossing back over to Ostende and catching a train to Brussels and spending the night there. We arrived about dinner time and walked from the train to a nearby “hotel.” We were exhausted and didn’t take the time to see the room before paying for the one night. Big mistake. The room was gross. There was a cockroach in the bidet, and the mattress was old and lumpy. We should have cut our losses, but we were both tired and decided to stick it out for one night. I didn’t sleep a wink. The next morning we walked out onto the street and realized what part of town we were in. It was the “red light” district and strip joints all along the street. We laughed as we walked to the train. What a comedy of errors for this young pastor and wife.

Last train ride was to Frankfurt where we just needed a good night’s sleep before catching our flight back to Chicago. Again, we arrived and proceeded to find our hotel. There was a large trade show in town, so again, preplanning would have helped. After a long search we found a room and settled in for the night. Other than dinner, we were too tired to venture out, and honestly, we were just ready to be home. The flight home was uneventful and we were happy to be greeted by Paul’s parents at the Chicago O’Hare airport.

There was much to learn from this trip, but it was definitely worth it. The memories, whether fond or painful still bring a smile to my face. Thanks for making it to the end of our journey and may the roads you travel bring you great adventures and stories to tell for years to come and maybe the luck of a talking pinky finger!