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the wandering chick
...Mom and Dad's trips to Europe
between the years 1976 and 1996
Mom and Dad made at least 6 trips over to Europe while I was working in Germany. The first one was in 1976, and I remember them being proud that they paid a New York City taxi driver five extra dollars to give them a tour of the city while they were awaiting their evening departure to Europe.
We covered some amazing locations, some of them more than once. We did several of the Swiss mountain passes (in the summer months); of course, they had to see Paris, London and Venice. We must have made 2 trips to Venice. We also did France, Italy, the Netherlands and Austria. Outside of those countries, we hit Hungary and what was then Czechoslovakia. In 1994, my sister was with us when we spent 10 days or so in Provence, France, and in 1996, my folks returned for what would be their last trip over. Not only did my job take me back to the States, but my mom unexpectedly passed away three years later. On this trip, we visited the countryside of England, Wales, Ireland, N. Ireland and Scotland.
Beginning in February of each year, Daddy painted the ball park signs. It was the money he made from those that financed their trips.
The pictures will be in as much of a chronological order as I can, starting with 1976. Unfortunately, I've not run across pictures of our trip to the UK and Ireland. That saddens me greatly. It was a fabulous trip, taken in the early 90s.
Our first destination was to the Bavarian Alps south of Munich. Aunt Lillian was along on this trip. 1976
At Hitler's Eagle's Nest in the Bavarian Alps, Germany.
At the entrance to Hitler's hideaway.
We stopped along side the road in Southern Germany to check out these wood piles. To whom they belong, we did not know.
We stayed in this Zimmer Frei/gasthaus/pension in Ettal in southern Germany. On Mom and Dad's second trip, 2 years later, we returned to the AlpenRose. The lady remembered Mom, which thrilled her.
On the grounds of the Army military base, Grafenwöhr, Germany 1976
On the Königsee, "The King's Lake, " Southern Bavaria, 1976
Daddy drove a tank during his stint in World War II in Germany, so this was a special treat to him to see this tank. It's located at Merrill Barracks, an army base in Nüremberg, Germany. The pot marks in the white and red brick buildings are actually scars from WWII bombings.
At Mt Pilatus, Switzerland 1976
Daddy found a branch early on on their first trip and started whittling away.
Feeding the pigeons. That's what you do on San Marc's Square in Venice. Hopefully that silly tradition, along with the birds, is long gone.
In Rothenburg am der Tauber, Germany's last remaining completely-walled city, 1976
Paris, 1976
Daddy was a good-looking dude. 1976
I remember being on a train going who knows where and snapping this picture because this old guy reminded me so much of Grandpa, Daddy's daddy.
The Schwetzingen Palace, Germany 1978
We returned to Southern Germany in the summer of 1978 and the breath-taking Alps. On this trip, we visited the Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain peak.
We found a pick-your-own strawberry patch. I'm sure Mom ate as many as she weighed in for purchasing. 1978
Silly girl! 1978
One of many picnics we had throughout our travels. 1978
It never occurred to me that my mom and aunt would walk the railroad tracks in Germany. But, to them, it was second nature. And who took this picture??? Not I!!!
A river cruise along the Rhein River, Germany 1978
Mom and Dad thought it was a great treat to be able to stay in a real castle. We stayed at Reichenstein Castle, one of many that has opened its rooms to overnight guests. Unfortunately, the photo of Daddy lying in his "king's bed" did not turn out, but he wrote in his journal that he was "a king for the night." The next morning's journal text was, "Well, I'm a peasant again." 1978
Along the Rhine River 1978
Snow!! No wonder they're excited...we sure don't get to hold snowballs in south Texas!
Reichenstein Castle on the Rhine River, Germany, 1978
Oh how we loved the European Continental breakfasts. 1978
In between Mom and Dad's 1976 and 1978 visits, I had stumbled across the town of Neuwiller-les- Saverne in France. I couldn't wait to surprise Mom and Dad by driving into the town and seeing their reaction to the Neuwiller name on a town sign! Of course, Daddy was sure he owned the town. We went into the church there and somehow ran across this sweet couple (pictured below) who, as best they could, showed us some history of the town which was founded in the year 723. Its population is a little more than 1000 residents, and it's located in the region of Alsace, north-eastern France just over the border from Germany. 1978
Patiently waiting....for what, I don't remember. 1978
Holland, 1978
Surrounded by flower boxes in southern Germany, 1978
On the Danube River, 1978
It's a small world. Mom ran into a former co-worker that she hadn't seen in more than 10 years at least. Dachau, 1978
Dachau, 1978
In 1985 we visited Salzburg, Austria. We took this photo in front of the birth house (behind the statue) of Mozart to show Bub. Mozart was born in 1756.
We went on a Volksmarch in Tennenbronn, in Germany's Schwarzwald, the Black Forest. 1985
I'm sure we stopped for afternoon coffee, pastry and ice cream in every major -and many smaller - towns and cities we visited.
Leutershausen, Germany 1985
At some point in Daddy's travels, he had a fake worm on an invisible string, and he'd joke with waitresses, saying there was a worm in his coffee cup. Then he'd pull the string to show the worm coming out of the cup. He got a real kick out of it, and probably more strange looks than laughs. Here, years later, I'm wondering if he's not trying to imitate the worm (whom he called Willy) with a string and stick. It's the only thing I can figure out he's doing. 1985
In 1985, eastern Germany was still under Communist rule. With documentation, visitors were allowed in East Berlin.
The Brandenburg gate, world-famous for its entry into Communist East Berlin, was guarded up until 1990, after the fall of the Berlin wall.1985
One of our trips in 1989 was to Italy. We visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Tuscan town of Collodi, otherwise known as Pinocchio's town. The highlight of the town is its gardens, Villa Garzonia.
The Santa Maria della Spina, a small chapel in Pisa, Italy. I think Mom might be holding picnic food for the next day. 1989
The Netherlands, 1989
Brussels Square, Belgium, 1989
Mom's expression is so her, standing under the famous landmark in Brussels, the Mannekin Piss ("the little pissing man"}. 1989
On a local IVVVvolksmarch, Germany 1989
Afternoon coffee along the Moselle River, Germany,1989
At the Reichsburg Castle, Cochem, Germany 1989
It was grape harvesting season when we were on Germany's Moselle River, 1989. Mom surely would have outdone them all picking the grapes from the vines had she been given the chance. As it was, she managed to worm her way right up to the grape wagon...she was in Heaven.
We traveled to Calais, France, and left the car there, taking the ferry across the English Channel to London. Mom and Dad both were excited to see the Cliffs of Dover. 1989
At 10 Downing Street, London 1989
Oh, what I'd give to know what Mom was saying to this bobby to make him laugh so. London, 1989
Hyde Park, London 1989
Tower Bridge, London 1989
For more picitures of the family, please return to the family home page.
On all our trips together, Mom and Dad could not have been better travel partners. Never complained, never a cross word. And when it was all said and done, they rested. This picture was taken in 1989 on the return train ride from London to Calais, France.
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II vaguely remember talking Mom into sitting in this outdoor potty, a replica of the real thing at the Vogtsbauernhof Open Air Museum in Germany's Schwarzwald, the Black Forest. 1985
Triberg Waterfall in Germany's Black Forest 1985
Om the Furka Pass, Switzerland 1985
As if driving the Furka Pass is not in and of itself a spectacular event, there's also the Rhône Glacier and the ice grotto to visit. Here, Mom's waiting for us to enter. 1985
Switzerland's Furka Pass
We also traveled the Grimsel Pass in Switzerland in 1985. And by the looks of things, it was pretty cold even though the sun is shining brightly.
Grimsel Pass, Switzerland 1985
Aaaaahhh! And then there was Zermatt and Switzerland's majestic Matterhorn. Diane, a teacher friend of ours traveled with us on this trip. 1985
So, what you do in Zermatt is, you take the gondola up to the base of the Matterhorn and then take the hiking trail back down.
Either Mom or Dad, I think Daddy, picked up a rock on our hike down from the Matterhorn. He packed it, took it home in his suitcase, somehow managed to carve out the back so that he could put a clock piece in. I still have it. It's never lost a beat. 1985
Daddy always appreciated fine construction, but it's just a chair!!! Zermatt, 1985
At Windsor Castle, 1989
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On Lake Brienz in Bönigen by Interlaken, Switzerland
A picnic lunch stop somewhere on the road between Interlaken and Lucerne. We were headed for Provence, France, with an overnight in Montreaux.
In Provence, we stayed at the Oasis Village Puget-Sur-Avignon a little inland from the French Riviera. From there we took day trips in both directions east and west. Our stay, as is typical, was from Saturday to Saturday.
St. Raphael
St. Raphael beach and waterfront
Dining in Cannes
Les Issambre
The Monte Carlo Casino, Monaco
The St. Tropez marina
Monaco
Breakfast in St. Remy
In Avignon
Villeneuve-les-Avignon, a small medieval town just across the River Rhône from Avignon.
A mistral is a strong wind that occurs in the Rhône Valley. It's no fun getting caught up in it!
In Les Baux
At the Camargue, a wetlands and nature preserve on the coast of Provence
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Mom loved flowers of all kinds, colors and origins.
Taking the Eurostar across the English Channel, our first destination in the UK was the English countryside. What better place to start than the Cotswolds. Here, we're at Stow-on-the-Wold.
This is Bourton-on-the-Water. We had a couple of other names for it: Daddy-on-the-Wait and Mama-in-the-Shop.
Upper Slaughter
Stow-on-the-Wold
Harlech Castle, North Wales
St. David's Church, Pembrokeshire, South Wales
St. David's Church gift shop
A shoreline walk outside of the town of St. David's, along the Pembrokeshire peninsula coast
A very rough ferry ride over to Ireland left Daddy amd me horribly seasick, but once we got our feet on solid ground, we were back in travel mode.
The Rock of Cashel is a well-known historical landmark in County Tipperary, Ireland. The word 'cashel' means stone fort.
Adare, in County Limerick, Ireland, is known for its thatched-roof houses.
The Cliffs of Mohr, County Clare, Ireland
I guess you can't go to Ireland and not kiss the Blarney Stone. However, in this day and age....
On the Ring of Kerry, southwest Ireland, Kerry County
Getting to the beach of Donegal Bay meant parking on the street side of a pasture with a gate. We were hesitant to go through the gate, thinking we were on private land, but a man showed up shortly in a car and welcomed us through. The gate was to keep the sheep in. County Donegal is the homeland of Enya.
On the Donegal beach we found tiny bright yellow shells. We collected dozens of them, and they miraculously stayed intact for the rest of the trip and made their way safely home to Galveston. I still have them.
The Giant's Causeway is a group of basalt columns that are interlocked and appear to shoot up from the ground and water. It's located on the northern shore of Northern Ireland and is the result of a long-ago volcanic eruption.
In the Galloway Forest Park, Scotland
Loch Lomond, Scotland
The grave of Rob Roy MacGregor, in Scotland's Trossachs region.
Mom was moving a traffic cone because it was in the way of a picture we wanted. I hope we put it back! Taken in the Trossachs region of the Scottish Highlands.
The waterfall is appropriately named the Grey Mares Tail. It is a highlight of the Grey Mares Tail Nature Reserve located in the Scottish Borders region. We walked as far as the runoff stream, which was a bit uphill. Mom had to rest, but she never complained, the trooper that she was.
The Pan Am flight 103 had just left London thirty minutes earlier on its way to New York when a bomb packed in a piece of baggage exploded. Eleven people on the ground perished along with all 259 passengers. Lockerbie is located in south Scotland just northeast of Dumfries and very near to the border of England.
Hadrian's Wall, England
The Giant Oak in England's Sherwood Forest, land of Robin Hood.
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