June 1987 European Grand Tour Journal

How to tour Europe in the two weeks between college graduation and starting a Wall Street job.

Yesterday, I wrote up a college geology field trip to Scotland in June 1986 https://gunnarmiller.substack.com/p/may-1986-scotland-geological-field . Next to my field notebook on my bookshelf was a smaller-format journal from a two-week European Grand Tour in June 1987 I shoehorned in-between Lehigh graduation and starting work in New York at Morgan Stanley . I went with my Chi Phi https://thebrownandwhite.com/2022/03/01/chi-phi-celebrates-150-years-at-lehigh/ fraternity brother Greg, one of the handful of people from college with whom I’ve remained in touch over the decades. Apologies for switching between tenses as I transcribe from my journal, retrospective modern updates delineated in brackets.

Conclusions: Two weeks isn’t really enough time, but when one has a short attention span, and is young enough to sleep on trains and make whirlwind city tours (passing through 20 cities), it’s clearly do-able. Prep work for the trip was all done on paper, we used a travel agent (remember those?), and one was sort of in their hands as there were few photos of the places where one would end up staying. I also had forgotten we needed to obtain travel visas in New York. We took traveller’s checks (remember those?) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traveller%27s_cheque . Pre-euro, changing currency all the time was a real hassle. Flew on Pan Am, a now defunct airline. There was a time when Europe appeared much more technologically advanced than the US (see the part about Tele/Videotext). How many fewer photos we took in the film camera age. The initial pages of my notebook included 20 addresses for family and friends to whom I sent postcards from stops along the way, and 15 potential contacts over there, most of whom we had never met ... nor ever would. I’ve travelled to a number of the same cities over the decades, but one’s first impressions have often proven to have been the most accurate.

30 May 1987
Lehigh graduation, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Reception at Chi Phi, Greg follows me to my parents’ place. [The graduation speaker was Bill Cosby, who, like Donald Trump, later had his honorary degree rescinded].

31 May 1987
Graduation party at my paternal grandparent’s place, Tall Spruces.

1 Jun 1987
Party clean-up, followed by quick run to the Berkshire Mall for travel clothes. Checked that I had $500 ($1,419 in today’s money) in my checking account, plus $400 ($1,135) in graduation present money plus a special gift from my maternal grandparents; 20 Visa traveller’s checks from Meridian Bank in Reading, Pennsylvania. Drove to New Jersey and closed on a group apartment rented with two other school friends, another fraternity brother Rob, and freshman year hallmate Ted. We all went to something called “Garage Night” at the local Sheraton [I can’t recall exactly what that was].

2 Jun 1987
Drove into New York City to the French Embassy on 73rd and learned that visas were now issued on 46th, to which we drove down and waited. We then drove out to meet another fraternity brother Mike in Brooklyn, but he wasn’t there. We had lunch on the boardwalk near the New York Aquarium, then drove to JFK long-term parking (near Pole 34). Whie waiting for the slightly-delayed 9:00 PM EST Pan Am Flight 102 to Heathrow, we met some Lafayette guys. Movie on the flight was “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home”. Surly stewardesses.

3 Jun 1987
Arrived Heathrow 09:30 GMT. Air bus to Victoria Station. Walked and took the Tube around to see the London https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London sights. Took a quick jet lag nap in the park, and had a fish and chips lunch. Back to Victoria Station and chatted with a girl in a pub before taking a train to Newhaven https://www.dfds.com/en-gb/passenger-ferries/ferry-crossings/ferries-to-uk/dieppe-newhaven .

4 Jun 1987
Overnight ferry to Dieppe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieppe . Met some students from Miami University of Ohio [coincidentally, the same school from which a group of students I met on the Scotland trip attended], and there was another group of Americans who were a bunch of slobs. Rail Pass https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurail validated in Dieppe, and we took a train to Paris arriving at 08:00 CET. Walked and took the Metro around the city, seeing the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arc_de_Triomphe , and spent a few hours at the Louvre, where the [then controversial] I.M. Pei Pyramid https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louvre_Pyramid was still under construction, as was an ultra-modern Metro station. Took the TGV https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TGV first class to Dijon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dijon , reaching 200 mph. Very nice dinner at the Hotel Terminus (put on my Mastercard), had escargot, tried the mustard and Bordeaux wine, wrote a postcard, took a walk, then fell asleep at 21:00 CET and slept like a rock for 12 hours.

5 Jun 1987
Up at 09:00 CET – what a sleep. Went to check out, needed francs, but the tourist office was closed. Walked across a traffic circle with a mini Arc de Triomphe. There was an ambulance strike, with about 100 ambulances and cars with their lights going and horns beeping, and guys passing out strike literature. Back to the hotel for late breakfast. Cherry jam, bottled orange juice and cafe au lait. Went to the big post office for postcards and stamps. Sat and finished while Greg sent a telegram [!] home. Out by 11:30 and caught the 12:00 local train from Dijon to Bourges. Relatively slow, but we needed to head further south. Sheep country, with many farms, similar to midwestern US scenery. Arrived in Bourges https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourges at 14:30 – quaint little town. Greg buys a bottle of Perrier, crackers, and fresh strawberries; I initially refuse to eat them, but he coerced me, and they were excellent. We stop at an outdoor cafe and have two Heinekens. There was a video crew filming the village, including a guy playing the cello. Back to the train after buying a more compact journal/notebook for two francs.

We had mistakenly made reservations for the TGV to Geneva in second class, but it turned out to be great fun. We sat next to a guy our age named Christopher, who’s a business school student in Paris living there but visiting family in Geneva. We talked the whole way (his English was excellent), doing our share to spread international goodwill. Breathtaking scenery into Geneva https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva . Customs glanced at our passports, and then we spent two hours to decide out itinerary. We decided to stay in Geneva, eat dinner, walk around, then take the train to Lausanne and connect to another train to Venice. We walked the Lake Geneva shoreline, passing a packed McDonalds. This place drips money. Crossed a bridge by an amazing fountain and strolled through a park. Roller skates are the chief mode of transportation for anyone under 20; most are roller derby quality, but we saw a guy crash and burn. Geneva is a really international city, with all sorts of restaurants, but upon viewing a way-swarthy group of locals with menacing-looking Dobermans (in Switzerland?), we play it safe and eat a steak at the terminal. Bought Lindt bars for my cousin et al, and went upstairs to eat our own, which we found to contain about two jiggers of cherry schnapps. Caught a 35-minute train to Lausanne https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lausanne , and had a one-hour layover before the 00:13 to Venice

On Track 7, a small pick-up group (with high-hat cymbal, two guitars with battery amps, a mobile bass. And good girl singer) playing bluesey tunes – quite well. Back to Track 3 – met two girls who are also going to Venice. Train arrives – what a zoo! We’re looking for a first class section with seats instead of a sleeper – good luck. We end up going through about 20 doors and finally linked up with two German students going to Turkey, who promptly fell fast asleep. We’re fairly sure we’re on the right train, but are a bit hesitant since we’d walked up so many cars. We’ll see, because if we’re wrong, we’ll end up in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, where our Rail Passes (and perhaps our lives) are worth donuts. Outside of our compartment, a group of French soccer players are drinking and singing slurred songs at full volume. Well, time to relinquish my pen to Greg and take a nap.

6 Jun 1987
The route we took from Lausanne to Venice runs straight through the Alps with a lot of tunnels; too bad it wasn’t light outside. Around 02:00 CET. We stopped for what looked to be a bomb scare, but it was probably part of the ongoing Italian train work stoppages. At 04:00, a ticket checker woman with a voice that could break glass woke us up. Boy, she’s in for a treat when she tries to wake up the animals in the next few compartments. Most Italian men on the train look like James Coburn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Coburn , especially the railroad employees. We switch trains and head into Venice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice . Met two Rolex-clad guys from Washington & Lee who made me glad to have not gone there. We roll into Venice somehow intact at 07:30 – a ghost town. We get some lira, check our bags, and run around town --- Tried to call my aunt’s contacts to no avail. Coffee and croissant at a cafe while firing off some post cards, which we mail at the post office. Greg freshens up at a 0.50 cent WC whilst I talk to a girl from Rutgers with bad teeth. Saw the sights – churches etc. – fairly quickly. Then sat on a bridge and planned our course of action: Venice to Verona to Innsbruck, spend night in Innsbruck, visit Salzburg, then Munich, then head to Cologne on an overnight train. While we did this, Venice turned into Tijuana Mexico – mega tourists. Apparently, there is some sort of economic summit going on, and many of the water taxis and hotel rooms are booked by the US news media. Mitigating factor: The canals have been really cleaned up. By 11:30 we’ve had enough and bought bottled H2O for the train ride. Took the train to Verona and shared a compartment with a couple from Fresno California who let me glance at their European Wall Street journal.

Arrived at Verona https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verona and ate lunch at a cafeteria – pasta, of course. Caught a train to Innsbruck delayed 55 minutes by a strike (they announce their strikes in advance!). Found seats in first class with A/C and velvet seats. There’s no way to adequately describe the scenery – it is unreal. Tall peaks with snow and gingerbread villages. The postcards do not lie – especially in the case of Austria. It’s 18:40 and we’re still rolling 1st class on the “Trans Alpine Express”! Arrive in Innsbruck https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innsbruck at 19:15 – what a beautiful place. We make reservations with a cute but haggard girl at the train station and proceed to our hotel, about a 20 minute walk. This town is a bit upscale and a stark contrast to Italy. We check in and shower. We head back across the bridge and have a fast food dinner. Following this, the cafes closed at around 22:00, so we found a very modern little bar and had some beers. Walked back over the bridge to the square and had another beer, looked at a disco, and decided to sack out around 23:00.

7 Jun 1987
Awoke to the sound of church bells at 08:00 – an Olympian sleep! Down for breakfast after a shower and retrieved our passports. On the way to the station showed Greg the all-night condom automat (featuring “Sexo” brand) that I found quite amusing. Caught the 09:35 to Salzburg. Great scenery, caught up on some reading, and took a nap.

In Salzburg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salzburg at 11:30. Command decision: Tour Salzburg all day, spend the night, and travel to Munich the following day (Monday). This seemed reasonable, as we’re really fired up to tour the BMW plant. Which is probably not open on Sunday. I buy a 50 shilling phone card and called [family friends in Kassel] and tell them we’ll be in on Tuesday morning, following an overnight train from Munich. Have 35 shillings left over, so decide to call home. Dad answers, and I realize it’s 6:00 AM EST on a Sunday! Oh well, he informed me that his new beam [amateur radio antenna] is up and he wanted to get on the air. I tell him we’re fine and that we’re in the birthplace of Mozart. Then we’re cut off as my credits run out. Back to the station, we reserve a room in a Pension (B&B) for $12 per person (not bad). We check into the Pension Elizabeth https://www.pension-elisabeth.at/en/ , where Elizabeth makes sure we know where everything is as she practices her English. We switch into shorts and grab a local bus into the center of town (a seven minute ride). Salzburg is as pretty as Innsbruck, but more commercialized. We stroll around the tiny winding streets until Greg can no longer disguise his displeasure at not having a hamburger or something, so we eat at a stand similar to the one we ate dinner at the previous night. We then buy a pretzel donut the size of a football and contemplate a jaunt to the fortress. Being cheapskates, we avoid the dangerously-pitched cog railway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festungsbahn_(Salzburg) and walk up and take a guided tour of the castle. Greg likes the torture chamber, and we are both pleased with the display of Austrian and German war machinery, guns, and uniforms. We have a Stiegl (the local brew) [later associated with many subsequent ski trips to the Tirolean Alps] at the castle tavern, tour the big cathedral, and walked around the streets until we felt some raindrops. We decide to bag the bus and walked back to Elizabeth’s, which was only 10-15 minutes, by 18:00, and wrote postcards and made entries into our Captain’s Logs.

Musikhaus Pühringer https://www.sn.at/wiki/Musikhaus_P%c3%bchringer

8 Jun 1987
Dawn breaks on the Pension Elizabeth, and neither of the weary travellers want to arise from their Austrian Zimmer; therefore, we sleep in until 08:00, thus negating any possibility of hitting a 20 shilling shower (along with our shilling budget). I have been devouring the works of Hunter S. Thompson, and continually awaken Greg with dramatic readings from “The Great Shark Hunt” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Shark_Hunt . We considered modeling the rest of the trip on Thompson’s drug-induced rampages, but concur that would jeopardize our soon-to-start corporate employment. We wolfed down our standard cafe au lait and Brot, paid Elizabeth, and bolted to the station. Unfortunately, since we opted to maintain a constant flow of post cards instead of costly and bulky (but perhaps more appreciated) souvenirs, we stopped for stamps and missed the 09:20 to Munich. We were about to wait for the 10:35 when we noticed that the returning 10:12 Istanbul Express would get us there as well --- so why not? Much to our consternation, the train was delayed as the Politzei checked for bombs. Well, we got underway on a pleasant train ride, interrupted only by a chemical engineer from Stanford of a honeymoon trip who said he spoke fluent German (and really looked as though the did).

We make it to Munich https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich , and spend an hour farting around in search of cash money, city maps, luggage lockers, and foodstuffs. After learning that it was an archaic Catholic holiday (the martyrdom of some medieval slumlord?) [it was in fact Whit Monday https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whit_Monday ], we realize that the BMW tour just isn’t going to happen. Oh, well, there are enough BMWs on the street to satiate our curiosity, so we do a walking tour of Munich instead. We had a bratwurst and a tall boy of Weißbier, and Greg spent 12 DM on a call home. Since most everything was closed, we headed for the Hofbräuhaus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staatliches_Hofbr%C3%A4uhaus_in_M%C3%BCnchen , where we ended up tying on our first (and possibly only) Olympic-class buzz of the trip. We drank some enormous beers, wrote post cards, and journaled prolifically. I whipped out the phrasebook and tried to chat with the natives. We stayed until almost 19:00 and had rather a lot to drink. We went back to the station and we got sausage sandwiches and waited for the train. We had a whole first class compartment to ourselves and slept all the way to Köln.

9 Jun 1987
We arrived in Cologne https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cologne at 07:00 CET, sit in front of the currency exchange place and nod off, only to be awakened by a cop who thought we were vagrants. We then sat on a unused display opposite a big collection of kids messing around. Called [my family friend] at 08:30 after deciphering the euro-phones, and she suggested we tour the city and call her around lunchtime. The bus tours didn’t leave until 11:00, so we procured a walking map and took a walking tour. This place is Church City, with the largest cathedral I’ve ever seen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cologne_Cathedral . We walked along the Rhein, and saw two bums sleeping in medieval burial vaults outside of the new (and quite modern) art museum. Back at the station we call again, and are picked up and we drive to their home. Their kids are all on holiday, so we have lunch with the whole family. Greg and I set off for a local castle, which is beautiful, containing medieval artifacts. The whole place was restored in the early 20th century, but very accurately. We drive back and talk until the kids go to bed around 20:00, but before we go, we’re shown an incredible computer information service on their cable TV (high-res no less] which is far more advanced than anything we have in the States [I believe it was Tele/Videotext https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teletext ]. We then depart for Bolivar’s, a huge steakhouse a five minute walk down the hill [i don’t think it’s there anymore], where we have the best dinner of the trip, along with two beers which combine into a massive sleeping pill for the two of us. We fall into a nine hour sleep of the dead.

10 Jun 1987

Up at 07:00 to clean up and have breakfast with the family. The daughter has a broken leg, so she can take a taxi to school. We fill out the family Gästebuch and convey our thanks to all, and are driven down to the train station. We buy “D” oval country stickers for our cars back home, and board the train for Amsterdam, an uneventful ride except for a man who’d just bought an antique violin for $50 and a pretty railroad trainee and conductor checking tickets.

Arrived in Amsterdam https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam . Outside the cambio [the then-ubiquitous currency-changing kiosks], a young cockney attempts to give us some literature on a hotel boat behind the central station, but the police shake him down for soliciting inside the station (all the cities have a service at their information booths which take a commission and room deposits for the surrounding hotels). We get cash and meet another Englishman from another hotel boat. I’m wary, but he said the rooms had a shower on the floor and the area was reasonably secure (a real concern around the central station evidently) for $12 [$35 in today’s money] a night – not bad. We follow him back to the boat and he appears to be on the level. We get a small room with two bunks and a sink, stow our gear and switch valuables to our mobile Eastpaks. Out in Amsterdam. This place is like a combination of Salzburg + Venice + The South Bronx. I’ve never seen so much dog dirt on the streets in my life. A perk of staying on the boat was the use of museum passes to all Amsterdam museums, which had fictitious names so they could be used until expiration by other house boat guests. I was “J. Smith” from Ireland and Greg was “Frank White” from Norfolk Virginia. We went to the Rijksmuseum https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en (the national museum) and then to the Van Gogh Museum https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en , a modern but graffiti-covered museum with all the famous paintings. We walked back up to the boat on Pier 5 via the open pedestrian promenade, which looks like NYC – very fashionable. This place has a bohemian flavor which is very interesting, with lots of street musicians and coffee shops with marijuana leaves on their signs (apparently, their drug laws are quite lenient). We stop at a swarthy square and watch a group of Hari Krishnas and a Jesus freak show, and an American semi-bluesman playing at the same time. We stop in various shops, mostly looking, but Greg buys a photo book for his dad. There’s a really neat surplus shop with great prices, and we may go back. Back to the boat, where we enjoy a few beers, do some reading, and take a nap. We tentatively plan to go out later and hear a band drinking at the table next to ours (we thought they might be Americans). We went to the Alida ½ price boat happy hour, then to the Sunshine (another boat) and listen to two guitar players from the Berkely School of Music. Against the warnings of two people from New Orleans with whom we were sitting, we ventured into the red light district in search of more cheap drinks. This town takes its debauchery very seriously, and the whole “combat zone” has fat prostitutes in window seats (one had a Cyalume light stick down the front of her panties). Forlorn-looking businessmen and young heroin addicts scrambling for a fix – what a scene. I kept one finger on my pocketknife, and we walked fast, but had no issues. We decide to head back to the Sunshine until the guitarist quit at 00:15. We then went back over to the Happy Fox, where Greg and a drunk English guy played a few clunky duets (the Brit was wasted). Then the other guitarists from earlier came in and the three of them jammed until 02:00, joined by a good female singer. We went back to the boat and fell into a good beer sleep.

11 Jun 1987
We awoke and used the brown-water shower and ate the breakfast provided on the boat. We bugged out, not knowing quite where to go. The deal with [our Cologne acquaintances’] sister just wasn’t going to work out due to travel difficulties, so we took the slow train to Brussels.

Brussels really didn’t offer much in the way of exciting cultural attractions for the seasoned travellers, so we loaded up on unique food and headed to the north coast of France for the return to England. This turned out to be a train day, but we really didn’t mind as we were both beaten-up. One hour layover in Tournai https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tournai , after which we finally blow into Lille https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lille at 18:00 and find a hotel, $15 [$43 in today’s money] a night for each of us as well as dinner on my Master Card. Not much to do; I watch “Wonder Woman” in French on TV, and we both crash early.

12 Jun 1987
Up at 08:00 after another marathon sleep. We check out, get breakfast, and catch a train to Calais https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calais and hung out waiting for the ferry to Dover https://www.dfds.com/en-gb/passenger-ferries/ferry-crossings/ferries-to-uk/calais-dover , on which we saw the White Cliffs. We then travelled via Charing Cross to Paddington for a hotel and discover that there has been a substantial increase in rates. We check in at the Hotel Dolphin near the station, watch “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, called home, then fell asleep early.

13 Jun 1987
Up at 08:00. Box breakfast, after which we go get money and buy three-day train passes. We go to Westminster and discover it’s The Queen’s birthday! What a spectacle. Talked with an old RAF gent who filled us in on the particulars of the Royal Family. We watch for a while, then stroll through flea markets [99% certain I meant arcades https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burlington_Arcade and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Arcade,_London and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piccadilly_Arcade ] with coins, stamps, and military paraphernalia. Had fish and chips for lunch, then went window shopping on Picadilly Circus. Went back to pay for the rooms around 15:30, then took a nap, woke up, and watched the taped ceremonies as we wanted to catch what we’d missed due to the crowds. Our plan was to visit some of Greg and his brother’s hometown tennis pals from Connecticut at their apartment and then go out and listen to some music. We Tubed it over to South Kensington and met up. They run a string of sporting goods stores in the US, and each year they rent a huge flat to string racquets for Wimbledon. We Tube it over to Camden https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camden_Town to the Town & Country [defunct in 1993 https://www.facebook.com/TandC8593/ ], an old theatre converted into a Palladium-like club with red lights and an out-of-control crowd, and listen to “The Boogie Brothers” https://www.discogs.com/release/5204153-The-Boogie-Brothers-Blues-Band-Time-Boogaloo , who were sort of a blues-soul Blues brothers rip-off band, but they were pretty good. The crowd was very un-British and the dance floor was a disaster. We went back to South Kensington and ate at a bistro. Even though all our stuff was at the Dolphin, and we’d paid for the night, we crashed at the tennis flat.

14 Jun 1987
Up early and took to pick up stuff and drop back at the flat. We shopped and went to Marble Arch, saw the outdoor “orators”, then went down to Wimbledon. Wrapped up the day with a great time at the museums in South Kensington. Then back to the tennis flat. Went out to Chi-Chi’s for dinner, and crashed at the flat.

15 Ju 1987
Up late – good sleep. Shopped all day. Not much else. Got a pizza and watched TV. Ivan Lendl https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Lendl dropped by with his manager to pick up his newly-strung racquets. He seemed pretty cool.

16 Jun 1987
Up at 08:00 GMT, Tube to Heathrow, and Pan Am Flight 1 back to JFK right on time at 13:00 GMT.

I started work the following Monday https://www.linkedin.com/in/gunnarmiller/ .

P.J. O’Rourke once wrote “There are no kinder or better people in the world than those who listen to you when you are 18.” ... or 22 for that matter.