Backpacking through Europe in 1994
Day 14 • September 20, 1994
Tours, France
Back in 1994, communication was much more difficult than today, where you can reach anyone in the world immediately with a variety of ways: call, text, video chat, social media posts, instant messaging apps, the list goes on.
Back then, to communicate with anyone back in the United States in real time required a collect phone call or a calling card phone call, both of which cost money. So I told my parents and friends that if you don’t hear from me for a while, that means everything is okay and I’m having a great time!
A gargoyle and cathedral in Tours, France
My Photographs from today in Tours, France
Day 14 / 9-20-94
Tours, France
So what had I been doing?
Well, Olivier and I drank a lot of French wine and smoked a lot of French cigarettes and ate a lot of French food, and had a fantastically French experience!
We spent a lot of time at his favorite bar, Donald’s Pub, and he introduced me to all of his friends. At Donald’s Pub everyone drank a lot of wine, smoked a lot of cigarettes, and played a lot of chess while discussing important world events. I fit right in!
I read “La Monde” (their version of The NY Times) each afternoon while drinking incredibly strong coffee - with cream and two cubes of sugar - at a street-side cafe.
One thing I did not do at all this week since I arrived was take any pictures. I think I was just so excited to see Olivier that I just put my camera in my room with my backpack and didn’t touch it.
However, 30 years ago today, I walked around the town of Tours and discovered a cathedral and a building being demolished in front of it. I thought the juxtaposition of the two was stark and interesting so I took some pictures of the scene. Then I discovered the architecture of the cathedral and the gargoyles guarding it and had some fun taking creative pictures with unique angles.
One other thing I did not do that whole first week in France was write in my journal. This is because I can’t find my journal!
I don’t have any idea where it is!
I know I had it when I left London, so I was sure I would find it soon. If not, I figured I’d just go buy another one and start over. But I hoped that wouldn’t be the case, because I really liked what I had written so far and didn’t want to forget those memories.
So there is no true journal entry for today, these are my memories as I write this on September 20, 2024.
On September 1, 1944, at 3:35 am, Tours was liberated from the occupying Nazi forces near the end of World War Two. There was a month long celebration in town during the month I was there, including this exhibit I visited.