Backpacking through Europe in 1994

Day 41 • October 17 - Part 2, 1994
My Journal Is Found!!!
Starting my train tour of europe!
Traveling from Tours, France, through Paris, to Copenhagen, Denmark

Guess what, Great News!

MY JOURNAL WAS FOUND, AND I HAVE IT AGAIN!!!

You are not going to believe this, but what I am about to tell you is 100% true.

Just before I was to leave Tours and start my train tour of Europe for the next two months, literally a couple of hours before leaving Olivier’s house, the mail arrived. In the mail was a package addressed to me, and inside the package was my Journal!

Freakin’ Amazing! My jaw dropped. I was in shock!

However, the story about what happened to my Journal since the day I left London, England, for Tours, France, is absolutely unbelievable!

Did I say you’re not going to believe it?!?

Believe it. Read for yourself.

My Photographs from Today
Taking the Train to Copenhagen

Day 41 / 10-17-94 / Part 2
MY JOURNAL IS FOUND!!!

Starting my train tour of europe!
Traveling from Tours, France, through Paris, to Copenhagen, Denmark

OK, Timeout!

A lot of shit has happened since I wrote that last line [in my journal in London on Day 5, back on September 11]. Like, 36 days’ worth of stuff.

Here is the brief rundown:

I stopped writing on that day because I was tired, and I planned on finishing [the rest of my journal entry about my day in London] in Athee sur Cher, [Olivier’s home].

But before I knew it, I had lost it [my journal].

The first week in France I went to a lot of places, and I had no clue where I lost it.

Well, someone in France found it, saw the address on the first page and sent it to him [Mick, the drunk bloke I met in the pub on my first night] in Ireland. I had given him my card [my International Freelance Photographer business card that I had made on the first day I came up with this idea], so he sent it home to America. Then my parents sent it back to me here in France. This book has traveled more than me!!

The irony of it all is that I lost it just one block from Roger and Chantel’s house [Olivier’s parents’ home on Athee sur Cher]!

Oh well, I have it again, just in time for the third phase of my journey, my two-month trip around Europe. (The fist being on my own in Ireland, the second with Olivier, et al, in France).

Now I am hurtling towards Paris on the TGV [high speed train] at more than 150 miles per hour. I wish America had a train system this efficient.

Now I’ll finish the entry on my day in London.

[This is what I had just finished writing about the changing of the guards at Buckingham palace.]

Anyway, back to the guards. There were two kinds, and they wore black uniforms and red uniforms. The way they moved around, it was like a giant checkers game. I couldn't tell who was cooler. The red guys got machine guns, but they had to wear these two-foot-tall black furry hats. The black ones had normal uniforms, but they only had swords. And the actual two guards who guarded the entrance, they must have the worst job imaginable, because they don't even get to move, they just have to stand there all day.

Okay, Time In - … Worst Job Imaginable. They can't cough, sneeze, sit, scratch their balls - nothing. And the English say it's the most prestigious job in England. They must have one hell of a benefit package.

I wanted to leave but the crowd was so thick it was impossible. When I did break free I made my way to Piccadilly Circus. Once again, another overrated place. Maybe it's because it was a Sunday around noon. Maybe it's better on a Friday night.

Anyway, I continued on to Trafalgar Square. This was a little better because of all the freakin’ pigeons! There were more birds than I'd ever seen. I ate lunch in a small shop under the watchful eye of Big Ben. I had - what else - fish n’ chips. I didn't come all the way eat at McDonald's (although to tell you the truth, a Big Mac sounded a whole lot better than deep fried fish).

I continued on to Big Ben and Parliament, which is a very cool building. I found the closest roundabout to it and walked around at three times, each time saying out loud “Look kids, Big Ben, Parliament; Look kids, Big Ben, Parliament; Look kids, Big Ben, Parliament” in a tribute to Chevy Chase [and Clark Griswold, the character he plays in the movie European Vacation] and also to Curt Vance, [my brother from the Dome Crew who loves that movie and can quote every line].

Next door was Westminster Abbey, the coolest thing I saw in London. Because it was Sunday, Poets Corner was closed, so I didn't get to see Shakespeare's grave, but I did see, among others, Winston Churchill’s grave and the tomb of the unknown soldier. It was interesting to see “beware of pickpockets” signs inside the cathedral. Although I’m not religious, I lit a prayer candle for my sister Tracy – I knew she would’ve if she could’ve been here.

After that I walked along the Thames River for a while, and I also went and saw 10 Downing St. and the Horse Guards, another incredibly ridiculous job. These guys do less than the “stop/slow” sign holders at construction sites.

Then I continued on my way over to Hyde Park, and walked through just the smallest part and was amazed by the size of it.

By now I was quite tired and ready to go back to the bus station [where I would take a bus to Dover]. After walking for what seemed like an eternity I found it, completely exhausted.

It was only 4:00 pm so I still had four more hours to wait [before the bus left]. But I didn't care. I was not going to walk anymore. This bus had only 15 or so people on it, so it was actually quite comfortable. There were two guys and one girl from England on it so we talked for an hour or so before I fell asleep.

This concludes my journal entry for Day 5, September 11, 1994.

The next day, September 12, I took a ferry from Dover, England - and I saw the White Cliffs, across the English Channel, to Calais, France, and then took a train to Tours, where I would rendezvous with my host brother Olivier.

Now, on the next page, my story will be current again, picking up when I arrived in Copenhagen on October 18, to start Day 42 of my adventure.

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