Written by Gary Hartman from notes taken during the trip.
This was our dream trip. With family in Holland and long-held plans, we finally set out to make it happen. It was very much a budget journey — tight finances, but rich experiences. Little did we know that this would only be the first of many trips overseas.
Oh, how young we were!
The Beginning
Friday 18th January 1980 – Departure
Today marked the start of our dream trip. Rayls was about to turn 23 in a few days, and I was just 25.
After having dinner at Rayl’s parents’ house, our friends Tony and Bev kindly drove us to the old Perth Airport—the international terminal then was where the domestic airport stands today (2008).
We arrived at 7:15pm, hoping to snag window seats, but a computer breakdown—yes, even back then—thwarted our plans.
We passed the time in the coffee shop, where both our parents came to see us off.
At 9:45pm we were called to board. After final goodbyes, we went through immigration and waited in the departure lounge until 10:40pm.
Our plane, a British Airways 747, took off promptly at 11:00pm. We were finally on our way.
Saturday 19th January 1980 – London, Being Tourists
After takeoff, we climbed to 35,000 feet and settled in for an uneventful flight. Unfortunately, the onboard projector broke down, so we missed the movie You and Me.
Sleep eluded us both, and we felt a bit queasy.
We landed in Mumbai (then Bombay) at 7:00am, but due to a recent terminal fire and overcrowding, we were not allowed to disembark. Passengers had to remain in their seats while the plane was cleaned.
My queasiness got the better of me during this delay—I spent much of the time not sitting in my seat!
We took off again at 8:45am, with Captain Fuller now at the helm.
Shortly after takeoff, dawn broke, and by 9:30am the sun was shining. Breakfast was served, and they screened Movie Movie—apparently, the projector had been fixed in Bombay.
Rayls managed some sleep, but I never mastered sleeping on planes.
Our flight path took us over Tehran, just weeks after the US Embassy hostage crisis, then Turkey, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia. The mountainous, snow-covered scenery was breathtaking.
We continued over Austria, Germany, and Belgium, though heavy cloud cover obscured much.
Finally, we landed at London Heathrow at 10:10am local time, 6:10pm Perth time—19 hours and 10 minutes after leaving home.
Sunday 20th January, 1980
We were up early at 4:30am. We had slept well but it was a bit too early to do much.
We played cards the old-fashioned way and chatted until breakfast at 8:00am, which was very nice.
At 8:45am, we walked to Baker Street station and took the tube to Liverpool Street, then walked to Petticoat Lane. It was quite interesting.
From Aldgate station, we took the tube to Westminster, where we saw the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey.
We walked up to Buckingham Palace, then along The Mall to Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus.
At Piccadilly Circus, we caught a bus for a one-and-a-half-hour tour, which was very informative.
After the tour, we took the tube from Piccadilly Station to Marylebone and walked back to the hotel.
I rang my aunt in Holland.
Later, we visited Madame Tussaud’s and saw the wax figures.
For dinner, we went to Wimpy’s for a bacon and egg burger with chips.
Again, we were back at the hotel very early, asleep by 6:00pm.
Monday 21st January, 1980 London – The King and I
Rayls’ 23rd Birthday!
We had breakfast at 8:00am, then took a short walk along Baker Street before catching a taxi to 180 Vauxhall Bridge Road, where our tour company Cosmos was located.
After confirming our European tour, we walked to the British Airways office at Victoria Station and booked return air tickets to Amsterdam—$59.50 each, no tax! Our flight would leave London tomorrow at noon and arrive in Amsterdam at 2:00pm.
We then wandered back towards Baker Street and caught a taxi to Oxford Street, shopping at Mothercare and Selfridges.
We had lunch at Wimpy’s and stopped at a stationery store to buy envelopes.
Back at the hotel, we packed our Mothercare purchases and addressed a parcel home.
I phoned my aunt in Holland to confirm our arrival time and also called Qantas to confirm our return travel.
At 2:15pm, we went to Midlands Bank to cash some traveller’s cheques and then to the post office to mail the parcel and postcards.
Back at the hotel, I paid the bill—68 pounds for three nights.
We packed our bags and looked for a show as a birthday treat for Rayls.
Luckily, we secured two tickets to The King and I at the London Palladium. No cheap second-rate show—this was the real thing, starring Yul Brynner!
We left the hotel at 5:40pm, walked along Baker Street to Oxford Street, then to Oxford Circus just past Regent Street.
From there, down Argyle Street to the Palladium to pick up our tickets.
We were a little early, so we had a quick dinner at Garner’s Steakhouse. It was a bit fancy for us, especially with little time, but we had fillet steak, boiled potatoes, and lemon squash. We were a bit embarrassed—definitely above our usual league! We laugh about it now.
Then to the Palladium—the show was amazing, and we had great seats. Nearly 30 years later, it remains one of our happiest memories.
After the show, we caught a taxi back to our room, and thanks to the King, we finally beat the jet lag, getting to bed at a reasonable time—10:30pm.
Tuesday 22nd January, 1980 – To the Netherlands
Still a bit jet lagged, we were up at 5:30am.
We finished packing and had breakfast at 7:30am.
The hotel lady phoned a taxi, and at 8:50am, we arrived at Victoria Station, catching the British Airways bus to Heathrow.
We enjoyed our first international travel experience and looked forward to returning to London after our European tour.
After some time exploring the airport, we boarded our British Airways flight, which took off at noon.
We had a window seat and saw some beautiful scenery on the flight, which lasted less than an hour.
We landed at Schiphol Airport at 1:00pm (2:00pm Dutch time), where we were met by my aunt, uncle, and cousins Tooske and Miranda.
We got to know everyone over drinks in the airport cafeteria.
I had met my aunt when she visited Australia a few months earlier, but this was my first time meeting cousins.
Tuesday 22nd January, 1980 – Arrival and to Castricum
After arriving at Schiphol, we spent some time chatting with family—my Aunt Tooske, her husband Jan, their daughter Miranda (my cousin), and another cousin also named Tooske.
Later, Rayls and I traveled with Cousin Tooske by train from Schiphol to Amsterdam, then onward to the northern town of Castricum.
There we were warmly welcomed by Uncle Ralph and Aunt Rinnie, and also met Cousin Arjen. They drove us to their home, where we arrived around 4:45pm.
We had a lovely dinner together, enjoyed good conversation, and eventually turned in just after 9pm.
Wednesday 23rd January 1980 – Castricum and Amesterdam
Woke up at 8:00am, had breakfast, and went to Tooske’s room in Bakkerstraat. From there we headed to the station and hired bikes, riding back to the house via Castricum’s main street.
After lunch, I phoned my sister Cath in Perth—it was her wedding day. In the afternoon, Tooske and I took the train to Amsterdam and joined a canal tour at 2:45pm, which lasted an hour.
Afterwards, we stopped at a Quick Service Restaurant for a drink, then met Arjen at the railway station at 4:45pm and we all headed into Amsterdam. We went window shopping, had dinner at Wimpy’s, and continued browsing before going to the Tuschinski Cinema to see The Champ, which we all enjoyed. We took the train back to Castricum, biked home, chatted briefly, and went to bed at 11:00pm.
Thursday 24th January 1980 – Castricum
Up at 7:45am, had breakfast, and phoned my Aunty Tooske to discuss visiting her place in Baarn tomorrow.
We then rode our bikes to Castricum Station and caught the train to Zaanse Schans, a unique heritage park established in 1850. Although much of it was closed for the season, we still had an interesting time. Little did we know we’d return there in 2015. We saw a drawbridge open and close—fascinating for anyone who hasn’t seen that before. After a drink in a coffee shop and some window shopping, we caught the train back to Castricum, returned our bikes, and bought postcards.
Back at the house, we relaxed until Arjen returned from school at 3:15pm, when we set up the table tennis table. Cousin Tooske went to night school, while Arjen fetched chips for dinner and we lazed about, writing postcards. Uncle Ralph and Aunt Riny came home at 6:30pm from shopping, and we had a proper dinner followed by more table tennis.
Later, when Cousin Tooske arrived home, we all drove to the new house in Mendelssohnlaan, stayed about half an hour, then returned to Stetweg. We said goodbye to Tooske, as she was working tomorrow when we left for Baarn. In bed by 10:30pm.
Friday, 25th January 1980 – Castricum to Baarn
Woke up at 8:00am and, after breakfast, we packed our bags. Uncle Ralph and Aunt Riny drove us to Castricum Station, where we caught a train to Amsterdam and then transferred to another, arriving in Baarn at 11:20am. Aunt Tooske and Cousin Miranda met us at the station and took us to Nassaulaan 29, where we were able to settle in and leave our bags.
In the afternoon, we visited the bank and had a quick look around Baarn’s town centre before returning to Nassaulaan at 2:30pm. Miranda then joined us for a visit to the local primary school, where we were surprised to see one of the Dutch Queen’s sons playing table tennis. Miranda herself was a highly rated table tennis player and coach, so it was a fitting moment.
Back at Nassaulaan by 3:45pm, we relaxed until dinner. Afterwards, Miranda took us to the local shopping area. Later, we watched some TV and went to bed at 10:30pm.
Saturday, 26th January 1980 – Baarn
Up at 8:30am, had breakfast, and read the paper. Around 10:30am, Uncle Jan and Miranda took us into Baarn, where he filled the car with LPG. We then visited the Royal Palace, home of Queen Juliana. At the Christoffel Pullmann statue we had our photo taken, just as my parents had done back in the 1930s. Nearby, we also saw a memorial dedicated to the Napoleonic War. (Christoffel Pullmann, c.1759 – 27 July 1787, was a German mercenary who died while guarding Soestdijk Palace.)
From there we drove through beautiful countryside and passed the Palace of Princess Beatrix. We even spoke briefly with a Dutch police officer before continuing on to an area where Uncle Jan often walks his dog—a lovely spot with fields, frozen lakes, and a hill overlooking the scenery.
Back at Nassaulaan we had lunch, and Rayls did some ironing. In the afternoon we watched an Australian documentary on TV. Later, we were treated to the sight of some very light snow—the first time we had seen it fall. After dinner we relaxed and watched more television before bed.
Sunday 27th January 1980 – Baarn to Brussels
We were up at 8:00am and gave Aunt Tooske her birthday gift. Then we put our bag in the car and were taken by Jan to Utrecht. We were starting out on our European Cosmos Tour and Tooske and Miranda were coming along with us.
At Utrecht we caught the 10:31 train to Rotterdam and from there the 11:31am train to Brussels, with a change at Rossenthal on the Dutch border.
We arrived in Brussels at 1:15pm and walked to the Arenburg Hotel where we were told the hotel had been changed to Hotel Alfa Louise. We got a taxi to the new hotel and were given room 101. The Cosmos Tour actually started in London but I had pre-arranged to pick it up in Brussels as we were in the Netherlands and it was easier to go to Brussels than London, no Chunnel back then. The hotel room was very nice so we unpacked and had a rest.
A bit later we were advised that the Cosmos coach was at the other hotel for dinner so we caught another taxi and met our tour guide Pamela. Nice plain dinner of some chicken and chips and then we were brought back to the Hotel Alfa Louise by the Cosmos coach. We watched some TV and crashed.
Monday, 28th January 1980 – Brussels to Koblenz
We woke up late and lazed about until noon. We caught the bus to Du Rhin Hotel and had lunch. Posted some postcards and at 2:00pm the bus departed for Koblenz. We crossed from Belgium into Germany and went through the outskirts of Cologne and Bonn. In Germany the countryside became more hilly and there was a lot of snow on the fields. However, we had still to see snow falling other than those very minor drops in Baarn. We arrived at our hotel Zur Kripp at 6:45pm. Here we lazed about and had dinner.
Two memories of this hotel: it was the first time we slept under a quilt — we had always used blankets before. Also, the hotel was right on the railway line and a level crossing, and there was constant noise from the level crossing and the passing trains. The hotel was right next to the Rhine River.
Tuesday, 29th January 1980 – Koblenz to Regensburg
Up at 7:00am and on the road in the Cosmos bus at 8:40am. We travelled to Boppard, where we boarded a Rhine River Cruise to St Goar. The cruise took about an hour and a half and we saw some beautiful scenery, including the spectacular view of the legendary Loreley rock.
Then back onto the bus, through Mainz and bypassed Frankfurt before stopping for lunch in Aschaffenburg. We walked around this beautiful town and bought a bag for 29.90 Deutsche Marks. Had lunch at a McDonald’s, one of the first McDonald’s we had ever been to. I remember ordering by number from the menu board as my German was not so good. Then the server told me in a broad American accent to speak in English — simples!
Back on the bus at 2:15pm and passed Würzburg and Nuremberg before stopping for the night at Regensburg at 5:15pm. We stayed at the Avia Hotel. After this we played cards and discussed optional tours with Pamela, our tour guide.
Wednesday, 30th January 1980 – Regensburg to Vienna
Early rise and breakfast and on the bus for an 8:10am departure. We saw lots of snow on the ground and arrived at the border town of Passau at 10:00am. It took three-quarters of an hour for the authorities to check passports before we entered Austria.
The bus then followed winding roads along the Danube River. Breathtaking scenery made this part of the travel very enjoyable.
Eventually we returned to the Autobahn and entered the lovely town of Linz at 12:15pm. It was here that Rayls bought a doll, the first of her collection. We went to the bank and then boarded the bus at 2:15pm.
We continued along the Autobahn to Vienna where we arrived at 4:40pm. We stayed at the Hotel Michelbeuern in room 3.
After settling in we went for a walk and bought some bread rolls which we took back to the hotel. Chatted for a while… then bed.
Thursday, 31st January 1980 – Vienna
At 9:10am we left on the tour bus for a tour of Vienna. We saw some of the sights, including a walk through Schönbrunn Palace. A further drive took us to Belvedere Palace, where we walked through the gardens. From there we went into the centre of the city, seeing St Stephen’s Cathedral, the Vienna Opera House, the Spanish Riding School, and the Winter Palace.
At noon we were dropped off in the city centre, and on our walk we saw a dancing clock that played a fanfare on the hour. We did some window shopping, and Rayls bought a spoon and dog set. We also saw many long-haired dachshunds—Tramp, our dog at home, was a long-haired dachshund, so that was special.
At 2:00pm we went below St Stephen’s and visited the Ducal Crypt and Catacombs, where the remains of over 11,000 people are kept. A bit morbid! We wandered more of the streets before catching a taxi back to the hotel, where we made our own dinner of Vegemite rolls. We read and played cards before going to bed at 9:30pm.
It was here that we heard the news that Queen Juliana of the Netherlands had abdicated the throne, and Princess Beatrix was to become the new Queen. This announcement didn’t seem to please my aunt and cousin, who were traveling with us on this trip.
Friday, 1st February 1980 – Vienna to Tarvisio
Up early and packed, ready for another day on the road. We put our own bags on the bus, which upset our driver somewhat. From memory his name was Jean Louis, and he did a great job throughout the tour. We left Vienna at 8:25am and took the autobahn south onto the Semmering Pass Road. The scenery was magnificent as the bus wound its way up the mountain. We stopped at the top, in Semmering, for morning tea. Rayls purchased a necklace for 230 Austrian Schillings for her sister Pat.
We then continued to the town of Kraubath an der Mur, where we had lunch. Afterward, some of the group enjoyed a snow fight—it was here I discovered just how cold snow really is! From there we continued south, passing through Klagenfurt and Villach, before reaching the Italian border where we exchanged some money.
We then carried on to Tarvisio, arriving at the Hotel Kriss at 5:50pm. After settling in, we had dinner, enjoyed some conversation in the restaurant, and ended the evening with a few games of cards.
Saturday, 2nd February 1980 — Tarvisio to Venice
As we waited for the bus to depart, we were treated to magnificent scenery, with an early morning ray of sunlight breaking through the clouds.
The bus left at 8:10am, winding its way down the mountain slopes. Eventually, the snowy landscape gave way to plains near the town of Udine, where vineyards and grazing fields replaced the snow.
A tea stop on the autobahn turned into an impromptu soccer match in the car park when someone produced a ball. Lunch followed at the Mogliano Veneto Meridiana Gardens Hotel, on the outskirts of our destination for the day — Venice.
At 1:00pm we set out on a water taxi for a sightseeing tour. We visited St Mark’s Square and St Mark’s Cathedral, and stopped at a glassmaking factory where we watched a vase and a model horse being crafted. We purchased a sherry set, which included a glass horse, for 55,000 lira to be shipped back home to Perth.
At 4:00pm we took a gondola ride, serenaded by an Italian baritone. At first it seemed he was singing directly to us, but we soon realized he always stared at the same spot regardless of who was there. When we disembarked, he sadly begged for tips.
A further 45-minute walk took us back to the bus, and by 6:30pm we were at our hotel. After dinner, I heard voices on a TV I couldn’t see, including the unmistakable “Ayyyyyy!” Curious, I discovered it was Happy Days, with the Fonz speaking Italian in a dubbed version of the show.
Sunday, 3rd February 1980 — Venice to Florence
The bus departed at 8:00am. As usual, our tour guide Pamela made sure everyone was aboard by cheerfully asking, “Hands up if you’re not here!”
We travelled along the highway (whatever it’s called in Italy) until a tea stop in Bologna. It was a lovely day with hardly a cloud in the sky. Rayls bought some animal and bird models for 2,000 lira each. Another impromptu soccer match broke out amongst the passengers.
On arrival in Florence, we first visited a leather factory where we bought a lipstick holder for 800 lira and a small wallet for 4,000 lira. Afterwards, we had lunch at a city restaurant. At 3:00pm a special guide joined us for a tour of Piazzale Michelangelo — a real highlight of our trip. The panoramic views of Florence were breathtaking. We admired the stunning architecture, elegant palaces, and the famous Ponte Vecchio Bridge. Rayls added to her collection with a small doll for 1,500 lira, a leather bag for 5,000 lira, and a spoon.
Back in the city centre, we saw the Ponte Vecchio up close, along with the Synagogue, Piazza Signoria, and many other sights.
At 6:00pm we headed to Fiesole, perched on a hill, where we enjoyed a wonderful view of Florence at dusk. From there, we went to a restaurant for dinner before settling in for the night at the Europa Hotel in suburban Sesto.
Monday, 4th February 1980 — Florence to Rome
We departed at 8:00am, travelling along the highway. After a morning tea stop at a service station, the bus wound its way through the mountains before continuing on to Rome. We arrived at 12:15pm, with another 15 minutes’ drive to reach our hotel. Once settled in, we had lunch.
In the afternoon we went on a bus tour of the ancient ruins of Rome, visiting the Forum, the Pantheon, and the Colosseum. At the Pantheon we left the group and walked into central Rome, where we did some jewellery shopping with Aunt Tooske. Later, we took a bus to the Vatican. That bus was the rattliest we had ever been on — years later, when I brought home an old bus to drive, I often compared it to that one in Rome!
By the time we arrived it was dusk, so we didn’t have much time to look around, but what we did see was fascinating. We then window-shopped our way back to the hotel, where we enjoyed a quiet drink before heading to bed.
Tuesday, 5th February 1980 — Rome
After breakfast at the hotel we walked through a marketplace, where we stopped to take photos with some of the workers. Eventually, we ended up back at the Vatican for a tour of the Museum. With more than five miles of corridors, this vast complex chronicles mankind’s history and accomplishments over the last 2,000 years, featuring masterpieces such as Rodin’s Thinker and, of course, the Sistine Chapel. The scale was overwhelming — it took us more than two hours to only scratch the surface. The Sistine Chapel was especially fascinating; Michelangelo’s ceiling forms part of a grand decorative scheme that complements earlier works by leading artists of the 15th century.
Afterwards we crossed the street and slowly walked back towards the hotel, browsing through many shops along the way.
Following lunch at the hotel we returned to the Vatican, where St Peter’s Basilica and St Peter’s Square captured our attention. Neither Rayls nor I are Catholic, but both sites were still very impressive to visit. Rayls picked up a doll, a spoon, and a small china doll as mementos.
Back at the hotel we had dinner — the bread rolls were incredibly hard. At one stage I marked one with a fork, and sure enough, the next day the same roll was still there, unchanged. Not so fresh!
We finished the day with a quiet evening of conversation before heading to bed at 10:30pm.
Wednesday, 6th February 1980 — Rome to Pisa and Milan
Rome is a fascinating place, but we found the locals not especially friendly, and the city was more than a little dirty. Dog owners rarely cleaned up after their pets, so walking the streets meant constantly dodging both parked cars and dog mess. I managed to avoid stepping in it — except once, right in St Peter’s Square! At one point I went to a bank to cash travellers’ cheques. The place was packed, and the only way to get served was to push your way to the front.
We departed Rome at 8:10am and followed a coastal road with magnificent views of the Mediterranean Sea, reaching Pisa at 12:40pm. After lunch and a brief look around, we headed to the famous Leaning Tower. We spent about an hour there. Rayls did some shopping while I braved the climb — 100 lire for the narrow spiral staircase of 251 steps. You could really feel the lean inside. At the top, with no barriers and a sheer 200-foot drop, I discovered at 25 years old that I was afraid of heights! The view was good, but once was enough.
We continued through the mountains and encountered thick fog, reducing visibility to just 100 metres. Our driver, Jean Louis, earned his pay navigating that stretch. We finally arrived in Magenta, just outside Milan, at 7:15pm — likely well behind schedule. Our hotel, the Excelsior, was ironically the worst of the trip and certainly did not “excel.”
Exhausted, we were in bed by 9:30pm.
Thursday, 7th February 1980 — Milan to Lucerne
Milan was about 25 kilometres from the hotel. Narrow streets and tight turns made driving the bus difficult in Milan, and we got caught in a small side street. A number of Aussie passengers got off the bus and bounced the offending car onto the footpath so the bus could get past.
In Milan, we did some shopping and checked out the Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano), which is one of the largest cathedrals in the world and took over 600 years to complete—slow going. Rayls bought a doll to add to her collection.
At 10:00 am, we hit the road towards Lucerne in Switzerland. We were only held up for about five minutes at the Italian/Swiss border.
We continued to a lunch break at Lugano, a beautiful spot built on a hillside near a lake. We had about an hour to look around and bought a spoon, an Ellery Queen novel, and sat in the sunshine on the lake’s edge. At 1:00 pm, we were taken to Blanca Vela Restaurant, where we had easily the best meal of the trip—lovely meal with chocolate pudding for dessert; I managed two serves.
We continued to Lucerne, driving through the Swiss mountains and seeing some magnificent scenery. We arrived at Hotel Hornli on the outskirts of Lucerne at 7:00 pm. Had dinner and managed a great hot shower, rare on this trip.
Friday, 8th February 1980 — Lucerne
The hotel was around 10 km out of Lucerne where the bus dropped us off. Most of the rest of the passengers went onwards on the bus to Mount Titlis.
We walked to the Chapel Bridge, a covered wooden footbridge spanning the River Reuss diagonally in the middle of the city. The bridge is unique in containing a number of interior paintings dating back to the 17th century.
Rayls bought a doll for 6 Swiss francs and a Swiss clock for 21 Swiss francs. Then a lovely pair of boots for 75 Swiss francs. We stopped at a very pleasant café on the Reuss River. I ordered an apple strudel, which came heated and with custard. Magnificent. Rayls had a cup of tea and I had a Coke with my strudel—cost 15 Swiss francs. I think we also paid a substantial tip for exceptional service.
We had arranged to meet with Tooske and Miranda for lunch and chatted to some South African girls while we waited.
After lunch, we checked out the Lion Monument. The monument depicts a dying lion, carved into a wall of rock, and commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred during the French Revolution.
Later, I bought a coat for 75 Swiss francs and a jumper for 65 Swiss francs. They were both great quality, and I wore them for years—and as of 2025 still have them. On the other side of Lucerne, Rayls bought a watch and a pendant watch for 79 francs.
At 5:00 pm, we met the tour bus and all headed for Basle, where we arrived at 6:30 pm. The hotel was the City Hotel, where we had a terrible dinner. We took a quick walk and saw the Mechanical Fountain before heading back to the hotel and bed.
Saturday, 9th February 1980 — Basle to Paris
We departed the hotel at 8:25 am, and it was only a 10 km drive to the French border, where we had no trouble and were soon on our way to Paris.
The countryside, as always, was very nice. The road was just a single lane, making it a little tough for Jean Louis. We stopped at Chaumont for lunch and then continued to Paris, where we arrived at 5:15 pm.
We settled into our hotel and then walked to a local shop to buy some pastries for dinner. At 9:45 pm, we left on the tour bus for a Paris Illuminations tour. We saw a lot of sights including the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, and the Paris Opera House. Most of the rest of the tour group had paid extra to go to the Moulin Rouge, but we had declined and so were dropped off in Paris. This had caused quite some disharmony with Pamela, the Tour Guide. We caught the metro to Port d’Italie and then a bus back to the hotel, where we arrived at 11:45 pm.
Sunday, 10th February 1980 — Paris
We had the full day at leisure, but neither of us felt that well. Still, when in Paris…
Whilst in the hotel lobby and trying to figure out how to get into central Paris, a very friendly and helpful French man offered to drive us in his car. He dropped us off at Sainte-Chapelle, as it was not as popular with tourists as other destinations and he highly recommended it. Sainte-Chapelle is an ornate 13th-century Gothic chapel with relics and notable stained-glass windows of biblical scenes. The windows were quite magnificent, and we enjoyed our time there. We then walked the 650 metres to Notre Dame. We didn’t go inside, but were struck by the beggars around the entrance.
Next was the Louvre, where we saw the Mona Lisa. We also saw other items of historical significance, though we were well aware of our naïveté as we walked past them on the way to and from da Vinci’s classic painting.
Then it was lunch at a Self Service. Along with lunch we bought a doll, a spoon, and a scarf.
All this time we could see the Eiffel Tower, but we deemed it too far to walk and couldn’t figure out how to catch public transport to it. At one stage we went down into the Metro, and Rayls tried her high school French to no avail. A lovely American girl tried to help us—again, to no avail.
No GPS in those days, and we tried to find the Champs-Élysées. I sat down with the map, and Rayls soon realised we were on the Champs-Élysées, except I thought it was “Champs Elesee.”
Eventually we walked to the Opera House and caught the train to Port d’Italie (we were expert on this one), then caught the 285 bus towards our hotel. Halfway back we were held up in traffic, and we saw an intersection ahead had been blocked with people. Eventually a helicopter landed in the intersection, and it was obvious we weren’t going anywhere for a while, so we got off the bus and started walking. Probably walked for an hour, and just as we were crossing the road to our hotel our bus went past!
We rested in the hotel and had dinner there, cost 90 French francs. We then talked with other members of the tour group, Betty and Terry Hewitt. 10:15 pm to bed—no exciting Paris nightlife for us.
Monday, 11th February 1980 — Paris to Baarn (via Ostende)
We departed the hotel at 8:10 am. We were all there, as nobody put their hand up saying they weren’t. We followed whatever the French call the Autobahn to Ostende, where we arrived at 1:00 pm. We said goodbye to everyone on the bus—we got quite close to some, but as of 2025 we never saw any of them again. Tooske’s husband Jan was waiting for us, and he drove us the three and a half hours back to Baarn.
Tuesday 12th February 19080 Castricum
We were up at 9:00am and after breakfast we went shopping in the city centre. Then back to the house to look at photos. Then later we went back to the city centre and spoke with a travel agent and had a furrhter look around. Later we took the dog for a walk where we saw a lot of animals and birds.
Later still w ehad dinner and watched Little House on the Prarie on TV. Quiet day.
Tuesday, 12th February 1980 — Castricum
We were up at 9:00 am, and after breakfast we went shopping in the city centre. Then back to the house to look at photos. Later, we went back to the city centre, spoke with a travel agent, and had a further look around. We then took the dog for a walk, where we saw a lot of animals and birds.
Later still we had dinner and watched Little House on the Prairie on TV. Quiet day.
Wednesday, 13th February 1980 — Baarn to Castricum
We packed our bags for departure. We went with Tooske to a bank to collect money and then to the station, where we caught the train to Castricum via Amsterdam.
At Castricum, given our luggage, we caught a taxi to Stetweg where we would be staying. There had been some tension between us and Tooske and Miranda on the tour, and we discussed this with Ralph and Riny, who were happy for us to stay but didn’t want conflict with other members of the family.
Later, we went to Tooske’s place and then to the station. We caught the train to Amsterdam, where we arrived at 4:50 pm. Here we met Cousin Tom, who is a son of Aunt Tooske, and we all had dinner at McDonald’s. We then caught a tram to Ajax Stadium de Meer, where we saw Ajax play Vitesse in a Dutch Football Cup game. We caught the tram back to Amsterdam and were shielded from some soccer violence on the tram by Tom. We had drinks at a coffee shop before catching the train back to Castricum and walking to Stetweg, where we arrived at 1:00 am.
Friday, 15th February 1980 — Castricum
We had a chat with Ralph and Riny before going with Tooske to the station and then taking a train to Amsterdam. We window-shopped, had dinner at McDonald’s, then went to Rembrandt Cinema to see the movie Butch and Sundance: The Early Years.
We arrived back in Castricum at 10:30 pm. Rayls rang her mum back home around midnight.
Thursday, 14th February 1980 — Castricum (trip to Aalsmeer and Spaarndam)
At 9:30 am we departed Castricum in the family camper van—I believe it was a Mercedes. Ralph, Riny, Tooske, Rayls, and I all went on a day trip to Aalsmeer and Spaarndam. The day was very foggy and travel was slow. We went past Schiphol Airport, and I had hoped to see some planes but couldn’t see more than a few hundred metres. The flower auction at Aalsmeer was very interesting. It is the largest flower auction in the world, and the building covers 999,000 square metres.
Later it was on to Spaarndam, a village in the province of North Holland located on the River Spaarne. It is famous because of a story in an 1865 American novel about a Dutch boy, The Hero of Haarlem, who stuck his finger in a dike to prevent the town from flooding. The story became a popular legend in America, and in 1950 the local tourist bureau put a statue of this character in Spaarndam. We visited the statue.
We had to cross canals on a car ferry and headed back to Castricum along the coast. When we got back we spent time with Tooske before heading to Medoslaan, where we had a Gourmetten Dinner which was just awesome. Gourmetten in the Netherlands is a culinary tradition that involves sitting together and cooking your food at the dining table using a special tabletop grill or hotplate. We were so impressed we bought some of the Gourmetten grills to take home.
We watched some home movies before heading back to Stetweg and bed.
Saturday, 16th February 1980 — Castricum
After breakfast, Ralph, Riny, and Arjen took us for a drive through the countryside. We stopped at Edam and Volendam. At Volendam we had a lovely lunch, and then we drove back to Castricum, where we arrived around 5:00 pm.
Later, with Arjen, we went to Tooske’s place where we had a pancake dinner. We all got together to make a tape for my sister Cath. We got back to Stetweg around 9:30. Rayls went to bed, and Gaz played table tennis with Arjen for another hour or so.
Sunday, 17th February 1980 — Castricum
We got up late and then lazed about. At 1:00pm Arjen came around and we played more table tennis. My memory is that Arjen and I were very well matched in table tennis but that Arjen was just a little better. Tooske came at 2:30pm and we continued the tape for Cath. Tooske left at 5:00pm and Arjen at 6:15pm.
A memory of Stetweg was that it was set up as a guest house. large groups of people came from all over Europe to stay there. It was abusiness run by Ralph and Riny and later Arjen took it over. Because the place was set up for large groups the only pots were very large and I remember trying to boil 2 potatoes in this ectremely large pot.
Another memory of staying in Stetweg wa slistening to the radio and hearing Roy Orbison’s song Crying being sung by Don McLean. I always associate that song with staying in that very large house in the Stetweg.
Sunday, 17th February 1980 — Castricum
We got up late and lazed about. At 1:00 pm Arjen came around, and we played more table tennis. My memory is that Arjen and I were very well matched, though he was just a little better. Tooske arrived at 2:30 pm, and we continued the tape for Cath. She left at 5:00 pm and Arjen at 6:15 pm.
One memory of Stetweg was that it was set up as a guest house. Large groups of people came from all over Europe to stay there. It was a business run by Ralph and Riny, and later taken over by Arjen. Because the house catered for large groups, the kitchen only had huge pots—I remember once trying to boil just two potatoes in an extremely large one.
Another memory of staying at Stetweg was listening to the radio and hearing Roy Orbison’s Crying sung by Don McLean. To this day, I always associate that song with the big house on Stetweg.
Monday 18th February to Wednesday 21st January 1980 – Castricum
My enthusiasm must have dried up around this part of the trip as my notes dwindle to nothing and I don’t really remember what went on for the next few days. We did go with Arjen to Eidhoven which was a fair distance – 150 K’s or so by public transport.
We were young and on a pretty tight budget and were happy enough to stay in the big Stetweg house
Thursday, 22nd February 1980 — Castricum
Another lazy day. In the early afternoon we went into Castricum city centre and did some shopping at the markets. Afterwards, we returned to the house to drop off the shopping. On the way, we stopped at a gift shop and bought a mattenklopper—a traditional Dutch tool used to beat carpets and rugs to shake out dirt. I can’t recall why we decided to buy it, but my notes say we did.
In the evening we went with Tooske to her parents’ home, where we enjoyed another Gourmetten dinner, just as successful as the first time we tried it about a week earlier. After dinner we watched some films together and had a very pleasant evening.
Saturday 24th February 1980 – Castricum to London
We were up early, cleaned our room, and finished packing. Ralph, Riny, Tooske, and Arjen came with us to Schiphol, where we checked in. We shared a morning tea together before saying our goodbyes. It was sad to leave—everyone had been so good to us. Sadly, we never saw Ralph again, and it would be 35 years before we saw Riny once more, for the last time.
I left the Netherlands happy that I had visited, but also grateful that my parents had chosen to emigrate to Australia back in 1950.
Our plane departed at 12:35 pm, and with the time difference we landed at Heathrow an hour later, at 12:35 pm. We caught the British Airways bus to Victoria Station, then a taxi to the Lancaster Gate Hotel, where we booked into Room 56. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and watching TV, and later had dinner at Strikes 1926.
Sunday 25th February 1980 – London
We were up at 9:00 am and soon caught the tube to Tottenham Court Road Station. From there we walked to Goodge Street to look for some clothes for Rayls. We then continued on to Oxford Street, about 1.5 km away. We did some window shopping, had lunch at Selfridges, and shopped a bit more before heading back to the hotel at 2:30 pm. There we relaxed and watched the movie Squeeze a Flower on TV.
At 6:00 pm we took a taxi to Piccadilly Circus and had a look around before dinner at Burger King. At 8:15 pm we walked to the Prince of Wales Theatre to see An Evening with Tommy Steele. It was a really good show—lots of laughs. Afterwards we took the tube back to the hotel and finished the night watching Two Mules for Sister Sara on TV.
Monday 26th February 1980 – London and a Road Trip
We were up early to catch the Tube to Marble Arch and then on to Hertz Rental Cars, where we hired a Ford Fiesta. From there, we bravely trekked out of London along the A5 and onto the M1. Our first stop was Coventry, arriving around 11:00am. The only reason we chose Coventry was because our good friends back home, Tony and Bev, were from there—Tony originally came from Coventry—so we just wanted to be able to say we’d been.
Next, we drove to Warwick and visited Warwick Castle. We climbed the narrow spiral stairway of the tower, where if someone came the other way, we’d have to back up to a window recess to let them past. The view from the top was wonderful, though it was a foggy day. When we reached the ground, I suddenly got cramp in my legs. The ground was wet, but I had no choice—I had to throw myself down to ease the pain and relieve the cramp.
We then continued to Stratford-upon-Avon, where we toured Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, before heading on to Oxford for a look around. Unfortunately, we got stuck on the ring road, going in circles while trying to find the right turn back towards London. I recall passing the Leyland Factory more than once. Eventually, we found the A40, which led us onto the M40 and back into London. We battled the evening traffic before finally returning the Fiesta.
From there we caught the Tube to Queensway and had dinner at Strikes before heading back to the hotel. That evening, Rayls rang her old friend Janet Barrington, who had emigrated to Australia but later returned to the UK. Janet and her mother came to visit, and we spent the night chatting together in the bar until 11:00pm.
Tuesday 27th February 1980 – London
In the morning we picked up some photos we had dropped off at the local chemist, then took the Tube from Paddington to Knightsbridge. There we visited Harrods and had a look around—where, of course, we ended up buying some Snoopy books (as you do at Harrods!).
Afterwards we hopped back on the Tube, bought some dolls, and caught a train to Trafalgar Square. We had lunch at Burger King, and at 1:00pm went to see The London Experience. From there we walked up Regent Street and along Oxford Street. Rayls bought a couple of skirts and another doll before we caught the Tube back to Marble Arch and returned to the hotel.
At 4:45pm we walked through Hyde Park to Strikes for dinner. Later that evening we went through the newly developed photos and spent some time packing for our departure tomorrow.
Wednesday 28th February 1980 – London to Bombay
This was departure day, and I have no notes from here on. On the way over we had flown Perth–Bombay–London with British Airways on a 747. This trip, though, was in the opposite direction, and our first time flying with Qantas—also on a 747.
Our flight from Heathrow was around 10:00am, so we were up early and took a taxi from the hotel to the airport. I remember the fare was £10, tip included.
We were a bit early for check-in and nervous about excess baggage. We were already over the limit, with the only items in our hand luggage being the Gourmet ovens we’d bought in the Netherlands—nothing else! The person in front of us was hit with excess charges, and we had very little money left. I put on my friendliest “Good morning” at the counter, and to our relief we were waved straight through without a question.
I don’t recall much about security—it must have been far less strict than it is now, if it existed at all.
I have no memory of the flight itself, but I do remember we were allowed off the plane at Bombay. The terminal, recently destroyed by fire, had been replaced by a makeshift shack. A man was selling bottles of Fanta—already opened with straws poked in. We gave that a miss.
Thursday 29th February 1980 – Bombay to Perth
Once again, I have no memory of this leg of the trip. I don’t recall what time we landed in Perth or who met us at the airport. I do remember stopping in at Rayls’ parents’ place for a while and then heading to the kennel to pick up Tramp. He was in desperate need of a bath as soon as we made our way back to our home in Trigg.
And that was it. Looking back, it seems like a pretty tame trip, but we saw a lot and I met relatives I had never met before. Most of them I never saw again.
Thanks for reading.
—Gaz
