On this date, 41 years ago, I strapped on a backpack with a T and jeans and sneakers.

[no_hypocrisy]

I went on a solo adventure for 13 weeks, walking through Scotland, England, France, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland (nine countries). Got to know the people, the currency, the art, the music, the food, the beer. And I had no idea where I was going or where I'd be sleeping that particular night. I knew a functional amount of French, Spanish, Italian, and German -- only to have my subjects respond in better English than my attempts in their language. And not once was I dining in McDonalds. Ate the local cuisine with the regulars. One of the cool things, besides the memories, is the fact that I can remember a block of 90+ days of my life, each day.

I did everything: Tower of London, Mme Tussaud's Wax Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, The Eiffel Tower, Mona Lisa, David in the Academia dell'Arte, The Vatican, The Forum, The Colosseum, The Tower of Pisa, Naples at Night, Oktoberfest, Tivoli Gardens, the Grand Canal of Venice, and more.

Total cost was a little more than $2,000, the bulk going to airfare, Eurrail & Britrail cards. I lived frugally, two meals a day, one of which was a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. The hostels were $3 to $5 a night.

This was right after I graduated college. My father offered me a choice: a car or Europe. Never regretted my choice.

[dawg day]

1. IT sounds like a wonderful trip!

You were right to choose the trip. The car would have been junked a long time ago, but you still have your journey!

[dhol82]

2. Excellent choice!

[ZZenith]

3. Hopefully they'll let Americans back in one day.

I’d give just about anything to be eating outdoors at some Parisian cafe right about now.

A little foretaste of Heaven.

[MLAA]

12. My favorite thing is afternoon French fries (pomme frites) and a beer in outdoor cafe

resting from walking, museums etc and watching people go by 🙂

[ZZenith]

14. Hope to run into you there someday!

[MLAA]

15. I will watch for you

May I suggest....

Sacre Couer when the nuns are singing

Roof of La Samaritaine to see the best free view of Paris

Madison du Chocolat for some candy

🙂

[ZZenith]

16. I'll be in the Palais Garnier

staring at the torchieres at the bottom of the grand staircase but I’ll make it to the places you mentioned eventually.

We’ll meet and discuss how different Paris is from my birthplace, Tucson, AZ.

[MLAA]

19. Ha! I live in Tucson now! 🌵

How funny!

OMG Palau’s Garnier is gorgeous. I have never been there.

[ZZenith]

20. Oh! Please do make it there when next you are in Paris.

So many exquisite places to see but the Garnier and Sainte-Chappelle I will carry in my soul forever. I could happily spend the rest of my days ambling up and down those streets!

Was in Tucson last December to inter my mother’s ashes at Windy Point on the side of Mt. Lemmon. Had not been there in decades and had forgotten how beautiful the desert can be.

[leftieNanner]

22. Frites with mustard

Yum! Let's go!

[MLAA]

24. Oh yes! 🙂

[bobbieinok]

4. Fabulous opportunity! So sad it would be so expensive these days, even without virus

My opportunity was in 62 as part of a grad school semester at the U of Hamburg

I took a bike trip with a girl at the U of Muenster, took a 10 day train trip through Scandinavia, spent a few days in Berlin the week of the 1st anniversary of the Soviets putting up the Berlin Wall. And ended up with 2 weeks in Switzerland reuniting with relatives my Swiss gfather had lost contact with during WWII

[cilla4progress]

5. Very cool!

Wish that experience were more prevalent now!

[babylonsister]

6. You are a lucky person.

That sounds so fun, educational, and life changing. I think you made the best choice, and props to your dad for the option.
Too bad this wasn't a requirement for all students; they would be less xenophobic.

[randr]

7. Bravisimo!

I bet you still use things you learned on that journey.

[Jeebo]

8. Sounds like an incredible experience.

Ditto to the poster who said you made much the better choice in going for the trip instead of the car.

I have traveled solo in Europe too, but the first trip of several was in 1997, when I was 47. That was the first time in my life I had ever been outside the U.S. And I have been thinking ever since, and have told many people, that you should go on adventures like that when you are YOUNG, not when you're already almost a half century old, as I was then. When your body is youthful and fresh and healthy and energetic, when you are far more capable of pursuing enjoyment of your travels than when you get old. Not that I was unable to enjoy my travels when I was in my late 40s and 50s and 60s, but I could have enjoyed it all so much more when I was in my 20-something body.

My last trip was three years ago, when I spent three weeks in Thailand and Japan. I hope I will be able to visit the U.K. again, I want to go on a Beatles tour of London and Liverpool, and also Amsterdam and the Netherlands. I have spent a fair amount of time there, and that whole country is literally picture-postcard pretty, but the last visit was 2007 and I miss it. I wonder when they will let us Americans visit their countries again?

Have you visited Europe again since that backpacking trip four decades ago?

-- Ron

[no_hypocrisy]

9. I returned twice since 1979.

1981 - I was invited to join the NYU Scholars for their week-long trip to Salzburg and Vienna. Loved the idea of returning to those two cities. Did the Sound of Music tour again. Good food, good beer. January was very cold.

1984 - I had it with Ronald Reagan. I interviewed in London for a teaching job in Zurich, Switzerland and got the job. The plan was to get the job, apply for dual citizenship, and then cut ties with the U.S. altogether. But I was thwarted when Switzerland demanded that only a Swiss national could work in an AMERICAN SCHOOL in Switzerland. Dejected, I gave up my scheme to immigrate.

And here I am now.

[MLAA]

13. I've been to London a few times but I've never been outside of London to

Other places like Bath, Oxford et al. If we can ever travel again that’s on my list 🙂. Madrid is a wonderful option as well. I didn’t realize how beautiful it is and how easy to get wonderful trains all around the country from Madrid until I had to move there for work for a year. Consider putting Madrid/Spain on your list. London is about a two hour flight away.

[yonder]

10. You chose wisely.

[iluvtennis]

11. Wow, very nice. thanks for sharing. nt

[IrishEyes]

17. I did the same thing 20 years ago.

I spent 3 months backpacking through Europe alone. I had one full backpack, a translation book for several languages and a guidebook for Western Europe. I went all over Europe. Someday I will go back and see some of the countries I missed. I'm really glad that I went even though it seemed like a crazy idea at the time.

It sounds like you had a great trip. You definitely made the right choice.

[Tumbulu]

18. I joined the Peace Corps 41 years ago

Got to go to a Philadelphia and then onto West Africa where I served in the Crop Protection services.

So glad you brought me back to these memories with the sharing of your memory.

[certainot]

21. fantastic. the good old days.

[Hamlette]

23. When I was in college, my parents moved to Scotland and my sister lived in Denmark

we went over a couple of summers and totally caught the bug. Instead of giving each other gifts, DH and I put money in a travel fund and as soon as we had enough money we'd go to Europe again, or China or Thailand. We'd walk all day, like you, we'd eat twice a day and had a blast. Better education than all the college I had.

[Fla Dem]

25. What a wonderful adventure and memories.

[bikebloke]

26. I did that in 1977.

The airfares to Europe dropped real low. I wanted to see a bit of the world before the long slog of the rat race. Discovered that I preferrred Europe. Through the years, I ventured further and further.