July 17, 1960
We were ready to leave by the time the Friends were out of
bed but our Mennonite family were gone already so we weren’t all that speedy!
We had a long day ahead. Very soon we were in Belgium. We drove through
downtown Brussels but did not stop and got lost once trying to sightsee. So we
just got back on the highway and chugged we stopped for lunch. We were surprised in the
town where they were having a bazaar day or a fair, a lot of open air stalls
and a merry-go-round. We enjoyed looking at all their wares. Ate lunch by the
side of the road by a wheat field. The Europeans are litter bugs. There was all
kinds of trash thrown down.
France looked pretty, miles of fields of all kinds of crops,
trees lining the roads. The cities did not look too prosperous. We stopped and
bought mother the wicker basket she was longing for some place along here. The
roads were none too good, cobbled or brick in places. But we made pretty good
time.
From out of the city we could see Paris coming and the Eiffel
tower looming up. We wondered how to find our way through the maze without a
map. Saw a Swedish car with camping equipment on top so we stuck right behind
them and sure enough they went around the edge of downtown and rushed us right
to where we wanted to go, the Bois du Bologne. It had a big sign out, full up!
We were redirected to the closest camp in Versailles. We saw our leader car pull up
behind us and get redirected to. We hurried right out and got to the camp
though it was filling up fast too.
Mother and I sallied forth to the shops nearby and got
steaks and salad for supper. We were glad to find there was hot water and had
good showers. We found to our horror we are parked right beside a little pup
tent. I hope we are asleep before they come back. Not near enough toilets, but
there is a very skimpy one near our tent, just a tap outside it.
The people here really live it up. They have a little
folding table out front with the tablecloth, a vase and a single rose and there
they set drinking their aperitif and watching the world go by. The girls wear
bikinis into the John and set to work with the will to take a bath in full view
of all but they are perfectly decent in their suits. Pretty slick.
July 18, 1963
Our friends of the pup tent had gone to the opera. The lady
in blonde-out-of-a-bottle and her daughter has a ponytail to her waist. They
have been wandering Europe for four years and have a canary in their tent. Nice
but nutty. We got into town about 10:00 and went to the American Express. There
was mail for us. We drove around all morning. Saw how they were sandblasting
the opera house and cleaning it up.
We went to Notre Dame and saw it all, 800
years old. So many pillars it seems like a forest. The votive candles look
pretty in the gloom. There was a small funeral going on and we listen to them
chanting for a bit, lovely acoustics. There were beautiful flowers banked all
around.
We bought supplies for lunch and took it to the wall. There
is a big Lake and we fed the swans and ducks bits of bread. After lunch we went
to see the Eiffel tower and went to the top and took pictures. The first
elevator is frightening, you feel like you are going to plunge over head first
if you don’t hang on. Then then a long wait in line on the first floor for the
next elevator.
After two more you are at the top and take a little staircase
right to the top. Each view is more magnificent than the last. After that we
went and drove past the Arc de Triomphe and then got groceries and went home to
bed.
July 19, 1963
We got into town early, checked at American Express and then
mother and I went to the Louvre while daddy took the kids to the zoo. We had
only a little time so we raced up and down the halls but saw quite a lot of the
masterpieces of our culture. We saw David, the winged victory and the Venus to
Milo, lots of Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Corot, the Mona Lisa, Whistler’s mother, the
Angelus, on and on. We spent some time looking at the prints and buying some
and then met daddy.
Yesterday we had a horrid experience. We wanted to buy some
pants for John and we were looking around for a place to park the car we got
into a red light district and walked past a lot of women hanging out the doors
in their slips and bras and looking close, very painted up and leering at daddy.
I bought my white belt and we got John a lovely pair of wool slacks.
We got back here for lunch and made some soup and
sandwiches. We got the car cleaned up and everything tidy and then we went to Versailles. We didn’t exactly know what we were seeing as we couldn’t find a tour
to go on but we wandered through the palace seeing the gorgeous paintings,
gilded wood work, heavy drapes. 
We went out and sat in the gardens a little
while. We stopped at a souvenir place on the way home and got Patty a lovely
doll, got some groceries and came home. We have all gotten washed, hair washed,
clothes clean, the car packed and tidy ready for the trip across the channel
tomorrow. We have seen quite a bit of Paris and she is a lovely old city with a
beautiful bubbling carefree personality all of her own. We have enjoyed our
stay here. At least it hasn’t rained. July 20, 1963
We got up at 5:30 a.m. and were loaded in half an hour. John
can give you details, he keeps a close watch on such statistics. We drove out
of Paris and quite away before we had breakfast. We bought it in stages, first
one loaf then when that was not enough we got another one, with jam and butter,
milk, bananas and chocolate eclairs. The bread was warm and fresh and just as
good. The countryside was all rolling hills and feels, and shrouded in the
mist.
We arrived at La Touquet at 10:15 AM and we were really
excited by then. There was a long wait there as the planes were grounded in the
mist. We wandered around the nice, rather sterile, empty terminal, waiting. I
got my perfume and we got some stamps, books, etc. with our last bits of French
money. We saw the first planes come in and load and take off. Soon it was our
turn. We had to take the carrier and luggage off the top and stow them inside.
We saw our little bus being driven into the nose of the plane and then we went
out and got in. It took something like 18 minutes to cross. We couldn’t see
anything through the mist, but now and then a glimpse of rippling water.
England look cold and cloudy too. We passed fields and fields of sheep pastures. It was marvelous to be able to read the signs again and we were
just thrilled when we went in to buy lunch supplies to be able to talk to
people freely at last! We got ham and bread and made sandwiches by the
roadside. We drove all afternoon, stopping for gas, groceries and the
guidebook, decided against trying to go to Stonehenge but will go right to
London. We didn’t know where to camp but some people at the gas station knew a
site and sent to lads on a motorcycle to show us the way. We never would have found
it ourselves. It was a big very grassy meadow, very primitive bathroom
facilities. People were so very good to us, brought us tea and came and
visited. Someone brought us milk. We felt grateful and safe and among our own
kind at last.
July 21, 1963
Postscript to the diary. We drove up to London and tried to
find a place to stay, no room where the Chaffee’s are staying. So we went to the
Crystal Palace campground, reserved for tourists. It was cinders and is gritty,
dirty but cheap. We spent one night here and then moved to the hotel Ara which
is just off Hyde Park. Then we handed in our dear old red pal to the American
Express fright agent. There was more sightseeing in London but the trip had passed into
history. Never to be forgotten family experience. 
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