 Our Tent (Middle) - Sept 1990 My 1990 European camping trip was really in-TENTS. I joke about it but it really was. Seventeen days during which we visited 6 countries (France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy), slept in self-erected canvas tents and were bussed around Europe by coach. And generally had a ball! The resilience that comes from being 24. 😉 I say WE because, although I went on my own, I travelled with FunTrek (at that time known for its Grand European Group Tours). So, I was joined by 36 others mainly from Dublin with a smattering from Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Kildare, Kilkenny and Carlow. Amongst us were butchers, bakers, no candlestick makers 😉, nurses, trainee accountants, chefs, shop assistants, trainee solicitors, farmers, students and civil servants. Mostly young singletons with one married couple. A more diverse bunch you couldn’t find. We also had a driver (Robbie), a guide (Martin) and a cook (Kenny). Kenny would cook our evening meal most days at the campsites…mainly BBQ but I also remember a lot of mince!  My FunTrek Luggage Tag Martin, our travel guide showed us once how to erect the tents that first night in Paris. Real two-berth tents with poles and guy ropes and everything. I was paired with Helen from Limerick. We soon got the hang of it and after putting it up and taking it down 7 times during the trip we could do it with our eyes closed….and we often did have our eyes closed with the “red eye” starts most mornings. We were lucky to visit some amazing places broadly travelling clockwise in a big circle around Western Europe:
 First View of Our Ferry, St. Patrick II - 31 Aug 1990 Friday August 31st 1990 Taxi to Funtrek office (at Dublin’s Bachelor’s Walk). Met Helen, Annette, Andrea, Dave and Marie (our Dublin married couple). Popped into Bachelor’s Inn with the group while awaiting the coach. Left Dublin at 10:30 am. Had to introduce ourselves over the coach mic. Stopped off in Cahir for lunch. Picked up more people in Cork. 37 in the group. Boarded the Irish Ferries “St. Patrick II” after 6pm.  Me Under The Eiffel Tower - 02 Sept 1990 Saturday Sept 1st 1990 Night spent sleeping on the floor of the bar of the ferry. Very overcrowded. Good disco. Arrived in La Havre (France) after 4pm. Drove to Paris to TCP campsite. Countryside beautiful. Erected tent with Helen from Limerick (after Martin had shown us). Loads of Contiki people around. After dinner cooked by Kenny, we went up to the city to see the night-time illuminations. Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe etc. (everything I had expected from my Greenhill Geography classes). Fallen in love with Paris. Breath-taking!! Back to the camp bar later. Served by Mustafa. Plenty of dancing!  Top: View from 1st Floor. Bottom: On the Eiffel Tower - L-R: Me, Helen, Kate & Jennifer. Sunday Sept 2nd 1990 Lovely hot sunny day. Went to Eiffel Tower – to first floor. View is stunning. Then went on Bateau Parisienne boat trip under the bridges over the Seine. Saw amazing Notre Dame and the Louvre and loads more beautiful architecture. Got photo taken.  Boarding Bateau Parisienne - 2 Sept 1990 - Pat & Gerry behind me. Visited Notre Dame where I bought a rosary beads for Nanny and climbed to near the bellfies. Beautiful stained-glassed windows. Also the Pompidou Centre which looks like it’s built inside out – where we listened to some great buskers outside. Then onto the top of the Champs Elysees where I nearly came a cropper trying to cross at the roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe. We all ate in McDonalds which has a white instead of red M.  Top: Pompidou Centre. Bottom: Le Sacre Coeur.  Top: Me on the Champs-Elysees. Bottom: Arc de Triomphe. After a BBQ back at the campsite we went back to the city to the Sacre Coeur. Got to attend Mass there – very moving and atmospheric. Then went to Montmartre….Annette got her portrait done. We lost Andrea then found her again. Saw the Pei pyramid outside the Louvre all lit up. Magical! Then back to camp.  EEC Building (Berlaymont), Brussels, Belgium - 3 Sept 1990 Monday Sept 3rd 1990 Left Paris early. Took down tents and packed them and ourselves onto the coach – half asleep. Drove towards Belgium through “the Green Fields of France” which saw action during WW I and II. I was thinking of the song by The Furey Bros. Drove on to Brussels. Was excited to see the Berlaymont EEC Building so familiar from the News at home.  Left: The Manneken Pis. Right: Andrea and I with Belgian Chocolate - Brussels, 3 Sept 1990 Stopped for lunch near Le Grand Place, Brussels. Saw “The Manneken Pis” (bronze fountain sculpture of a little boy piddling) and then Andrea and I went shopping for Belgian Chocolate….making sure to taste lots of samples first. Yum.  Le Grand Place, Brussels In the evening we drove to Amsterdam to the Amsterdamse Bos Campsite on the edge of a green forest. The weather was damp putting up the tents. After dinner, Annette’s brother, Peter (who works over here) met us and brought us around the Red Light district. The women in the windows weren’t very happy with us gawking in the windows and blocking the punters’ view. At one stage we saw him arguing with a man in Dutch….he explained later that the man had thought Peter was our pimp and was offering money for Annette. The place must be seen to be believed. All a bit depressing. Left there to ride on the tram – saw Dam Square. Had a few drinks.  Anne Frank House, Amsterdam, Netherlands - 4 Sept 1990 Tuesday Sept 4th 1990 Drove in to Amsterdam Centre. Visited Anne Frank’s House – where she wrote her famous diary prior to being sent to a WWII concentration camp…..very thought provoking. Got lost. Black bikes coming from every direction. Posted some post cards. Then went to a clog and cheese factory. I bought a miniature set of painted clogs on a keyring (which I still have and hang as a Christmas decoration!)  Clog Factory, Netherlands - 4 Sept 1990 Then went to Volendam, a fishing village on the Zeider Zee. Again geography class flashbacks and stories of the boy with his finger in the dyke that saved a village from flooding. Had fab pancakes. Took lots of photos of windmills at Zaandyjk.  One of the windmills, Netherlands We got a group photo (with a few missing) taken wearing traditional costumes. It was a laugh as Martin and Robbie dressed up as women and lay on the floor in front of the group:-  Our Group Photo, Volendam 4 Sept 1990 ( I'm at far right second row from back.) Returned to campsite where I had a meal of chicken satay. We then went back to for a night on the town in Amsterdam. It’s often referred to as the “Venice of the North”, with its canals, quaint bridges and narrow cobbled streets. We took a great cruise on the Amsterdam canals and marvelled at the narrow Dutch houses.  Amsterdam Canals Are Beautiful The guys opted to go to sex shows in the Red Light District while most of us girls opted to mix with the friendly Dutch in the many bars. The two groups met afterwards and we had great craic listening to the innocent and not-so-innocent lad’s experiences of the Red Light District." So this concludes the first leg of my trip. Looking back, I was completely blown away by the stunning cities and beautiful scenery, the diverse peoples and languages that exist side-by-side in so short a distance. I remember that our passports were needed crossing every border. I also remember the hassle we had carrying travellers cheques as we changed from French Francs to Belgian Francs to Dutch Kroner to German Marks to Swiss Francs to Italian Lire, back to French Francs before finally converting whatever we had left (not much!) at the end of the holiday back to Irish Pounds. Thank heavens for the Euro! But mostly I remember the Eureka moment that happened on the 3rd day. Our coach was stopped in evening rush hour traffic near the centre of Brussels and I was marvelling at how different each country was when all of a sudden I looked up into a second floor apartment to see a mother feeding her children round a table, trying to get them to sit still. Suddenly, it stuck me “Wow” no matter what our differences are (in nationality, language, race) we have much more in common than separates us. ❤ Bucket List Items Ticked Off in the above Blog post Number 34 - Eat/ Drink Regional Foods/ Drinks
Other Blog Posts Blog 11 - Sydney, Australia Blog 12 - Hong Kong, China Blog 17 - Beijing, Xi'an & Shanghai, China Blog 19 - California, USA Blog 27 - Scotland Blog 28 - Barbados Blog 29 - Canada Blog 30 - Alaska Blog 31 - Everglades, Florida Have you ever camped in mainland Europe? Tell me about your experience in the comments section below. If you liked this post, please share. Sharing is caring 😊
6 Comments
24/6/2022 10:06:30
Just stumbled on your blog when googling Funtreck. Did a few back in the day mid 70s - fascinating experiences for sure.
Mary
24/6/2022 11:48:15
Thanks, Tiernan. Yes....Funtrek lived up to it's name. Thanks for the feedback and hope you enjoy the rest of the blog. Mary :-)
Michael Carey
12/9/2022 07:33:33
Just came across your blog I did a few myself
Shay Doyle
17/4/2023 20:18:05
I just came across your blog on Funtrek. I worked as a tour guide and later driver for Funtrek in the early 90s. It was hard work but an amazing experience to get to travel around Europe and get paid for it. I met a lot of really nice people on those tours. I'd love to see some pictures of the tour buses if anyone has any...
eoin
21/4/2024 03:05:16
In work on nights telling the your lads about funtrek holidays, Good times . 30/4/2024 10:18:46
Your travel blog is like a breath of fresh air for wanderlust-stricken souls. Thanks for your invaluable advice on adventure planning and global tourist tips. Your posts ignite a sense of adventure in all of us! Leave a Reply. |
AuthorMy name is Mary and this is my bucket list blog ...having survived a near-death experience. I hope it encourages you to "live your best life". See how I'm completing my own bucket list items. And let me know how you're getting on with yours! Archives
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