Around the World in 1976
Updated: Sep 30
From time to time my dad took an old globe from the shelf and gave it a good spin. He’d close his eyes and stop it with his finger. This was how we daydreamed about our next journey. I was nine years old when my family made a trip completely around the Northern Hemisphere from January to June 1976. It didn’t seem to make any difference in my education to be pulled out of the middle of the 4th grade. We packed some of our schoolbooks but never opened them. We were too busy learning through the experience. The plan was to circle the world as much on land and sea as possible. After six months we had traveled by ship, hovercraft, train, plane and car. We traveled over 21,800 miles and through 24 time zones. We made friends the world round and gained perspective of life “out in the world.” The following commentaries are my reminiscences of this amazing trip.
Bicentennial Road Trip
It was winter when we headed from Idaho to Montreal, Canada to catch our flight to London, England. We initially took our car to Missouri while we visited family. Then it was coordinated to travel the rest of the way as couriers to transport and return a stolen car to the owner in Quebec. We traveled in this car through from Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and up the East Coast and North into Canada.
It was 1976 and Americans were quite excited for our country’s bicentennial. It seemed fitting that we would make our initial travels to the East Coast to view such historic sites as Gettysburg, the Liberty Bell, (I loved the cobble streets and historic row houses in Philadelphia), Washington Monument, the National Capitol and the Statue of Liberty. Then it was time to head north for our flight from Montreal to London.
As we approached Canada the roads became icier. One night, mom and dad had a discussion about getting off at a certain exit. As we approached mom instructed a little too late, “Take this exit!” The car skidded and spun around until we hit a snowbank. Fortunately, no damage was done and we continued our journey. It’s strange what you think about and notice staring out the window on such a long road trip. I was interested in the red algae growing in the snow, the combination of the red and the snow looked like watermelon. Finally, we reached Quebec. Dad took the car to Nun’s Island. We thought for a while that this lady was a nun, but that was just the name of the Island. She wasn’t too happy to get her car back, because she had planned to collect the insurance and get a newer car.
At the airport we waited all day. It was bitterly cold and our plane wasn’t functioning correctly. We were transported to the plane. On the transport bus my little brother asked, “is this the 747?” Everyone smiled. We had a meal and sat for a while. The mechanics worked until their fingers were frozen and just couldn’t work anymore. It was a real disappointment, but the airline made up for it when we were bussed to the luxurious Sheraton Mont Royal Hotel. Marble, chandeliers, rich furnishings, tapestries, very generous meal vouchers for the wonderful restaurant. Some of the other passengers weren’t so lucky and got stuck at the airport.
Finally, we were off. These were the days when 747s were new and exciting. We were allowed to go up the spiral staircase to a second level and peek in the lounge. The pilots invited my brother and me into the cock pit and gave us little metal pilot wing pins. We slept, ate little plane meals and wondered about our trip ahead.
The next three months were spent in England, Scotland and Wales.
After arriving in England, several weeks flew by at the Philbeach hotel in Earl’s Court, London. My brother and I slept in a bunk bed. Mom’s Coty Musk perfume would waft through the room each morning as she got ready for the day. The British like their tea really strong. We would quickly scoop out six tea bags (I am not exaggerating!) as soon as the pot came to our table and it was still strong. Mom added sugar and lots of milk, a way I still prefer even as an adult. Toast arrived in a little metal caddy – cold and dry with no butter. The rest of the breakfast was very yummy, fried and savory. Slices of bread were soaked and fried in bacon grease, add eggs and tomatoes and you had The Full English Breakfast. The sausages were a bit mysterious, containing quite a lot of grain and a very crisp skin, so different from back home. We even tried blood sausage; black, intensely flavored, crisp and greasy. Although this might not sound good to an American child, it was quite tasty. I also craved the cherry pie with custard sauce but was just allowed this luxury a few times. Occasionally we tried a British version of Lasagna with a cream sauce, vegetables and a crisp of cheese on the top. A favorite local restaurant nearby was The Hot Pot. We had spaghetti, stews and soups which warmed us right up in the cold spring weather. We also loved all the choices for Fish and Chips. We mostly chose haddock or plaice wrapped in wax paper and newspaper. Salt, vinegar, crispy hot and dripping down your hand - perfect. We also discovered Turkish Donor Kabobs (Lamb rotisserie sliced into a pita, sauce and salad).
Life rotated around museums, the library, cozy days reading in our apartment, and an occasional play. The Tube system gave us freedom to travel all over London. Sometimes Mom and Dad would play bingo and leave us across the street at the Public Library. My brother and I could easily while away the hours reading Tin Tin books and other comics. In those days and times in England it was ok to leave your children alone in a library. Women still left their babies in prams outside the pub, newsagent, and pharmacy. Another set of activities my brother and I enjoyed was visiting Madame Tussaud’s waxworks museum. Attached to the museum was a penny arcade and the planetarium where you could watch laser rock shows. We did some variation of these activities several times. And then after we would eat at Pizzaland (hot soups and pizza)! I can remember my first Shakespeare play (in the town of Stratford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare), The Tempest, with flashing lights, darkness, fearsome soliloquies and scary costumes.
Spring was cold and drizzly. I finally got a pair of woolen thermal underwear and navy-blue leather schoolgirl shoes from Marks and Spencer’s (“Marks and Sparks” if you were a local). In the Science Museum we spent hours with inventions, buttons that made displays light up and move, and studying miniature triptychs. Back at home base we were allowed to sit in the TV lounge if we were quiet and behaved. We were astonished at the racy commercials and sitcoms on television. An occasional occupant of the TV room was a gruff and forbidding man. One day he quietly complemented our parents on our good behavior. We later found to our surprise he was one of the producers of the BBC Series Upstairs Downstairs.
During this time, dad completed his work (he was on a sabbatical from his university) at various universities in England. We’d spend the day in our hotel reading or going on outings with mom. The day after one of our outings we found that an IRA bomb had exploded from the very garbage can, on top of which we had placed our impromptu lunch. I learned later that when we ate in restaurants we chose to sit in the back away from the storefront plate glass windows (to avoid injuries if a bomb were to go off). This was also an intriguing time to see groups of skinheads (young people with shaved heads, very spiky hair, mohawks (colorful, black, orange), black leather jackets, spiky jewelry and bracelets, and safety pins in various parts of their faces, listening to punk rock music. Research shows this was “Year Zero for British Punk” so we were witnessing its birth! However, this really was the most popular song that we heard all the time by the Bay City Rollers, Saturday Night https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BKKaKT_dtM
When it was time to leave London, Mom and Dad noticed that my brother and I spoke like British children from the inner city. We all thought this was pretty funny, but it had happened without our even noticing.
Remembering Brighton
The Royal Pavilion, glass walled rooms and elaborate gold onion domes; hours spent in the gift shop and reproduction vintage paper dolls; ornate, colorful Victorian hotels lined up facing the beach and promenade; brave locals in bathing costumes on the chilly rocky beaches. We never made it out of our windbreakers.
In The Lakes District: Beatrix Potter’s little cottage comes into view among the hedgerows, meadows and mist. Once you have become very familiar with her characters and their little houses, mouse holes, and adventures you will recognize all of these places in her cottage and the surrounding district. Small car ferries transported our car across the many water ways.
Stonehenge
An ancient ceremonial site with huge stones set in a circle, is over 5,000 years old. It is proposed that some of the gigantic pillars were transported from over 150 miles away, and the stones are arranged in a specific pattern to align with astrological patterns during the Winter Solstice. At the time of my visit, much less was known about this monument, including standard conservation measures. We could wander among, sit on the stones and stand between the pillars. Not many years later we were sad, but understood, that you had to look from behind a fence.
Wales
I loved our slate roofed farmhouse stay in Wales. One of my dad’s former students, Bill, directed an Outdoor Program and lived in a lovely little village, in Capel Curig at Plas y Brenin at the National Mountain Sports Centre. His wife, Karen, made savory soups, Leek and Bacon Pie and Welsh Rarebit. I don’t think my brother and I ever really understood that it wasn’t called Welsh Rabbit, even though it was just cream sauce on toast. Lovely irregular walls dividing the lanes and meadows involved individual fitted boulders covered in moss. Most of the roads in these little villages were cobbles, charming, but making for a very slippery and tricky walk. Beautiful, wooly white lambs in the pasture bleated enticingly and I could never quite get my Wellingtons through the deep mud to pet them. My brother was given the opportunity to experience real bouldering and climbing in the craggy Welsh hills. We fortified ourselves with little nibbles of a solid sugary white bar of mint candy. Another time, we took a ski lesson on an artificial bristle slope. Sometimes we visited graveyards to search for our ancient ancestors. We gazed at castle ruins and mountains in dragon shapes and other mysteries. The Welsh language spoken by the older locals sounded like a magical, twittering bird sound. It was quite humorous to observe Welsh natives casually speaking in English, suddenly shift over to Welsh as soon as a British tourist arrived at a shop or restaurant.
Bill’s parents often visited with their little black Scotty dog, Nonny. “Stop biting your nails, Nonny” was a constant refrain for this little dog when he chewed and licked his toes. My brother and I never had any pets of our own and we really enjoyed this little guy. We fed him crackers and such, as much as he wanted, until one day I noticed he’d thrown up on the back porch. Then we felt very shameful that we’d not had the sense to stop feeding him snacks before this.
The weather continued chilly, grey and overcast. I don’t recall taking many baths or even getting out of my pajamas, which acted as thermal underwear under my clothes. We had a large metal heat register in each room and a hot water bottle at night. At many a Bed and Breakfast, I always appreciated the large ceramic water bottle or heated brick wrapped in flannel at the foot of my bed. I also liked the velour sheets, but my dad always said they were like sleeping in someone else’s bathrobe!
Ireland
We took the night ferry from Holyhead Port in Wales to Ireland for a few days drive around. My main memories were of very green pastures, farms and stone walls. At the Blarney Castle there was an opportunity to kiss the “Blarney Stone.” You hang backwards over this ledge to kiss this stone, and the ground is way below. There is this little grate to catch you if you might fall. The whole matter was an absolute no-go for me, but my brother kissed the stone. We found some friendly burros on the grounds. Kids under 12 weren’t allowed into the Waterford Crystal factory, so we just read our British comics in the lobby. Towns visited: Dún Laoghaire, Gorey, Wexford, Waterford, Dungarvan (overnight), Fermoy, Cork, Macroom, Killarney, Killegney, Dingle, Listowel, Tarbert, Limerick (overnight), Ennis, Ballyvaughn, Galway, Dublin ferry back to Wales. My dad really wanted to drive up north, but it wasn’t safe at that time with the IRA bombings.
Scotland
Highlights for a little girl included more castles, and in Aberdeen, batter fried pineapple rings, mock chops (mystery meat dipped in batter and deep fried) and a quaint joke shop where we made sure to buy a whoopee cushion and a fake dog poop (labeled as a “mucky pup”). I also really loved Scotch Eggs. They are made using a boiled egg, wrapped in sausage, breaded and once again, fried!
Our return to ancestral territory on Orkney Islands was not romantic. We experienced a terrifying trip in which the ferry stood on end and crashed over every wave. Even the crew were vomiting into milk cartons. The next day, my brother was warned at the top of a slippery ramp down to the pier, “Do not go any further!” Naturally he stepped further and slid all the way in the green algae. Thankfully he didn’t continue into the ocean. He maneuvered himself back up the ramp, using a rope handrail, hand over painstaking hand, slipping and sliding.
Hadrian’s wall (built starting in AD 122 under the direction of a Roman Emperor because they didn’t know how else to control the Scots) was fascinating in the Ancient Roman ruin sense, but I was more beholden by the shaggy Highland Cattle grazing around the wall. Dad bought authentic ancient Roman coins (dark, irregular, with a hint of an emperor’s noble profile) in the gift shop. We scratched around the wall to see if we too could discover any artifacts.
I peered hard for the sea serpent in the very black expansive waters of Loch Ness. It seemed entirely possible to me that the creature was out there.
Trips to the Continent: France, Germany, Italy, Denmark/Netherlands
My dad purchased a bright yellow European Renault on our first arriving in England, steering wheel on the left. British cars have steering wheels on the right to facilitate driving on the left-hand side of the road. Boy! Was it a challenge to drive this car in England. Dad was quite talented! When all was said and done, he wished he had purchased an English car. But it worked out well for our drives on the Continent.
We waved goodbye to the White Cliffs of Dover and headed across the Channel. Our first stop after our Ferry ride was Paris. The Eiffel Tower was pretty scary with the wind, gusting through my coat, and a ride in a shuddering, rickety little elevator. We loved the wind-up birds being sold and flying around in front of Notre Dame (Here’s what they looked like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTYRwyI-CkA ) and studied the gargoyles at length as they leered off the flying buttresses and drains spouts. Charming artist stalls and painters lined the bridges and walkways of the river Seine. Always hungry or tempted, we feasted on crepes and crispy French donuts dusted with Cinnamon sugar. We joined a random long line outside of a restaurant. With such a waiting group it had to be good, right? At the door, all we were asked is how we wanted our steak cooked. Inside, we enjoyed a buttery steak, aus jus, and pomme frites so crispy I can almost still remember the flavor. Years later we figured out it’s still there! L'Entrecôte, 29 Rue de Marignan.
From this point on, our hotels had eiderdown quilts (very thick and fluffy) that my brother and I would fall face forward into and scream. I remember this so clearly and it makes sense after being pent up in a car and on our best behavior all day.
Belgium / Brussels: Squares filled with flower stands, chocolatiers, pomme frites in a paper cone, special sauce and a little fork. A lady with multiple spools spread over a velvet cushion weaving lace.
Germany: Bavarian villages featured whitewashed walls and frescoes. In our pension I slept on a red velvet chaise lounge; my view from the French doors of a flower meadow and snowcapped peaks. Neuschwanstein is of course famous as the model of Cinderella’s Disney castle, but I was quite fond of the smaller HohenSchwangau, also jam packed with gilt frame beds, furniture, chandeliers, grand stairways and an indoor canal with boats in the shape of swans.
München: In Munich my brother and I were allowed into a huge beer hall with a raucous vaudeville act. Men in lederhosen slapped spoons on their leather pants and sang. We could tell that racy jokes were being told, but alas we didn’t speak German so it past right over.
Amsterdam, Netherlands: Anne Frank’s house from the outside is the typical, very narrow, row house. But inside when a wall-size bookshelf is opened, we found the hidden, narrow staircase leading to the family’s hidden rooms. Anne’s room was left almost as it had been, complete with a collage of film stars. I peered out the windows imagining fear and hiding and daydreams of a young teen girl. We also visited Rembrandts home and museum; I liked the beds in their own alcoves tucked behind curtains.
Italy
When I was a little girl, you were still allowed to walk up the stairs of the leaning tower of Pisa. As we ascended the staircase, we periodically reached the leaning side, and it felt as if you weren’t climbing but just walking along. Did you know there are more leaning towers in Italy? I saw two side by side in Bologna. We visited Bologna because it is the site of one of the oldest, still functioning, universities. In Florence I petted the lucky bronze boar, saw Michelangelo's statue of David and walked along the Ponte Vecchio Bridge. In Verona I ate the best chocolate gelato and visited the site of Juliet’s balcony (of Romeo and Juliet). We had such a strange hotel room with the shower in the middle of the room and the curtain around it.
Copenhagen, Denmark
As a rest and preparation place for our trip through Russia, we spent time with some family friends in Copenhagen. We already had received visas for our Russia trip in England and now needed to purchase tickets to get to Helsinki and then into Russia. My brother and I played various games (pick up sticks, jacks etc.) with the other kids, we stayed in the home of an aunt as all the hotels seemed to be booked. Site seeing, The Little Mermaid (a bronze statue located on a granite rock by the Baltic Sea harbor along the Langelinie promenade), various Hans Christian Andersen sites, and very memorable was Tivoli Gardens. This is an amusement park with the usual adventure rides, rollercoasters, and large swinging boats. On one of the visits, I put a coin into a slot machine and loads of Tivoli Garden coins started pouring out. I tried again and more coins poured out. We enjoyed rides, food, entertainment, all we could want. I later found we had not saved one single coin as a memento. However, we did buy a poster that I always enjoyed.
A side trip to Billund: At Legoland, my brother and I were thrilled to drive the Lego Cars. American flags were placed on our cars. Among the multiple languages guiding the children, we would hear, “Little Americans, please stay on the road!”
To continue our travel on land/water as much as possible we took a small tourist ship from Copenhagen to Helsinki. We sampled our first pickled fish with dill cream condiments at the buffet. Next, we took a train from Helsinki to St. Petersburg (in 1976 it was also called Leningrad). We thought we were supposed to get off at the border village of Vainikkala but were told this was not the correct spot as there were no roads here.
Russia
In 1976 the United States was having the “Cold War” with the Soviet Union. We managed to get permission to visit by applying for visas from England. We had traveled a bit so were open to new experiences. The general feeling among Americans during this time was that Russia, and especially Siberia, was a scary place. We consistently found the people kind, very warm, helpful and friendly. They were equally curious about us and sometimes a little cautious. The big, sturdy women and Russian babushkas (grandmas) loved to hug and say affectionate things to my brother, who was a husky boy. Huskiness was well admired in this country, which was a nice change to his shyness about shopping in the Husky section at JC Penny’s. When we told our friends of our time in Russia, they asked wonderingly, “You weren’t afraid?” “No, not at all.” The Russian people we met on our travels became our friends, we exchanged gifts and learned some of their language.
In St. Petersburg we visited the Winter Palace and the Hermitage Museum. We wore surgical booties over our shoes to protect the gleaming parquet floors. My favorites: a room filled with Faberge eggs and another with elaborate gilt carriages with velvet upholstered seats. We stayed in a historic hotel built in the early 1900s. My parent’s suite was amazingly ornate with princess chairs with silky cushions, carved China cabinets with little figurines and other precious items. We were amazed that we could open the cabinet. There were little numbers on the bottom of each piece; we handled the items very carefully. My brother’s and my room had huge beds with canopies and curtains. We were allowed to do some jumping, or maybe my brother and I jumped secretly. It was almost impossible not to on such wonderful big beds.
Road trip to Moscow
In 1976 it was unheard of for an American tourist family to rent a car, we were allowed to rent the latest model of the Russian Volga, and drive around. The roads were few and frequently trailed off into a little gravel in the middle of a field. We started in St. Petersburg following main roads and backtracking when we found ourselves in a field. Our progress was monitored by a series of check points featuring armed guards in the traditional long blue grey wool coats and hats with fleece ear flaps. The architecture of the gate included tall posts and lookout walkways. After one particularly difficult series of backtracks we showed up at our checkpoint apparently very late. There were many various uniformed people and quite a series of onlookers.
On our way to Moscow, we visited Novgorod and Kalinin. In Novgorod there were beautiful old Russian churches containing hundreds of icons. Andrew, our guide, was eager to drive us around. After he took the wheel, we had a hair-raising drive, careening around corners, honking at everyone, stopping and starting. We then thought to ask about his previous driving experience, he answered that he had driven a jeep-like military vehicle during his time in service, which completely explained the style of driving. He was very kind and we didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so we let him drive us around and it turned out just fine.
In Kalinin, Tchaikovsky’s house was in the countryside, set in a beautiful, wooded garden. The rooms gleamed with warm wood floors, tables and bookshelves, woven and beautiful carpets, his beautiful piano. We had a bit of sun and although it was cold, my memory made it feel like summer.
Once we arrived in Moscow, we stayed in a new government, concrete block hotel, with a fantastic view of Red Square and St. Basil’s cathedral. We needed some clothing washed so we handed our bag to the washing service. We were quite surprised to come back to our room with the drying laundry strung across the room. They had used very hot water and bleach and washed it all together. The shirts had some bleach spots and now stretched long, and my dad’s underwear was a blend of colors from our other clothes and were very saggy!
On our visit to Red Square, we waited in a very long line to visit Lenin’s tomb. Lenin looked a bit waxy as he reposed in his coffin, but what can you expect after 50 years. Walking around Red Square was very exciting with the various military guards marching around the area. St. Basil’s Cathedral in real life has much finer details in the painting of the domes and archways that are difficult to see from a picture. In the fabulous Kremlin museum, my favorites were: chain mail with an inscription on each link asking God for protection. In the GUM department store we thought the glass paneled ceiling was beautiful but were grateful for the netting as panes occasionally fell out. Even though it was desperately cold, we still asked for ice cream in little paper cups sold by women holding them in their red chapped hands. It was a little crunchy like an ice milk – we were happy.
Trans-Siberian: Moscow to Nakhodka
The Tran-Siberian Railway spans 7 time zones. The world's longest railway, the Trans-Siberian Railway in Russia, is 5,777 miles (9,297 kilometers) long. It runs from Moscow to Vladivostok. If the auxiliary route to Nakhodka is included, the distance becomes 5,865 miles (9,436 kilometers).1,2,3
Before I relate our eight-day trip, I want to describe the view of the midnight sun. During our spring trip the sun never fully sets; June brings ‘white nights.’ Even though we pulled the shade, sometimes the vibration of the train caused it to snap right up with quite a smack. I would wake and gaze from under my comforter at the horizon, glowing pale yellow with hints of orange and luminescent green. Sometimes wisps of clouds obscured the hint of sun, just resting on the distant mountains.
On our first days on the train, we attempted to hang our faces out the window, flying coal smuts from the exhaust put an end to this. Having only experienced electric trains thus far, it was of great interest to watch coal shoveled into the fire to power the train. We spent hours, along with others from all over the world, chatting and watching the landscape. Often the view was similar to our own American plains and farmlands. Other times we were so close to Mongolia that we easily viewed its northern mountain ranges. And when we pulled into stations it was obvious we were in Russia with its distinctive style of wooden gingerbread architecture and village farmers holding fully shelled boiled eggs and pickles for sale in their worn and dirt grimed hands.
Our family stayed in first-class cabins which consisted of a single bed on each side of the room with beige spreads, mom and dad in one room, my brother and I in the other. An older Australian couple got a bit of a surprise after entering a second-class room. There were other men on the top bunks which was awkward for the lady in the couple. There was an overhead storage area, almost big enough for someone to hide, for our luggage. In fact, when we had periodic police stops and passport checks, this area was sometimes investigated. Even though we had proper paperwork, I felt a little nervous around the stern, rifle carrying guards. But the only excitement I heard about was in the case of one of the European passengers who sold his jeans and had some trouble accounting for the discrepancy between exchange vouchers and rubles. Below the window was a fold-down table which was perfect for cards, writing, a cup of tea or just sitting and gazing.
The business of using the toilet required determination and good balance. I usually stood on the toilet seat, since I didn’t want to waste precious toilet paper (which occasionally ran out to be replaced by squares of newspaper) and any placed on the seat would blow away since the toilet bowl directly emptied onto the tracks and there was a fair gale. I could see the track clacking away below. I held onto a sturdy metal rail next to the toilet and did my best. Then, carefully wobbled to wash up in a tiny metal sink with a push button for water.
As we traveled across the regions and time-zones the meal and lighting always followed Moscow time. My brother and I were amused to eat breakfast at lunchtime, lunch at dinner, as the time gap grew to six hours.
It was the middle of the night, yet there was the twilight horizon glow of the midnight sun of spring. Mom said, “wake up, wake up, we’re at Lake Baikal.” We slid the shade up and took a look at the lake which contains 1/3 of the world’s fresh water. Even though I soon snuggled back under my coverlet and fell back asleep, I can still remember this moment 50 years later.
In an effort to stay hydrated we ate boiled soups and drank tea. The only bottled water available at the time was sparkling, which is very hard to use as a thirst quencher and to our untrained palate, tasted awful. There was a form of Russian soda pop available. The bottles had a variety of labels depicting different fruits, but the contents always tasted the same, the volumes varied from bottle to bottle and there was an interesting swirl of fruit sediment in the bottom. We were careful not to drink from the little water spigots on the train, especially after we saw the train’s drinking supply being replenished by a long tube extending from the train to a nearby pond as the water source.
As for the food, we really loved it. Hearty broths with a big chunk of meat as a surprise at the bottom. Chewy khleb (bread) and cheeses. I was always happy to see pelmeni (meat dumplings) arrive at our table and if it had been available, I would have eaten this every day.
Before our last night on the train, we were able to spend the night in a hotel in Khabarovsk. The shower was very welcome but attempts to scrub the coal dust that had ingrained in our pores on face, arms and legs were for naught. The last leg of the trip was quite splendid. The train car was from a more elegant age and still retained scrolled millwork, gleaming fixtures, private toilet and shower, and a lavish meal car with tablecloths.
Ship from Nakhodka to Yokohama
We arrived in Nakhodka after eight days on a train. In the 1970s Vladivostok (a much larger port city) was closed to foreign travel. We were a surprised to find that we needed a visa to enter Japan. As everyone peered at us from the waiting ship, and the station master said there are no hotels in Nakhodka, a decision was made. The authorities said, “leave your bags,” and transported us in a small bus across town to the Japanese consulate where visas were issued. I think we received the fastest Japanese visa in the history of travel! We sped back to the docks where our four suitcases stood all alone. We climbed the ladder on the side of the ship and as soon as we finished climbing the ship pushed off. A New Zealand lady expressed her irritation very loudly at the delay. We looked at each other and giggled a bit since she didn’t know we were the reason. At first everything was fine and we had a nice meal. My brother and I were mildly attentive to the black and white movie clips in the ship lounge. My parents said they were just propaganda, but that made them even more interesting. Then we embarked on one of the craziest ship rides of my life. The beds were oriented such that rather rocking back and forth like a hammock, first you nearly stood upright as the ship plunged down a wave. Then, as the ship climbed the next wave, all the blood rushed to your head. We felt a little better to breathe fresh sea air, but it was too windy to stay on deck for long. The food looked and smelled great in the basic little mess hall, but we felt too sick to go in. We arrived in Yokohama shaky and ready to be on land.
Time in Japan
Yeah! We arrived and disembarked in Yokohama, which at the time was still a relatively small seaport. To see a bit of what it looked like watch the Anime film Up on Poppy Hill, screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki. Which was set in a time period just ten years before our visit.
I remember my first meal in Yokohama, Tamagoyaki, a little rectangle of sweet omelet, on top of rice with a little seaweed paper wrap and some soup. Yum! This was our first time in Japan, so we took some time to accustom ourselves to the food and culture. During the summer there were little festivals in this port where you could get grilled whole squid (Ikayaki) and corn (Yaki-morokoshi) with a soy sauce glaze, grilled on a charcoal barbecue and served on a bamboo stick. We were allowed to rent a car since my dad explained he could drive on the left side of the road (experience in England), and his recent courageous experiences in driving through Russia pretty much sealed the deal. My mom studied the maps and learned the Japanese symbols for our choice destinations, and we were off to explore Japan. We experienced both the big cities as well as vast rural areas and rice fields in between our destinations.
One of our interesting experiences: I was having a very strange dream where everything was shaking and then I woke up and we were having an earthquake and then there was another one a few hours later. My mom was urging us all to get up and run out of the hotel room, but we just watched her as she ran down the hall in her brown (1970’s) nightgown with beige lace. A man peered out of his room door while brushing his teeth. We went back into the room and waited for mom to come back. Her story: she ran down the hall and out a back door. A man had been working on his car out back and had paused a bit until things settled down. Then my mom realized she’d been locked out and had to walk around to the front of the hotel to get back in!
Graves of 47 Samurais (Forty-seven Ronin), Sengakuji Temple. The history of this monument dates back to the 1700s. The Samurai avenged the death of their master and then committed ritual suicide, one of the most famous Japanese historical events relating to honor and Samurai code of conduct. Markers, statues, peaceful and melancholy. My brother and I enjoyed lighting a lot of incense sticks.
Nara. The Todaiji Temple; giant housed Buddha, forest like park and large trees, tame deer wandering about, eating treats from our hands. Long roofed structures, tsukubai, contain a water font and dippers for communal drinking. Water is provided to the basin by a bamboo pipe. Sharing dippers or cups even in 1970s America wasn’t seen, so this was something I remembered.
Narita. We had a favorite hotel in Narita. I’m sure there were similar ones, but I loved this one in particular for its crisp white Kimono style robes with Hotel Narita imprinted all over in bright blue and a wide blue sash. In the charming gift shop, I coveted oval, pleated leather coin purses with stylized cartoon samurai, flowers and Japanese writing. At meals we made our way through and around steamy broths, noodles, pickled ginger, wasabi, unknown vegetables and pressed fish in pink and white spiral medallions.
Mount Fuji. We were very lucky to see Mt. Fuji with no obscuring clouds. Look quick, because it soon became cloud covered again. Once we reached the top, we were hungry. We ordered two steaming bowls of noodles. One of them had a raw egg on top! We had never come across such a thing and did our best to cook it as well as possible under the boiling hot noodles and broth. At the little rest stop I came across my first squat toilet. I perched on very clean, ridged, porcelain footrests. From Japan we flew to Honolulu, Hawaii for a bit of a rest.
Back home 6 months later….
When tax time rolled around my dad was curious to receive a visit from an IRS representative. The inquiry was regarding the six-month period of our round-the-world trip. Dad, who is financially meticulous with records and charts, was pleased and enthusiastic about detailing the financial report of our trip. All the guy wanted to know was how we did all this traveling with a family of four, for only $10,000! He just couldn’t believe it.
References
1. Guinness Book of Records 1992, p. 378;
2. Marshall, John. The Guinness Railway Book, pp. 62-64;
Approximate miles traveled (without all the side trips)
Pocatello, ID to Montreal drive 2,300 mi
Montreal to London flight 3,250 mi
London to Paris ferry/drive 300 mi
Paris to Netherlands drive 320 mi
Netherlands to Copenhagen drive 500 mi
Copenhagen to Helsinki ferry 750 mi
Helsinki to St. Petersberg Russia train 250 mi
St. Petersberg to Moscow Russia by car 400 mi
Moscow to Nakhodka Russia on the Trans-Siberian Railway 5,867 mi
Nakhodka to Yokohama Japan by ferry 1,000 mi
Yokohama to Honolulu, HI flight 3,865 mi
Honolulu, HI to Pocatello, ID flight 3,000 mi
Notes: While thinking about this trip, I started asking my mom about parts of it and as a result we started working our way through her journal notes about that period. That made me want to rewrite this whole piece, however I decided to share little snippets of daily life in separate blog posts that might be of interest. Sometimes we had to be on a schedule, getting up early, getting on some mode of transport. Often, we could stay up late and sleep in and be flexible about what we did that day. Not sure how other families traveled, but my dad never made reservations. We would just show up in a place and find whatever hotel had a vacancy, or if we had family in the area, stay with them. The American Express offices in Europe and Intourist Offices in Russia were a big help to find us places to stay. Dad would go to the train or ferry station to get tickets. If something was sold out, we’d stay an extra day or go to another town and leave from there. I think the last remnant for me of this kind of travel was an early 1990s visit to Greece where we still used Travelers Checks(!) and just show up on an island and take our pick from whoever was waiting to take us to their pension. On my most recent trips I never even got local currency, just used my credit card.
