Zermatt

Montreux was really only a stopover to the real goal, the Matterhorn at Zermatt. You can count yourself lucky if you get a clear view of the mountain; it's often obscured. The day I arrived was not promising.

But at least there was good alpine scenery.

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The village, which receives a lot of mountain spotters and climbers.

In the evening they drove a flock of sheep through the main street.

The next day I took an alpine walk.

Looking back.

A rest house or lodge.

Finally, the goal. These were the top pictures from this trip.

Montreux

Switzerland never fails to impress in terms of scenery.

This would be just around the corner from the Youth Hostel, as you walk there along the lakeside.

A quiet park thereabouts.

The Nestle building in Vevey in the distance.

Strasbourg

From Namur I travelled to Strasbourg, the seat of the European Parliament. The European Ecomomic Community then, and now the European Union, was and is still a work-in-progress.

The Palais du Rhin.

Place Kleber perhaps. A bystander walked into the frame and it was not worth retaking the shot, on film remember.

The base of Strasbourg Cathedral.

The entrance to the Petite-France area of the city, containing heritage buildings.

Barge on one of the city canals.

Handsome half-timbered building..

I think this is actually a market in Colmar, where I lunched before entering Switzerland via Geneva. I also remember buying 15FF of almonds because I ventured to use my schoolboy French for that.

Namur

I was on my way to Strasbourg and broke my journey in Namur, Belgium. This being Belgium, it had a Flemish name also, Namen. It's on the Meuse/Maas river. A citadel overlooks the city.

I remember a boy hosteller telling me that the river reminded him of home because his home was downstream, on the Maas.

Did you know that the Meuse is the oldest river in the world, in the geologic sense? I didn't before. All those millions of years are humbling.

While walking in the city I fell in with a couple of Dutch girls also at the hostel, who were touring the low countries on their holidays. I'm still in touch with P, in the foreground, after all these years.

I remember we wandered into an unfamiliar part of town. I wonder where we are, asked one of the girls. I looked at the advertising sign where a street sign would be that read Buvez Coca-Cola, and quipped: Coca-Cola Street.

A local resident.

An interesting hydrant. Underexposed rather than taken in poor light.

Antwerp

It looks like I was in Antwerp just long enough to have a glimpse of the city, have a meal and change trains. This is Central Station, still looking just as grand these days.

Old city.

I enjoyed looking at markets.

Amsterdam

I liked Amsterdam so much from my first acquaintance with her in 1982 that i made it my starting point in Europe again. Also it was a Thai Airways destination.

This is most likely the lake in Vondelpark. I probably stayed at the Vondelpark Youth Hostel, or if that was unavailable, the Hans Brinker Hotel. A look at reviews today shows that it's just as, er, basic, as in those days and draws wildly divergent reviews from people who are turned off to people who cannot be shocked. Anyway I remember nothing of the hostel so it must have been no disappointment.

Incidentally Hans Brinker is a novel, written by a USAn who had never been there before publishing, that dramatises Dutch life. The story contains the fable of the boy and the dike. The Dutch are not hesitant to adapt foreign myths if it attracts visitors.

Possibly in the Jordaan district from the water gates, but someone who knows will take to task if I'm wrong.

I remember asking at the tourist office about the Cheese Market of Alkmaar. The staff exchanged some looks, perhaps meaning: Hmm, another visitor looking for stereotype sights. In the event it was too late in the day for that. So I may have ended up in Marken/Volendam/Edam instead.

Nothing happening except one tourist wandering around looking for something recognisably Dutch to photograph.

But I did stumble across this clog maker demonstrating. Quite a lot of wood wasted, as you can see.

Bangkok

I made a stopover in Bangkok, partly to break the journey and partly because I was curious about the city. Of course, I couldn't not take a picture of the Chao Phraya River.

One of the wats in the Grand Palace Complex.

A busy Bangkok street, perhaps near the hotel where I stayed. Cars of that era of course.

I don't remember where I took pictures of this cultural show. The elephant photos following suggest some kind of cultural centre for tourists.

Notice the participation by volunteers from the audience for the finale.

Elephants are no longer used for logging since that was banned in Thailand.

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Ethnic performers waiting for their cue.

I took a late flight (probably with Thai Airways) to Amsterdam that night.

A whirlwind tour of Europe

In July 1984 I went to the USA to further my studies. I took the opportunity to spend 6 weeks in Europe en route. I had a stopover in Bangkok, landed in Amsterdam, travelled south to Belgium. From there I went to Strasbourg, entered Switzerland through Geneva, headed east to Austria but crossed the Alps into Germany near Salzburg. From Hannover I bought a point-to-point ticket to Berlin, as this was not covered by Eurailpass, experiencing transit through Cold War East Germany. I returned to the Netherlands and took a ferry to UK, where I had friends in London. There were side trips to Wales and Cornwall and I reached Lands End.

I did not keep a diary so the dates are approximate. It doesn't matter anyway as there are only about 100 slides worth and they tend to cluster around sights I found attractive. Those were the days before digital photography when film was expensive.