{"id":4824,"date":"2020-06-05T21:45:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-06T01:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=4824"},"modified":"2020-06-05T21:50:32","modified_gmt":"2020-06-06T01:50:32","slug":"we-tried-to-tour-europe-on-five-dollars-a-day-in-1965-it-did-not-work-well","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=4824","title":{"rendered":"WE TRIED TO TOUR EUROPE ON FIVE DOLLARS A DAY IN 1965. IT DID NOT WORK WELL."},"content":{"rendered":"
EPISODE  58:  EUROPE ON FIVE DOLLARS A  DAY\u2026<\/p>\n

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EPISODE 58    EUROPE ON FIVE DOLLARS A DAY\u2026WE TRIED IT N 1965<\/div>\n

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alan skeoch<\/div>\n
June 2020<\/div>\n

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I think\u2026no,  I know\u2026the author of EUROPE ON FIVE DOLLARS A DAY\u2026expected us to live like the monks of Ireland once<\/div>\n
lived in these stone houses on the West Coast of Ireland, called  the Dingle.  At times our trip to Europe came close to<\/div>\n
this kind of existence.<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
June 2020<\/div>\n

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We  were new teachers.  Eric and I taught at<\/div>\n
Parkdale C.I.,  while Marjorie taught at Emery Junior<\/div>\n
High.  Salary around $6,000 per year.   <\/div>\n

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There was a book written around 1960 titled “Europe<\/div>\n
on $5 a day.\u201d.  In  1965,  Marjorie, my brother Eric and I<\/div>\n
decided to give it  a try.  Well, we did it\u2026a whole series<\/div>\n
of adventures that might interest readers.  I know it is<\/div>\n
ego driven but some of the adventures were universal<\/div>\n
like the chilling visit to Dachau and the rescue of a rabbit afflicted<\/div>\n
with the poison Mixamatosis and the discovery we could<\/div>\n
live on Bulmer\u2019s apple cider and cheese and bread.<\/div>\n

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Marjorie was a great sport about the whole thing.<\/div>\n
She could take the privations and enjoy the adventures.<\/div>\n
My brother, Eric, refused to go 50\/50 on the expenses which<\/div>\n
meant I had to pay 2\/3 which I now know was reasonable.<\/div>\n
Marjorie was a little disturbed on one day when we did  not<\/div>\n
eat at all while crammed into a sleeping car in bunks<\/div>\n
that were stacked so  tight that there was little room to breath.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
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A few choice adventures selected below.    Just keep in mind<\/div>\n
that we were all in our 20\u2019s.  I was 27\u2026Marjorie and Eric were 25.<\/div>\n
I hope readers can remember those years.  Otherwise you might be<\/div>\n
offended.  We were young and foolish and enjoyed life to the fullest.<\/div>\n
 Ireland first and last.  We landed at Shannon, west coast of Ireland and headed<\/div>\n
south to Bunmahon, the mining village in which I worked five years earlier.<\/div>\n
This was our world tour.  Some readers might think the memory would<\/div>\n
record great events.  My memory only records small events.<\/div>\n

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1) CRAWLING THROUGH AN ANCIENT MINE\u2026KNOCKMAHON<\/div>\n

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\u201cThere are ancient adits on the cliff face\u2026we can crawl through them.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s an adit?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cA hole punched through to help ventilate the mine.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHow big a hole?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBig enough for us to walk stooped over but in some places<\/div>\n
we will have to crawl on our stomachs.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cDangerous?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSuppose so.  Air is the big danger\u2026running out of air I mean.  When  Barney and<\/div>\n
I crawled through these adits we took a candle.   If he candle would not light,<\/div>\n
we got the hell out.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u2018What about collapse?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cUnlikely.  Weak spots would  have collapsed  by now\u2026last used as  a  <\/div>\n
mine 100 year ago.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy are we doing this?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cJust for fun\u2026we will only crawl in a  short way\u2026to the big shaft which<\/div>\n
has filled with water from the ocean.  The miners tunnelled out a fair <\/div>\n
distane under the ocean.   They had pumps  to remove the seepage.:<\/div>\n
\u201cAlan, this is stupid\u2026 I want out.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cEric and  I will just crawl a little further\u2026meet out the seashore in <\/div>\n
half hour or less.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cStupid thing to do.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cmust admit you are right.\u201d<\/div>\n

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\u201cHere we are out, Marjorie.  What is that god  awful stink?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat  stink?\u201d\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cMarjorie  one of those huge rocks where you are waiting is not<\/div>\n
a rock\u2026it\u2019s a dead pig that floated in or fell off the cliff.  Bloated.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s get out of here\u201d<\/div>\n

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(And so we did.  Since then the Knockmahon mine has become a tourist spot <\/div>\n
on the Irish South coast called the Copper Trail.  Tours of the inside of the mine<\/div>\n
can be arranged using the old  shaft entranceways rather than the adits. I imagine<\/div>\n
what we did, is  now forbidden.)<\/div>\n
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2) CLIMBING AN IRISH MOUNTAIN<\/div>\n

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\u201cPark the car\u2026we can climb this mountain.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHardly a mountain\u2026full of sheep.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s high and rocky and wild.”<\/div>\n
\u201cSee who can get to the top fastest.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhere is Marjorie?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAbout fifty feet below us.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSee ig  she can play \u2018Dodge Ball\u2019\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cDodge Ball?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWe can fire sheep dung down there from here.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cGood idea.\u201d<\/div>\n

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\u201cStop\u2026Stop\u201d<\/div>\n

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\u201cShe is good at the game.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo contact yet.”<\/div>\n

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3)  DUBLIN<\/div>\n

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\u201cDublin?  What is  there to see?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201c;Loads\u2026Book of Kells, pock marked walls from the Time of the Trouble, O\u2019Connell Street,  Pubs\u2026\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s do  the Guiness Brewery.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSamples are terrific at end  of the tour\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cLook, they use horses  to haul the beer about the City of Dublin.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t like beer.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cTerrific,  Eric and I do.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cIs this holiday for me as  well as you.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWait until you get on the ferry to cross the Irish Sea.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI get sea sick.\u201d   (She did)<\/div>\n

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(Marjorie enjoyed our tour of the Jameson Distillery much better than the Guinness<\/div>\n
Brewery.  Samples.  We were  the only tourists so we got three sample bottles of whiskey each\u2026.saved <\/div>\n
them for years.   I think Marjorie enjoyed the barrel making as well.  the barrel maker took a shine to her.<\/div>\n
Imagine, we were the<\/div>\n
only tourists that day. )<\/div>\n

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4) LOWER WOOTON FARM  (Remember Eywood?)\\<\/div>\n

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The small white pony  thought it was a human being.  <\/div>\n

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\u201cHere we are\u2026Lower Wooten Farm, Herefordshire\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s absolutely beautiful\u2026\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201c16th century\u2026black and white\u2026protected national treasure.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s Cyril Griffiths beside the barn.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cLooks troubled.\u201d<\/div>\n

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\u201cAlan, good  to see you\u2026and you will be Marjorie and Eric.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHow are you Cyril.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNot good\u2026need both of you in the barn<\/div>\n
we have a breached birth.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBreached?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cCalf stuck in the womb.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cTell us what to do.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWe have to pull it out\u2026got rope around the feet\u2026Pull when I say pull.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhen she goes into another contraction\u2026Now\u2026Pull\u2026Pull\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cJesus, it\u2019s coming but hard.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cComing now\u2026Now..\u201d<\/div>\n
(And the calf flew through the air\u2026missed me but landed on top of Eric)<\/div>\n
\u201cIs it alive?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYes,.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201c\u201dwell it landed right on top of me\u2026after brith and all.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAnd this is  my only suit\u2026.\u201d<\/div>\n

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(That happened  just as we got out of the car<\/div>\n
at Lower Wooten Farm.  <\/div>\n
Rather messy.}<\/div>\n

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Marjorie and  Nancy Griffiths getting a chicken ready \u2026 he hard way\u2026pulling feathers.<\/div>\n

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5)  EYWOOD<\/div>\n

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\u201cGranddad must have planted those nectarines trees still flourishing in<\/div>\n
one of this intact greenhouse\u2026look at the wooden marker\u2026his name.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cPercy, do you remember grandad?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYes, I worked for him when I was a young gaffer\u2026my job was to<\/div>\n
step and  fetch things\u2026shears, hoes, water.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNow you own the place.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYes, and I  want to give you something to remember me by.  Like <\/div>\n
this large terrace cotta flower pot bound together with wire.  the<\/div>\n
kind we had back before the Great War.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cCan we pick it up later\u2026love to have it.\u201d<\/div>\n

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(I don\u2019t know how we did it but we got the huge clay flower pot on board<\/div>\n
our flight home\u2026as big as a bushel basket)<\/div>\n

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6) THE CHARMING LAKE DISTRICT\u2026STINKS<\/div>\n

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\u201cCrammed with Tourists\u2026but beautiful.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo cheap place to stay.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s just buy a couple of post cards and clear out\u2026find a pasture\u201d<\/div>\n

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\u201cHere, Al, you pay for the post cards, Marjorie and I will wait outside.\u201d<\/div>\n
(God awful stink\u2026like sewage\u2026worse.)<\/div>\n
\u201cOh, dear, SOMEONE HAS PASSED BY\u2019\u201d (comment by lady behind me in line to pay).<\/div>\n
\u201cDamn them\u201d (whispered to myself)<\/div>\n
\u201cOh, dear, dear, dear.\u201d  (smell was revolting)<\/div>\n

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(Outside the tourist store Marjorie and Eric were laughing so hard  tears<\/div>\n
ran down their faces.  Eric had farted.  I mean a  really ripe fart brought<\/div>\n
on by apple cider and cheese, maybe a beer as well.  That fart was  so  bad<\/div>\n
that I still remember it 60 years  later.   And what is worse, I was blamed<\/div>\n
for the fart by the ladies behind me in the line whose comment was also<\/div>\n
memorable.)<\/div>\n

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\u201cSomeone has passed by\u201d<\/div>\n

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7)  SEA SICK ON A SHIP  THAT HAS NOT MOVED<\/div>\n

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\u201cI get sea sick, you know.:<\/div>\n
\u201cBut the ship has not even moved.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo matter, I am sea sick.<\/div>\n
(and Marjorie was sea sick.  Shows the power of the human mind..<\/div>\n

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\u201cDry land at last\u2026”<\/div>\n
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8)  IRISH HAY STACK\u2026IDEAL <\/div>\n

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\u201cStop the car\u2026back up.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cPerfect spot for lunch\u2026hay  stack in field with no one around.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cUnscrew the Bulmer\u2019s, rip up the bread,  cut the cheese.\u201d<\/div>\n
(Cut the cheese was a nasty expression in those days)<\/div>\n

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9) PARIS   <\/div>\n

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PARIS\u2026\u201dLOOK AT THE BOTTOM OF MY BED\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cHey, come and look at my bed.\u201d<\/div>\n

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(We found two inexpensive rooms across  the road from the magnificent<\/div>\n
Pantheon where Rouseau and Voltair are buried.  The rooms  were<\/div>\n
not as  grand as the Pantheon.<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAt the bottom of the bed.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNothing there.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not possible.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat are we supposed to see?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cCockraches\u2026I spent the night killing them\u2026put a<\/div>\n
whole pile  of them on  the floor at the bottom of<\/div>\n
my bed.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNothing there now.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYou know what that means?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYes\u2026the live cockroaches took the  dead cockroaches away.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cCertainly not for a funeral.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThen why?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cFor a dinner.”<\/div>\n

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10) PARIS   NASTY ADVENTURE FOR MARJORIE<\/div>\n

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(Eric and I had ordered a beer in a restaurant beside the Pantheon.<\/div>\n
The beer came in  a glass about he size of an egg cup at about the<\/div>\n
price of a pint in Ireland.  Nice glass though.  Marjorie had gone<\/div>\n
for a haircut on the Parisian Metro.  Turned out not to be a good<\/div>\n
idea. We kept the beer glass.)<\/div>\n

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\u201cThere you are.\u201d<\/div>\n

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(Marjorie came running to our table\u2026breathless\u2026troubled.)<\/div>\n

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\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI ran all the way here from a distant Metro station..\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cCalm down.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201c I cannot calm down.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThe subway was jammed with people\u2026could hardly move when<\/div>\n
it happened.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBodies pressed tight together.  Man behind me\u2026pressng very close\u2026way too<\/div>\n
close.  Bulge.  Pushing against me.  He  was looking the other way but pressing<\/div>\n
his thing into my backside.  I was terrified.  Got off the Metro as soon as I could<\/div>\n
and  ran  all the way back here.\u201d<\/div>\n

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(Sounded sort of funny at first.  But we  decided it was not that funny so we<\/div>\n
left Paris by train the next day.  Eric decided to venture off to Spain on his<\/div>\n
own for a couple of days.  We would meet in Munich.)<\/div>\n

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  11) \u201cBLONDIE\u2026BLONDIE\u2026COME OVER HERE”<\/div>\n

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\u201cHow was the train ride to Spain, Eric.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNot so good.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSpanish girls kept harassing me\u2026called me <\/div>\n
Blondie\u2026Blondie.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat ere their intentions?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSex, I assumed.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAnd what did  you do?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cStopped in Barcelona and took train back<\/div>\n
to meet you in Munich.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cRunning away?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cFeared rape.\u201d<\/div>\n

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12)  DRIFTING DOWN THE RHINE\u2026ROMANCE<\/div>\n

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\u201cCoblenz was  bombed  to smithereens in the war.  That\u2019s why<\/div>\n
it looks so modern today.  None of the old town survived.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSo let\u2019s take a river cruise up the Rhine and find a place to stay<\/div>\n
in the countryside.   Use the local ferry boat that stops here<\/div>\n
and there.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cRight here.  Mosel region.  We should splurge and buy<\/div>\n
a bottle of wine, Marjorie.  Just the two of un now that Eric<\/div>\n
has buggered off to Spain.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cRent a nice room with one of those big German Eider downs.”<\/div>\n
\u201cRomance thrives.\u201d<\/div>\n

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13) MUNICH BEER HALL\u2026HOFBRAU HOUSE<\/div>\n

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\u201cThese guys must have been soldiers in the War.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSure are professional  drinkers.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHow can the barmaids carry so many beer steins\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cStrong women.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cOh\u2026look\u2026there was a man under the table\u2026coming up for air now.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAlan, look at that other poor man\u2026passed out with his cigarette<\/div>\n
still burning between his fingers.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSad.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI am going to put out the cigarette before he gets burned.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cMaybe better  to mind your own business.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo. \u2026There, it\u2019s out.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThe men at the table want to buy us beer as a result.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThree new steins full\u2026lots of beer.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cToasting you Marjorie.\u201d<\/div>\n

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14)   A PARK IN CENTRAL MUNICH<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe had too much beer, Alan.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI am  sleepy.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cOnly early afternoon\u2026.no B and B.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s just flop down in the park.\u201d<\/div>\n

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(And we did.  All Three of us.  out cold. With souvenir <\/div>\n
beer steins we bought from the Hofbrau house and<\/div>\n
still have to this day.}<\/div>\n

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\u201cWake up\u2026wake up\u2026no sleeping allowed in this park.\u201d (said in German)<\/div>\n
(Park attendant was  amused, spoke in German of course, but<\/div>\n
he was gentle.  Awakened us\u2026gathered our steins and gently<\/div>\n
suggested we move along.)<\/div>\n

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15)   DACHAU\u2026 CHILLING REMINDER OF POWER OF HATRED<\/div>\n

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\u201cWhere is Dachau?\u201d<\/div>\n

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(We planned  to visit the Dachau extermination camp but had <\/div>\n
difficult getting locals to tell us how to get there.  Eventually<\/div>\n
we found the horrific place which was part of an American military<\/div>\n
base in 1965 and therefore preserved.  There was nothing nice<\/div>\n
about this visit.)<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cAlan, I hate this place.  I will not go any further inside the camp.<\/div>\n
Just let me sit here.  Makes  me feel faint.\u201d  (Marjorie)<\/div>\n

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15)   TOUGH MUNICH STREETCAR CONDUCTRESS\u2026REALLY TOUGH.<\/div>\n

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\u201cHow do we get to downtown Muinich?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cGet in\u2026GET IN NOW. \u201c (in German)<\/div>\n
(Big woman, Driving street car\u2026no smile\u2026gave orders in broken English)<\/div>\n
\u201cSit at BACK\u2026{And she pointed to back of street car\u2026.very insistent\u2026no smile.}<\/div>\n

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“Where are we going?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo idea\u2026just obeying orders.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cCOMEN SIE\u2026COME HERE.\u201d  <\/div>\n
\u201cDoes she mean us?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cApparently\u2026everyone is  looking our way.\u201d<\/div>\n
(We followed orders.)<\/div>\n
\u201cHow much  do  we owe you?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNothing\u2026a gift\u2026You are now in town centre. Welcome.\u201d<\/div>\n
(And she waved  us off.  Never smiling.  But a nice woman.)<\/div>\n

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16)  TRAIN \u2026GERMANY TO ENGLAND\u2026JAMMED LIKE CATTLE CAR<\/div>\n

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\u201cOK, we are running out of money. Need  a cheap way to get back to England.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cTrain will do it. Each compartment folds into beds for six people.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSo we avoid another B and B cost.  Sleep on the train.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cDoes not seem like much room here.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThe other three have taken their beds.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cLeaves you with the top bunk,Al.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy me?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBecause you are too damn slow.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHard to breathe up here.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cMarjorie and I do not give a sweet goddamn, Al.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
17) LATER\u2026SAME TRAIN HEADING FOR THE COAST<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWhen are we going to eat, Alan?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhen we get to London.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBut that\u2019s a full day away.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSave money.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cDo you mean no food at all.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
18) THE TWO DERBY HATS<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u2018”Let\u2019s look at the antique\u2026junk\u2026Portabelo Road market”  (in London).<\/div>\n
\u201cNot much money left.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
(just as we started to walk the roadway of dealers there was a board <\/div>\n
fence\u2026One board moved.)<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cYou lads need Derby Hats.\u201d<\/div>\n
What?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI have two Derby Hats  for sale\u2026cheap\u2026just the thing for you boys\u2026give<\/div>\n
you a little class.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cFive pounds each\u2026take them both for eight pounds.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy are you selling from behind the board fence?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cTake them or leave them, boys\u2026\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
(So we bought our Derby Hats<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
19) TREASURES\u2026WOULD YOU RENT US A  ROOM\u2026THREE OF US, ONE  ROOM, PLUS BAGGAGE<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cMarjorie, take a picture\u2026all our worldly possessions.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI see the Hofbrau house beer stein, the quart of apple cider, the cheese, copies of Beatrix Potter\u2026and<\/div>\n
you with the Derby and that brass bound barrel we bought.<\/div>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cOh, yes, the BOOT.\u201d<\/div>\n
(needs a separae entry below\u2026but first\u2026look at Eric\u2019s boot on the fireplace mantel.  Why is there<\/div>\n
only one boot there?\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
20) THE BOOT<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cEric, is sleeping.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cTook a while for us to come agreement\u2026\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cCheaper for FOUR of us to sleep in one room.  Eric  Agreed.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBut he did not agree to a 50 \/ fo split.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo, he figured on a 1\/3 and 2\/3 deal\u2026<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
(You are wondering about the FOUR in bold letters.  Well, we were driving along an English backroad<\/div>\n
and Marjoire spotted a baby rabbit in distress.  \u201cStop, Save the Bunny!\u201d  So that became the fourth<\/div>\n
member of our tour in England.  The poison Mixamatosis was being spread  around  to control rabbits.<\/div>\n
Marjorie\u2019s bunny had a small dose.  It survived with her care.)<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat does that have to do with the Boot above the fireplace in the previous  picture, you ask.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWell for some reason the rabbit liked to sleep in Eric\u2019s boot.\u201d\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAnd that meant rabbit marbles  in his boots in he morning.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy is there one one boot above he fireplace>\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYou know the answer better than me.  Eric put both boots<\/div>\n
up there.  You took one down when he fell asleep so the rabbit<\/div>\n
had a bed.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat will we do with the rabbit?\u201d<\/div>\n
(We let it go in a nice green field in Scotland\u2026hoping we were to far north for the poisoners.)<\/div>\n
\u201cThen we we\u2019re back to three to a room.  Eric got the children\u2019s cot.”<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
21) FLYING HOME FROM DUBLIN\u2026NOT OUR BEST FOOT FORWARD<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWill you join us while we wait for the flight?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWill you have a pint of  Guinness?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI will but my father here is  Pioneer.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cPioneer?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201che does not drink\u2026thinks drink has damaged  image of the Irish and  others.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWill he join us though?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSure\u2026we have two hours  before the flight.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
(This turned out to be a bad idea.  We were excited to be flying home to Toronto<\/div>\n
\u2026exhausted.  Glad  to join a Roman Catholic  priest and his  father \u2026most of<\/div>\n
us  sharing a pint or two of Guinness.  Even Marjorie had  a glass.   When we boarded<\/div>\n
the plane we were not too bad. But when we got up to 20,000 or 20,000 feet things<\/div>\n
went awry.  We were laughing a lot.  Really enjoying each  others company. Silly.<\/div>\n
Of course we were wearing our derby hats as well.  Caused quite a ruckus on<\/div>\n
the plane, especially when Eric  felt a little sickly and called the stewardess.)<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWould you take this away.  I\u2019ve been a  little sick\u2026altitude sickness.\u201d<\/div>\n
(and he handed her his pillow having put the sick bag behind his head.<\/div>\n
The stewardess  laughed but a few moments later the pilot came<\/div>\n
back to visit us.  I now realize this visit was not social.  He scouted  us<\/div>\n
out and decided we were not a big problem.  He even tried on one<\/div>\n
our Derby Hats.  By that time I was cold sober trying to subdue Marjorie<\/div>\n
who insisted on  painting my face with the whipped cream  flight dessert.)<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWe will be landing in  Iceland for refuelling.  Short time but we will<\/div>\n
deplane all the same.  Back in the air in about two hours.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
22)   MR. SKEOCH\u2026YOU WERE MY STUDENT TEACHER LAST YEAR.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
(This was routine.  But the events were not routine. Eric  was<\/div>\n
still woozy.  Throwing up a bit.  The dry heaves as they say<\/div>\n
Everyone sat in a large waiting room.   I was on one side<\/div>\n
of Eric and a young girl was on the other side.  The funniest thing<\/div>\n
happened then.   The young girl tapped Eric  on the arm\u2026<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cYou are Mr. Skeoch,  my student teacher at Humberside a couple<\/div>\n
of years  ago.  I remember you. So much fun.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
(Eric continued holding the bag tightly to his chest.  Marjorie was better <\/div>\n
bu then.   We looked at each other \u2026 then at Eric\u2026then at the young<\/div>\n
student.   This probably seems  awful to some readers but it was really<\/div>\n
quite funny\u2026quite harmless.   it was a time in our lives that could never<\/div>\n
be repeated.)<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
June 2020<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
p.s.  Picture below of the Royal George pub in Lyons Hall, Herefordshire.<\/div>\n
Before it became a pub it was the birthplace  of  our Grandfather Edward<\/div>\n
Freeman\u2026the gardener at Windsor Castle and the Eywood.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EPISODE  58:  EUROPE ON FIVE DOLLARS A  DAY\u2026 EPISODE 58    EUROPE ON FIVE DOLLARS A DAY\u2026WE TRIED IT N 1965 alan skeoch June 2020 I think\u2026no,  I know\u2026the author of EUROPE ON FIVE DOLLARS A DAY\u2026expected us to live like the monks of Ireland once lived in these stone houses on the West Coast […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4824"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4824\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}