After our trip across the USA in 1972 (Drive to California), my ex-wife (Bonita) and I decided to return to Europe in 1973. We had spent a month there two years earlier (Europe 1971). Besides Europe, our trip this time would take us to Israel.
We began with a KLM flight from JFK to Amsterdam. After arriving at Schiphol Airport, we took a train downtown.
I quickly learned the train station is located in their "red light" district. Walking the narrow sidewalks next to a canal, I noticed a woman sitting in front of a large picture window wearing only a flimsy negligee. I thought this woman had no shame until I noticed a similarly clad woman a few doors down. A bell then went off in my head.
Instead of vendors selling hot dogs as in New York, Amsterdam's street vendors sold pickled herring, a delicacy I learned from my father. They were delicious and cheap. I ate a lot.
We took a tour of the city and discovered that, unlike Texas that boasts how large everything is, Amsterdam boasts how small everything is. We also visited the Van Gogh Museum, the Anne Frank house and took day trips to Rotterdam and The Hague.
From Amsterdam, we took an overnight train to Copenhagen, Denmark, which made a stopover in the middle of the night in Hamburg, Germany. I was sound asleep in our compartment when I was awakened by a loud speaker in the station shouting, "achtung, achtung." It reminded me of the scene from Casablanca when the Gestapo told Parisians how to behave when German troops would march into the city.
Copenhagen is the cleanest city I have ever been in. There were waste baskets everywhere so there was no excuse to litter. There seemed to be pastry shops (real Danish pastry) on every block. I recall sitting in a beautiful park eating some pastry being careful not to make a mess.
Our landlady expressed disappointment we were not black. At the time, since you didn't see any in Denmark, they were a curiosity.
We spent at least one evening in Tivoli Gardens. Another day we took a boat ride to Malmo, Sweden.
From Copenhagen, we took a train to Berlin, at the time a divided city. We entered from the east to get to our destination, West Berlin. Before arriving, our papers were carefully checked on the train by East German officials. Outside the train, heavily-armed police and dogs checked the exterior to make sure nobody escaped hiding there.
West Berlin reminded me of New York, a bustling, vibrant, modern city. One day we traveled across Checkpoint Charlie back to East Berlin. From there we could see American and East German/Soviet soldiers pointing guns at each other from opposite sides of the wall that separated the two halves.
East Berlin looked like a ghost town with gray buildings and few pedestrians. We saw an East German soldier goose stepping in front of a Soviet war memorial marking the communist victory over the Nazis in 1945.
When we returned to West Berlin, we first had to go back through East German immigration. Bonita's American passport was returned quickly. Mine, much longer. I was nervous I was going to be in East Berlin more than I wanted. Eventually, my passport came back and we got the hell out of there.
From Schonefeld Airport in East Berlin, we took a charter flight to Tel Aviv in Israel. After landing, we stayed overnight at a hotel where the receptionist was watching a Hebrew dubbed version of the popular American TV show, Hawaii 5-O. Tel Aviv is a very secular Jewish city. Every where you look, there are Jews. Coming from a world where Jews were a minority, it was fascinating for us to be there.
The next day we took a bus to Jerusalem, staying in an Arab hotel near the Damascus Gate of the ancient walled portion of the city. Passing through the Gate, we walked the narrow streets with no visible names, finding a variety of shops selling goods with no price tags. Bargaining was expected.
Bonita was looking for a sheep skin jacket. We visited numerous shops offering such before she found what she was looking for at a good price. Another day, she wanted to return to the same shop to buy another one for her sister. With no map, I was proud of myself for finding the same place again.
West Jerusalem is a modern city where we visited Hebrew University, the Knesset and Yad Vashem among other places.
From Jerusalem, we took a bus north and stayed at a kibutz for a couple of days. Then on to Haifa, a beautiful city, similar to San Francisco. I remember falling ill and staying in bed one whole day while Bonita took a bus to a nearby Arab market. And then on to Netanya, a beach community on the Mediterranean where we just relaxed.
After returning to Tel Aviv, we flew to London with a stopover at the Athens Airport. We enjoyed the British capital for a number of reasons, including the locals spoke English. The breakfasts in our hotel were like what we were used at home. We saw the usual tourist attractions, the Tower of London, the British Museum, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and Hyde Park. We went to a play one night.
Finally, we took a boat ride across the English Channel to Amsterdam and our KLM flight back to New York. It was my last trip to Europe before this year's visit to Portugal.
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