[undies]

In the summer of 1964 my dad did a cycling tour of Europe with his school German club. They started in London and cycled through Belgium, Holland, and West Germany, including a day foot trip to East Berlin. I finally convinced him to scan some of his photos, a few of which I thought might be of interest in this forum. I apologize for the small size and poor quality. He scanned them small, and when he shot them he was a 16 year old boy learning how to use a fully manual 35mm Minolta (no SLR, no rangefinder, no light meter!).

1. This plane carried them across the Atlantic.

2. In England.

3. Nancy was one of the chaperons. Years later Nancy stood in for my Godparents at my baptism. A respected Minnesota educator, she passed away two weeks ago due to cancer. RIP Nancy

4-5. Cycling in southern England, I think.

 

[undies]

I'm really not sure where all these photos were taken. Is it just me or does it appear that two of the bicycles in the third picture are sinking into the sidewalk?

 

[MB1]

Actually the fact that the scans are crummy makes this an even neater post of times gone by.

Sorry to hear about Nancy she looks fun.


Thems some sweet bikes.

 

[undies]

The group stayed in hostels throughout their journey. In the 4th pic here, my dad is at left writing a letter home.

 

[undies]

In 1964 Berlin was deep inside East Germany, with a corridor providing passage from West Germany to West Berlin.

 

[undies]

The Berlin Wall split the city. In some places the Wall included elaborate no-mans-lands, in others the wall was made by bricked-up buildings.

 

[undies]

They cycled through some mountainous areas as well. Dad seemed to enjoy the climbs and descents.

The end.

 

[undies]

Thems some sweet bikes.

They rode a fleet of Gitanes. Whether purchased or rented, I'm not sure, but they didn't come home with the group. Dad greatly enjoyed riding them though, and it inspired him to buy a matching pair of Gitane TdFs for he and my mom in ~1971. They both still have the bikes languishing in garages, but requests to "pass them along" have so far gone unanswered :idea:

 

[MB1]

They rode a fleet of Gitanes. Whether purchased or rented, I'm not sure, but they didn't come home with the group. Dad greatly enjoyed riding them though, and it inspired him to buy a matching pair of Gitane TdFs for he and my mom in ~1971. They both still have the bikes languishing in garages, but requests to "pass them along" have so far gone unanswered :idea:

Isn't it amazing to see that at one time your parents were totally cool kids....

BTW it would make a great Christmas or Birthday present someday to clean and fix up those old Gitanes for your folks. Don't change any major parts just get them working and safe again.

 

[undies]

BTW it would make a great Christmas or Birthday present someday to clean and fix up those old Gitanes for your folks. Don't change any major parts just get them working and safe again.

Actually, my Dad has maintained his in very clean and ridable condition, although he has no interest to ride it anymore and just stores it under a blanket in the garage. He says, "I can't ride it up here," because he lives a couple of miles down a rough dirt road. I try to convince him otherwise because at the end of his dirt road is the route that Ridgetop just posted through Virginia City.

My mom's bike is also clean but probably needs some work (tires, at least) to be ridable. I can't see her ever actually riding it again.

 

[Slim Again Soon]

Awesome pics! A great adventure

These are great photos -- thanks for posting.

It must have been quite the adventure -- and Europe was far less Americanized then than now.

Always a strange and creepy thrill to see the Berlin Wall. What a weird time that was -- the Cold War was crazy, and we only now are coming to recognize the danger it posed to all of us alive at that time.

I love that picture of Nancy -- on her bike, in her shades, with that smile, even a '60s hair band. She's gorgeous. Dreamy chaperone material, for sure.

There was something to be said for cycling before the one-must-wear-a-helmet-at-all-times era. I'm sorry she passed away -- she looks like someone who enjoyed life.

 

[JP]

That is so cool. Makes me want to post a few ride reports from the '70s.

 

[Mapei]

My current candidate for Photo Essay of the Year. The soft focus and color saturation lend the pictures a true timeless aura...made even more timeless by the juxtoposition of the surprisingly modern looking bikes and the very Sixties-looking folks. As Slim says, Nancy is dreamy. Grace Kelly on a bike. I'm sure your dad had a helluva time.

 

[oarsman]

Fabulous essay

Very interesting. I love old photos, especially of travelling in such an adventurous way. I have a few around of my parents trips when they were young, not on bikes but in 40s era motor cars driving gravel roads through the mountains of BC. That really must have been an amazing adventure.

 

[undies]

Wow, thanks everyone!

The soft focus and color saturation lend the pictures a true timeless aura...

He shot slides, and these scans are from those slides which have been stored in carousels for the last ~40 years. The slides probably explain why the colors were so well preserved.

Once in a while on a Saturday evening my dad would present an evening slide show to the family. He had a few others but the European trip was always my favorite. I'm glad to hear that others enjoy the pics as much as I did!

 

[zooog]

Great pictures and ride report....

 

[Dave Hickey]

Post of the year.......Outstanding

 

[wooglin]

Wonderful post. I'd love to see the whole slide show.

 

[Reynolds531]

Your wonderful post brought a flood of emotions washing over me. Nancy´s beauty, youthful adventure, time rolling on. It reminds me to embrace every minute of life. It´s my favorite RBR post of all time.

 

[tarwheel2]

Really cool shots. Thanks for posting. I hope your dad sees them.

How about those red plaid panniers? I'm surprised Rivendell hasn't reprised them.