Some Details for the Trips, 1983, 1985, 1988

Fourth Trip — 1983

When we arrived in Europe in 1983 Emmy suggested we travel in a rental car and sleep in hotels and in bed & breakfast homes, instead of buying an RV. Three days was all she could stand of: “Look for restaurant after restaurant, find a (noisy) hotel room, pack and unpack” — so back we went to several US Army bases.

This time we found a 43,000 mile, 1978 Dodge Transvan ($6,000) owned by a US Army Major at Nellingen Barracks south of Stuttgart. After buying a water pump in Merzig, Germany and a 220V refrigerator in Luxembourg, we drove 8,000 miles through nine countries and camped 50 nights (total of 87 nights in Europe). We again garaged the RV in Mettlach (40 D-Marks per month) expecting to return in six months.

Fifth Trip — 1985

Our plans changed and we were not able to return to Europe until 20 months had passed. The Dodge started easily after the battery was charged, and there was no need to even add air to the tires, or water to the radiator. The only problem was that mice had feasted on paper bags of cocoa, chewing gum, and other such goodies.

Off we went for another 16,400 miles in 17 countries, 102 nights in campsites (156 nights in Europe), a set of tires in Losheim, Germany and a new starter in Wettenberg, Germany. With the RV in the hold of the ship, we boarded the Polish liner T.S.S. Stefan Batory in Rotterdam, spent a day in London, ten days on the Atlantic Ocean to Montreal, then drove to California. (No Jet-lag this time!)

This Dodge supplied 24,400 miles of touring, 189 days and nights of eating and sleeping in 17 different European countries during two trips, plus much more of the same coast to coast in Canada, and coast to coast (multiple times) in the US, until we sold it a few years later.

Sixth Trip — 1988

Emmy’s Cousin Josef had worked for the Renault Automobile Company in Brühl, Germany, and two colleagues at the office wanted to sell a Renault vehicle with a Pilote RV. We paid about $12,500, then drove 8,400 miles through eight countries, and spent 70 of our 130 nights in Europe that year, in campsites. We parked it in a farmer’s barn in Borg, Germany, for about $1 per day.