1977 Dodge RV

In 1979 our daughter Linda, and several of Emmy’s cousins, met us at the airport in Luxembourg. We borrowed Cousin Bärbel’s car, and with Linda as interpreter, visited used car dealers and RV rental offices, then finally US Army Bases.

At the US Army Base at the Benjamin Franklin Village in Mannheim, Germany, we saw a 1977 Dodge Cobra RV with a “For Sale” sign in the window. After contacting the owner, a Colonel in the US Army, we made a deal and went on our way. After 96 days and 10,900 miles through 16 countries, we garaged the Dodge in Mettlach, Germany, near Emmy’s cousin’s home.

Six months later (1980) we returned to Europe and after a battery charge the Dodge started just fine. This time we traveled 171 days and 17,500 miles through 17 countries, before selling the RV to an US Army high school teacher in Zweibrücken, Germany. A fascinating 267 days during two trips. Cost maybe a dozen dollars a day, the cost to rent a bike.

This photo was taken in front of the church in Mettlach, just a few doors from the long-time Herrmann (Emmy’s cousins) home.