My Vespa Ciao...
A European way to get around...in Mexico. 

Once I had finished my English Teaching training course, I started working at Interlingua at the beginning of 1982...

This was something totally new to me and I started loving it right from the beginning.

 When I arrived at the school where I was going to be teaching, I met some of the staff and my future bosses. I met Nelson the school manager, and the Director, Joyce.

I had a brief interview with both of them and we got on fine from the get go...

Nelson was a Mexican born guy, who may have lived in the United States for a while, or so I thought, as he had a very strong American accent, he was well dressed, he wore a suit and tie and shiny shoes, and was a friendly person, although he had a strong character.

He managed the teachers' working schedules, so if you got on his good side, you could get the hours that you wanted. 

The pay at Interlingua was in relation to the hours that you taught, with a minimum of hours allocated to every teacher. I think it was at least twenty hours, then if you wanted to earn more money you would have to work more hours, in order to do so you had to make yourself available, and likeable by Nelson. 

I had to learn the skill to sell myself, in other words, to be liked not only by Nelson but also by the students because if they requested me the more likely I would be asked to work more, which meant more money...and that was the bottom line, I was there to earn money and save as much as I could, so that I could to eventually take off again...

Joyce, the director, was an American, she was kind and usually got on well with everyone and spoke Spanish with a very strong American accent. 

There were several teachers working there, some part time others full time, and I got on well with most of them.

I think I remember them all, let's see...there were three American ladies, Sharon, Karen, Ellen, all blonde and young and single, they were good fun and I believe all Mexican male students loved them all, there was also a very proper Kiwi lady, Anne, (New Zealander), there was a French couple and an English guy and there were a few Mexican born teachers and... there was also one interesting short guy… from India... Deepak...with whom I would build a strong friendship, there's a lot to say about him so I'll expand on that on my next story.

Overall, it was a nice and diverse team of teachers, some stayed long, some came and went...
I stayed teaching at Interlingua for nearly 3 years... 

One of the things that used to bug me though, was getting there and back on public transport...

It would normally take me a good 45 minutes to get there by bus...and to be honest, I didn't like it at all, the only good thing was that it was extremely cheap... 

At that time, I was living at home with my parents, so, I was not paying for rent or board, I was only chipping in with the phone bill...

I didn't have many other expenses, and for that reason, I was able to start saving some money rather fast...and with my first savings, I bought myself a rather cute Vespa Ciao moped!!

This was not a very common sort of transportation in Mexico, it was a new European thing, and it could be slightly dangerous to ride on the busy streets of Mexico City.   

But I had seen them in Europe, in particular in Italy during my trip overseas, and they managed to ride around without any hassles in Rome, where traffic is absolutely crazy, so I thought ...why not? If they can do it in Rome, I could try it in Mexico City too...

By pure coincidence, there was a Piaggio Vespa dealership near my house...so after seeing them in their window display a few times, while I was passing on the bus one day, I decided to get off the bus and have a closer look.
 
These mopeds were like bicycles, with pedals, however, they had a wee motor powered by petrol, just like a motorbike would.

There was a wee 3-litre petrol tank in the middle of the moped… The pedals just gave you the option to ride it like a normal bike if you ever run out of gas... 

They were truly really cool…So, a few days later I went in and bought one! 

I chose a blue one, it was gorgeous, and while I was there, I also bought a helmet and goggles, they were quite retro, like from World War II.

I also bought a waterproof suit for the rain in bright yellow, so that I’d be seen at night. The suit was simply a pair of trousers that could go over my normal trousers and a jacket, both could be folded into a nice and compact pouch. 

I also had a pair of black gloves …I was completely set up for the whole experience... 

I started going to work every day on my Vespa, I was so happy…No more buses!!

I also used to take my Sony Walkman, the original one, the one with the orange headset, and play my cassette tapes on the road! 

I remember clearly that I used to love playing Janis Joplin or Led Zeppelin or Bob Marley really loud to try to cancel out the deafening noise of the traffic in Mexico City... 

I had to learn to be very careful while riding in the city, as most motorists didn't show any kind of respect for bikes, and were quite aggressive while driving, it was truly dangerous, and on top of that, I also had to look out for potholes... 

However, it was ten times better than travelling by bus and it was so unique that it made me quite popular at school amongst my colleague teachers and students, they all thought it was so cool, no one else had a VESPA, and when I'd ask them, why don't you get one?

They'd say..."Oh, no way, that's not for me".... I'm too scared, or some other excuse...

I rode my Vespa to and from work and to anything or anywhere else, however, at times, while still living at home, I'd borrow my dad's car to go out at night If there was somewhere to go or something to do... 

This is the way it was for the rest of that first-year working at Interlingua until one day...I found a flat, a flatmate and I was offered a teaching position at a new branch of Interlingua, a few blocks away from my new flat...

It all fell into place quite nicely... 

Another chapter of my life was about to unfold... 

I got a job, as an English teacher...
This would be the last job I’d ever have in Mexico... 

Getting a job was priority number one from the moment I got back home… 

It was definitely awkward being at home and getting money from dad for my daily expenses or anything at all, I wasn't even paying for my meals or anything else.... 

When you are young, you can take it for granted that your parents will look after you, feed you and house you...
You don't even stop to think about the expense you may be costing them at all...well, at least that was the way I was brought up and the way it was.

However, I was 21 years old then and, after living independently overseas for some time, I was very aware of the fact that I needed to pay my own way and cover at least my personal expenses...I couldn't continue being a financial burden to my parents for too much longer... 

All my brothers and sisters had left home... 

My eldest brother, Pepe, was the first one to leave...He got married and soon after had a child, my first niece, Claudia...

He was a young man when he got married, however, that was normal back then...he was a schoolteacher when he did so and was also studying Architecture at Uni...

The next one to leave was my brother, Jorge, he left home to live independently somewhere...I didn't know much about what he was doing back then, he simply moved out...it was all a bit of a mystery to me at that time...this was quite unusual in those days in Mexico, as most of the times kids didn't leave home unless they were getting married or got a job out of town or something like that... 

My sisters got married quite young, in their early twenties, although in those days that was the average marriage age for girls...so they were both gone from home...

By the time I left for my first adventure overseas they both had already had their first children, my sister Leticia had Daniela and soon after my sister Silvia had Sergio...

The last one to leave before I did was my brother Mario, he left soon after I went away on my first adventure in Europe, as he got a job up north in Monterrey...that was a great move for my brother's corporate career and life in general, as he also ended up meeting his wife up in Monterrey...and ended up staying there...

So, all my siblings were pretty much all set up for life, one way or another, it was just me left to get sorted...and I'm sure my parents were eager to see what would come out of this young one, their last child...
 As I've mentioned in my previous post, I was so lucky to find that advert from 'Interlingua' looking for English teachers...
I was quite excited about it and decided to apply... I made a phone call to enquire, and I was told to go to their head office for a chat... 
I went for my interview and test to Mexico City's *Zona Rosa, a small business district in Mexico City, where they had their head office.

*The Zona Rosa (The Pink Zone) is an interesting part of Mexico City, located roughly between the Angel of Independence and the *Metro station 'Insurgentes' (*Mexico's City Underground transport system). Pictured above. 

This business district had several pedestrian-only streets and back in 1981, it was a cool place for upmarket restaurants, night clubs and for several renowned Hotels...there were always lots of tourists around there.

It was a place I never necessarily went to, especially at night, a bit out of my lifestyle and budget, but we'd sometimes go there to a small but unique 'Record shop' to buy some of the latest imported records...

I believe things have changed a bit since then... 

I had no car, so I was back again using public transport in Mexico City, so I must've taken a bus and then the Metro to get to my appointment...I'm sure it must've taken me at least 45 minutes to one hour to get there...

I remember I was feeling quite confident when I walked in...and said to the receptionist, I'm here regarding the position for English teachers.
I was instructed to sit in a sort of classroom and wait for someone...there were others sitting in the room, obviously applying for the same job...

Then someone walked in, and we were given a job application form to fill out and were handed an English written test sheet...
It was an English grammar test... I actually found it quite easy...it was mostly basic grammar but had also some tricky questions... 

Then a couple of us were asked to wait to meet with someone for another test, the others were sent home...
Yay! I had passed my first test...

The next test was a conversational English test, which was simply having a brief interview with an American lady...
I must've done well because in the end I was offered the job!

They explained to me that I had to take a 2-week training course, right there at their head office, to learn how to teach English using their system.
Cool, I said, I'm keen...

Then they said to me that they had an opening at a branch by the "Parque de los Venados" a well-known park not too far from home and I said, that sounds perfect, when can I start?
They said "if after taking your training course we think you are ready to teach you can start in January"
Sounds awesome, I said. 

I went back home all smiles...
I GOT A JOB!

I could not believe it...wait a minute...I didn't even ask what the pay was...never mind...
Whatever it was I'm sure it was just fine... 

I felt empowered and hopeful! 

The news of my new job was well-received back at home by mum and dad...they were happy for me, and it sounded like a "real job", a teaching job...

That kind of occupation or profession has always had a good reputation, especially with my family, my brother Pepe was a primary schoolteacher and both my sisters Leticia and Silvia also ended up teaching...so my upcoming job must have given my parents some reassurance that I was moving in the right direction, somehow, according to their hopes for all of us... 

Can you imagine? … I was going to be an English teacher...Who would've thought?...

That type of job had never entered my mind at all until I saw that advert... 

It is interesting how things can present themselves to you in the most inexplicable ways...and, advertising has totally played a significant role in my life, without adverts I would not have found my current business and wouldn't have met my wife Helen... 

Anyway, this was going to be a totally new experience, I thought, and it would be definitely a way to continue speaking English daily so that when I'd take off again, I'd still be fluent...

PERFECT...LET'S DO THIS!

Back at home for a spell...

It was a bit strange being back home...
I was expecting that, in a way, although I wasn't sure how it was going to pan out...
My time overseas had inevitably had an effect on me, and it was time to figure out what to do next...

I arrived in Mexico City at the end of October 1981, and I was back home, in the house where I grew up, living with Mum and Dad...

I was the last of us six kids still living at home...

I wasn't entirely comfortable about the fact that I’d be living under my parent's roof again, however, I was extremely grateful that I could still do so...

I guess my parents were happy to have me safe and sound back at home, but I am sure they were wondering what my next move would be, as I was not going to continue with my studies...

They didn't put any pressure on me and gave me time to find my own feet...

Not much had changed back home while I was away...
Nothing had changed in our house… My old bedroom was just as I had left it…
I remember walking up the stairs and into my bedroom, carrying my overly used backpack and my worn-out leather carryon bag, still full of cassettes…

I looked around my room and somehow it looked smaller than I thought it was…
The permanent concrete bunkbeds were still there… now unused, as my brother Mario had just moved out…he used to sleep on the top one…he was the last one to leave before I did…
They were not being used now, but mum kept them neatly covered with a blanket…

There was a single bed to the left of the bunkbeds…my bed…
My mum had just made it up for me with clean sheets and all that…she was so sweet…

My clothes and shoes were neatly kept in the closet, where they had always been…
There was an old desk and a drafting table, which my brother Pepe used quite a lot throughout his architecture studies…

This was ‘my turf’ where my travelling dreams were born…

The walls were covered with posters of the places I would someday visit…The Eiffel tower, Mt Fuji, with a bullet train in the forefront, Ayers Rock, in Australia, The Opera house, in Sydney, and some others… (I’ve eventually been to all of them and a few more)
​
I’m not quite clear on what took place that day, but I’m sure my mum had a special meal prepared for me, no big ‘welcome home’ celebration, just a nice family meal at the kitchen table, and I loved that…

I felt welcome and safe at home, and was ready to face the road ahead…

My friends and neighbours hadn't changed, my family hadn't changed much either, it seemed like those 10 months had only transcended through me and my life...I had changed...but to most of them, "I had been on a long holiday"...

They asked me questions like, "How was your trip?" The way you may ask someone... “How was your vacation?”
People don't necessarily want to know all the ins and outs about your struggles and dilemmas and your new views on life...they simply want to hear things like...
It was great! It was amazing!

When I caught up with some of my friends, they'd ask me... “What country did you like the most?” Or other easy questions like that...
I'd normally answer, with a shrug of the shoulders... don't know, maybe Israel...to which they'd say...
 “Really? Wow! it must've been amazing"... and they'd quickly move on to other topics or to the local goss like ... “Did you hear that so and so are getting married?”

And immediately we were back in their world...where things had some order and things were what they were used to...

I personally had no idea how to talk to them about my adventure, as I was afraid they wouldn't relate...and it is probably just now, while writing my blogs, that I get to express my sentiments and my adventures a bit deeper...

I somehow felt, in the beginning, a bit out of place, just like when you find yourself at a party surrounded by people you don't know, who are totally different to you, and you are just standing there watching them dance and drink and talk and go on about their party...and you ask yourself…What am I doing here?...

I was absolutely sure at that moment that my stay in my hometown and country would be temporary and that I needed to find a way to generate an income to take off again as soon as possible, however, at the same time I knew that I needed to fit in while I was back home and make the most of it.
​
I reconnected back with all my friends, and restarted my social life, as If had only been away on a short vacation, which made the whole thing seem normal for me and for all my social world back home...

I needed to find my own feet and get myself a place to live independently...
In order to do so, I needed a job, and I needed some money as soon as possible... I was broke, and I also needed a good haircut. So, to begin with, I went to the local barber around the corner from our house to finally get a haircut ... My dad must have paid for it ...

I started looking at the different possibilities for me to get a "real job" and there weren't many available, I simply didn’t have the skills or the studies to apply for many…or any…

Then after a few days, I'm not sure how it came about the idea that I could teach English as a second language... I might've read an advert in the paper or on the Metro or somewhere...

There was a language school advertising for English teachers, and I thought I could have a shot at it...
That school was called “Interlingua”, I'd heard of them and probably had seen their adverts before but had no idea how it operated and what sort of qualifications I'd be required to have...

The advert said they'd be providing full training, I just needed to be a fluent English speaker and needed to know some English grammar.

That sounds like me! I thought…

Prior to heading out to Europe, I had studied English as a second language, in a similar type of ‘Language school’, it was called “Centro de Idiomas Benjamin Franklin”.
​
I had taken all their available courses, so when I completed them all I thought my English was quite good until... I was faced with the challenge of speaking the language every day with English people or anyone else from any other country who spoke English...Then I found out that my English wasn't that great at all.

However, my spoken English improved quite a bit while I was living in my Kibbutz in Israel, where everyone spoke English and I had to get good at understanding all kinds of different accents, Dutch, Swedish, Scottish, German, Israeli, Australian and some others…

My vocabulary had also improved as I started reading books in English and my ability to engage in conversations of all sorts also got much better as time went by… Heck, I had even started dreaming in English! …

Anyway, I figured that I could apply for that job and possibly get it... (More on that in my next story)
​
A new adventure was about to begin as I was about to settle down in Mexico City, my hometown, for a spell...

​Heading back home...
 
I had just been over 10 months away from home, in Europe and the Middle East and sadly, it was time to head back home...
 
I was getting close to the very bottom of my funds, and I had just enough money to get to Heathrow Airport in London, after crossing the English Channel on October 22, 1981
 
When I finally arrived at Heathrow I had no money, I couldn't even get anything to eat at the airport, I was literally waiting for my meal on the plane...
I was ready to jump on my flight back to Houston, Texas...
 
It was going to be a 9-hour flight on a '747 *Pan-Am Jumbo Jet', and I was looking forward to a restful flight, after having a meal that is... I was so hungry and really tired, and I was afraid I would fall asleep and miss my meal. I remember asking the guy sitting next to me to wake me up if I was asleep when the food arrived, he said "No problem, I'll wake you" he said... and before I knew it, I was fast asleep...
(*Pan Am, was once one of the largest Airlines in the world, they went out of business in December 1991)

It had been an exhausting journey so far on that particular day, to say the least...First, a bus ride from Amsterdam to London, crossing on a ferry from Calais directly to Dover and from there onto Victoria Station in London and then a train ride to Heathrow Airport... altogether about 16 hours...
 
All those hours on the road helped me reflect on my 'previously unimaginable adventure' around Europe and the Middle East...

Without a doubt, it had been an amazing adventure, with lots of challenges along the way but somehow, I managed to overcome them.
 
I had definitely changed a bit and had broken several paradigms I had been brought up with, even the tiny but significant paradigm of "dancing without a partner" ...
 
Things were going to be different from this adventure onwards in my life...
 
Freedom to travel to different countries and unusual places, while making friends who opened up their homes and hearts to me along the way without prejudging me or qualifying me based on my socioeconomic background or status, was truly something I fell in love with...
After this journey, I was left wanting more of that, not only in the near future but for the rest of my life.
 
Conventional life was not in my sights any time soon, and I was keen to learn and explore the rest of the world on my terms...
 
While I was in Amsterdam I started making my travel arrangements, booked a bus ride to London and my flight back from London to Houston and also contacted my brother Mario, who had just moved a few months back to a town near the border with the USA, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, and he said to me..."I'll come to pick you up at the airport in Houston and then we can drive back to Monterrey" I said, excellent, thanks so much because I have no money left to travel down to Mexico...
I truly was skinned...
 
Mario, my brother, was actually quite supportive of my adventure, both morally and financially, and as I had mentioned previously, he was the one who sent me a 'cash boost' back in July that helped me travel a bit in Sweden while I waited for some money my old job in Mexico owed me...
 
He also did one more thing for me...He gave me an American Express Credit Card, an additional card attached to his own card, for any emergency I might've been faced with and, up until then, I had not made use of it at all...
 
Well, when I landed in Houston, I was feeling great, as I had had two meals on the plane and plenty of rest!

I went through customs nervously, it is usually an awkward moment with the passport control people at any US airport, they usually look at you up and down, like a persona non-grate or low-class individual or a criminal or, as their worst nightmare...
 
How long are you going to stay in the USA? They asked me, looking at my passport and then looking at me, double-checking I was the one in the picture...
I said, only a few hours thanks, I'm travelling to Mexico later on today, or so I thought... they stamped my passport and let me in...
 
I was expecting to see my brother out there waiting for me, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen...
So, I called him up...
Well, it turns out that there had been some nasty weather or a storm the day before and he wasn't able to drive across the border to get to Houston, so he was not going to come to get me...
 
OMG, what do you mean? what do I do now? I have no money...
and he said..."Don't worry, do you still have the AMEX card?" Yes, I do...

"OK, then get yourself in a hotel, take it easy, have a look around Houston and then get a flight to Monterrey for tomorrow evening and we can meet here, you can use the AMEX card to pay for all that"...

Really? Wow!!
Cool stuff! My brother had saved my neck again...
 
I got myself a room in the Holiday Inn near the airport, fortunately, they had a free shuttle bus from the airport, and once at the hotel, I organised a flight to Monterrey for the day after...
​
I was going to spend a day in Houston, and I had no idea what I was going to do until I arrived at the Hotel...

​They had some brochures at the counter about the NASA Johnson Space Center …and their Day Tours...
​
Hmmm, that looks interesting, I thought...

MONTERREY

I arrived in Monterrey and my brother was waiting for me...

I was just 21 years old, and he was 31...but somehow, he was in my eyes much older and more mature than that, he was living in a huge house, all by himself and had a great corporate job... he had it all together... he even had a dog, a very pretty 'Old English Sheepdog'...
 
He was living as a grown-up does...and he was still single at that time!
 
The first thing my brother said to me when he saw me at the airport, was …
"How was your flight?... You need a haircut" he looked at me disapprovingly...and he was right, I'm sure I needed one, I hadn't had a haircut while I was travelling throughout Europe, due to lack of money and reluctance, and looked a bit shaggy...

Then he said..."What's my dad going to say when he sees you like that?"
I said, shrugging my shoulders, I don't know, I'll get a haircut when I get home...
 
I don't remember a lot about my stay in Monterrey, however, I do remember that the next day we went somewhere, probably to his workplace, it was Saturday and there was some kind of party, there was a Nothern Mexican band, playing northern music of course, and there was some meat on the BBQ and drinks...

I remember thinking...This is a bit of an unusual town for my brother to live in, being a Mexico City's 'cool dude', but he looked happy...and that was the main thing...
 
It was a brief but pleasant stay in Monterrey...and I'll always be grateful for my brother's help in those days...What would've happened if he hadn't been there for me?... who knows...
 
That night I caught the overnight train down to Mexico City...it was the cheapest way to travel and more comfortable than a bus, or so I thought...

*Back then there used to be a passenger train from Monterrey to Mexico City, called "El Regiomontano", it was a 15-hour ride, a bit slow and old fashion compared to the trains in Europe, but it was a cool ride and a new experience for me. This train line doesn't exist anymore.

SPAIN

Barcelona
The beginning of my last leg started with an overnight train from Milan to Barcelona, Spain, a 15-hour ride.
I was eagerly looking forward to visiting the land where my family ancestors had come from many generations back...

I wanted to see a couple of important cities in Spain, Barcelona, and Madrid.

It was a long and disrupted journey as we had to change trains somewhere in the middle of the night when we first arrived in Spain, for at that time the width of the railroad of Spain was slightly wider than the French... (Not sure if it is still the same now)

Anyhow, we arrived in Barcelona in the morning, and I headed towards a nice Youth Hostel near Las Ramblas, a famous promenade/boulevard which runs through the heart of the city centre street for about 1 km and is lined with beautiful trees.

'Las Ramblas' is quite a lively pedestrian-only street with lots of activities and street performers, food stalls and outdoor cafes and some artists, creating some paintings or drawings and various kinds of art on the spot.
After leaving my stuff at the Youth Hostel I was ready to spend the day in the Spanish for Gothic Quarter...
I was hungry so I walked into a bar/café to see if I could get something to eat...

I remember this well because there were some people in the bar speaking Catalan, no one spoke Spanish in that place, even though we were in Spain, Catalonia has its own language, I knew that, but it caught me by surprise first thing in the morning...

The bartender looked at me and said something in Catalan, and I said in Spanish, Sorry I don't understand...to which he rapidly responded in Spanish and said, "Ah, are you, Mexican?" Yes, I said, how did you know? "I can tell by the accent, manito"...he replied, using that term we sometimes use in Mexico to call someone a friend...

He smiled and said, "Is this your first time in Barcelona? What can I get you?" 
I said, I'd like to eat something for breakfast, I looked around and I could see people drinking coffee and brandy! I was looking at them in disbelief, I'd never seen that first thing in the morning... then he said, "I can get you a nice sandwich, would you like that?"
Yes, please, then he asked... "Would you like a carajillo? (Pronounced cara-hiyo) I said, what's that? then he said, "It is coffee with a bit of Brandy in it, have you tried it before?" I said, never, then he said, "well as it is your first time, I'll get you one and it is on the house!"...

Some other people walked in, and he said to them as he fixed me a carajillo, "Hey, look, we have a visitor from Mexico, he's having his first carajillo!" Everyone was all smiles and they all welcomed me to Barcelona, they all seemed to know each other well, they must've been regulars to this bar, and they all ordered carajillos to drink with me...It was quite nice, extremely delicious, and rather sweet, and the touch of brandy made it hit my head right away and definitely woke my senses up...

My toasted sandwich was also delicious, made with fresh ham and, unbeknown to me, I had just experienced a typical morning in Spain, which for many is their everyday ritual...

I spent the rest of the day walking through the Ramblas and admiring some of the sensational architecture of the Gothic quarter, so colourful, so quirky, so gothic, so unusual, all of which made Barcelona a unique place in the world...

Then, the next day, I went to see the unfinished 'La Sagrada Familia Basilica', an amazing piece of art itself... designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi...wow, I was blown away!

Here's a bit of info on this place: It has been under construction since 1882...Gaudi died in June 1926 after being struck by a tram and was buried in the church crypt. Work on the basilica is about 70 per cent complete (at the time I'm writing this, November 2021).
Now there is a new license to carry on with the construction of this magnificent place, New Zealand architect Mark Burry was the senior architect and researcher at the church from 1979 to 2016 and has been commissioned to carry out this task. 
Burry decided to employ the same drafting technology to solve Sagrada Familia's thorniest engineering challenges on computers before casting them in concrete, iron, and stone.
For such an old construction project, today's Sagrada Familia is remarkably high-tech (learn more). 
​
Because of these technological and engineering advances, the current chief architect of the Sagrada Familia, Jordi Faulí, is confident that Gaudi’s grandiose structure — including the tallest church spire in the world at 566 feet (173 meters) — will finally be completed in 2026, the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death.
​
After this wonderful visit to Barcelona, it was time to go to Madrid...

Madrid

I had truly no idea what it would be like, but I knew there was a museum I wanted to visit, the Prado Museum.
I got there on October 15 in the evening and got all set at the Youth Hostel...

The next day, October 16...it was my 21st birthday...

There was no one there to sing me happy birthday to you, no one knew it was my birthday but me...
It was my very first birthday away from home and it was just...another day...

If I had been in Mexico, I would've been woken up with the 'Mañanitas', a Mexican song we sing for someone's birthday...my Mum or Dad would normally play a record by Pedro Infante, a popular Mexican singer from my parent's generation. Every year they played that first thing in the morning to all in our family, whose birthday was that day... Mum would go up to my room or I'd come down the stairs and there were usually a present or two... and mum would always ask me, "what would you like for dinner?"... As my Birthday treat... so, I'd ask for whatever I felt like, it might have been bean soup, and meatballs or chicken taquitos... 

Anyway, that 21st birthday nothing like that took place...but to be frank I was not too sad that day, I had already been prepared and had decided what I was going to do to celebrate, and it was going to be my most unusual and totally 'unlike me' day...

I was going to spend the day in a museum! What!?, I must be going crazy!

It was a special day and it had to be spent in a unique way and the Prado Museum was that and more!
I genuinely surprised myself… I could've even shouted to myself...Surprise!!
 I must admit, it was a magnificent day...

I walked into the museum knowing I was going to see the magnificent works by Velazquez, Goya, El Greco, Rubens, and many others, I invite you to view here some of the highlights of this museum... https://vimeo.com/648140614/f7462756b3

At this stage, this museum was the fourth 'major museum' I was visiting during this year abroad and I had learned through experience how to behave in a museum and had learned how to pause to appreciate some of the works...however, I still struggled to be standing still too long at each of the most impressive paintings...I was still a bit impatient...
​
I remember thinking...I've spent my birthday in a museum, I must be growing up...

The next day I went to see the Royal Palace and some other sights, and I was ready to head back up north, to Holland, however, there was one more stop I wanted to make...
​Bruges, in Belgium.

Bruges, Belgium

So, once again saving on accommodation with another overnight train, I travelled up to Brussels and then onto Bruges... A 15-hour journey, which was quite uneventful, so I was able to rest just fine...

Bruges...wow! It is distinguished by its canals, cobbled streets and medieval buildings from the 13th and 14th-century...

It feels like you are walking back in time, and it is hard to believe this town still exists...During WW2, it was occupied by the Germans and spared complete destruction, I believe...

It is an incredibly beautiful town, and I wanted to try a couple of their traditional treats, their Belgium Waffles, and their famous Trappist beer…It is a type of beer brewed inside the walls of a functioning monastery by – or under the supervision of – monks.

I chose to spend my money on Belgium Waffles!  
However, I came across a couple from Mexico while I was walking through the beautiful town, I heard them talking in that uniquely ‘Mexican way’ of talking so I knew they were from my hometown...and I said hello to them in Spanish, and said… Mexicans? and they said, "yes, we are, and you?”
Yup, same here, we got talking and then they said they were going to go into a PUB to try the Trappist beer, and said, “want to come along?” …I said, sorry I'm skinned can't afford that...
"No problem," they said, "we are in celebration mode, it is our honeymoon, "we'll shout you a beer, let's go!" Cool, thanks so much I said, and we went into a great looking traditional Belgium PUB...

The beer we tried was rather unique, a Trappist draft beer with grenadine, it was a bit sweet and was a bit high in alcohol, I think about 21%, and I hadn't eaten anything, I hadn't even had my waffles!
I felt a bit drunk pretty quickly and as we walked out of the bar, I said goodbye and thank you to my Mexican friends, and even though we said, 'let's catch up some time when we get back to Mexico', as you do in most cases when you meet someone from back home, we have never met again...

It is funny how I kept coming across good Samaritans along my journey and in fact, I've come across so many of them all along throughout my life...lucky me...

After that I had something to eat and had my waffles, I don't remember how good or not they were... I was still a bit drunk...and having something sweet after drinking is not exactly a clever idea…

The next day I headed back to Amsterdam and Zaandam...it was October the 18th, exactly the last day of validity of my InterRail pass...and the end of my Europe Grand Tour... It was time to collect the rest of my stuff from Zaandam and say my last goodbye to Arthur and Inge, who generously opened their door one last time for me that night...

I'm back I said, they were expecting me...I walked in, and we stayed talking until quite late that night about my trip, and my experiences.
Arthur got pretty excited about my story and said he would do a similar tour himself in the near future...

The next day we said our last ‘goodbyes’ and I headed back to Amsterdam. I stayed there for a couple of days before travelling back to London by bus where a few days later I'd be catching my plane to the USA... and then back to Mexico...

The end of my journey was approaching...

ITALY!
​
CIAO VENEZIA!

I was quite tired from roaming around Vienna after a whole afternoon on my own, so when I got to the train station to get on an overnight train to Venice I was ready to crash for a while...

The overnight train to Venice was exactly what I needed to recover, it took about 9 or 10 hours to get to St Lucia station in Venice...

I remember that it was quite a sight to see first thing in the morning...crossing from mainland Italy to Venice through the causeway/bridge...and...onto a town made of 118 Islands!
​
Here are some facts about Venice which one must observe as it is a unique city and there is nothing like it anywhere else in the world, in many ways:

Venice is built on more than 118 small islands and linked by over 400 bridges in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. It has no roads, just canals lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces. The central square, Piazza San Marco, contains St. Mark’s Basilica, which is tiled with Byzantine mosaics, and the Campanile bell tower offering views of the city’s red roofs.
Did you know all that?

Well, I didn't at that time, all I knew was that it was a city full of romantic canals and gondolas, not much more than that...
After arriving at the St Lucia train station I took a waterbus (Vaporetto) to a Youth Hostel, right across the canal from the world-famous San Marco Plaza...

Just being on one of those Vaporetti (plural) was a unique experience, I was in love with Venice from the moment I arrived.

Venice didn't disappoint at all, it is all you have seen in pictures or movies, the canals, the bridges the beautiful architecture, it is all fabulous.

I walked everywhere where I could walk, going over those small bridges where the gondolas travel through, just like I imagined them to be.

The Piazza San Marco was packed with tourists, so I didn't want to stay there for long but it is a must-see place, it was also covered with pigeons and pigeons poo, you definitely were walking at the mercy of the pigeons who can drop their load on you any time while you are there... I know...I got hit!

Venice was also the first place where I had my very first Italian handmade woodfired Pizza...I had saved a bit of money for this as they were a bit over my budget and was a bit disappointed...maybe I should've known what to expect...

They served me the pizza on a large single plate, with a knife and a fork...hmmm,  I asked the waiter, what are this for? and he looked at me like I was crazy, and he explained with his hands, it is to eat, then he said in Italian "Mangia mangia" (eat eat)...

This was a new experience for me... I always thought that to eat a pizza you grab the slice with your hand and go for it but this one wasn't thick enough in the centre so the tip of the slice would drop when you grabbed it, pretty flimsy I'd say...So, then I understood why the cutlery...

I was a bit disappointed as I'd never eaten pizza like this before, nevertheless, it was somehow delicious anyway...

After a day and a half in Venice, it was time to go to Rome!

CIAO ROMA!
​
I couldn't wait to see this place, I had some serious expectations about it!

I took an early morning scenic train ride to Rome and it was amazing!

Arriving in Rome was a bit of a shock though, the Roma Termini is huge!
So that in itself told me I was in for a few surprises, nonetheless, it was clean and well organized by Italian standards, so not everything was as meticulously organised as it would've been in Munich, for instance.

From the station I took a bus to a Youth Hostel where the staff guys were more interested in impressing the Swedish girls that were arriving than giving me any attention...they were a bit up themselves, but I guess that's how they are in Rome...

After I had waited for a while I said...Excuse me!... A reception guy looked at me with disdain ...as if I had interrupted him and said..."Yes, can I help you?"  Yes, I said, I need a bed for 2 nights...and nearly reluctantly he sorted my bed and room and indicated where it was...

After leaving my stuff in my room I headed out to the big city to see the most important sights, I only had 2 days there so I had to move fast. 

That first afternoon I went to the Fontana di Trevi, what a magical place! and yes, of course, I threw a coin in as everyone else does, they say it brings you good luck...

The next day it was time for the Colosseum, and the forum... yes! It is as majestic as you imagine it to be, hard to believe this structure was built so long ago and its purpose...you can read more about it here https://www.thecolosseum.org/facts/

Then I headed towards the Vatican in the afternoon, the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, wow, another impressive place...
Saint Peter's Basilica, is a church built in the Renaissance style, erected over the tomb of St Peter the Apostle, is the largest religious building in the world, the fruit of the combined genius of Bramante, Raphael, Michelangelo, Bernini and Maderno.

It is truly mind-blowing, the paintings and sculptures alike inside it are breathtaking...

Rome was, without a doubt, an impressive place in many ways...especially culturally, however, the local Romans' attitude, I'm referring to the men, was a bit arrogant and self-centered, in my opinion, and I wanted to leave town pronto...

So I left early the day after to catch a train to the beautiful city of Florence!...

CIAO FIRENZE!

​Wow...what a place!

Florence is a gorgeous city...no matter where you look there's something beautiful to see...and people are extremely friendly, unlike Rome...

These are some of the places I went to;
1- The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is the world-famous Florence Cathedral. This beautiful cathedral dates back to the 13th century, and it's been built in the gothic style.

2- The Ponte Vecchio is an old, medieval bridge over the Arno River.  The bridge dates back to medieval times when it was popular to have shops along the bridge.  The Ponte Vecchio has 3 arches.
The bridge still houses the shops and is usually busy with tourists.   

It's best to view the Ponte Vecchio from afar, such as from Michelangelo Hill...which is what we did. 
I made some friends at the Youth Hostel and we went to see the sights...and at lunchtime, we bought some bread and cheese and went up the hill, wow! Magnificent views from up there, what a place! (see picture below) …
Then we went to see an unmissable sight...

3- Michelangelo's David...
The famous marble statue of David was created by Michelangelo in the 16th century.  The statue is located in Galleria dell' Accademia in Florence.

I spent most of the 2 days in Florence walking and looking around this marvellous city and didn't really want to leave, but the clock was ticking so I had to go... to my last whistle-blow stop in Milano...

I simply went there to spend a day and catch an overnight train to Barcelona, Spain...more on that in my next post...

I arrived in Milano at midday, and the weather was not very inviting to go sightseeing, so I stayed at the train station, met some people and had a pizza slice...cold and nasty, I'll never forget that...as the vendor wanted more money to just heat it up...it was already a bit pricey, and when I asked he said "You want it heated? that's an extra mile lira"...he said arrogantly... so I said, never mind...it was like eating last night's pizza that was still sitting in the box...

I was tired so didn't want to look around anymore or argue with the man.

Anyhow, Italy was indeed a wonderful place to visit, even though some Italians have a 'unique attitude', there are some others that were just wonderful...and of all the places I visited in Italy, Florence, takes number 1 followed by Venice and then Rome...

Ciao Italia...It's been a wonderful visit to your gorgeous and historic places...

Ciao Bella!

​Europe Grand Tour Part 1
September 19 - October 18, 1981

September the 19th came about and I was so excited!
While I was staying in Roosendaal with the Tolhoeks I started writing down the names of all the places I wanted to visit and planning out my entire journey...and for what I read in my diary, I made precise calculations about my journey (pictured above).

Everything had to be calculated, as my budget was limited and my timeframe was limited to one month too...

I had to make a list of the cities that I could visit within my limitations, how many days I would spend in each place, how many hours it'd take from one place to another etc...
All calculations had to be done 'Old School' with the help of a travelling book like 'Let's go Europe' or 'Europe on a Shoestring'…

My daily budget was approximately $10 USD per day, and that would cover accommodation and meals... there wasn't much 'wiggle room' for any extras or souvenir shopping...

After leaving Roosendaal I spent a day in Zaandam organizing things... I got my money from the Bank, I got some traveller's cheques and I bought my InterRail Pass (it cost fl 450 Dutch Guilder, which in those days was the Dutch currency, it was about $200 USD).

As you can see in the map above I had it all planned out...

One thing I must mention is that one of the rules for the unlimited rides with the InterRail Pass, at that time, was that you could not backtrack to the previous destination, so all stops had to be travelling forward, so I practically did a loop of Europe making stops in 14 cities.
​SEE THE GOOGLE MAP HERE
​
Early in the morning I said goodbye again to Inge and said, I'll be back in a month...
She said..."No problem, enjoy yourself, can't wait to hear all about your adventure around Europe" 

My Pass was valid from Sep. 19 to Oct. 18, and I knew there were a couple of special events taking place within those days, one was the famous Oktoberfest in Munich, I definitely wanted to be there, and the other important date was my birthday on October 16...

It was going to be my first birthday abroad and it looked like I was going to be in Madrid for that day...
​
Anyway, my very first stop after Amsterdam was Brussels, a rather tasteless city, there isn't much I can remember about it...from there I went on to Luxemburg, now, that was a different story, the whole city was so beautiful and I was so glad I made that stop...I nearly skipped it as not many people mention this city as a must...
​From there I went down to Paris...finally Paris, France!

​Wow, what a beautiful city!!
Just like everyone else, I visited the must-do sights of Paris, The Eiffel Tower, The Notre-dame Cathedral, and the Louvre Museum... all extremely impressive places that didn't disappoint at all.

I was also able to catch up with Alicia Vazquez, a friend of mine and sort of relative from Mexico, she was studying there for a while...
All in all, Paris was a great stop!
​
After 3 days in Paris, I took a train to the overly immaculate and organized Genève and then went to Bern, in Switzerland...where I made my only souvenir purchase...

I bought myself my Victorinox Swiss Army Knife with only the basics, but most useful tools...
I still have it!...

​Then, I took the overnight train to Munich, for the Oktoberfest which took place from September 14 to October 4...
I had never seen anything like that in my life!

There were thousands of people happily drinking beer, walking from one open-air marquee to another to try different beers and listen to different bands playing traditional German music all day long...

Many people go to this festival every year thus budget accommodation availability is practically nonexistent!

The only places available were way out of my budget, so I decided to spend the whole day at the festival together with other friends I'd met on the train from Ireland, then late at night, around midnight, we caught the last overnight train to Vienna, so I saved on 2 nights accommodation, one from Bern to Munich and the one to Vienna, that allowed me to have enough money to buy a couple of beers at the festival, and had a bratwurst sausage on bread...oddly delicious...

​We arrived in Vienna at around 6 am, I was shattered.

​I didn't sleep much because the train was full and I ended up sleeping on the floor in a corridor, just like some others on the train...so people were walking over us as we were travelling...

After getting there, I and my Irish friends found a guest house where we could stay for the night, we dropped our gear there and went to have a look around the beautiful city of Vienna...I truly didn't know what to expect...

We got rather lost, but I must say that if there was ever a city where getting lost was the best thing to do is Vienna, it is like you are walking through a museum, there are hundreds of old and beautiful buildings everywhere you look...I was in absolute awe as I didn't quite expect that...

It is like you are playing a part in an 'old theatre play' and the baroque streetscapes and imperial palaces are the stage...
​
The next day we got some fresh bread and cheese from a small local delicatessen and we went to have a picnic in a beautiful park and then, we parted ways, my Irish friends were heading back home through Germany and France, and I decided to go to Venice, Italy next...
It was actually great fun having a couple of new friends to hang out with for a couple of days...

I spent the rest of my stay in Vienna admiring the city on my own and then took another overnight train...
I was now eager to see Italy...More on that on my next story...

AUF WIEDERSEHEN WIEN...Goodbye Vienna...
It was a wonderful and unexpected surprise!

Roosendaal, the Netherlands... (8 Minute read)
2 weeks of patience and gratitude.

After saying goodbye to my friends Marie and Lotta in Eslöv, Sweden, I took a short train ride to Malmö to jump on the overnight train that would take me back to Amsterdam.

That 15-hour train ride from Malmö to Amsterdam was rather uneventful, and somehow a bit quiet...

This time I didn't encounter anyone interesting on the train, and fortunately, I found an empty cabin when I got on board...
At least the cabin was empty for some part of the night, so I was able to catch some sleep...until eventually, some other people got into my cabin in the morning...perhaps in Copenhagen, or somewhere else in Denmark...

I lost track of where we were, as I was again pondering what I was going to do for the next few days while my funds from Mexico arrived...

Fortunately, I had been in touch with a friend of my brother's in a small town in the Netherlands called Roosendaal, located close to the border with Belgium...

In those days my brother, Mario, used to work for Philips in Mexico, a multinational Dutch company, whose HQ was located in Eindhoven at that time, a town near Roosendaal, and my brother had made friends with a guy who worked there called Dies Tolheok...anyway, this man and his wife Laura had invited me to stay for a few days with them at my return from Sweden...

So, when I arrived in Amsterdam I took a quick ride to Zaandam to collect my mail at Arthur's place...

Arthur wasn't home, not sure where he was but his sister Inge was home and as usual, was very kind to me...

She said... "Welcome back to Holland, how was your trip to Sweden?... Come in come in"...
Then she said, "Arthur's gone away for a few days with some friends, but you can stay the night if you want to, you look pretty tired" and of course...I obliged...
Thank you so much...

I was truly tired after the long train journey and, even though I didn't want to impose further disruption to Inge and Arthur's lives, I welcomed the invite...
I also needed a shower badly...

It was early evening so Inge offered me some soup and we sat down to eat and talk about my trip and adventure in Sweden...and we talked about my future travel plans around Europe once my funds arrived...

It was actually quite nice to be there with Inge and not Arthur...there was no tension in the air...

Then I started opening my mail while Inge watched some telly, there were a couple of letters from Mum and Dad and also a letter from my brother Pepe and my sister Silvia and her husband Tavo …nothing from the Bank...

There was no news about my funds yet but Dad said he was going to check on that in the next few days...

It was all a bit distressing but I had to remain calm...

I had a really good night sleep and the next day I got ready to travel down to Roosendaal, once again I said bye to Inge... and she said as I was leaving...
"You know you have a place here to stay if you need to... you can come back any time, just let me know... Ok?"
Wow... that generosity was beyond my understanding and I thanked her again and walked to the train station...

I caught a train to Amsterdam and then I took a quick 2-hour train ride to Roosendaal...
When I arrived in Roosendaal, Dies was waiting for me at the train station...

"Hey Hector, good to see you again!" he said..."how are you and how was your trip up in Sweden?"
I had previously met Dies, for just one day during a quick day trip when I was living in Zaandam...
We put my bags in his copper colour 'VW Golf' and headed towards his beautiful home...

We talked a bit about my trip on the way and I told him I was expecting my funds to arrive any day soon and he said...

"No problem, you can stay with us as long as you need, we have a spare bedroom"...then he said, "we are both working but you can get around town walking or you can borrow my bike"... How cool, I thought...

Once again kindness with no strings attached... so uncommon and so valuable...and yet, we may not even truly appreciate it when it is right before our eyes...

Laura, his wife, was waiting for us at his house and welcomed me at the door, showed me to my bedroom and provided me with a clean towel...then she said, "Dinner will be ready soon, I hope you like Chinese food", she was cooking a new dish...and Dies said, "leave your stuff in your room and come out to the back yard and let's have a beer...do you like Heineken?"... I sure do...

Dies had been studying Spanish and wanted to practice...he really was improving...

We had a couple of beers and Laura called us in, she had prepared some Chinese noodles and they asked me, "Do you know how to use Chinese chopsticks to eat?"... Nope, I said... I had never learned or even tried to use them...

So they promptly handed me a pair of chopsticks and showed me how to place them in my hand and how to move them with my fingers to grab some of the noodles and how to transport that into my mouth...it takes some skill to do so, and at first it was quite awkward and the food kept falling off my sticks but after a few tries, I got the hang of it...

Who was to say... I learned how to use Chinese chopsticks for the first time from a Dutch couple in Roosendaal!!

I had a fantastic goodnight sleep that night...
Somehow I felt safe and at ease...like staying with family...

After 3 days in Roosendaal, I got news from Mexico!

I spoke with my Dad over the phone and he said my funds would be released on September the 8th, only a few days away, but that the amount wasn't what I expected, in reality, it was going to be about HALF of what I thought it would be!!

No way! I said... How's that possible!? I was a bit angry... and Dad said, "As soon as we get the funds we'll transfer them to your account"...
I said thanks to my Dad and sent regards to all back home...and started thinking...
-I'm going to have to cut my trip short...

I truly was annoyed but there was nothing I could do...but at last, I was going to get some money...I calculated it to be close to $500 USD...

That would buy me an 'InterRail Pass' (Unlimited trips within Europe) for 1 month and it would allow me to travel on a $10 USD a day budget...
So, I started planning my trip...

I spent a wonderful couple of weeks with the Tolhoeks, a bit bored but nonetheless it was a very peaceful couple of weeks...

I rode around the town a few times by bicycle travelling on their nicely organised cycle paths, while my hosts were at work...it is truly a beautiful small town...

I watched MTV a lot (it was quite popular back then), read my books and wrote a lot of letters...as usual...

We also travelled to Antwerp in Belgium, as it was so close...what a nice town!...

In reality, it was a very peaceful and uneventful time in Roosendaal and once my funds arrived I said goodbye to Dies and Laura and thanked them for their generosity and Dies said... "I'll be coming to Mexico soon so I'll see you there some time"...

Thank you guys, I said...Dies took me to the train station and, we said our goodbyes again...

On September the 17th I went up to Zaandam and left some of my stuff at Inge's place, she said I could do that so that I could travel lighter and then I could pick that up on my way back from touring Europe...

I also collected my mail and the letter from the Bank indicating that my funds were cleared and ready for me to withdraw from my ABN Dutch Bank account...

I was so excited, immediately after retrieving my money I went to buy my InterRail Pass, which cost at that time around $200 USD.

I was ready by September the 19th to embark on a journey that would take me through 8 Countries, making stops in 14 cities...(More on that on my next posts)
I was dying to hit the road again...

I had done a bit of washing in Roosendaal, so I had clean clothes, a Train Pass a bit of cash and my spirits were on a high again!

My 'Grand Europe Tour' was just ahead...and many new adventures were about to reveal themselves...
​
Let's go travel all over Europe! (well nearly...)

Hello Sweden... Hej Sverige... (9 minute read)

After a 21-hour train journey from Amsterdam, I was completely knackered...
I didn't get much sleep after meeting up with Lars Olof (Lola) and Mikael on the train, we talked for hours and hours...

Halfway through the night, the train we took got on board a ferry!
What!?
Yes!...The whole train got on a ferry to go across from Germany to Sweden (Sassnitz to Trelleborg)

I truly had no idea that was possible, but we'd had a few beers so...anything was possible!

Going across the Baltic Sea took approx. 4-5 hours... then back on land we travelled on to Stockholm for another 7 hours through some amazing scenery...

This was my first time in Scandinavia and it looked so beautiful!

We must've arrived at Stockholm Central Station at around 5 or 6 pm...
We were all pretty tired and didn't smell great...we probably reeked of beer a bit...

As soon as we got there I tried to contact my friend from Amsterdam who had said I could stay with her for a few days but...

Surprise surprise!...

She was heading back to Amsterdam the next day because her softball coaching job was cancelled and I could not stay with her at all...
She was crying...she was devastated and sounded a bit embarrassed over the phone and I felt sorry for her but...

What about me?! … Now, what do I do?!

I didn't have a lot of cash to spend on accommodation at all, especially when the Youth Hostels were so expensive in Stockholm...

So I was in a bit of a pickle...Lola and Mikael heard me having this conversation on the phone and saw my desperation then...Lola said...
"Why don't we go to my place and eat something and then we can ask my Mum if you can stay with us for a couple of days, sounds good?"...

Really?! ...I had just met these guys on the train...and I didn't know what to say but...
Thank you so much, yes, let's do that...

He called his Mum to give her a heads up on what he was doing and about me...
We jumped on a local train and went off to Farsta, where he lived, just a quick 25 minute ride...

Lola and his Mum lived in a medium size apartment in Farsta, a friendly neighbourhood...

When we arrived she opened the door and greeted me in Swedish...
"Hej Hej... Jag heter Viva"...(Hi my name is Viva) I had learned how to say that in Swedish too... so I said, "Hej, Jag heter Hector"... she looked surprised and smiled!

Then Lola had a quick chat with her and said..."My Mum says that you can stay here for a few days, no problem!"
Seriously?! …Thank you so much...

Then she showed me to a room and said..."Here's your bedroom", she handed me a towel and said, "here's a clean towel for you...there is the bathroom"...pointing at a door in front of the spare bedroom...

"While you take a shower and get ready I'll organise a Pizza for you boys", she told us...

Wow!... This was amazing...and totally so much better than crashing with my friend with whom I was supposed to stay, more than likely sleeping on her couch...

After we showered and changed we went to the kitchen where a large pizza was waiting for us and we sat down...
Then Viva said..."Want a glass of milk?"... Sure, why not...

I learned right there and then that that's what they normally love to drink with dinner in Sweden... an interesting habit...

Then Lola was on the phone with Mikael and said that the guys had organised a welcome back get-together at a bar... "Wanna come along?" ...Sure thing...
There we met his friends Mikael and Stefan and his brother Jan Erik and his wife Birgitta.

It was Saturday night so the bar was crowded...they bought me a beer and that's all I drank...one beer...
Why?
Well, it turns out that beer and all alcoholic beverages in Sweden are highly taxed and the prices are astronomical, especially at a bar... so...I made sure that that one beer lasted for the rest of the night...

The next day we went to see the Stockholm Marathon and some sights around Stockholm...it was a great day!

Then after we got home for dinner Lola said...
"Tomorrow Monday I must go back to work, however, my brother Jan Erik has taken the day off tomorrow to show you around some other sights of the city" ...
Wow, seriously? that's excellent... I said

And then he said..."Both, I and my mum, are going out to work early in the morning and my brother will come and pick you up at around 9 am", then went on to say...
"HERE ARE YOUR KEYS" and he handed me his house keys...
What?!… I was blown away...

We had just met and they were going to leave me in their house alone and with their house keys?!

I could not believe it and didn't know what to say...I just said...Thank you...

We had a beautiful meal that night, I tasted for the first time, Viva's delicious Swedish meatballs!
Which is a famous Swedish dish and Lola wanted me to try them, they didn't disappoint at all...so uniquely delicious...

The next morning I got up and Viva and Lola were gone, they left me some breakfast stuff on the kitchen table and a note saying "Help yourself, Jan Erick will be here at 9 am"...

So I helped myself to some Swedish 'Knäckebröd' (Swedish Crispbread) and cheese and some ham and made myself a nice Swedish 'smörgås' and had a tall glass of milk...let's say it was a typical Swedish breakfast... 

There I was all by myself in their house, still in awe about the whole "here are your keys" thing...
I took a shower and got myself ready to go...

Right on the dot at 9 am the doorbell rang...I opened the door and there was Jan Erik, he said "Hej Hector, are you ready?" ...Sure am!

They are so punctual and precise about their times and appointments...
Got my stuff and the 'house keys' and left with Jan Erik for a nice tour around town...

OMG... I loved "Gamla Stan" the old city...It is so colourful and beautiful...

It was still summertime, so there were lots of people walking around in colourful summer clothing and wearing shorts and t-shirts...Swedes love their summer, although it is normally too short compared to their long winters...

We ate some lunch somewhere and at night we met up with Lola, Mikael, Stefan and some others to have our final night out...

I was going to head down to a small town called Linköping the next day, to visit a friend of mine from my kibbutz, Mike, who said I was welcome to stay at his place for a few days... 

That last night in Stockholm was fun and we promised one another we'd see each other again, I invited them to come and visit me in Mexico after I'd get back home and Lola said... "I will" …(and he did visit Mexico a year later, more on that on future posts)…

Once again the next morning Lola and Viva went to work, although I did see them off this time as it was time for me to leave...

I said bye and thank you to Viva, such a sweet lady, and to Lola, my new friend... and they said Jan Erik was picking me up again to take me to the train station to see me off...
WHAT?!
Jan Erik took the morning off again to pick me up from Viva's house and took me to Stockholm Central station, mind you, we went by train, he had no car, just as many people in Sweden... Public transport is amazing...

He walked me to the platform where my train to  Linköping would depart from and I went on to get on the train, we hugged and said goodbye, and I said, thank you so much for everything and he said...
"No, no... thank you for spending some days with us"...
What?!... again I was speechless, I got on board and waved goodbye, 'vi ses' I said in Swedish...See you later...

That first visit to Stockholm was rather memorable, as it turned out to become something totally unexpected and, it marked the beginning of a lifelong friendship, not only with Lola but with his family and friends...

When I arrived in Linköping, after a quick 1 and half hour ride, my tall friend Mike was waiting for me at the station...
He was waving and said..."Hej, Hector!...Great to see you again!" Hej, Mike! I said, how's it going?!...
We walked over to his place not far from the train station and started catching up...and I found out he was about to go up north do his military service which he didn't want to do but had to...he was not too happy about it but...

We talked for hours about our time in Neve Eitan and had a few laughs while having a couple of beers...

I stayed for a couple of days with Mike...there really wasn't much to do there and It was a bit uncomfortable crashing on his couch in his small apartment, nonetheless it was great meeting up with him again...

After a couple of days, I headed down to Eslöv to visit 2 girls from my kibbutz as well, Marie and Lotta...
They had also invited me to stay there for a few days...

I spoke with them over the phone from Stockholm and they said they'd be waiting for me!
 
Marie went to pick me up at the train station and after we had lunch with her Mum, they drove me to Lotta's farm...which is where I ended up staying...

Lotta lived on a huge and beautiful farm and there was plenty of room... 
Marie said as we were driving up..."That's Lotta's family farm"...pointing ahead
WOW!!! I was blown away...What an awesome farm?!

So beautiful...something you'd only see in some postcards or something like that...

Lotta and her family were waiting for us and after all the introductions were made Lotta took me to the upstairs spare room and said...this is your room...hope you like it...
Like it?!
It was gorgeous...immaculate and I had no idea if I was dreaming or if that was real...

It was a room with an inclined ceiling, as the shape of the roof...
It had a small window at the end of it and there was a single bed in it with a really nice goose down duvet on top that looked so inviting..
Wow...pinch me! Am I dreaming?...

I spent a few days on the farm, helping out as well with some of the farming chores...that was so much fun...

Working on a Swedish farm was definitely not on my list of things to do but I loved it!
Lotta had a wonderful family and we got on really well...

Then Saturday night came about and they said there was going to be a huge party...
GAME ON!

So, that Saturday night we went to a farm nearby, and there were a few cars parked on the grass and there were a couple of open-air marquees and the music was blearing...

There were lots of people...I don't quite recall everything that took place there, but according to my diary, it was an amazing party and we danced all night...

What a way to wrap up my stay in Sweden!

I, evidently, had a great time staying my last days in Sweden with the girls in Eslöv and had a great break from the reality that still was hanging over me...

Soon I would have to get back to the Netherlands and continue waiting for my cash funds to come from Mexico...

Then Monday came about, it was time for me to leave...
The girls took me to the train station and we said goodbye.. once again...

I got on the train for another long ride overnight back to Amsterdam...this time I was not going to stay in Zaandam...
I was only going to make a quick stop there just to pick up my mail, hopefully with good news about my money...

Then I was going to travel down to a small town called Roosendaal to stay for a few days with a friend of my brother's...Dies Tolhoek...more about that on my next story...

'Hej då Sverige'...Goodbye Sweden...'det var lagom'...It was just what I needed...
'Jag kommer tillbaka, jag lovar'...I'll be back...I promise ​

Life in Zaandam, the Netherlands... (Reading time 7-8 minutes)
​Days of financial strife, patience and personal growth and...
A realization and declaration about my future...

After arriving in Zaandam and meeting up with Arthur a brand new chapter of my life was about to unravel...

Arthur and Inge, his sister, were extremely generous and offered me shelter while I was waiting for some funds to come from Mexico, we just had no idea how long that would take...

I guess I was expecting the money that was owed to me from my previous job in Mexico would come in at the beginning of July, so in my mind, and I guess also for Arthur and Inge, I'd be at their place for a week or two tops...I arrived there mid-June 1981...

We had no idea I'd be staying there much longer than expected...

Zaandam is a small city...It is actually like a suburb of Amsterdam, only 15 minutes north by train...

There isn't much to see or do there but many people live there and commute to Amsterdam where they may work, as rents are much lower there than in Amsterdam...

Nonetheless, Zaandam has its charms...and...it was the place where the very first McDonalds opened in Europe in 1971! (pictured above)

There are some beautiful Dutch Windmills and a couple of picturesque canals and parks...and not much more after that...

Arthur lived in an apartment, part of a housing complex...(pictured above)...and although they were quite small and simple apartments they were all kept extremely tidy and their grounds were well-kept as well...
It was humble living but in a really nice and friendly complex...

My time spent living in Zaandam was sincerely a trying time for me and also rather difficult for Arthur...

Reading over my diary I realize now that times were really tough financially and if it hadn't been for Arthur and Inge and some financial support from Mexico I would have had to fly back to Mexico halfway through my intended stay in Europe...that would have been the easiest thing to do, but... I wasn't going to give up so easily...

I've just read in my diary that by the time I reached Zaandam all I had left was $350 USD...
Not enough money to survive for long without a source of income...

I tried to keep my expenses to a minimum ...I only had to pay for my breakfast stuff, cereal, yoghurt and milk, and by reading my diary I realise that breakfast for me was practically lunch, as I used to get up a bit late every day, around 11 am or midday and...most evening meals were covered by Inge...she was so generous and kind with me...

I probably just wanted to make the days as short as possible and hoped that they went by quickly...I was truly killing time while waiting for some cash...

I did try, as intended, to get a couple of jobs, I tried to get a job working with the Tulips in the Greenhouses but there were no vacancies, I learned that normally they give those jobs to students while they are on school holidays...understandable...

I tried also for a couple of jobs that Arthur's brothers tried to help me with but to no avail...
It was sincerely hard going and I was demoralised and in all honesty, I wasn't job hunting with enough hunger to get anything...

I mostly slept, read a lot and wrote a lot...
I was constantly looking out for any mail from home and from anywhere else in the world...

I got letters mostly from Mum who wrote weekly, and sometimes more often...They were beautiful letters...

Even my Dad wrote me a letter all by himself while I was at Arthur's...
The only one I got from him on his own, rather than just a footnote at the end of my Mum's letters... According to my diary, he didn't say much but brought me up to speed with the possible cash I'd get from my previous employment...which at that stage was going to be delayed for another month or so...
It was quite a surprise getting a whole letter from him, that in itself, was like a thousand words!
​
I got letters from my sisters and brothers and from some of my friends back home and I would usually write them back right away...

Oh boy...all those letters kept me alive...

They were like food for my heart and soul and I'd crave them every day...I'd sometimes go through them again and again...
In some cases trying to read between the lines...

This line of communication with my parents allowed me to let them know, safely at a distance, that I would not continue with my studies any further when I'd get back to Mexico, instead, I was thinking of working for a bit and saving money again to continue travelling...

Those conversations by mail about my future were a bit tough to write and, I guess a bit difficult for them to read, as I think my parents were expecting me to follow the steps they had lined up for all their children...

'Go to school, go to Uni, get a degree, get a job, get married, have kids'...

Only after a few months overseas, I had realised there were other possibilities and paths that I could follow to live the life I wanted to live...and I wanted to pursue a new path...and somehow I would keep on travelling around the world...

So in a sense, I made a declaration about my future life right there and then...and in my own, hardly legible, handwriting...

I read quite a few books, I was practically reading constantly...a habit I picked up in my kibbutz, and all the books were in English...this new habit helped me expand my vocabulary in English...I remember I used to have a small English to Spanish dictionary handy when I was reading to be able to understand the books I was reading...

Most of my writing was obviously in Spanish and that kept me living with my first 2 languages on a daily basis...

Over the time that I stayed with Arthur, I visited a couple of beautiful places...
I went up north with Arthur to visit a couple of friends from our Kibbutz Jan and Harm, up in Workum Friesland...
They were living on a farm and had beautiful Holstein Friesians cows...the same kind we had in our Kibbutz!

We also went down to Vlissingen, to visit a couple also from our Kibbutz, Cobie and Joel...
Vlissingen is a huge port town in the Zeeland province...

Note: At that stage, I had no idea that New Zealand was named after this province.
Dutch cartographers named NZ after the Dutch maritime province of Zeeland. Located just northwest of the Belgian city of Antwerp, Zeeland is more than 17,700 km from New Zealand. To provide some perspective on that figure, the maximum distance between any two points on Earth is about 20,000 km, so New Zealand is practically as far as you can be from Zeeland without leaving Earth...

I also went to a magical fishing village nearby Amsterdam, called Volendam, this place is absolutely incredible and the moment you arrive you feel like you are walking into a fantasy land in Disneyland, all the tiny colourful wooden houses are so beautiful, and there are lots of people walking around and working and living there still dressed in their old costumes and wearing wooded clogs...

Living in Zaandam was getting harder...
Reading my diary I can see that we were both, Arthur and I, getting tired of each other's company and had had enough...

We had a long chat about it and we came to an understanding, once everything was out in the open he said...
"Glad we talked about it" with a big smile...and I said Yeah, me too... I apologized for overstaying my visit and said that as soon as I had a chance I'd make a move...and he said kindly...
"Don't you worry about that Hector, you can stay here as long as you need"...

We were more relaxed after that so we grabbed a couple of beers, rolled up a couple of 'Samson Tobacco' cigarettes and sat on the balcony to smoke and enjoy the moment, just like what we might've done back in the kibbutz...

Then, just as I was getting close to my last $50 USD, towards the end of July my brother Mario sent me a rescue cash booster...approx. $200 USD!!

Thank you so much Mario...thank you...

This cash boost helped me leave Zaandam and Arthur for a while and go up to Sweden to visit some friends from my Kibbutz and also a friend from Amsterdam...They all said I could stay at their places for a few days...

So at the beginning of August, I started preparing for that trip and once the funds that my brother sent me were cleared in my Dutch Bank account I was able to purchase my train ticket for a 21-hour journey up to Stockholm...

I had no idea what was going to happen up there and had no idea what would come out of that, all I knew was that I was set free to move again...at least for 15 days while the funds from my old job in Mexico came through...

On August the 14th, after 2 months in Zaandam, I took that train to Stockholm at 8 pm...

I jumped on board the '2nd class wagon' and stepped into a 6 passenger cabin, there were 2 guys already in there, so I asked...
Are these seats free?...pointing at the empty seats..."Yup", they said... "come on in make yourself at home"...

I put my backpack and hand luggage up on the luggage rack above the seats and sat down and said... Hi, I'm Hector...where are you guys from?

And they said..."We are from Sweden, I'm Lars Olof, you can call me Lola, and he is Mike", one of them said...and they asked me "and where are you from?"

I said...From Mexico... "Oh, buenas noches", Lola said in Spanish..."I studied a bit of Spanish in high school"...

Oh cool, I said! what else do you know in Spanish? and he went on to say...

"Alvaro Conqueiro es un Pescador, el vive en Barcelona"... and I was staring at him not knowing what to say... then he said that that was in one of the lessons he had to memorise back in school...We cracked up!!…that totally broke the ice...

After we finished laughing he said..."Want a beer?" ...
Sure thing ...he handed me one from his bag...and that was the beginning of an amazing friendship which at that stage I didn't know how it would evolve over the years...

After hours and hours on the overnight journey by train and ferry, we arrived in Stockholm...

And my first Swedish adventure would start from that moment onwards...

So good to be back on the move again...
"Tjena Stocholm"...Hello Stockholm (more on this on my next story)