Oct 12 - Vienna, Austria

Awoke early and started to set out on bike. Bought some food at the grocery and went back to the hostel. Read "Europe on $5 a day" and had lunch. Wrote letters all afternoon and had dinner. Had some cookies and a beer before retiring.

Picked up mail at the American Express after a 10 mile ride through torrents of rain and got my sleeping bag, tent, and boots from the West Bahnhoff.

Expenses:
Food 28.90 AS
Hostel 19 AS

$2.00

[This is an Aerogramme which I wrote in Vienna to my family in Lawton. I seem to be responding to questions they asked earlier]

Oct 12, 1968
Vienna

Dear Family,

I'm now sitting in the Vienna youth hostel next to a large wall-window with the sun pouring in. I woke up this morning, my second in Vienna, and went downtown to check for mail at the American Express office. It was raining terribly, and I had to bicycle almost five miles through the rain to reach the downtown area. I notice the letter had to be returned for additional postage. If it had come tomorrow, Sunday, they would have been closed and would have returned it after 30 days. Please get the mail here plenty early.

I'm sure that my excitement in seeing Yvonne passed through thousands of miles of space to reach you, and cause you to think about them also. Col Quinnett is Sgt Furtado's commanding officer. Yvonne is 16, they have boys 12 and 9. That's all I know of.

I am now at the halfway point of my travels in distance, but not time. Vienna, compared to the small number of cities I have seen, is the greatest. I would study in this city if I did not want to go to the AF Academy. I spent all day yesterday browsing through the downtown. The shops carry everything money can buy. The restaurants are libraries, with volumes of dishes. The cathedrals, Parliament, the Opera House, the University, are buildings of more beautiful design than I have ever seen. This to me is the city of cities. Where men can contemplate, relax, study, and live in peace.

I only know that this Yugoslavian girl is about 23 and is a student at the Univeristy in Maribor. She speaks good English and was travelling with a French boy when I met them in Germany. I will also visit her sister who is married and has a family.

When I go to Japan, if I go, I would like to hitch-hike through Europe to ??, then take the Trans-Siberian across to Japan. That is the route all the Japanese are taking coming to see Europe. I have taked with many Japanese students. It is a cheap that way as it is to fly from San Francisco, and of course, at the same time I am exploring the wealth of the Russian expanse. Hitch-hiking is not dangerous. It is an accepted way of travel in Europe and North Africa. Many girls from the U.S, Canada and England hitch-hike through Europe unescorted. I met a boy from Chicago who has travelled five months through North Africa with only the lothes on his back and a piece of plastic with which he covers himself at night.

In Istanbul the ones who are broke sell blood to the hospital for $7 a half-liter. That can last them for 5,000 miles. At every hostel I find boys and grils looking for traveling companions, but not on bike. It's terribly lonesome cycling alone. Next time it will be hitch-hiking, with company.

Morges is a city in Switzerland between Lausanne and Geneva on Lake Lausanne. "CH" is the international car sticker letters for Switzerland.

I'll be sending you a final itinerary of my trip soon, to the last day. Please get my mail in to the American Express early.

Love, Mike

[Postcard I sent to my brother James]

Dear James, This is a picture of the Danube River which I cycled next to for about 100 miles. I hope you're getting a paper route soon and start earning money for future traveling. You can accomplish anything if you really want to. Once you start traveling you'll never want to stop. We can travel through Japan together if you start saving up for it.

Mike

[Postcard I sent to my brother Stephen]

Dear Stephen, Today I walked about 20 miles through the capitol of Austria. It's as big as Oklahoma City, but it's all like downtown instead of houses like we live in. I have had only one flat tire after cycling 1,300 miles. When I come home we will go bicycling together.

Mike

[Postcard I sent to my brother Gregory]

Dear Gregory, I hope you got the bicycle tires and now have a bicycle that works. In this country more people drive bicycles than cars. If you are a good bicycler you can come to Europe with me next time. Get some books from the Library about Switzerland. That is where I am going next.

Mike