Nov 20 - Lyon, France

After breakfast with Rene and his roommate I went with them to morning classes. First was optics in physics, then an analytical algebra course and a problem solving course. Had lunch in the cafe with each of Rene's friends contributing from their plates to make a meal for me. Did nothing that afternoon but read. It was too cold and too far to go into town. A London pea-soup fog has descended. It should be snowing again in the morning, although the snows of the last three days have melted. Had dinner in the same style as lunch. Retired early.

No expenses - No mileage

Nov 19 - Lyon, France

After a strange breakfast of beef steak, bread and Coca-Cola, I took the 11 am train to Chaloz and Lyon. Arrived at the Lyon station at 1:30 but had to wait two hours for my bike to show up. I was understandably mad and to top it off they lost the pump. It took me another hour of cycling through rain to reach the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon (INSA) where Rene Bonaz arrived at 6 pm. Had dinner in the dorm after unsuccessfully trying to slip through the cafe line with another girl's ticket. Retired after several hours of conversation with the guys on the floor.

Train 4.00
Post 11 letters 2.00

Nov 18 - Chambery, France

After breakfast I cycled into Annecy and took the 11 am train to Aix-Les-Bains and into Chambery at 12:30. Went to Rene’s home. Found his mom and brother at home. He’s studying in Lyon. Went downtown after a lunch. Walked around the old city in the thickly falling snow. Wrote until dinner. Retired

Train 1.50
Postcards of Chambery .80

Rene Bonaz
Ecole Du Stade
73 Chambery, France

[Rene Bonaz was one of the scouts I met at the World Jamboree in 1967 in Idaho. Below is a letter I wrote to my parents from Chambery]

Dear Folks,

I started out writing with a French typewriter but it was like typing with your hands shifted one key over. I’m in Chambery (Pronounced: Shawm-bay-ree) now. Mr Bonaz just got home from work with a stack of mail for me. A letter from Lt Mahary, Joe Richard, Barbers, Val, Susan, and three from home.

I thought I’d cleaned up in Geneva with seven letters but this is great. I just finished a typical French dinner: French bread, wine, sausage and cheese. Mr. and Mrs Bonaz have two boys. Rene is in Lyon at the University and the other 15 year old boy is here. They speak no English, but the boy can flip a fast dictionary. I just read your letter about this being good for glove buying. Mr Bonaz tells me Grenoble is the home of the industry. I’ll see if I can pick up some tomorrow.

It started snowing just after I called home. When I woke up the next morning, Geneva was under half a foot of snow. I hadn’t cycled in snow before, so I tried the 25 miles to Annecy. I nearly froze solid. The gears, spokes, chain, gearshift, and brakes iced up, even while moving.

Ice filled the teeth of the gear sprockets, froze, and the chain would slide over the teeth without catching. Today I took the train into Chambery. Since Lyon is on the way to Paree I’ll take the train to the University, stay with Rene two nights, then train into Paris. I’ll spend at least three nights there, then onto the English island. Unless the weather clears, I’ll leave the bike in Folkestone, and hitch hike through England to save money and energy.

I don’t think I mentioned it yet. In Kandersteg I met an American cyclist from Pennsylvania. We cycled and took the train up to Zermatt, and then took a cog train up the Monte Rosa where we could get some fine shots of the Matterhorn. It was gorgeous weather. He camped out on top to get a sunrise shot of the horn. I left him and cycled down the Rhone valley to Sion, Aigle, Morges, and Geneva.

I meant for you to share your letters with the Barbers. I’m also asking Boots to share hers with the Zayats. I’m busy enough writing to five Nishimuta’s and five Strongs.

Dad, you mentioned the bike getting worn down. It’s me that’s getting worn out! With a new chain, tires, tape and oil, she’ll be as good as new.

I followed the election all the way. On the reverse of a Paul McClung column (in the newspaper my father sent me) was a story where (Senator Mike) Monroney was quoted as saying: “There is no doubt in my mind we’re rolling up a far bigger majority in the U.S. Senate race than has been seen in a long time.” Personally, I was strongly for Nixon, and I’ll tell you all about it when I return.

Just as I opened the letter, that postcard from Oklahoma fell out. The family spent about 30 minutes admiring it. The family in Morges has chosen etchings and engravings of old European towns and mountains to decorate their house. I’m just fascinated by them. They give the room an old, antique mood. I bought some post-card reproductions of some of the popular etchings. A good genuine etching costs about $25.00.

I really spent too much on myself before thinking about gifts for the family. So now I can only afford about $25 for the gifts for the family. I can’t afford gloves and gifts.

I know the kids would much rather have toys than gloves, but I don’t know what they want. Stephen’s interested in stamps and models, that’s all I know. Switzerland and Germany are the homes of railroad models. For around $2,000, I can get a genuine working model of the grand St Bernard Railway tunnel in HO scale. Again, tell the relatives I don’t want any clothes. Just magazines: Time, Newsweek, Reader’s Digest, National Geographic, maybe even Interplay. (It’s not a sex magazine, it’s a chronicle on American-Europe economic and political news). I read it in Sion, it’s great.

I’m going to owe so much when I get back I’m only going to afford one decent pair of clothes, and I want to hand-pick it myself. My room isn’t going to fit me when I return. I’ve raised the saddle three times on the bike. My pants are stretching when I sit down. I have to stoop in some doorways. So my room is the first target of urban renewal.

When Mr Bonaz received your letters, he couldn’t figure out what the “c/o” in “Mike c/o Rene” meant. He took the problem to a leading English teacher who had never seen it. It really worried him.

Remember, every stamp you buy is helping to finance the Nixon administration.

I just remembered, my stamps are supporting the De Gaulle administration!

Love, Mike

Nov 17 - Annecy, France

Awoke to find Geneva under four inches of snow. I packed up and left at 10 am. It was tedius and slow moving.The bike froze over, I froze. I got to Annecy cold, wet, and tired. The address I had, no one was home, but I was invited to a nearby house. Had some beer, bread, cheese and rice. Went to bed in a room that was as cold as the outside snow.

Mileage: Geneva to Annecy 43 km

Nov 16 - Geneva Switzerland

After breakfast I packed up and left at 9 am in a very cold wind. However it was behind me and I arrived in Geneva at 11 am. Went to the American Express, got my mail and sat down and read for an hour. Went to the Kuffers, had lunch and called home at 2 pm. It was 7 am in the morning in Oklahoma. But for $10 I heard everyone. Alain took me out in the car and we saw Geneva, The fountain, the University, the old town, John Calvin’s Cathedral, the World Health Organization building, International Red Cross, the European Atomic Research Complex, and the new Geneva Airport. After dinner, retired.

Mileage: Morges to Geneva 59 km.

Alain Therry Kuffer
Route de Vandoeuvres 74
Chouilly, Geneve

Nov 15 - Morges, Switzerland

Went downtown with Mrs Wittlin after breakfast. Toured the small village but it was freezing cold. A north wind bringing wither with it kept up. Returned at 11 am. Had lunch with Mr and Mrs Wittlin, Tom and Monica. Took the train into Lausanne at 2 pm. There Marc Muret showed me the town. Returned to Morges at 5:30, had dinner with the family. I was presented with a Swiss Calendar for my birthday. I finally came out on top in the second round of "Concentration" with Moni and Tom. Mr and Mrs went to a ball in Montreux. Wrote and retired.

Book 1.25
Notebook .25
Picture cards .30

Nov 14 - Morges, Switzerland

After breakfast, I packed up, locked the door, dropped the key in the post box, and walked outside. I remembered I left my coat inside. After a bad half hour I had it back and was on through the warm mist to Castle Chillon. Stayed there an hour, touring the famous Castle. Arrived in Morges about 2 pm. After a cold rain had just started. Had lunch at the Wittlin's talked with the Mrs., wrote and read. Retired after dinner.

Mileage: Aigle to Morges 54 km

[The prisoner of Chillon is a poem written by Lord Byron in 1816, telling the story of a Genovois monk, François Bonivard, who was imprisoned from 1532 to 1536. The stark contrast between the imprisonment of the cold cell and the freedom dreamed of by the beautiful views of the mountains and lake beyond must have been beyond torture. Here is the opening of the poem...

Eternal Spirit of the chainless Mind!
Brightest in dungeons, Liberty! thou art,
For there in thy habitation is the heart
The heart which love of thee alone can bind;
And when thy sons to fetters are consign'd -
To fetters, and the damp vault's dayless gloom
Their country conquers with their martyrdom,
And Freedom's fame finds wings on every wind.
Chillon! thy prison is a holy place,
And thy sad floor an altar - for t'was trod
Until his very steps have left a trace
Worn, as if thy cold pavement were a sod
By Bonnivard! May none those marks efface!
For they appeal from tyrrany to God.]

Nov 13 - Aigle, Switzerland

Left the Digier's after an early breakfast. Cycled in the shadows of the mountains to Martigny. Bought a Time magazine and read it to pass time. Started off to Aigle. My legs were terribly sore due to the lack of cycling lately. Arrived in Aigle at 1:30 pm. Jean Wirz, Biology teacher at the Gymnasia, met me at the Gare (Train Station) at 3 pm. We went up the Tour d'ai and watched the sun set in the mountinas. After dinner, I wrote and retired.

Mileage: Sion to Aigle 57 km

Nov 12 - Sion, Switzerland

Left immediately after breakfast for the Val d'Herens. Steep climbing immediately. 425 meters up to Vex, only 1 km from Sion. The rest was generally level. Where they were working on the road I had to walk, sometimes carry the bike. I arrived in Les Hauderes, cycled down the one street, and had a chocolate bar. Left for the downhill run of 927 meters, taking pictures occasionally. Arrived in Sion at 1 pm. Had lunch, then read old Newsweeks and wrote. After Dinner I showed them my Oklahoma collectibles. Mr. and Mrs Digier went to a party. I read and wrote until 10 pm.

Mileage Sion - Les Hauderes - Sion 64 km

Nov 11 - Sion, Switzerland

Awoke about 8 am. The humidity within the tent turned to ice inside the tent. When I ruse up it came snowing down on me. We had breakfast on a bench in front of the church with a fine view of the Matterhorn. At 10:30 we took the train up to Gornergrat. Took some pictures and admired the enormous expanses of rock covered with new snow. Warren decided to stay on top and get a picture of the horn at sunrise so I went down and packed up. Left Zermatt on the tiny mud road down to Visp. It took me three hours to get to Visp and I got to Sion at dark. Went to Major Digier's home and had dinner. Wrote and retired.

Mileage Zermatt to Sion: 80 km

Food 1.00
Train 5.00
Postcards .75

[I'm not sure how I met Major Digier, but it could have been a connection to my hometown in Lawton-Ft Sill Oklahoma. The Army's Artillery and Missile Center was located there, and in the 1960's there were extensive exchanges of officers from Allied countries who came to Ft Sill for training. We hosted many of them in our home.]