France 1968,69,2002,15

SW-68-69 - My stay in SWITZERLAND and trips to FRANCE and LICHTENSTEIN between 1968 to 1969 Date of stay: Aug 21, 1968 - Apr 2, 1969 ITINERARY: After the invasion of Warsaw Pack members into Czechoslovakia and temporary closing its border on Aug 21, 1968, the Swiss authority secured accommodation and jobs for Czechoslovaks, who were caught in the situation in SWITZERLAND. I got a job at Grundig as a TV repairman. The accommodation was secured at houses and apartments of local citizens. I got a room in an apartment of one older lady. Immediately I started working on my German language, which needed a lot of improvement. On Sep 20, 1968 I took part in a yearly trip with Grundig employees. By train from Zurich to Lausanne on Lake Geneva, then crossing the lake by boat and several hours stay in Evian in FRANCE. My first visit to that country. The return was the same as entrance to France but in a reversed order. On Mar 16, 1969 I took a car trip with two Czech friends to the eastern Switzerland and LICHTENSTEIN. We visited a Lichtenstein ski area, the capital Vaduz we saw its castle there and drove the lengths of this small country to its southern point, where is another castle. During the year I visited many places in Switzerland. Among them: Geneva, Lausanne, Berne, Basel, Zurich, Lucerne, Schaffhausen, Constance and other and learn German pretty well. I left Switzerland on Apr 2, 1969 for my trip to Paris, Luxembourg, Iceland and United States of America. ------------------------------------------------------------------ CN-69 - Abbreviation of Czech “Cesta z nutnosti” (A Journey of Necessity) to France, Luxembourg, Iceland and USA to show that my year stay abroad after the Soviet Invasion was correct for my traveling aspirations. Date of travel: Apr 2 - Aug 11, 1969 ITINERARY: I left Switzerland by train late on Apr 2. By early morning Apr 3 I got to FRANCE specifically Paris where I spent 4 days sightseeing the city including Versailles. Early on Apr 7 I got by train to LUXEMBOUG and was a day there. Overnight flight took me to ICELAND for Apr 8 and 9 (visiting its capital Reykjavik and Selfoss). Another overnight flight brought me to New York in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA in the morning Apr 10. In next 4 months I visited the following places by bus there: New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Washington, DC, Niagara Falls, NY; Cleveland, OH; Chicago, IL; Kansas City, KS; St. Louis, MO; Huntsville, AL; Chattanooga and Knoxville, TN; Great Smoky Mountains, NC; Jacksonville, Cape Canaveral, Miami, Key West, Everglades National Park, St. Petersburg, all in FL; New Orleans, LA; San Antonio and El Paso, TX; Tucson, Phoenix and Grand Canyon, AZ; White Sands, Gallup, Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos, all these in NM; Denver, CO; Cheyenne, Yellowstone National Park, WY; Salt Lake City, UT; Reno and Las Vegas, NV; San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Eureka, all CA; Seattle, WA. Travel office: No specific travel office used, but a student travel agency in Zurich, Switzerland gave me number of good suggestions, which I used during this trip. Not to close my possible return to Czechoslovakia, I asked and got the Czechoslovakian government permission for travel to USA. Who took part: I traveled alone with only rudimentary knowledge of English. In spite of that I had very little problems. In Europe I used the train, to Iceland and USA I took a plane and in USA I traveled by bus. In Paris I slept in a students’ college, on Iceland in a house of Salvation Army and in USA I slept mostly in YMCA or on the bus itself during overnight rides. ---------------------------------------------------------------- USA (New York), FRANCE (Paris), MALI, BURKINA FASO, BENIN 2002 AF-02 - This trip was to the heart of West Africa with Mali, Burkina Faso and Benin in 4WDs Date of travel: Feb 27 - Mar 20, 2002 ITINERARY: On Feb 27 by a rented car from Vista to Los Angeles Airport (LAX) and then by overnight plane to New York (where I visited the American Museum of Natural History in the Central Park). Another night flight to FRANCE where Mar 1 (sightseeing the center of Paris). It was followed by a flight to Bamako, MALI. From Mar 1 to Mar 8 we were in this country visiting: Timbuktu (flying there, having a Blue Man of the desert, a Tuareg, as the local guide and took a camel ride in the desert), flight to Mopti (where a boat ride on Niger River). From here we continued in 4WDs to Djenne (probably the most interesting city in Mali), then we spent some 3 days exploring the unforgettable Dogon Country. Last town visited in Mali was Segou. Then we crossed border to BURKINA FASO (used to be Upper Volta) where from Mar 8 to Mar 14 visiting: Bobo Dioulasso, Banfora, Gaoua, local villages and the capital Ouagadougou. On Mar 14 the third country BENIN (used to be Dahomey). This is a voodoo country, has fascinated villages and a royal history. We visited places like Natitingou, a royal town Abomey, Cotonou, Quidah and Lake Nokoue, where people live in villages on stilts. Late on Mar 19 overnight flight to Paris then New York and LAX and by rented car back to Vista, where Mar 20. Travel office: Spector Travel of Boston Who took part: Total of 7 people traveled in Mali, 6 in Burkina Faso and 4 in Benin. In addition an African guide was with us in all 3 countries. Two 4WDs and their drivers in the first two countries and only one in the third. ------------------------------------------------------------------- WAF-15 - West Africa trip – Niger, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Chad (unexpected stops in Paris, France and Douala, Cameroon) Date of travel: Nov 20 - Dec 7, 2015 -------------------------------------------------------------------