Europe

We went to mainland Europe for the first time in 1966. Ian and I travelled by train to Paris. We stayed in youth hostels at Montreuil-sur-Mer [by then, no longer on the sea] and in tents at Suresnes, west of the capital. No sooner had we disembarked in Boulogne than we were ripped off, being charged 14/6 [72 ½ p today, but more than the pay for my weekly paper round, then] for sausage and chips. That was a large chunk out of our planned spending money for the coming days. So much for the Entente Cordiale. The fast-food man obviously didn’t feel he owed us Brits anything, 21 years after the end of WW2.

I soon took a liking to the country, though, and have been back there many times - to all corners, in fact - over the subsequent decades. There is so much of interest to enjoy in France’s unique and rich cultural history as well as in its varied scenery. Vive la difference! We have made French friends and we always look forward to going again. We have occasionally come across unwelcoming or haughty individuals, but we’ve witnessed Brits behaving badly over there, too. National superiority is a myth. In my experience, all countries have lots of decent people and relatively few that aren’t.

It saddens me that at a national level we have been such reluctant Europeans for most of my life time. Future well-being depends on greater understanding and co-operation between neighbouring nations, not less. We should be careful what we wish for. Sovereignty and nationalism can easily get mixed up. The lessons of history fade with time, it seems. Our fast-food man in Boulogne had clearly forgotten something, already.

Our double-headed train is setting out for Paris on 27/6/66. The train engine is 231K Class No. 231K37 and the pilot is a Class 141R.