Poitier, France

Edinburgh, Scotland

Lisbon, Portugal, 03 AUG 1986:   Lisbon is much like Barcelona in character, although somewhat poorer.  The people are very friendly and expressive.  I wish I would have allowed myself more than the 2 and 1/2 days I spent there, but there are some people I want to connect with in Germany and France.  I'm always being invited by people I meet on the train to come and see them, but if I went to see everyone who invited me, I'd never leave this continent.

I didn't think I'd get out of Portugal.  They had a strike the day that I wanted to leave.  It turned out that some of the trains went, including mine, but since it wasn't possible to reserve, the trains were overcrowded.  People slept in the restaurant car and in the aisles.  This kind of problem normally only happens in Southern European countries; otherwise, the trains have generally been quite comfortable and on-time.

Had I bought my train tickets individually, they would have almost paid for my $680 Eurailpass by now, and I still have over two months yet.  I've also used the train for eight nights of sleep space.  Still, there's a part of me which would rather be bicycling or doing more workcamps which I found to be at least equally rewarding.

Poitier, France, 11 AUG 1986:  In this relatively small town in west-central France, besides visiting the young woman, Agnes (pronounced ahn-yes), whom I met in Madrid a few months ago, I was also surprised to discover that there is quite a lot to see here.  Among other things, this is where Joan of Arc was first judged.

Agnes and her family are very nice, although she is the only one who speaks English relatively well.  I visited her family at their farm.  She and her brothers play classical piano very well, and she also harmonizes quite nicely with me.  She has a private pilot's licence, and her father has a private plane.  I went up with her a couple of times and had some terrific views of France's countryside.  I also (figuratively) lost my stomach when the plane turned sideways or did a sudden drop.  Nevertheless, it was quite an enjoyable experience.

This is one of the driest summers Europe has had in many years, which is bad for farmers but nice for tourists like me.

Au revoir

Dublin, Ireland, 18 AUG 1986:  Top of the morning to you...  All's well, it is!  Mike (Arizona), Alison (Toronto) and I bicycled the Ring of Kerry.  We had some rough headwinds, rain and hills the first day, but the next two days were great.

Last night, I played guitar and sang in a Dublin youth hostel for a very receptive and appreciative crowd of over 100 people.  I wasn't expecting it, but the management paid me about $28 for four hours of playing.

Mike and I will head to Belfast tomorrow, and I think I will try to squeeze Scotland and England into the next 10 days after all.  I will then stop in Paris for the first five days of September before meeting you (in Frankfurt) on the 6th.

The luck of the Irish to you,
Clancy Patrick O'Donahue

London, England, 27 AUG 1986:  Having been to Paris and London, I now understand why so many people love these places.  They really are far more beautiful and exciting than I had imagined and deserve more time than I have given them.

Mike (Phoenix) and I were also in Liverpool to take the "Magical Mystery Tour" through the neighborhoods where the Beatles grew up.  Liverpool is about the dirtiest, ugliest, most economically depressed city in Europe, with perhaps 50% of the people "on the dole" and unemployed.

Cheerio from London,
Dean

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