Val found this amongst her old letters. It’s a single page carbon copy with my name typed in bold font at the bottom.
The year was 1966. It seems that Daddy wanted to get an article published in the magazine ‘Motoring Life’ about one of our family trips to Europe. I suspect that he composed the article and sent it to me for typing. According to Val, it wasn’t accepted for publication. In hindsight, I can understand the Editor’s decision. Still, as I read it I am reminded of that trip – a true adventure! Nobody we knew had been to Czechslovakia, and there was little information available about this Communist country. Undeterred, Dad made it our holiday destination.
Cortina to Czechslovakia
The Czech border at Cheb is only two days leisurely motoring from the Dutch coast, and after the slick transfer from one West European country to another, the Czech transfer is rather slow, but it gives one leisure to watch outcoming cars being searched, and body panel cavities tapped with a rubber headed hammer. The countryside is mostly hilly with magnificent scenery, but cities and large towns are rather drab with nothing much to attract lady shoppers except at Tuzek* where there is quite good value and a large range of goods including Ford Cortinas which can only be purchased with foreign currency. The Ford Cortina is obviously a status symbol in Czechslovakia. The Tuzek stores were always full of Natives buying, and outside one I was approached to sell foreign currency at an attractive premium. Roads are excellent and very well signposted. The odd reconstruction can be like autocross, but these are few. Numerous guarded and unguarded level crossings, the latter in obvious locations. All crossings should be taken slowly – we called them “unlevel crossings”. Traffic on roads consists of motorcycles, agricultural tractors towing 4-wheel trailers, often three at a time, touring cars from all the communist countries; Polish appeared to be the most numerous. One sees some well-preserved Czechslovakian cars, and one make is a three-wheeled, fabric-bodied effort. Numerous trucks, Tatra and Skoda. Skoda are conventional but Tatra like their big, rear-engined, air-cabled cars, are massive air-cooled diesels with a very wide track and divided axle IF and R suspensions with all wheel drive. Frontal view is forbidding but rear view loaded at at speed on a rough road is a sight to see; unladen, the inner rear tyres do not touch the road. Flocks of geese everywhere, especially in villages. Roads are lined with cherry, apple and apricot trees, laden with fruit and all for the picking free. It’s hard not to be greedy and suffer later. In general road manners are excellent and pedestrians are very traffic conscious; one never sees traffic cops and only a rare policeman. Our IRL plate always drew a curious crowd or another wondering motorist sitting on its tail for miles. Agriculture is highly mechanized as is also road construction. Hotels and restaurants are excellent and very reasonable. There are numerous chalets in beautiful surroundings and they must cost very little to stay in. For one night stands which we indulged in, it is wise not to leave it too late in the evening to look for accommodation. Petrol is of a very low octane but very cheap at 3/2 per gallon on concession rate on coupons purchased at the border, and the excess coupons can be cashed on leaving. Buy some coupons of low value to avoid an overfilled tank, even on supergrade which is only available at odd towns. Our Cortina protected violently, but plentiful use of the gears, and a retarded ignition avoided any overheating. In years gone by, in Spain changing money was quite a ritual in a Bank. In Czechslovakia the Bank is hard to locate and the procedure is quite slow, but it is done in a charming friendly way, and time is plentiful on holidays. All towns and villages have a P.A. system throughout. All we heard on it was music on a Sunday morning. We tried to enter Hungary without a prior visa at Slovenskedarmoty but only Communist bloc motorists were allowed through. A detour of about 30 miles to the next crossing point at Sahy was useless as visas are only issued back at some city quite a distance, and this was Saturday. So, to save further disappointments we cut over to Bratislava where our departure was searchless. The Sunday trip from Bratislava to Gratz (near Maribor) was quite easy as Austrian roads have improved very much, and we were against the Sunday traffic. A must in Yugoslavia if one wants to take to the wilds is a 7/6 official road map which accurately shows all road conditions – so you are warned - in spite of a relatively affluent society now. Hotels and guest houses and restaurants in Yugoslavia are very reasonable. Dinner, bed and breakfast averaged about 17/- per person compared with 14/- in Czechslovakia, and even Austria off beat cost 21/-. There are plenty of bathing opportunities on the Danube/Drava and their tributaries in both countries, with delightful surroundings and no crowds. Fields of sunflowers and maize, bullock carts piled high with wheat for communal threshing. Everywhere a kindly, courteous, very handsome people. No signs of spivery or dishonesty and a minimum of advertising – we could learn a lot from them.
Statistics
Cortina 1100, 1966. Mileage 7,000 as standard.
Mileage covered: Ireland – Ireland, 3,700.
Oil consumed: 3 pints. M.P.G. not recorded.
Repairs: One dirty jet.
Route: Dublin – Liverpool – Immingham – Amsterdam – Cheb – KarlovyVary – Most – Ustin – Prague – Kolin – Gihlava – Brno – Prerov – Xzilina – Ruzomberok – Banska Bystrica – Krupina – Levice – Komarno – Sturova – Bratislava – Maribor – Virovitica – Bjelovat – Zagreb – Hook of Holland – Harwich – Holyhead – Dun Laoighre.
Duration: 3 weeks.
Total cost for four adults, £250, everything included.
Most helpful accessory: a 12V car kettle for brewing numerous cups of tea.
*Tuzek stores were Government sponsored retail outlets where only foreign currency was accepted.
The year was 1966. It seems that Daddy wanted to get an article published in the magazine ‘Motoring Life’ about one of our family trips to Europe. I suspect that he composed the article and sent it to me for typing. According to Val, it wasn’t accepted for publication. In hindsight, I can understand the Editor’s decision. Still, as I read it I am reminded of that trip – a true adventure! Nobody we knew had been to Czechslovakia, and there was little information available about this Communist country. Undeterred, Dad made it our holiday destination.
Cortina to Czechslovakia
The Czech border at Cheb is only two days leisurely motoring from the Dutch coast, and after the slick transfer from one West European country to another, the Czech transfer is rather slow, but it gives one leisure to watch outcoming cars being searched, and body panel cavities tapped with a rubber headed hammer. The countryside is mostly hilly with magnificent scenery, but cities and large towns are rather drab with nothing much to attract lady shoppers except at Tuzek* where there is quite good value and a large range of goods including Ford Cortinas which can only be purchased with foreign currency. The Ford Cortina is obviously a status symbol in Czechslovakia. The Tuzek stores were always full of Natives buying, and outside one I was approached to sell foreign currency at an attractive premium. Roads are excellent and very well signposted. The odd reconstruction can be like autocross, but these are few. Numerous guarded and unguarded level crossings, the latter in obvious locations. All crossings should be taken slowly – we called them “unlevel crossings”. Traffic on roads consists of motorcycles, agricultural tractors towing 4-wheel trailers, often three at a time, touring cars from all the communist countries; Polish appeared to be the most numerous. One sees some well-preserved Czechslovakian cars, and one make is a three-wheeled, fabric-bodied effort. Numerous trucks, Tatra and Skoda. Skoda are conventional but Tatra like their big, rear-engined, air-cabled cars, are massive air-cooled diesels with a very wide track and divided axle IF and R suspensions with all wheel drive. Frontal view is forbidding but rear view loaded at at speed on a rough road is a sight to see; unladen, the inner rear tyres do not touch the road. Flocks of geese everywhere, especially in villages. Roads are lined with cherry, apple and apricot trees, laden with fruit and all for the picking free. It’s hard not to be greedy and suffer later. In general road manners are excellent and pedestrians are very traffic conscious; one never sees traffic cops and only a rare policeman. Our IRL plate always drew a curious crowd or another wondering motorist sitting on its tail for miles. Agriculture is highly mechanized as is also road construction. Hotels and restaurants are excellent and very reasonable. There are numerous chalets in beautiful surroundings and they must cost very little to stay in. For one night stands which we indulged in, it is wise not to leave it too late in the evening to look for accommodation. Petrol is of a very low octane but very cheap at 3/2 per gallon on concession rate on coupons purchased at the border, and the excess coupons can be cashed on leaving. Buy some coupons of low value to avoid an overfilled tank, even on supergrade which is only available at odd towns. Our Cortina protected violently, but plentiful use of the gears, and a retarded ignition avoided any overheating. In years gone by, in Spain changing money was quite a ritual in a Bank. In Czechslovakia the Bank is hard to locate and the procedure is quite slow, but it is done in a charming friendly way, and time is plentiful on holidays. All towns and villages have a P.A. system throughout. All we heard on it was music on a Sunday morning. We tried to enter Hungary without a prior visa at Slovenskedarmoty but only Communist bloc motorists were allowed through. A detour of about 30 miles to the next crossing point at Sahy was useless as visas are only issued back at some city quite a distance, and this was Saturday. So, to save further disappointments we cut over to Bratislava where our departure was searchless. The Sunday trip from Bratislava to Gratz (near Maribor) was quite easy as Austrian roads have improved very much, and we were against the Sunday traffic. A must in Yugoslavia if one wants to take to the wilds is a 7/6 official road map which accurately shows all road conditions – so you are warned - in spite of a relatively affluent society now. Hotels and guest houses and restaurants in Yugoslavia are very reasonable. Dinner, bed and breakfast averaged about 17/- per person compared with 14/- in Czechslovakia, and even Austria off beat cost 21/-. There are plenty of bathing opportunities on the Danube/Drava and their tributaries in both countries, with delightful surroundings and no crowds. Fields of sunflowers and maize, bullock carts piled high with wheat for communal threshing. Everywhere a kindly, courteous, very handsome people. No signs of spivery or dishonesty and a minimum of advertising – we could learn a lot from them.
Statistics
Cortina 1100, 1966. Mileage 7,000 as standard.
Mileage covered: Ireland – Ireland, 3,700.
Oil consumed: 3 pints. M.P.G. not recorded.
Repairs: One dirty jet.
Route: Dublin – Liverpool – Immingham – Amsterdam – Cheb – KarlovyVary – Most – Ustin – Prague – Kolin – Gihlava – Brno – Prerov – Xzilina – Ruzomberok – Banska Bystrica – Krupina – Levice – Komarno – Sturova – Bratislava – Maribor – Virovitica – Bjelovat – Zagreb – Hook of Holland – Harwich – Holyhead – Dun Laoighre.
Duration: 3 weeks.
Total cost for four adults, £250, everything included.
Most helpful accessory: a 12V car kettle for brewing numerous cups of tea.
*Tuzek stores were Government sponsored retail outlets where only foreign currency was accepted.