EmmJays Travel Journal

June, 1968

We had just spend the month of May travelling through Europe and we were now headed for the USSR (CCCP). It took quite a while to obtain visas for eight people to travel by road through the Soviet Union. Due to the political climate it was difficult to determine just how this was going to turn out. We were ready for the challenge.

When we left the ferry that took us from Helsinki, Finland to the USSR we could see the border only 5 meters ahead of us. The wooden border gate, much like a railway crossing gate was lifted by the Fins and they waved to us as we drove forward. Gilbert drove slowly toward the soviet checkpoint.

Russia (CCCP)

A Russian border official, armed with weapons approached us and pressed a button which allowed a solid iron gate to rise. We drove forward and our passports were seized. We were told that we would get them back when we left Russia. The iron gate came down with a mighty thud (is this a movie, or what!). After waiting a good hour they decided to escort us to customs. It took two and one half hours to check through our tents, sleeping bags, cots and dry foods. One of the girls had a 'woman's' magazine, which was confiscated. The van was then thoroughly searched. They jumped up and down on the seats, kicked the tires and poked a stick inside the petrol tank. Another vehicle was alongside of us and it was stripped of most of its upholstery. The owner was furious. They tipped our cornflakes out all over the road. We had now satisfied their curiosity and were allowed to move on.

It was compulsory to take a guide on board from Intourist when travelling by road. His name was Michael (maybe) and he was a University student. We picked him up in Leningrad. The drive to the city was through a forest of very elegant trees. The houses on the way looked like outback loos. We saw people pumping water by hand from a very old fashion pump. We were definitely in a time warp.

We stopped to buy bread from a small village on the way and the people came over in droves. The men stood right up close to the van and peered in the windows at us. They seemed most interested in everything we had. The women kept their distance. They were mostly dressed in black and the children wore dark clothes too. A guy approached us and everyone scattered. He appeared to be an official of some kind. When he left the locals came back. They smiled and we indicated that we wanted to buy bread and it just magically appeared and we paid for it. We smiled and waved goodbye and they did the same.

Leningrad, Russia

We reached the campsite known as Repino, just outside Leningrad. Our guide told us that it was illegal to take pictures of anything military, including soldiers and petrol stations (dah!). The campground was dirty and the loos were disgusting.

Leningrad was a feast for sore eyes. Wow!

We visited the Palace of the Czars in Revolution Square. Our guide gave us a full history of the Palace and the overthrow of the Monarchy. He spoke fondly of Lenin, the Party and communism. Good to get it from the source even you don't agree with it. The square was cobble stoned and small. A statue of Lenin was in the very centre. Lenin's picture was everywhere we went. The museum of Great Arts and the Palace was fantastic. The Hermitage contains some rare paintings by famous painters. There were incredible statues and lovely marble work. The Czars had it all.

We took a ride on the Volga. Everything was ridiculously expensive and the poorest quality. In fact much of the stuff looked second hand. Nevsky Prospect is the main drag. Choice was limited. The styles looked 1950-ish. We had roubles we had to spend (or lose them), so we wanted to buy something, but it was all junk. Many of the locals approached us in the street and asked if they could buy our clothes, shoes, bags or sunglasses. The seemed ill at ease. It was catching.

I would love to come back to this city. We only had 2 days to see it and what we saw was incredible. I think the people wanted to engage us but it was not working out that way. I regret this more than anything.

Leningrad to Moscow

Heading for Novgorod, Russia. Collective farms and small villages scattered the countryside. The homes were old and not well kept, though it was pretty obvious that the people did not have much. We saw no flowers or gardens anywhere on this route. The children waved as we passed through. We passed some vehicles on the road. Our guide proudly told us that they were Russian made. No cars, just trucks. They did not look road worthy. There were a lot of military vehicles - camouflage colours. The maximum speed was 60mph. In contrast to the autobahn in Germany this was slow going.

The Volga made another appearance. We were told where we had to camp - no choice. We set up camp on swampland near Novgorod. Mosquito heaven! Our one day in Novgorod took us to a small Kremlin. Once again, not our choice. It was OK. No contact with the locals.

We were back on the road the next day headed for Moscow. The scenery changed slightly. The trees were still very impressive. We stayed at Butova just outside Moscow for a week.

Moscow, CCCP

Red Square, our first stop on our guides agenda. The 4 major buildings in the square included the Kremlin, St Basil's Cathedral, Gum Department Store and a Museum. The Kremlin is behind huge walls. In front of the walls facing the square is the Lenin Mausoleum. The queue of people to enter must have been 4 miles long and moving very slowly. Our guide told us we were going in. Well this was an experience ... right to the front of the queue we were taken. Unfortunately for him we were put in front of some PRC visitors and they objected rather strongly. Apparently this was quite an insult. The Russians said nothing. We entered, moved quietly around the tomb and out the other side. Lenin was embalmed but looked really good for a dead person. The tomb was made of a beautiful green, blue and grey marble. It was cold inside.

Along the wall of the Kremlin behind the mausoleum were tomb stones and plaques to famous statesmen and cosmonauts. The gravestone of Stalin had been removed because he was out of favour at the time. In the virgin nunnery Stalin's wife lay in rest. We were told that she was very popular.

Basil's Cathedral was magnificent in its setting. I couldn't wait to go inside. The Cathedral was built by Ivan the Terrible. The story goes that Ivan asked these 2 guys if they could design the most beautiful cathedral in the world and they said yes. They did. When they finished Ivan asked them if they could create yet another even more beautiful structure and they agreed that they could. They did not. ..Ivan had their eyes cut out. The inside had been stripped bare and horrible blue paint slapped over the walls. Tiny chapels and winding corridors went round and round on both sides. No religious symbols.

Gum Department Store was like a barn. It had a foul smell and was filthy. Poor quality goods and a lot of people lined up to hand in a piece of paper for a product. We were not interested in souvenir shops so we just walked around. Every now and again we came across a beer and syrup machine. For one or two kopecks you got a glass full of this stuff and it was quite good. The best treat of all was the ice cream. Best ever!

Off to the metro. The subway stops are museums. They are better kept than the streets above. There are chandeliers, mosaics, superb marble and tile work as well as paintings galore. The trains zip on through. I think we travelled the entire system ... fantastic. One of the most beautiful stations was the stop for the zoo. The zoo was not big. We saw Anne Anne, the panda who was supposed to interest Chi Chi from the London zoo. For the most important zoo resident she was not very well cared for. She was in a small cage with very little room to move. The cage was filthy and there was waste strewn all over the inside. It was 80F and she didn't have a water bowl or a pool to cool off in.

In the evening the group split up. Some went to the ballet, some to the circus and the remainder to the Opera. I ended up at the Kremlin Hall of Congress to see the visiting Czech folk dancers and the Philharmonic Orchestra. Breshnev and Krosygen were in the audience. Very enjoyable evening. At half time we sipped wine. After intermission a local pop star sang and he got encore after encore. He was outstanding.

We spent the rest of the week enjoying Moscow and some of the locals were actually friendly. The kids asked us for chewing gum. They gave us little badges in exchange for one stick. They were political pins.

Minsk, CCCP

We left Moscow for a long drive to Minsk. Our guide told us that this area supported the Czars during the revolution. Guess they chose the wrong side! One of our travel companions from the USA was a black American and when we stopped he caused a great deal of interest. Unfortunately people stared at him all the time. Our guide told us that they had probably never seen a black man before. He drew a huge crowd at one stop and an army truck pulled up behind us and told the guide to get us all back in the van and not to stop again. Apparently they had been following us all the way from the border with Helsinki. Some of them came over to our campsite in the evening and asked us about the west. Our guide was very uncomfortable.

In Minsk the mode of dress was more fashionable. The women were not wearing scarfs on their heads and their shoes were pretty decent. They were a little more friendly and very wary of our guide. When he was around, they left. This was our last stop in Russia. We enjoyed our last day just chatting up the locals brave enough to approach us. I liked the Russians.

Russia to Poland

At the border with Poland. A four hour wait and it seemed for no reason at all. We drove to a nice campsite in Poland after leaving Russia. It rained that night and our tents got soaked, but we stayed dry. Everyone was in good spirits.

Warsaw, Poland

In the early morning we drove to Warsaw. The buildings along the way were riddled with bullets and shell debris. They were wedged deep into the brick. The people in the houses told us that it was from WWII. The bullets were lodged in homes, public buildings, churches and shops. There was no money for repairs. The Polish people were exceptionally warm. They welcomed us everywhere we went and loved to sit down and talk to us. They wanted us to enjoy our stay in Poland so very much.

I photographed a monument which was a memorial to Polish Jews slaughtered by Hitler. The memorial was originally going to be for Hitler and was going to be erected in Berlin.

This was such a short stay because we had been delayed so long at the Russian border. We drove around as much of the city as we could. The farmlands were quite vast, however the farmers were using no major machinery. Hay was piled at least 20x20 feet on a tiny cart and was pulled by a little donkey. Oxen were pulling ploughs in the fields. I can not remember seeing a tractor on a single farm. It was somewhat like Russia where the only tractors we saw were at the Economic Institute. Many of the streets were cobbled and narrow in the small villages outside Warsaw.

There were many gypsies on the side of the road. They approached when we stopped and begged us for money. As we were all on a shoestring budget all we could give them was food. We ended up with less than 2 days to explore, so that was disappointing. If there is a country I would like to come back to, it would be Poland.

Poland to Germany

We spent 2 hours getting over the Polish border into East Germany. Watch Towers and armed guards everywhere you looked. Spot lights shone up and down the walls non-stop. Our drive through East Germany was only to get us to West Berlin. It was night so we did not get to see much of the country or the city of East Berlin. We crossed into West Germany joining a huge traffic line up and it took hours.

East and West Berlin

The camp in West Berlin was superb. Everything was so new. We could still see the wall that separated the two countries. The Germans were great. I could have spent hours with just one couple that we met. The shops were clean and the air was crisp. The Germans dressed very smartly and always looked as though they had purpose.

The following day we went to Europac, the Europa Centre. Then the Brandenburg Gate, and a beer hall. We crossed back into East Berlin on foot via Checkpoint Charlie. We had to buy local currency and spend it. As there was nothing worth buying, I bought lunch. I took photos of the barbed wire. It was just too depressing for words. It lacked colour. It was a lovely sunny day and we got to see the rundown state of the city. Once again, not a flower in sight.

We spent 5 hours at the border. The border was at Helstedt. One of the girls in our van, Shirley was born in Rhodesia and on that day Rhodesia ceased to exist. She had a British passport that indicated that she was a British citizen. The East Germans claimed that her passport was now invalid and they seized it. Then they took all our passports and found another that belonged to another girl who was born in Bombay India who also had a British passport. The border guards determined that she should be travelling on an Indian Passport. We shouted over to some Germans who had just gotten through the border on their way to the west and asked them to call the British Consulate in the west for us. They did and this guy drove 75km from Hanover with a special document for the Rhodesian girl. He got us all through.

We had to then drive to Hanover. We all flocked into this very plush place where an official told us that what we had experienced was all nonsense and that we could continue on in the west and there should be no more incidents. He was right.

We left Hanover at about 7:30pm and headed for Amsterdam. After driving for several hours we had to return to Hanover because one of our group managed to lose her passport there. Back in Hanover searching everywhere without success. She stayed behind to get a new passport issued and2 of her friends stayed with her. We left again, this time at 1am for Amsterdam.

Germany to Holland and Belgium

We camped in Amsterdam then drove all night to Ostend and then onto Zeebrugge in Belgium to catch the 6:30am ferry back to Dover, UK. We reached Dover at 10am and after clearing customs drove to London.

End of my first trip on the European Continent. Altogether we travelled 6,377 miles.