jimboyce44

Imagine There’s No Countries…East Berlin 1983

I was on my way to Norway to work on the pig farm. It was March, 1983. I had been in Munich for a few days. I went out to the 1972 Olympic site. I recalled how hostages were taken there and it was all played out on TV. I did not understand the politicsContinue reading “Imagine There’s No Countries…East Berlin 1983”

Trapped by a Flood in Andorra Part II

The rain continued for around 24 hours and by that time the devastation was becoming obvious. I remember over hearing of multiple deaths, but I was not completely aware of how bad the situation was. In one sense it was kind of exciting because it is not an everyday event. All the power was out andContinue reading “Trapped by a Flood in Andorra Part II”

Trapped by a Flood in Andorra

When I was planning for my extended journey, I was focused primarily on Europe, so I read everything I could about Europe. I read about World War I, World War II and the history before that. I also studied maps. I was looking at different ways to travel and their was something called Eurail atContinue reading “Trapped by a Flood in Andorra”

How I Ended Up On A Dairy Farm in Switzerland

In the Fall of 1983 I departed Norway with the intention of eventually meeting up with my friend, Monica who lived in Barcelona, Spain. Per arranged for me to ride with a semi-truck driver from Norway to Southern, Germany. I don’t recall all of the details now but we made it through Denmark and toContinue reading “How I Ended Up On A Dairy Farm in Switzerland”

Working on the Dairy Farm in Flums

At the dairy farm we woke up in the dark and immediately went to the barn to milk the cows and clean their living areas. The Swiss are “work animals” as they said and we worked from darkness to darkness. The barn was kept immacculately clean with even the tiles on the wall scrubbed daily.Continue reading “Working on the Dairy Farm in Flums”

Harvesting Olives on Crete, Greece

It was just after Christmas. I had heard about travelers doing agricultural work on the Island of Crete in Greece. I had heard about orange picking, Olive harvesting, tomatoes and more. I decided to check it out. I took a boat from a port in Athens and went to the Island of Crete. I thenContinue reading “Harvesting Olives on Crete, Greece”

Some characters from Norway

I have about 8 book-sized journals in a box at my parents house in Shoreline, Washington with detailed descriptions of each day I was traveling. Unfortunately all I am writing from now is my memory from 37 years ago. I was very disciplined about writing there and did it daily. My day was not completeContinue reading “Some characters from Norway”

More about Pig Farming in Norway

I dedicate this entry to Per-Otto Haaje, who taught me about pig farming and his family that treated me like one of their own. Years later, my parents met up with them in Oslo, Norway. Their daughter, Siri-Anne came to my state to attend Washington State University for a while. She was about 10 whenContinue reading “More about Pig Farming in Norway”

Hiking in Norway…Midnight Sun and Hardanger Vidda

One of the amazing things in Norway is the many places to go hiking. In the Winter, Norwegians “Ga Pa Ski” (cross country ski) a lot. In the Summers these same areas become accessible on foot for hiking. I spent probably a month in the mountains and rarely saw another person. I enjoyed the solitudeContinue reading “Hiking in Norway…Midnight Sun and Hardanger Vidda”

Letter writing back in the day

When I left home for more than a year in the early 1980s, nobody had cell phones, the internet was not here and few people ever made international calls. They were extremely expensive. So when traveling, I would buy postcards and write family and friends. After writing, I would get stamps and then find aContinue reading “Letter writing back in the day”