At left, Joan L. Bangs, holding her newest granddaughter, Krista Sophia Bangs. Krista and her older sister, Hannah, 3 years of age, live in Austin, Texas.

Many people feel they should wait until their children are "older" to travel. We just could not wait to go. Douglas was 10, Becky 8, Nathan 7 and Sarah 3 years old. Larry and I had a tandem, but needed our own cycles so one of us could lead and the other could be behind the children. We decided to purchase Raleigh cycles when we reached Europe. The older children had bicycles that we took with us on the boat and Sarah had her bicycle seat, which fastened over the back fender of her father’s bicycle. We made oil cloth liners for our front and side carriers and everything we needed for six weeks was to be carried on our bicycles. This included sleeping bags for youth hostels; sports clothes for cycling and dress clothes for museums, churches and special dinners; toiletries which did include a roll of toilet paper; maps and guides; bicycle repair parts; and any souvenirs. The children’s grandparents had given all of us lederhosen.

Our families were a little worried about our taking four young children on a bicycle trip where we would be in countries with different languages and currencies. We knew the children would take everything in stride and despite grandparents concerns, off we went. We left them an itinerary of where we planned to go and posts where we would look for mail. Because we forgot to take the itinerary with us we received much of our mail when we returned home!

Our first destination was to be Cork, Ireland. Not one day into what was to be a relaxing five day voyage and our plans changed. Our ship, the Cunard Lines Sylvania, ran aground in the St. Lawrence River midway between Montreal and Quebec City, Canada. The Empress of England was already underway when it received our distress call. Transferring via coal tender to another Europe bound ocean liner, the Empress of England, taught us and our children to take everything in stride. Watching our four young children climbing up the side of the large vessel on a rope ladder in mid-river was a bit alarming, but we were soon gathered together like refugees in a big dining room and fed sandwiches and wonderful English tarts and pastries. Our sleeping assignments on an already full ship were next. We were lucky, we were assigned a small room with mattresses wall to wall on the floor for the children. People already on the ship gave up the luxury of one person in a double room or three in a four bed room. Every bed was filled, even the infirmary. How they managed their food supply for twice the number of people planned was amazing, but they did. The original passengers on our rescue ship had all pitched in and cooperated to welcome us aboard. They wanted to hear our story and we were anxious to tell them. We had a wonderful crossing.

We enjoyed the ocean crossing so much we would have felt satisfied to turn around and sail home. But we had planned to spend seven weeks traveling in Ireland, England, Scotland, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany and France. Our goals remained the same, but our plans had been suddenly altered. Instead of heading for Cork, Ireland where we had intended to begin our trip by bicycles our ship landed in Liverpool, England. We also had no bicycles because they had to be left in the hold of the Sylvania.

Cunard Ship Lines provided us with a car until our bicycles arrived a week later. We took advantage of the protection of a car while learning to ride with the British road system. We drove through Wales and Britain and after a week of touring by car had a reunion with our bicycles in Dublin. We were glad to be on our bicycles, feeling the wind blowing through our hair, smelling the flowers and flowering bushes as we rode by, and realizing it was our own power that would get us to our next destination. It was easy to ride up to a little café and hop off our bicycles for a coke. We tried to do most of our riding in the morning before it became too hot. Sarah riding on the back of her father’s bicycle caused people in passing cars to give a double take. She also spotted a soccer ball that she really, really wanted. Her dad told her that we could not possibly carry a ball on our bicycles, but if she saw one just before we were to board the boat to sail home he would get it for her. He thought he was safe!

I can not express the satisfaction my husband and I felt when people would say, "I can not believe I am seeing Americans on bicycles." One man in Belfast, Ireland said if he had thought he would see Americans on bicycles he would have brought his camera to work that day. One German woman talked to me at length while the children and I were waiting outside the post office for Larry to mail a package. I had no idea what she had said, for I understand very little German. Suddenly she disappeared. Fortunately, she reappeared before Larry came back, for she had apparently told me to wait and she would be right back. When she returned she had her hands full of candy for the children. I was so thankful she had returned before Larry. I had no idea she had said she wanted us to wait until she came back. One lady gave Sarah a doll and we tried to get Sarah to say "danke schon". She shyly refused and so we told her that she could not have the doll until she said "danke schon". People in Holland would come out of their sweet shops to give the children candy. Everywhere we went we were well received and I am convinced this would not have happened without the children and bicycles. We were standing at a street crossing in Basil, Switzerland. The light did not seem to change and so we started crossing against the light. Nathan, our seven year old, stood at the crossing until the light changed. A Swiss man came up to Nathan and gave him a Swiss five franc coin and said this is for waiting until the light changed. These were important moments for the children. They were learning a lot about the kind and appreciative people in this world. We saw so much more and met so many people because the children were traveling with us.

Our children also learned that we, their parents liked to have fun, learn new things, visit art museums, enjoy music in a cathedral and just see sites we have often read about. We shared something that does not exist in a daily routine at home. We learned to make the best of every situation. We learned how friendly and helpful people could be and learned how to improvise. Sarah was only three and when it came time for her nap we simply took the sleeping bag that was carried behind her seat and put it in front of her and she had a nice pillow to lean on. She would often take a two hour nap as we rode along.

On our fourth day in Oban, Scotland we decided that if we were going to leave Oban we would have to ride in the rain. We asked the children to wear their Aran sweaters and Lederhosen because they would shed the rain. We had ponchos which soon made us wetter from sweat than the rain. Sarah, the three year old, wore a plastic garbage bag over her Aran sweater and Lederhosen. Though Becky cried most of the day because she had to ride in the rain, we all quickly learned that we did not melt away when we got wet. It was a little frightening for me because I knew that bicycle brakes, when wet, did not work well. In the middle of the afternoon we had endured all of the rain we felt we could take and stopped for tea and pastries at a small hostel. The children and I hoped dad would say, "Shall we stay here for the night." It was short of our destination, but so inviting and we would not have to go back out into the rain. We put all of our wet clothing in a corner of the room and while enjoying our refreshments, discussed what we had really accomplished that day. We began to realize we had braved the elements and found strengths we did not realize we had. After about forty-five minutes we all decided we wanted to go on and reach our destination. We did not know then that in only four miles we would come to a ferry boat which would take us to the other side of the inlet and to our bed and breakfast lodging.

Waiting at the ferry was a long line of cars. Dad led us right past the cars and up to the ferry attendant. He motioned us right on so we rode our bicycles directly to the front of the boat. The children all thought this was pretty exciting. We were soon on the other side where we could look back and see the same cars still waiting. We were on bicycles. We were feeling privileged. There was room for us at the second bed and breakfast only a half mile down the road. The lady welcomed us with a nice greeting, a hot cup of tea and the message to put all of our wet clothes on the table just outside of our room. We freshened up and rode our bicycles back to the ferry landing where we found a nice little restaurant. With our stomachs full, clothes dry and the satisfaction of having reached our destination, we rode back to our lodging. How could the day end more perfectly. When we reached our home for the night we parked our bicycles and went to our rooms where we found our wet clothes lying on our beds all dry. This gave us all a warm feeling. The children were scrambling into bed when Becky said, "Mom, there is something warm in my bed." Mrs. Duncan had placed a hot water bottle in each of the beds. Here we were in a strangers home, but somehow they were not strangers. We had ridden all day in the pouring rain and yet we had the nicest and warmest feeling of accomplishment and friendship.

Our children became quite independent, particularly the older three. Douglas,10, liked to go to the kiosks in Germany and purchase things. Douglas and Sarah wanted to do something special for our anniversary, so unbeknownst to us, Douglas and Sarah went to purchase a bottle of wine at a nearby kiosk. Douglas counted the German change and realized the clerk had not given him enough change. When he argued for the additional change the clerk finally gave it to him. That was the only time the children had advantage taken (almost!) of them when using foreign currency.

The Netherlands was my favorite spot. Everyone lived out of doors. Everyone waved as we rode by and many stopped to ask where we were from. They would not believe we were Americans on bicycles. They would say, "You are English," and we would say, "No, we are Americans." They would say, "You are Americans living in England." We would say, "No, we are Americans from America." I enjoyed Holland because the Dutch have a complete road system just for bicycles. The children did not have to ride on the road with cars and trucks.

It was like a storybook as we rode along canals, passed over drawbridges, and talked with Dutch farmers dressed in traditional pants and wooden shoes, working along the canals. We passed windmill after windmill. The children liked to look for a flower market in each little town. We bought klompen (wooden shoes) on our way to the Alkmaar cheese market. We watched them auction the cheese, weigh the big wheels and carry them on shoulder balances to the waiting wagons to be wheeled to the grocery. Then we peddled over the longest dike in the Netherlands to Veere where we stayed in the loft of a Dutch home. The children were excited to be staying in a home where the mother and children wore wooden shoes and the traditional dress. It was a feeling of freedom to ride off on our bicycles waving goodbye to new friends. We were underway again and riding about 50 to 60 miles a day. Riding along the top of the dikes it was easy to explain to the children how the land had been reclaimed from the sea. We all wanted to come back in the winter and skate on the canals.

We arrived in Paris by train on a Saturday night. Riding our bicycles through Paris to the hotel took us past the opera house where the patrons were gathering for an evening performance. We drew a bit of attention, dressed in our lederhosen, as we peddled down the street. When we arrived in front of the Church of Mary Magdalene, Larry went off the curb and Sarah fell from her seat on the back of his bicycle. She was not seriously hurt, but she had a bump on her head. We did not ride our bicycles much in Paris. We did ride them up and down the Champs Elyesse just to say we had. We climbed to the top of the Arch de Triumph and nearly had to rescue Nathan from the water fountains at the base of the Eiffel Tower. We walked all over Paris and spent hours in the Louvre.

My fondest memory of Paris, however, is of the time we spent in the railroad station shipping our bicycles to Cherbourg, our final destination before sailing home. We did not speak French. We wanted to ship our bicycles. It was a Saturday night and we were in the baggage department. A Frenchman was very kindly trying to explain something to us which we did not understand. Finally, he conveyed to Larry to come with him to the international baggage desk. When Larry followed him I was left alone with the four children in a large room with about five workers. I was a little apprehensive, not knowing these people, and not speaking their language. Work was slow for them on this Saturday evening and so they began to gather around us. They were not used to seeing small children on bicycles. Very soon they were pointing to parts of the bicycle and pronouncing the French word for wheel, pedal etc. and were asking our children the English name. An hour passed in this manner, until Larry’s return. He had been concerned about us, but when he saw us he realized we had been well protected. The international desk clerk had explained to Larry what the first man had tried to explain. They would hold our bicycles here for three days free of charge and then ship them. Then they will hold our bicycles free of charge for three days after they reached their destination and by that time we would be there to pick them up. We really appreciated their thoughtfulness. We left our bicycles with the men who had taught us many French words and as we walked out of the baggage room they called "good by" to which we responded "au revoir". Would this have happened if we had not been traveling as a family? How can countries be at war?

After we finished our visit in Paris we took the train to Cherbourg. Everything had gone so well and no one had had any bicycle accidents. We found ourselves almost afraid to bicycle on the narrow roads in Cherbourg. We rode a few miles into the countryside, but we stayed close to town and waited for the ocean liner, the Queen Mary. We had very little money left, in fact, only enough for the hotel for three nights and two omelets a day for the five of us. But, we knew that when the Queen Mary sailed in for us her larder would be full and when we boarded we could have all we could eat. The food was included with the cost of the ocean crossing which had been paid for before we left home. We were up early the morning she was to sail into the harbor past the World War II bunkers. She was a pretty sight. We had just enough change to buy Sarah the soccer ball we had promised. She had not forgotten. We purchased the ball and by 10 a.m. we were settled into our quarters. Suddenly Sarah jumped up onto the top bunk and said very loudly, "danke schon, now may I have my doll?" She had been thinking about that the entire trip, but had been too shy and then, too stubborn to say it until she was good and ready.

Again we had a wonderful crossing with all the food we could eat. We had a wonderful steward who had great fun with the children and kept track of them one night so Larry and I could have dinner alone. Our bicycles were safely in the hold of the ship and we would soon be home to tell grandparents, aunts and uncles about our trip.

We had one more hurdle. Grandpa and Grandma had said that they would try and meet us at the boat dock with our old Chevrolet station wagon. We had no way of knowing if they would be there, we could only hope. As we docked we went to the bow of the ship and looked and looked for our car. Then we began to wonder what we would do. We did not even have enough money in our pocket to take a taxi anywhere. What would we do with our bicycles? We had ridden through London, Paris, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Brussels, yet we were uncertain about riding in New York City. Where were grandpa and grandma? We did not have money for food. Then we saw our maroon car with the bicycle box. Grandpa and Grandma were there and we had the perfect ending to a perfect trip.

This trip was taken in 1967. It has been hard for me to condense my memories into this short article. My memories are as clear as if the trip were yesterday. I will note that the children’s memories may not be as factual as Larry and mine, but learning to adapt was important to the confidence they gained to take future trips alone. I know times may have changed and the safety of the roads and the availability of bicycle paths may have diminished, but I am sure the generosity of the people we met has not changed.

Today in our schools we put a great deal of emphasis on multiculturalism. Our children were exposed to many cultures in a very natural way while we traveled by bicycle for seven weeks in Europe. You may wonder if you can afford such an experience. I would ask if you can afford to turn your back on such memories.