Yes, believe it or not, I do have the diary from the 1962 trip to Europe I mentioned two days ago. At least I have most of it – the diary ends in Vienna, but from Vienna we went over the Alps to Italy (Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples/Pompeii) and then drove the Italian coast through Genoa (which took forever) into France and the Riviera and then back to Paris and back to London. That part of the trip will forever remain a mystery.

If you look at what I wrote a few days ago, you will see that I didn’t remember everything exactly the way it happened. For example, where is the Prom concert with Henryk Szerying? I do remember it. And now you will see we could not get tickets to Mousetrap – so where did I see it the first time? Etc.

Remember, this was the summer after my sophomore year, and I came to see Europe with my friends Doug, Eric and Pat. You say I could ask them to fill in some of these details? I have tried and they all tell me they feel lucky they even remember the trip at all. We spent the first two weeks in the U.K., and then crossed to France, spending the rest of the trip in an illegally rented car (we were too young) and two pup tents. We flew on a Harvard charter flight from Boston.

Comments below in bold are those I made this morning.

June 13. Arrived 8:20 at London airport. The international terminal was new this year, and really magnificent. An excellent way to first meet a city. I remember an embarrassing incident when I asked a young girl at the airport if she could help me figure out how to use an English payphone. She was French, didn’t speak English, and certainly didn’t want to have anything to do with me. Went through customs with no trouble at all – boarded bus for Victoria terminal. The ride there was past picturesque duplexes and homes and factories (many new and modern). Arrived at Victoria. Cashed a traveler’s check. Found a bed and breakfast place on St. George St. nearby (a guinea a night – overpriced and fifth floor, but convenient). Today I have no idea what a guinea is – more than pound? Spent day just looking around. Walked past Buckingham Palace (a dull, large stone building) down the Mall and Trafalgar and Picadilly [sic], went into American Express, etc. Came back to the room to rest, but instead went with Eric to his friends, the Berwicks. Eric was the only one of us who had been to England before; the Berwicks were friends of his family. I don’t remember much about this visit. Then went to dinner at the Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street, the newspaper area. Reasonable prices, good food, but not much of it. Built in 1660, recommended by Europe on $5 a Day, so 95% American. Saw C.P. Snow’s “The Affair”, but too tired to enjoy it.

June 14. Got up and had breakfast at the hotel here (all part of the price). Then took off by myself. Much of the trip was having breakfast together and agreeing to meet back at the car for dinner; going out on our own. That’s still what I do a lot. Walked past Buckingham and Trafalgar into Whitehall and down to Parliament Square. Saw the Admiralty, 10 Downing St. being renovated and so forth. Then went into Municipal Courts Building, sat in on a robbery trial (a teenage boy accused of breaking and entering into a store during the night; his defense was that he was forced to do it by an adult man), then spent 1 1/2 hours wandering through Westminster Abbey across the street. Then went into the main hall of Parliament (you have to get tickets way in advance to sit in), then walked down to the Thames and took a boat to London Tower. Wandered around, fairly bored, the ugly old fort with all the old, old swords, shield, etc. Ran into Art Schneider there. Art was a high school classmate – did I do more than just say “hi”? Did I know he was in England? Went to Havaja’s (?) in Soho for dinner – 3 courses for 8/0 – good. Then to Her Majesty’s Theatre for HMS Pinafore. Then wandered around Soho for an hour or so.

June 15. Woke up early again and took a green bus with Eric to Windsor Castle. Home of the monarchs since 1300 or so and one of the biggest palaces in England. It’s quite impressive. Not too much open today. Chapel closed, preparing for the Order of the Garter ceremony, etc. Had lunch in Windsor and walked around Eton College, a prep school – old stark brick buildings with grassless courtyards and quaint gravel streets. Then took bus back through a different route – Egham, where the Magna Carta was signed, Ascot, past Hampton Court Palace, etc. At night, took cab to Lyon Corner House, largest restaurant in Europe (4 large floors, cheap, lousy food). Then, not being able to get tickets for Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap, went to Guilty Party, a pretty good mystery.

June 16. After breakfast, went to bus terminal to stock up on schedules. Getting ready to leave London tomorrow. Then took a subway to the monument of the 1660 fire, climbed the 311 to the top and saw the London panorama. Then walked to C. Wren’s other achievement, St. Paul’s Cathedral, with second largest dome in the world. Very beautiful, ornate colorful. From there went to the British Museum, had lunch and spent most of the afternoon walking around the museum – quite impressive library, with Magna Carta, etc. Also Egyptian, Roman, etc. Then looked at little at the University of London next door and took a long walk home, including Bond St and its expensive shops. Had dinner at a Wimpy’s, London’s version of a White Castle and went to the open air theater in Regent Park. Saw Midsummer Night’s Dream. Very good.

June 17 – Doug and I left London and spent a week traveling, staying in Exeter, Stratford on Avon, Aberystwyth, Caernavon, Chester and Cambridge. Came back to London on the 23rd.

June 23. We got up early, caught the 9 a.m. train to London, got in about 10 and went right to American Express to get our mail, etc. We then went back to our room and then to the train station to pick up our tickets for Paris. The line was fantastically long and it took close to two hours. Then I set off towards Trafalgar, where there was a big Baptist peace rally (no war in 1962, was there?), and spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the National Gallery of Art there. Came back to the room, joined with Doug, had dinner and got tickets to see Boeing Boeing, a comedy about a man engaged to three airline stewardesses. Sort of funny, but corny. I remember this play – the man had kept the women apart by scheduling being with them according to their flight schedules. Then Boeing jets were introduced, the schedules got compressed, and his balancing act turned into a French-style farce.

June 24. Spent the morning getting things in London cleaned up and out of the room. We then, about 12, walked to Hyde Park Corner to see what anyone had to say – sort of amazing, all these people up on pedestals, lecturing to immense crowds who had flocked around them. Negro supremacists, Jesus savers, disarmers, conservatives, anti-American tattooed man, etc. Got very bored at this side show, met a girl (sure don’t remember her; and I bet she doesn’t remember me) there from New York and spent most of the afternoon walking through Kensington Gardens and seeing a concert there. Did nothing that evening – got train at 10 from Paris; at 12 had to get on this wretched ferry. Spent four miserable hours crossing Dover to Dunkirk.

That’s it for London. But we came back at the end of our trip in late August for a day or two to catch the charter back to Boston, just before classes began. I guess it’s possible that it was on this last leg of the trip that we went to the Szeryng concert. Maybe even saw Mousetrap.