ASIANOVERLAND.NET WINTER EUROPEAN DAY 1/174:   LONDON TO PARIS, FRANCE

The crew start most Top Deck trips from Woking Farm near London, our Top Deck homebase, where we repair, clean and load our Double Decker bus, INTER, for a seven-week winter European trip - 42 years ago, on 12 December,1980.

My overland driver Gary Hayes is back from Kathmandu for our European drive together. The trip takes us back to Istanbul for the third time in six months - on the London to Kathmandu overland from June to August 1980; and the return overland from Kathmandu to London, which finished on 3 December, 1980. The overland brochure is here –

Top Deck Asian Overland Brochure 1979-80 Version 2.pdf

The Trip Book is a concise summary of the first day of this 7 week Winter European, officially known in the Top Deck brochure as “Central Europe & Greece inc. Turkey 7 wks 310 pounds:

https://asianoverland.net/Top%20Deck%20Europe%20Brochure%201981%20page%204.pdf

Yes, that’s 6.30 pounds per day, plus food kitty of 1.70 pounds per day!  Inflation!! Gary Hayes is our driver, I’m the courier again, our Double Decker bus is Inter, and Corrie, Gary and myself are accompanied by 16 punters.

“DAY 1 12/12/80 LONDON – DOVER – CALAIS – PARIS

Went for an adventurous walk down the road Peter, Joy, Pip, Corrie to find bread.

Roger and Vicki nearly left behind at the first pit-piss – stop!!!! (at Moulle).

Regan was awarded the dummy award.

Took him approx 24 hours for him to manage to say the magic words.

In the pub “The Follies pub” Regan finally said -

“DEAD ANTS!!!!!”

Most of us didn’t hear it unfortunately, Those that did, scrambled to the floor much to the amazement of the French eyes looking at us dumbly.

Went to see “The Follies” - great show.

Although all spoken in French.”

The Dummy award, or the Dale Award, is a yellow rubber duckie to be worn around the neck by the punter (or crew) who does the dumbest thing of the day. So, to keep the punters on their toes, we have a quick first loo stop at Moulle near Dunkirk, and leave without two punters, who duly receive the Dale award for the day. This helps to keep the punters on time for departues for the rest of the 7 week trip.

The prize for the holder of the Dale rubber ducky, is to say “Dead Ants!!” anywhere they like, to embarrass the other punters and crew, who must immediately get on their backs, wave around their arms and legs like Dead Ants, and yell Dead Ants!!! As loudly as they can.

This is a culture trip, so we start with the best culture Paris has to offer, The Folies Bergère  a cabaret music hall, located at 32 rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, which was built as an opera house. It opened on 2 May 1869 with light entertainment including operettas, comic opera, popular songs, and gymnastics. It became the Folies Bergère on 13 September 1872, named after nearby rue Bergère. The Folies was at the height of its fame and popularity from the 1890s' Belle Époque through the 1920s.

Folies revues feature extravagant costumes, sets and effects, and often nude or topless women, can can girls, and great fun entertainment cabaret style, with dinner and lots to drink.

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