NOVEMBER 4, 1960
Globetrotting Teacher Covers 13 Countries
"During my trip," explained Miss Johnson. "I took seven planes (five of these were jets), two trains, one bus, and nine ships. The food was excellent; sometimes I had as many as five to seven steaks a week. In Italy and Spain, we were served a large plate of spaghetti before being served our main course of steak. I was full before I started."
"In Spain and Italy, no one, including small children, seemed to go to bed before midnight," remarked Miss Johnson. She did not reveal whether they have the late, late movies on TV or not. An explanation of this might be that there is a siesta time from 1 to 4 p.m. every afternoon. Even the stores close.
According to Miss Johnson, English was a required subject in the northern European schools. Many of the people can speak three or four languages. In Sweden and Denmark, they speak English as much as their own language even among themselves.
"It was strange to see everything being done by hand in Spain and Italy, even road building," continued Miss Johnson. "Oxen are used instead of tractors or horses. In Amsterdam, Holland, office girls in high heels go to work on motorcycles. Business men and office girls ride bicycles to work everyday."
"I had breakfast at 9 a.m. in Oslo, Norway, on my return trip," said Miss Johnson. "Then I took a plane to Copenhagen, Denmark, at 10:30. After a two hour wait, I boarded a trans-Atlantic jet for New York. Coming over the Atlantic at 35,000 feet, I ate dinner in New York and then took another jet to Chicago. I arrived at 9:15, all in the same day! It was a glorious feeling to get back even though the trip was very interesting."