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| Wellingborough Grammar School Trip to Radfeld-Rattenberg, Austria August 11th to 22nd 1971 (Click on images to enlarge, use Back button to return)
Copyright: Please do not post any images from this website on social media or elsewhere Contact: schoolplays@hotmail.com Narration: Phil Smart |
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| Messrs Parish, Cox, Longstaff, Hanson and Locke. Photos taken by Phil Smart. (Complete with Pez dispensers)   Radfeld |
Rattenberg |
    The Itinerary (part 1)
| We travelled on my 16th birthday - in Europe you were allowed to drink alcohol at 16. Say no more. Diary: "After getting off the train we found our 2 coaches a little way up the road. On arrival Mr Cheale told us which rooms we were in. Our group (4) was in one room. 5 of us. We had 2 bunk beds [and presumably a single]. I was on top of one of these. They creaked like hell but we jammed some wood in between the bed and the wall." "Our group; Lane, Campbell, Longstaff, Allen and me stayed together for the first few days but after that Longstaff and I went around with Tim Locke, Pete Hanson and Jug Cox."     A pack of Smart cigarettes that I couldn't resist buying in Austria for obvious reasons. I had every intention of keeping the pack unopened as a souvenir but on a couple of occasions later in the 70s I ran out and had to raid this pack. I guess that it's surprising that even these have survived. I gave up in 1986. The matches came from various bars. |     The Itinerary (part 2) |       Friday 13th August  Diary: "7.00am Were woken up by Dickinson. 8.00am Breakfast. We waited outside the hotel but the coach was delayed and didn't arrive until 10.30. We then went through the Zimmer and Gerlos passes to Krimml - 1250' with three leaps. 6.30pm arrived back. Changed and had dinner. After Dinner we went to Rattenberg to see what was on at the pictures. We walked to a bowling alley and had a beer. Longstaff + Allen and me then went back to the hotel and played poker dice and had some drinks. 10.35pm HAW told us to go to bed. 10.40pm Bed" |  Saturday 14th August |
Innsbruck Diary: "We went on the train to Innsbruck and went from café to café because it was so hot. We got a late night pass and stayed at the bowling alley all evening."    Sunday 15th August |
Sonnwendjoch chairlift     Diary: "After lunch all the party went up in the chairlift at Kramsach. Someone was scared stiff so we came down with Poppet and Ivor earlier when there was no-one else on the lift. We arrived at the bottom just as it started to pour with rain. Just as that person got off, lightning struck and there was a terrific bang at the bottom. They stopped the chairlift and the rest of the party could not get down until 1 hour later. We walked back to the hotel.
| After dinner we went to the Arsole café with Tim's group and had a late night pass until 11.00pm" [See explantion of "arsole café" further down this page]     The Itinerary (part 3)
| Diary (Tuesday 17th August): "This is our day off so we decided to go with Tim to Kufstein for the day. 09.14am caught the train to Kufstein. Longstaff lost his wallet on the train and we wasted all morning looking for it. We went to the police station. Lunch + bottle of wine on a seat by the river. 5.08pm Train back to Rattenberg.
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| In the evening we walked around and ended up back at the posh hotel. Longstaff (Phil) nearly choked himself to death. Afterwards we went into another hotel next to the Arsole. We went back to the hotel and drank a whole bottle of Martini between 6. 10.45pm bed."
|  Tim Locke bought this Kraftwerk album whilst we were in Austria. Apparently he didn't quite have enough money to pay for it and had to be bailed out. It is now in my possession but is a bit worse for wear. Much played over the years. One track provides the soundtrack for the film (see below).
|   Wednesday 18th August |
Saltzberg   
| Diary: "7.30am We left for Berchtesgarden where we went down a salt mine. We went on 2 slides and round a salt mine on a small train. We then went on the coach to Saltzberg. We had packed lunch on the coach. Free time 1 - 3.30. Tim, Phil and I met 3 girls at the fountain. Fair haired one asked me for a light. Unfortunately we had to go. After dinner, Pete and Jug and me went to the cafe on the station and talked to a French bloke. 8.45pm Met Tim + Phil and went to posh hotel. 10.30pm Picked up Parish from Arsole. Pete and I walked to cig machine down the road. Ivor stoned. 11.30pm bed." |
|     Diary (Thursday 19th August) : "9.14am Took train to Wargl and Kitzbühel. We went straight up in the cable car to the top. We got some fish and chips at the top and drinks. 1.20pm Came down again. Pete and me went swimming in a lake while the others went around town. We only just got back to the train in time. After dinner we went to the bowling alley and posh hotel."
| Diary: (Friday 20th August) "6.45am We started off in the coaches for Cortina in Italy. We stopped on the way at Misurina (Italy) for 1/2 hour and then we went to Cortina and stayed for 1 hour. Wrote diary on coach back. 7.00pm Dinner. In the evening we went to the posh hotel and had plenty to drink. 11.00pm bed."  Diary: (Saturday 21st August) "After breakfast we went into town and bought some glassware. Returned to hotel. Started to pack, cleared most rooms. After lunch we hung around and took some film and photos of the waitresses etc. 6.00pm Dinner. After dinner we checked out and went in the coach to Kufstein. Train Kufstein to Koln. We bought a bottle of Martini at Kufstein and 4 of us drank it on the way back. I got some sleep."
|         Unfortunately I managed to somehow spoil the black and white film when I developed it. The film probably came off of the developing tank spool. Back then I didn't bother to print any of these photos and was very surprised when I came across the film recently. I think that despite the poor quality they are worth seeing now as they do evoke the atmosphere of the day. The right hand colour photo is a screen grab from the film (see below).
|  A couple of letters that I received; left from my Mum and right from my girlfriend (who was French).
|   We all stayed at the Gasthof Kaiserblick. The hotel was sold years ago when the old landlady, Mrs. Hilda Auer, who died in 2020, retired. Mr. Josef Auer, her son, is the current Mayor of Radfeld (correct as of December 2020). | The photos below show what it's like now: 
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|   Pages from my notebook showing the hotel address, exchange rates and cost of items bought, including the Pez dispenser. My Dad has also written the address of Dr. Herbert Funck, co-founder of Doc Martens boots, in case we stopped in Munich. |
  So... the "Arsole" café - This should be spelled "Arsehole" obviously and if I recall correctly it was the nickname that we gave to our favourite café/bar due to the vaulted ceiling being shaped like a bum (in our twisted juvenile minds anyway). | The thing is, was it the Gasthof Post? I am reliably informed that below is what used to be the Gasthof Post:  
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Click above for the YouTube film
|  2017 "Class of 67" Reunion L-R: Phil Longstaff, Phil Smart, Tony Parish and Pete Hanson. Tim Locke sadly passed away in 2010.
| Most of the material is from Phil Smart's archive with some items from Mr Cheale's scrapbook.
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