My first voyage ‘round the world, part 3

Just fifty years ago was also a Saturday like today, and my brother Gaston drove me in his Peugeot 204 from Montriond, my home town, to Megeve, France, where I was to meet the fellow Jean-Pierre Chatellard, that would be my room-mate for the next four months and began our journey to Genoa, Italy. 

One of his friends, by the name of Pellissier, I think, himself a ski instructor in Whistler, had offered to drive us south, in his van, taking the crate contained the ski gear needed for us and our teammates flying to Australia. I don’t remember too many details as my mind was too blindly focused on the adventure that awaited us all. 

We got to Genoa harbor in time for checking-in into our ship, the Galileo Galilei, a 28,000 ton ocean liner from the Lloyd Triestino Line, able to carry 1,750 immigrants, including some first-class passengers to Australia, after crisscrossing the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans. 

While the ship was big and impressive for the times, we were far too cool to be impressed. After saying good bye to our ride, we took possession of our cabin and while we were doing that, heard that a strike from the entire crew of the ship was up in the air...