Pens Acquired By Travellers

[adamselene]

I was going to post a pic of the Inoxocrom my wife brought from Spain, but I can’t master my tablet.

 

I almost always hunt a little when travelling, and pens memorialize trips.

 

Anyone have some travel acquired pens significant to them?

Edited May 14, 2018 by adamselene

[alfredop]

I used the same method, I have:

- a Nakaya Portable Writer from my last travel in Japan

- A Pelikan M605 dark blue from a visit in Munich

- A Sheaffer Legacy and a Sheaffer Valor from visits to Oxford

- etc. etc.

 

Alfredo

[inkstainedruth]

A few Christmases ago I went into downtown Boston to Bromfield Pen Shop, and came out with a Pilot Metropolitan, a a Clairefontaine notebook (French ruled) and three bottles of ink; then took the T over to Cambridge, and picked up a Miquelius journal at Bob Slate's. And I try to get down to Fountain Pen Hospital at least once a year, when I'm visiting my sister-in-law and her husband (generally, again, at Christmas when we're doing the family thing and hitting the east coast).

And back when I first found my way onto FPN, I snagged a Parker 45 found in the wild at a small antiques mall in "butt-nowhere" northwest PA when my husband and I went on a weekend car trip through the northern counties (no set destination, just basically drove up to US 6 Friday night and continued east until we hit US 220 around dinnertime the next day; got onto I-80, stopped for the night in Lamar, and then in the morning headed south on Rt. 64 to State College, then west-is on US 322 through Clarion.

Not a pen, but a couple of years ago I was in Toronto for a symposium and made a special trip to Wonder Pens and picked up a bottle of one of the Noodler's Canadian exclusives, Blue Upon the Plains of Abraham.

Most of the really long trips were before this hobby, sadly. Who knows what I could have found in, say, Madrid or London.... (The bus tour in London took us past Portobello Road, but not on a day when stuff was actually happening; but then, it also took us to Hampton Court, where we stood on a staircase and looked at some Van Dyck portraits -- but did not get to go *outside* to see the Maze.... ). Ironically, on the second trip to Spain, I took a local bus from where my hotel in the Costa del Sol was into Malaga to find an art store, to get another sketch book (the first one got filled up with quickie oil pastel sketches of the people in the hotel disco) -- but back then I was using my Rapidographs for drawing a lot, too [it was a 1 credit drawing and painting workshop the summer after my freshman year in college; most people took photos and worked from the photos when they got home, but I didn't have a camera back then].

Apparently, the first time I was in Seattle, I was just a few blocks from some pen shop (since closed) but it was late in the day, I was with my in-laws, and we had just come back from Sky View and had an hour's drive north and east back to their house.
Oh wait! I forgot about the second trip out to the Seattle area, where my brother-in-law and his wife took my husband and me to Snohomish -- which has antiques stores on pretty much every block! At the last place I was in, I got a green Snorkel Admiral (I think Pastel Green, not one of the more "exotic" greens).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[fullfederhalter]

I try to combine a little pen hunting on my vacation trips whenever possible or practical. Over the years I have added a vintage Pelikan 60 from a Vienna flea market, a vintage Waterman overlay from Cape May, New Jersey, a Yard-O-Led pencil from Portobello Road, London, and several others from various destinations. Each brings back memories of the trips where they were purchased when they are used.

[Steveg58]

Most of my collections are ballpoints because I always try and get a souvenir pen when I'm travelling. I usually look for a pen that is tasteful and not garish and takes a G2 or other standard cartridge.

My most sentimental is one I purchased from Yarloop Steam Workshop. About six months after I visited the workshops and an irreplaceable collection of patterns, steam engines and heritage organs were all destroyed in a bush fire.

When I am at places with real pen shops I always stop and have a sticky beak and usually a purchase. Next stop is Brisbane in about 4 weeks time.

Edited May 16, 2018 by Steveg58

[77kath]

My latest was in Turkey, where Scrikss are manufactured. Been to Turkey many times, but only recently knew about the pens. Mine are OK writers, but tracking them down and buying them were adventures in persistence and pantomime. The seller threw in three Hero FPs he had to borrow from other shops on the Street of Fountain Pens, which, sadly, used to be longer than it is now. Also got some Califolio inks, which I like partly for the bottles and the names. Got Bosphor and Marmara. Nice memories.

[cherylmarie]

I also bought an Inoxcrom in Spain! There's a nice little stationery shop near las Ramblas in Barcelona, beside an excellent tapas bar. It was an inexpensive pen, but I wanted to have one from Spain.

During the same vacation, I bought a Pelikan cartridge pen in Lisbon. Again, it's nothing really special, but a reminder of a place I loved. I don't think there are any fountain pens manufactured in Portugal, but they are known for their pencils. I also bought some nice notebooks in the same shop.

 

I also had a great time searching at a flea market in Lisbon, but didn't find any pens.

Edited May 16, 2018 by cherylmarie

[ethernautrix]

I have a few of these souvenir pens, not necessarily fountain pens. I have a Ballograf ballpoint in Sweden's colors purchased in Gothenburg 25 years ago. A Pelikan 150 ballpoint (150 or 105, it's a slim ballpoint) purchased in Eindhoven 29 years ago. The Aurora Optima fp bought at Pen Posse at INK in Minneapolis that fine winter weekend less than ten years ago. A Parker Flighter a friend gave to me in Tel Aviv. I still have my first Waterman Laureat (probably 30 years old), which I used on those European trips mentioned. Bought that in San Francisco. Lived there at the time, so... kindv a retro-souvenir.

 

Bought a Sheaffer Autograph from Sarj at the first ever Pen Show Poland. (Smiley.)

 

I have many little (tiny!) trinkets from travels, and I've stopped acquiring those. Instead, I take thousands of photos. I keep a journal to scribble down some memories. The travel pen collection -- that's something I should have started 35 years ago. That would be some collection, mostly of cheap pens probably. Like the plastic Mark Twain cave pen I picked up on a road trip through the mid-west several years ago. (Laughs.)

 

Some of my pens definitely are connected to specific times and places, though, even if I wasn't travelling at the time. (And coffee cups. Definitely using the coffee cups!)

[JotterAddict62]

When I did travel to the Chicagoland Speedway for the NASCAR races [ 2009-2017 ] I would pen hunt on the way on Friday's & a quick

hunt on Saturday before the race. Now that I am not going to any NASCAR races anymore I can do a pen hunt in that area any time of

the year now instead of that weekend of the race. I always came home with a pen every time.

[Stompie]

I was in Madrid and saw a Conklin Crescent on a market stall. I hesitated, walked away and had a cup of coffee then decided to get it, it was only 30 Euros. By time I got back the stall had gone!

 

I did get a Parker 45 in Barcelona though.

Edited May 17, 2018 by Stompie

[tinto]

My only pen acquired when travelling is a Lamy Safari bought at a lovely store at Washington DC

[overwriter]

I bought my first “good” fountain pen in Frankfurt in 2002. It is a Pelikan M250 Broad nib that I still use. There are a lot of places to buy fountain pens there on and around the Ziel and it has become a bit of a habit to at least look around there before I come home.

[dadbar]

A few Christmases ago I went into downtown Boston to Bromfield Pen Shop, and came out with a Pilot Metropolitan, a a Clairefontaine notebook (French ruled) and three bottles of ink; then took the T over to Cambridge, and picked up a Miquelius journal at Bob Slate's. And I try to get down to Fountain Pen Hospital at least once a year, when I'm visiting my sister-in-law and her husband (generally, again, at Christmas when we're doing the family thing and hitting the east coast).

And back when I first found my way onto FPN, I snagged a Parker 45 found in the wild at a small antiques mall in "butt-nowhere" northwest PA when my husband and I went on a weekend car trip through the northern counties (no set destination, just basically drove up to US 6 Friday night and continued east until we hit US 220 around dinnertime the next day; got onto I-80, stopped for the night in Lamar, and then in the morning headed south on Rt. 64 to State College, then west-is on US 322 through Clarion.

Not a pen, but a couple of years ago I was in Toronto for a symposium and made a special trip to Wonder Pens and picked up a bottle of one of the Noodler's Canadian exclusives, Blue Upon the Plains of Abraham.

Most of the really long trips were before this hobby, sadly. Who knows what I could have found in, say, Madrid or London.... (The bus tour in London took us past Portobello Road, but not on a day when stuff was actually happening; but then, it also took us to Hampton Court, where we stood on a staircase and looked at some Van Dyck portraits -- but did not get to go *outside* to see the Maze.... ). Ironically, on the second trip to Spain, I took a local bus from where my hotel in the Costa del Sol was into Malaga to find an art store, to get another sketch book (the first one got filled up with quickie oil pastel sketches of the people in the hotel disco) -- but back then I was using my Rapidographs for drawing a lot, too [it was a 1 credit drawing and painting workshop the summer after my freshman year in college; most people took photos and worked from the photos when they got home, but I didn't have a camera back then].

Apparently, the first time I was in Seattle, I was just a few blocks from some pen shop (since closed) but it was late in the day, I was with my in-laws, and we had just come back from Sky View and had an hour's drive north and east back to their house.

Oh wait! I forgot about the second trip out to the Seattle area, where my brother-in-law and his wife took my husband and me to Snohomish -- which has antiques stores on pretty much every block! At the last place I was in, I got a green Snorkel Admiral (I think Pastel Green, not one of the more "exotic" greens).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Mmmmm Bromfields and Bob Slate...two of my favorite places in town. Take me with you next time!!!!

[da vinci]

I like to try and get a pen when I travel

 

So far:

 

A Nakaya from Tokyo

A Camelin from Shimla in India

A Retro 51 from Washington DC

A couple of Jinhuo's from Beijing

An Oldwin from Paris

Lamy Safari 'Ampelman' from Berlin

 

I am hoping to visit Turkey later this year, and might try and order a pen from Killik Studios (hope the spelling is right) who is a member here.

Edited June 2, 2018 by da vinci

[adamselene]

A few Christmases ago I went into downtown Boston to Bromfield Pen Shop, and came out with a Pilot Metropolitan, a a Clairefontaine notebook (French ruled) and three bottles of ink; then took the T over to Cambridge, and picked up a Miquelius journal at Bob Slate's. And I try to get down to Fountain Pen Hospital at least once a year, when I'm visiting my sister-in-law and her husband (generally, again, at Christmas when we're doing the family thing and hitting the east coast).

And back when I first found my way onto FPN, I snagged a Parker 45 found in the wild at a small antiques mall in "butt-nowhere" northwest PA when my husband and I went on a weekend car trip through the northern counties (no set destination, just basically drove up to US 6 Friday night and continued east until we hit US 220 around dinnertime the next day; got onto I-80, stopped for the night in Lamar, and then in the morning headed south on Rt. 64 to State College, then west-is on US 322 through Clarion.

Not a pen, but a couple of years ago I was in Toronto for a symposium and made a special trip to Wonder Pens and picked up a bottle of one of the Noodler's Canadian exclusives, Blue Upon the Plains of Abraham.

Most of the really long trips were before this hobby, sadly. Who knows what I could have found in, say, Madrid or London.... (The bus tour in London took us past Portobello Road, but not on a day when stuff was actually happening; but then, it also took us to Hampton Court, where we stood on a staircase and looked at some Van Dyck portraits -- but did not get to go *outside* to see the Maze.... ). Ironically, on the second trip to Spain, I took a local bus from where my hotel in the Costa del Sol was into Malaga to find an art store, to get another sketch book (the first one got filled up with quickie oil pastel sketches of the people in the hotel disco) -- but back then I was using my Rapidographs for drawing a lot, too [it was a 1 credit drawing and painting workshop the summer after my freshman year in college; most people took photos and worked from the photos when they got home, but I didn't have a camera back then].

Apparently, the first time I was in Seattle, I was just a few blocks from some pen shop (since closed) but it was late in the day, I was with my in-laws, and we had just come back from Sky View and had an hour's drive north and east back to their house.

Oh wait! I forgot about the second trip out to the Seattle area, where my brother-in-law and his wife took my husband and me to Snohomish -- which has antiques stores on pretty much every block! At the last place I was in, I got a green Snorkel Admiral (I think Pastel Green, not one of the more "exotic" greens).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Edited June 11, 2018 by adamselene

[adamselene]

 

A few Christmases ago I went into downtown Boston to Bromfield Pen Shop, and came out with a Pilot Metropolitan, a a Clairefontaine notebook (French ruled) and three bottles of ink; then took the T over to Cambridge, and picked up a Miquelius journal at Bob Slate's. And I try to get down to Fountain Pen Hospital at least once a year, when I'm visiting my sister-in-law and her husband (generally, again, at Christmas when we're doing the family thing and hitting the east coast).

And back when I first found my way onto FPN, I snagged a Parker 45 found in the wild at a small antiques mall in "butt-nowhere" northwest PA when my husband and I went on a weekend car trip through the northern counties (no set destination, just basically drove up to US 6 Friday night and continued east until we hit US 220 around dinnertime the next day; got onto I-80, stopped for the night in Lamar, and then in the morning headed south on Rt. 64 to State College, then west-is on US 322 through Clarion.

Not a pen, but a couple of years ago I was in Toronto for a symposium and made a special trip to Wonder Pens and picked up a bottle of one of the Noodler's Canadian exclusives, Blue Upon the Plains of Abraham.

Most of the really long trips were before this hobby, sadly. Who knows what I could have found in, say, Madrid or London.... (The bus tour in London took us past Portobello Road, but not on a day when stuff was actually happening; but then, it also took us to Hampton Court, where we stood on a staircase and looked at some Van Dyck portraits -- but did not get to go *outside* to see the Maze.... ). Ironically, on the second trip to Spain, I took a local bus from where my hotel in the Costa del Sol was into Malaga to find an art store, to get another sketch book (the first one got filled up with quickie oil pastel sketches of the people in the hotel disco) -- but back then I was using my Rapidographs for drawing a lot, too [it was a 1 credit drawing and painting workshop the summer after my freshman year in college; most people took photos and worked from the photos when they got home, but I didn't have a camera back then].

Apparently, the first time I was in Seattle, I was just a few blocks from some pen shop (since closed) but it was late in the day, I was with my in-laws, and we had just come back from Sky View and had an hour's drive north and east back to their house.

Oh wait! I forgot about the second trip out to the Seattle area, where my brother-in-law and his wife took my husband and me to Snohomish -- which has antiques stores on pretty much every block! At the last place I was in, I got a green Snorkel Admiral (I think Pastel Green, not one of the more "exotic" greens).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

 

 

​Just celebrated a landmark birthday in Madrid with darling daughter, spent the day very well with INTENSE Goyas, happy Reubens, sidewalk restaurants, great people, amazing Flamenco.. I am a night owl, and Madrid runs on my clock!

But stores closed on Sunday. Will try hunting Monday.

Will go to Valencia next, then drive down coast toward Malaga, but may not get that far.

Was the Seattle store Wordlux? I had been a very happy customer for years, and then found myself in the store after an Alaskan cruise. Got wonderful, friendly, patient attention, super deal on the bracken green Churchill lever filler with great stub.

Sadly, Worldlux is gone.

I am serioulsy thinking of spending some serious time in Madrid!

Cheers, and keep enjoying the hunt, as well as the rest of our "hobby".

My new credo is "go with the flow"

Cheers,

Adam

[sebastel23]

while in florence, got a (new steel nib version) Visconti Van Gogh in self portrait colours.

 

by the way, a Faber-Castell plug converter fits perfectly.

 

cheers,

s.

[alsomama]

My husband gave me my first fountain pen, a Montblanc, about 35 years ago when we lived in Barcelona. We bought it together in the Ciutat Vella. It's a bit worse for wear by now, but it brings back fond memories of wandering the old streets of Barcelona in the carefree days before children.

[Honeybadgers]

When I visit japan, I'm sure as hell bringing about $500 for a pen or two

 

The only "traveling" fountain pen I own apart from the japanese eyedropper my mom dug out of a sunken WWII japanese battleship in the 1970's is a platinum balance my partner's boyfriend brought back for me when he got back from his 3 months in Japan.

[OCArt]

Honeybadger, I'd love to hear how this happened. Is it a story you can tell in public? Thanks

the japanese eyedropper my mom dug out of a sunken WWII japanese battleship in the 1970's