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Newsletter #27 - December 19-25, 1959 |
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Newsletter #27
12/18-25/59 Mailed Rome, Italy 18-26-59 Received Phila. 1/9/60 Hello again: We know you are all hustling and bustling in the mad Christmas rush at home while we are leisurely looking at more of Spain's artistic treasures. (Don't worry, if we were in York we would be in a dither trying to be ready for the greatest event of the year, also.) This A.M. we viewed the city of Tarragona, which is situated on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean and it still has its famous walls which enclosed the highest part of the city for over twenty five centuries. Many records of its glorious past still stand, such as notable Iberian, Roman and Medieval monuments. The Montblanc Tower in the old walls is still in good condition and the Romanic-Gothic cathedral has some most unusual doorways. We visited the Forum and the Amphitheatre which are very old Roman ruins inside the old walls, also the Roman aqueduct which was several miles from the old city walls. Nature has well endowed this city with beaches and in fact many other small towns along the coast on the way to Barcelona, as the entire trip from Tarragona to Barcelona is one continuous succession of beautiful sandy beaches occasionally broken for a short distance by rocks which beautify it. Unfortunately, we drove along this lovely section on a cloudy day, but even though it was a poor day for photography we could still enjoy its beauty visually. We arrived in Barcelona about noon today [December 19] and by this time we had a bit of sun, so we immediately made use of it and drove to many of the important impressive buildings and remnants of its Roman days. Some of the many old parts we viewed were the old walls which have been restored, the Arch of Triumph, the Pueblo Espanol, the Santa Ana Cathedral, the Medieval Cathedral, the Monastery, the Grand Opera and the Columbus Monument. These were all interesting Jewels of other centuries, but their newer structures such as their Museum of Modern Arts, the Palaeo Moya, the Montjuich Park with its striking fountains and floral motifs, the Church of the Sagrada Familia, a modern edifice of striking originality, the Bull Fight Arena, and University buildings, the Municipal Sports Palace and the Museum of Fine Arts are only a few of the modern architectural beauties of this fine city. We had a very little trouble finding our way about this lovely Barcelona as it is beautifully laid out and to me even more impressive than Madrid. Today [December 20] we taxied to the Up lines Terminal to fly to the largest Balearic Island, which lies off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean and is known as Majorca. (We left our Little Princess in a garage until Tuesday so she can have her 3,000 mile check-up and a good bath, we know he will enjoy a roof over her head three nights for a change.) Our flight to Palma, the capital city, took us less than 45 minutes and as soon as we were organized at our hotel we roamed about the city. This harbor city is located behind a broad and magnificent bay and its superb gold-toned cathedral which rises above the pastel-tinted homes can be seen no matter where you stroll in Palma. Palma really has a splendid harbor, some very nice shops, modern and old quaint hotels, and the whole town has a rather old world atmosphere. |
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Newsletter #27
Today [December 21] we left right after 9 o'clock for a tour of part of this wonderful Majorca Island. On this trip we saw all types of changes, from rugged mountains to peaceful fjords. Our director and guide pointed out some olive trees which are centuries old, with gnarled, grotesque, unshapely trunks. We also saw almond groves which are ready to burst into blossoms during January and early February. We viewed several lordly estates, with entrances of avenues of magnificent trees and we visited 2 of these estates. Our driver climbed steep hills and cliffs which were towering over the sea and were of such heights they made you feel dizzy and we passed through forests off pine and later we'd see the pure white sands of lovely beaches. They sure have scenery on this island which would suit any mood, as you have mountains, beaches, valleys and transparent water around the coast where you can see the bottom often several fathoms deep, which makes it even an interesting place for skin divers or underwater fishing enthusiasts. During our tour we spent two hours at the Royal Carthusian Monastery where Chopin spent, some time writing nocturnes one winter, while George Sana, a lady writer, kept house for him and while she also did some writing. Here we also enjoyed an exhibition of some Majorcan folk dancing which was very well done. We later visited the Miramar Coast, San Marroig and the harbor and town of Soller, which is at the foot of a very high mountain. Our tour brought us back to our hotel at 6:30, which certainly made a long day of sightseeing. [December 22] After 2-1/2 hours of delay in our flight we eventually safely returned to Barcelona, picked up the Little Princess, and started on our way to Perpignan, which means we are in France once more after a pleasant three weeks in Spain with delightful Spaniards who were unfailingly courteous to us. (We surely would love to return to both Portugal and Spain during warmer weather.) We arrived at Perpignon in time to see much lively Christmas shopping with traffic really tied up because of the narrow, winding streets of this ancient town. Our hotel is right, across from a l4th Century brick fortress called the Castillet and we also saw the old Gothic Cathedral of St. Jean; these two seem to be the dominating features of this place. We are trying to reach Marseilles earlier than scheduled so we do not have to stay there three days waiting for mail on Monday. Left this busy city of France quite early as we wanted to see Arles, which is one of the most celebrated art cities in France. Arles is a very old city and also stamped with Roman and medieval history. Here we saw the Roman Amphitheatre which seems to be beautified by a small municipal park and we drove on Arles narrow, winding streets. This city seems to have very little in the way of now buildings as compared with many other French towns of a similar size. [December 23] Marseilles was only a 2 hour drive from Arles and you pass through much flat swamp area with very little to see except now after row of vineyards. As we began to see Marseilles we noticed that it seems to be enclosed by hills of gray rocks, which were rather unique. Marseilles was founded by Phoenician sailors in 600 B.C. and is France's oldest city and her chief port. Most of the old part of the city was destroyed in World War XI and the city is now a rather modern, busy metropolis. We spent some time walking about the harbor which seems to be the hub of the city and we were in time to collect a terrific batch of mail. We returned to our hotel with our mail and spent at least 2-1/2 hours reading our letters and Christmas Greetings. We certainly want to - 2 -
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Newsletter #27
thank you one and all for the lovely remembrances. I certainly hate to be personal in my newsletters, but I must mention to the members of Garden Club and to their originator Ann Gray that the lengthy Roman scroll was just exquisite and the messages all made me feel really important; I certainly shall keep it and cherish it, as it is so uniquely done, I must also thank the members of Class #9 of Christ Lutheran Sunday School (my class) for their beautiful remembrance and the cards and letters which individuals sent. Another special thanks to Betty Homback for her lengthy letter from Jamaica at Montego Bay, it surely brought back memories of a similar trip we had there about 7 or 8 years ago. The other special thank you's I must do personally or this letter will get too lengthy. As I have stated before, Meredith and I would love to answer each letter individually but time and cost of postage prevent this, so please do not feel slighted if we have not written to some of you. [December 24] Tonight (Christmas Eve) we are in Cannes, the most luxurious resort on the French Riviera. We walked the Christmas-lighted streets and were down by the harbor where all the ships are decorated with hundreds of lights and many ships have their lights forming a Christmas tree. I fixed a small tree in our bedroom tonight which I collected at noon while parked to eat our lunch along the lovely Mediterranean. Our Christmas tree has 5 red and 4 yellow balls upon it, we will take it with us tomorrow. In our hotel dining room tonight we had an 8 foot decorated pine tree, which was decorated beautifully, and we'll see this same tree at breakfast and feel almost as good as at home. For the past hour I've been enjoying excellent Christmas music from the lobby downstairs, but I did miss not having the fun and trouble of getting ready to entertain my family as we have done at our house the past few years. We also will miss Christmas Eve church services, as it is 10:30 and Meredith has been sound asleep for half an hour already. To be truthful I am not even certain they have Christmas Eve services at churches in France. We surely will miss our dinner with Uncle Charles, Aunt Carrye, Aunt Mary, Aunt Bertha, Rose and Dad Neiman as we've been entertained by them for many, many Christmases in the past, but we hope next year we will be back in the fold. Guess sometimes my newsletters sound as though I'm a wee bit homesick, but I'm really not exactly homesick but weary of traveling, trying to wash and dry our clothes and keep clean, etc. Don't feel I am not grateful for this grand trip, as I am enjoying it immensely, but tired of this routine. In Meredith's case it is different, he is relaxed and enjoying every second of his vacation and already figuring how long we must save to take a similar trip in the future. I'm afraid he'll have to find another traveling companion if he wants another year's trip, since from now on my jaunts will be taken in small doses. Neglected to tell you about our exceptionally beautiful drive from Marseilles to Cannes along the famous French Riviera. It was our second gorgeous day in December and the colors of the waters of the Mediterranean are indescribable as they are all the shades of blue and green you can Imagine. We passed simply miles of glorious stretches of fashionable and magnificent beaches with luxurious hotels and accommodations and coves and inlets, rocks and formations of superb beauty. We - 3 -
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Newsletter #27
thought the Spanish Riviera known as Costa Bravo was lovely (we only saw a short stretch of these beaches), but we believe the French is more unusual and inviting. Several miles from Cannes we began to see the snow-capped mountains which form a splendid background for this attractive city and resort. In 15 minutes I can waken Meredith and wish him a Merry Christmas but I cannot wait the other 5 hours to wish a Merry Christmas to all of you as in York it is only 7 o'clock while here it is midnight. [December 25] Tonight we are in Monte Carlo in Monaco and we've already been to the famous gambling casino where we did not take any chances and our only costs were admission ($1.00 to go in and $2.00 admission if you wish to gamble). Since I'm a poor loser, I was glad to take the cheaper ticket and besides I would never gamble on Christ's Birthday.) This Casino is open every day of the year and now I can see why Prince Rainier and Princess Grace can live so high with charging admission and having souvenir shops, etc. only a few yards from their Palace door — and they were all open Christmas Day. We were quite surprised to see so many stores and shops doing business today and even the flower markets and outdoor fruit stands were open. Many people went to church this morning, but I rather doubt if they have Christmas Eve services. I'd say our Christmas is celebrated much more impressively than here In France. After our drive about Cannes today, we went north to a city called Grasse which is considered the capital of the French perfume industry. It is a quaint small town built on the slope of Mt. Roquevignon and nestled about a 13th Century cathedral, which is usually true of most of these small towns as the homes are usually snuggled so close to their city's cathedral it is difficult to photograph it in its entirety. We arrived here in Monaco about 2 P.M. and have a nice pleasant hotel room. This is only a small independent principality which is ruled by Prince Rainier III and it surely is crowded with tourists. It has a very beautiful setting near the southeast corner of France on the Riviera where the flowers, palm trees, pines, magnolias and various flora make wonderful scenery. The Casino we visited is world famous and is in an enormous building which is quite ornate as it is marbled and mirrored with crystal chandeliers everywhere you turn. It is a yachtsman's paradise and their lovely harbor has some simply beautiful yachts moored there now. They also have a magnificent stretch of beach along the Mediterranean. Was so anxious to tell you about Monaco that I forgot to tell you about the largest Riviera resort of Nice, which was very elegant, spectacular, and crowded. They have a very outstanding promenade similar to the Atlantic City Boardwalk and we thought it was quite crowded. The older part of Nice has some picturesque streets and old houses, while the newer section of Nice is similar to Miami Beach with miles of large luxurious hotels. We also enjoyed Cagnes, a small town which was made famous by the painter Renoir, which has an old castle above the town and it is surrounded by streets and houses. Hope your Christmas Day weather in York was as delightful as here in France; we had glorious sunshine all day, which we made excellent use of as far as photography is concerned. Monaco is noted forits mild weather - 4 -
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Newsletter #27
but it is quite cool here tonight and we are glad for our heated room in more ways than one — the heat helps to dry our wash. Received my mother's letter saying she left for Florida on the 20th and we surely hope she has a very nice vacation and good weather. Again it is time to end this week's review as December 26th will start another newsweek and I guess our next few weeks will be about Italy as we are only several miles from the Italian Riviera tonight. Love and our Happy New Year wishes to you all, Meredith and Charlotte |