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Newsletter #34 - February 5-12, 1960 |
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NEWSLETTER NO. 34
February 5 - February 12, 1960 GERMANY Rec'd In Wilm. Del. Feb. 25, 1960 Hello to all: Tonight [February 5] we are all ready for our featherbed-puff, which Is similar to a comfort in the U. S. Germany has no double beds and often no top sheet. The Germans use these mountainous featherpuffs instead (the featherpuff is covered with a sheet). Sometimes this slips off during the night and I must fumble for it on the floor. Germany is certainly a clean, neat country and their food is wonderful. Our drive through the mountain country of the Black Forests was "chuck" full of worthwhile sights and most interesting scenes. The pine trees are lovely and very green, even on these cold, wintry days. Many of the men who live in this area make intricate cuckoo clocks and music boxes. When we awoke this morning [February 6] we found the mountain countryside covered with several inches of snow. The weight of the snow on the branches of the stately pines caused the trees to bend very gracefully and was a gorgeous sight. We decided to end our journey through the Black Forest as it is quite mountainous and the continuing heavy flaked snow would make our driving quite hazardous. We drove toward the west and were soon in Strasbourg. Strasbourg is in the Alsace section of France. From here we drove on into Nancy - a large city in the Lorraine area - where we saw an Arch of Triumph and the Ducal Palace which now houses the impressive collections of the Museum of Lorraine. We drove on to Metz - an important city during Roman times under Charlemagne - and here we saw the Cathedral St. Etienne of ochre colored stone. The cathedral contained many lovely stained glass windows and the remains of the Roman aqueduct and the Palace of Justice. Our next city was Verdun and we are staying here tonight in a quiet hotel at the edge of the city. Verdun is a warrior town, both by its location and its long history. The most famous memory of this city is from World War I when its gallant resistance to a long and cruel siege in 1916 saved Paris. This morning [February 7] before leaving Verdun we drove about the city to see its several monuments and churches. We then drove through a village called L'Epine which had a very beautiful cathedral and Meredith made sure to obtain a photograph of it which we hope will turn out to show its beauty. Our next important place was Chalons and then Reims, which is located in the heart of vineyards and known as Champagne country. Reims was heavily damaged in both world wars and thus we saw almost a new city of wide streets and modern buildings, We visited the Cathedral of Notre Dame or Reims Cathedral. This is one of the greatest of Gothic churches and a marvel of harmony |
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and proportion. The front of the church has three pointed portals and an enormous rose window which is superb when you see it from the inside toward the light. The other stained glass windows are equally lovely and when we went inside services were being held to a tremendous audience. In fact, this was the largest Roman Catholic service we've seen since on this trip. Today we also drove miles on back roads to see several American National Cemeteries and monuments which were really very impressive. We went to Aisne-Maine near Belleau, Chateau Thierry - a monument on a hill above the city of Chateau Thierry - and Oise Aisne whose quiet beauty and reverence was outstanding. Our last stop for today was Paris and here we are once more in a bustling city which is so different in which to drive because most of the streets change names every few blocks and the city is so full of circles where five or six streets radiate into all directions. We usually choose the wrong street and must drive out of our way because of the very heavy traffic. Our first day in Paris in February was quite busy as we verified our boat trip home, made arrangements for our "Little Princess" and have made plane reservations to fly the car and ourselves from Calais to England on February 26th and our return flight for March 27th, This will give us a full month in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. We sail home on June 7th on the "Kungsholm" of the Swedish American Lines and leave from Gothenburg, Sweden. Today, February 9th, was a very sad and unlucky day for us as we had Meredith's camera case stolen from the car containing at least $1,000 worth of lenses, extra cartridges, films, filters and supplies. We can't figure how they opened the window and got in because it happened within fifty or sixty minutes while we were in our hotel room from about one to two o'clock in the afternoon. We seldom leave the camera case in the car and have rented garages for the past two months to eliminate the possibility of things being stolen. Now, wouldn't you know it? It happened in broad daylight - on a busy street. Now we have a camera, but no extra-wide angle or telephoto lens. We spent the remainder of the day making out insurance forms and trying to report it to the police. However, when you don't know the language of each country, you are really at a loss. Meredith must get an interpreter to go with him to the police again tomorrow as they were very rude and nasty today. These Europeans are only anxious for the American dollar and most of the French do not like or treat Americans too well --- regardless of what the newspapers tell you. Tonight [February 10] we are in Bastogne, Belgium, after a foggy trip through many sections of France which Meredith had seen when he was in Europe during 1943-44 and part of 1945. We saw areas of the French Maginot Defense Line and went through many villages which were greatly damaged. However, they are now rebuilt and are reminiscent of many of our modern towns in the U. S. The towns of Neufchateau in Belgium and Bastogne are very interesting, but |
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practically one-third rebuilt because of war damage. This was the area of the Battle of the Bulge where so many of our fine American soldiers sacrificed their lives during December and January of 1944 and 1945. We visited a monument built by the Belgian Government in honor of our American soldiers. This monument is in the shape of a star and is quite impressive. The natives of Bastogne have a great respect for our help to them during the war. This we learned through several villagers to whom we spoke and held conversations. This morning [February 11] we left Belgium again and drove into the small country of Luxembourg, which is known as the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. This country has as its ruler the Grand Duchess, Charlotte, who has ruled since 1919. This country which measures 62 miles by 37 miles is very picturesque and has a varied landscape. You can see the beautiful Moselle Valley with its vineyards and wine centers. Then, in another few miles, you are driving in the Our Valley and the Ardennes where you see the charming little town of Clervaux which is crowned by a hill on which rises the imposing medieval castle of the Counts of Clervaux. Here also you see the immense Chapel of Notre Dame and the Abbey of St. Maurice. As you motor south from Chervaux, you see the quaint town of Wiltz and its charming castle and then on to Diekirch - a town on the banks of the Sure River - and a most scenic area. Still further south you arrive at the capital city called Luxembourg City, which was once a formidable fortress and where you can still see the city perched high on huge rocks. A viaduct connects the modern section of the city near the railroad terminal with the center of the city which is built on rocks. In the inner part of the upper town, you see the Grand Ducal Palace, a Spanish Renaissance building, which is very ancient and originally built in 1580, but has been entirely renovated. We also saw the Cathedral of Notre Dame here and the Quirinus Chapel. We went to a small village called Hamm where we saw another lovely U. S. Military Cemetery which is surrounded by pine trees on three sides. We are spending tonight in Luxembourg City, which we feel is a most distinctive and unusual place. When we awoke this morning [February 12], we found the city of Luxembourg blanketed in lovely white snow which made driving a little hazardous. We drove to Thionville, France - another place Meredith spent time during 1944. He says this town has changed considerably since his original visit here. We then drove into Germany and through Trier, the oldest town in Germany, which is in the lovely Moselle Valley and the wine center. We later arrived at Bingen on the Rhine - a lovely wine town at the junction of the Nahe and the Rhine rivers. Our drive today took us up and down and in and out of many mountain roads similar to the Black Forest area. Driving was very difficult as the snow of a few inches last night must have been general so the roads were slippery and especially dangerous because of the many hairpin curves. We next drove through the city of Mainz and then into Wiesbaden. In Wiesbaden we went to dinner with Roy and Bernie Roome, a sorority sister of mine and her husband. They took us to an American Club where we had wonderful food and a grand evening together. It is |
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now quite late as we had a big evening out- Since this is the end of another newsletter week, I better sign off and get a little "shuteye". We're still feeling wonderful, but having another siege of bad weather. This entire week was cloudy or foggy every day with intermittent showers and snowfalls. Tomorrow [February 13] we plan to sleep late and rest for a day in Wiesbaden. Until next week we'll say "Auf Wiedersehen" and hope everyone in York is fine. Fondly,
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