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Newsletter #45 - April 22 - 29, 1960 |
Newsletter #45 April 22-29, 1960 Netherlands, Germany, Denmark Mailed Denmark 5/2/60 Recd. Philadelphia 5/10/60 Greetings: Old Man Weather was very good to us today [April 23] and seemed to smile during the entire Flower Parade which we viewed between Sassenheim and Lisse. We were waiting by the road for two hours before it passed, as the cities and highways were crowded and jammed as the parade continues through three cities and along the main highways. The floats were elegant and done in very tasteful and intricate designs, with flowers, such as tulip, daffodils, hyacinths, amaryllis, frescias and pansies, being used extensively. The theme of the parade was "The Tulip for 400 Years," and they first had four floats which represented four historical events out of each of the four centuries during which the bulb farming has been cultivated in Holland. The remaining 34 floats were of varied titles giving impressions of different countries, as Turkey, to which country the tulip seems to owe its origin; and many were humorous, such as "At First the Bulbs, then Bols" — which is the famous "Gin" of Holland. Each float was attractive and the costumes used were traditional with dignified Hollanders adding to the decor. We certainly are glad we took time out to see this dramatic event. Traffic was terrific after the parade, but we drove to Haarlem again and viewed this city of flowers and then went on to Hoorn, a lovely old village with many ancient and interesting buildings. We also drove to Enkhuizen, a fishing village devoted to the great cultural heritage of the Zuiderzee, where we saw some of the real old time way of life, often only found around the former Zuiderzee. The streets were so narrow in most of this town that you could only walk in them. Our next quaint fishing village was Medemblik, where we especially enjoyed the scenic surroundings as well as the Castle of Radboud. We then continued driving until we reached the famous dyke locks at Den Oever and started across the very magnificent Enclosure Dam, which is a massive 18 mile-long sea dyke which started off the gigantic scheme to drain the Zuiderzee. Along this dyke we stopped at the monument which indicates the point where the dyke was finally closed. This reclamation scheme must really be seen to be fully appreciated; the amount of labor skill and engineering and money which was needed to build this dam, completed in 1932, was enormous. The bulb fields which we saw late this afternoon in the Friesland Area were glorious and here we also saw millions of pansy plants, creeping phlox and primulas being raised for commercial purposes. The farms in Friesland are exceptionally large and very prosperous as well as being extraordinarily delightful and dignified in appearance. Here the traditional headgear of the Friesland women costs hundreds of dollars and they wear satin brocade dresses with aprons of fine linen and lace. We were told the interiors of their homes are quite elegant with beautiful hand-carved furniture and all the furnishings of the finest workmanship. Tonight [April 24] we are staying at a very modern hotel which has been open only to guests for the past four months, and our meal tonight was super-ultra, with the finest of service. Today [April 25] we spent half of our time in Holland and the remainder in Germany. Before leaving Holland we drove to Groningen, a very prosperous and modern city in the Northern Section of the Netherlands. Here we saw the |
Newsletter #45 University, which was founded in 1614 and the school where the students wear different colored caps to denote their course of study. From Groningen we drove to Winschoten, which is the only town in Holland which still contains four windmills. (Two of these were in rather bad condition.) This area is the center of one of the richest agricultural districts in Europe and in this area two towns (Sappemeer and Hoogezand) are peat colonies and the fields look as black as coal. (Perhaps some of the peat moss we use at home may have come from this area.) The last three towns I've mentioned also flourish in shipyards and we saw several ships in different stages of contraction, which was quite interesting to we landlubbers. Since we have completed Holland, I must tell you how much we enjoyed our two weeks traveling over its countryside. Here where everyone owns a bicycle, motor scooter or motor cycle is a countryside more unique than any other we have visited. The Dutch countryside, their homes, their farms and every inch of ground is as neat and clean as human hands can possibly make it and even their cows, pigs, horses and other animals seem better groomed than anywhere else. Today we were even fortunate enough to see two storks nesting on a farmhouse, although it is to be a common sight later in the summer. In this wonderful little country the scene changes with surprising swiftness, for the modern seems to mingle with relics of the past at each thriving town or sleepy-looking little hamlet. I believe I'm safe in saying that in no other place in the world is there such a riot of color as in the thousands of acres planted with tulip and other bulbs in the spring when they are flowering, as it is one of the most magnificent sights you can imagine. To sum up Holland, I would say it is crisp, spanking clean, very hospitable and has charm galore in its land of tulips, canals, windmills, wooden shoes, medieval castles, cheese, flower and fish markets, and its colorful traditional customs and costumes. (Even the language barrier is easier here as many Hollanders speak excellent English and they are quite at home with tourists.) Tonight [April 25] we are in Hamburg, the largest northern city in Germany, which has an important seaport and is a commercial and industrial center. It was one of the most heavily bombed cities during the war, but there has been much rebuilding as you see very few signs of war damage. Before arriving here we visited Oldenburg, Germany, a very old town which was surrounded by gardens and had a lovely 17th Century castle. For miles before and after Oldenburg we enjoyed the picturesque farmhouses and colorful peasantry which was much like the Friesland areas of Holland. We also stopped in Bremen, where we enjoyed the old part of the city with its narrow streets, small houses and ancient walls, which seem to nestle near the Weser River, while the modern harbor and suburbs stretch out in a large radius. Here we saw the old Rathaus (Town Hall) with its beautiful Renaissance facade, also St. Peter's Cathedral and the Roland Monument which is an enormous statue of a medieval knight and considered Bremen's landmark. This city was quite lovely and we should have lingered longer, but we had rain, snow, sleet and hail at different intervals this entire day and we wanted to be in Hamburg for the night. Went shopping in Hamburg this A.M. [April 26] and as usual found a few items of interest to purchase, as this is our last day in Germany. The wind has howled all day and it has been as cold as any day this winter, Meredith is sorry he sent his long underwear to Sweden, as he has really minded the last few days of severe winds and rain. We saw several of Hamburg's quaint old buildings, some fine churches and their many parks and gardens, which are throughout the city. They have several canals in - 2 -
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Newsletter #45 this very old city, which are lined with some very unusual buildings and homes. From Hamburg we drove north about noontime to the cities of Neumunster, Schleswig and Flensburg and then crossed the frontier into Denmark. To summarize Germany, we must admit it is an extremely interesting and beautiful country with ideal roads for driving, fabulous autobahns, which we seldom used as our desire was to see the scenery and attractive out-of-the-way places which are usually bypassed by the autobahn. The scenic highlights of Germany to us were the Bavarian Alps, the Black Forest, the scenic Romantic Road, the castle trip along the Rhine, the Ruhr District and the visit to Berlin, The Germans were very hospitable and accommodations were excellent everywhere, although we are not fond of their feather puffs or sharing tables in restaurants. (Two customs prevalent all over Germany). Tonight we are in a very beautiful hotel whose dining room overlooks Lillebaelt Sound and the island of Fyn. Wish you could have seen the wonderful dinner we had and the exquisite way in which it was garnished and served. Our first course was a lovely fish (head, eyes, fins and all!) with hollandaise sauce, boiled potatoes, fresh tomatoes, etc., then the main course was breaded veal with six vegetables and salad, and our dessert was ice cream with strawberries and luscious whipped cream. (If all our meals in Denmark are of this caliber, I fear my waistline will surely suffer.) We left Kolding this A.M. [April 27] after a meager continental breakfast, which always consists of coffee or tea, bread, butter and Jam, (For two weeks in Holland we had very large breakfasts of eggs, cheese, ham, cold cuts, plus the regular continental fare, but only Holland and England serve this heavy breakfast. The price is high everywhere for breakfast considering the little food you get, except the two countries I've mentioned.) The weather was cold, cloudy and miserable all day but we managed to visit the cities of North Jutland, such as Vejle, a popular resort along one of Denmark's fiords; Horsens, an important city since the middle ages; Aarhus, the capital of Jutland, with a busy seaport and a lovely cathedral; Randers, an ancient town with narrow streets, quaint old homes and lovely parks; Aalborg, with its burgher houses built by the great merchants of the Renaissance, and its castle built in 1539 by King Christian III; and tonight we are in a small fishing village called Nykoobring, which is famous for its oyster beds (it is on the Island of Mors). Today we finished the middle and southern section of Jutland in the same cloudy, miserable weather as yesterday, except we had quite a bit of rain. We visited the cities of this area, such as Holstebro, with its popular old church; Thisted, a popular resort city; Esbjerg, an important port city where we saw many fishing cutters, as well as several ships in construction; Ribe, the oldest town in Denmark, with many half-timbered houses and the town noted for its many storks' nests, which we did not see as they haven't arrived in this area for the summer; Tonder, a quaint city with many old houses and cobblestoned streets; Krusa, the lovely autumn residence of the present King and Queen in the Grasten Castle of a Baroque style which was built in 1759; Sönderborg, the city which is - 3 -
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Newsletter #45 noted for the Sönderborg Castle, an old medieval fortress which is now a museum, and also the Dybböl Mölle, a national memorial with a windmill as part of its memorial; Aabenraa, situated on a fiord in South Jutland and a fishing village; Haderslev, a popular area for sail boating; Christianfeld, a small town founded by a religious group with some quaint homes and back to Kolding, where we saw the ruins of an old castle and returned to the pleasant hotel we enjoyed our first night in Denmark. Again our dinner was excellent and the sky looks clear, so we hope tomorrow will bring us a lovely sunshiny day. Our wishes were not granted, as again we had rain intermittently all day, with dark gloomy skies the rest of the time but we went to the Island of Fyn, where we saw some lovely castles. One castle was near Faaborg and it was a gorgeous one known as Brahetrolleborg and was the home of a renowned family called Reventlows; another castle we saw was the Egeskov Castle, a most beautiful Renaissance style in wonderful condition and with very extensive and extraordinary gardens. We then went to Odense, a city famous because it was the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen and here we saw his home and the museum as well as the Odense Castle, which is now the residence of the mayor of this city. Our next city was Nyborg, an old fortress town where we saw the Danehof Castle and then took a ferry to the Island of Sealand, which took about one hour for the crossing. We landed at Korsor and then drove south to Naestved, a town with many beautiful old houses, as well as the impressive Gothic Church of St, Peters. Tonight [April 28] we are staying in another Nykobing, but this town is on the Island of Falster, while the one we stayed in on Tuesday night was on the Island of Mors. This town is another popular beach area, as it is located on the Guldborg Sound and has several sandy beaches nearby. This morning [April 29] we left Nykobing and drove to Stubbekobing, where we took a ferry to the Island of Mön, as we wanted to visit the unusual chalk cliffs on this island. In order to see these cliffs we had to hike about a mile downhill, mostly by crude steps; reaching the foot of the hill you see the majestic peaks of snow-white chalk which are in many odd formations and at the same time you enjoy the many colors of the Baltic Sea waters — the waves beat against the lower area of these many formations. The climb back to the car was an exhausting one, but also interesting as we enjoyed the many wildflowers during the climb. We next drove to Stege, a town with a very interesting mill tower, and then on to the island of Zealand or Sealand again. (Two ways of spelling this large island.) In the southern part of this lovely island we saw the Goose Tower and then the Gisselfeldt Castle, a remarkable Renaissance- type building constructed in 1547 and later the Bregentved Castle of Rococo style, built in 1891, which has a magnificent old chapel as well as a very beautiful garden-like park with canals, small lakes and remarkable landscaping. Our next place of interest was the Valla Castle of Renaissance style, which was built in 1535 and has been used since 1737 as a home for unmarried ladies of rank. This castle was very gorgeous and in a very good condition, with gardens and lovely grounds surrounding it, and it had many bulb beds arranged in unusual formations. Near this castle was the City of Köge, with many fine old houses in the center of the city, which also had a unique square and a few lovely old churches. From Köge we drove along the coast road to Copenhagen, passing Copenhagen's holiday Riviera with hundreds of summer homes and unusual beaches. - 4 -
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Newsletter #45 Tonight [April 29], the end of another NewsLetter week, finds us in Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmark, the seat of the government and the home of its king. We only know that it is a busy city, as we had a difficult time in the bicycle traffic, which is really terrific and frightening as the cyclists seem to need no kind of rules of the road, but they just seem to keep moving and swerving in front of you at all times. We are staying at the Baltic Hotel, which is a very attractive place and conveniently located. We plan to be in Copenhagen for at least four days, so we will tell you about this popular city next week. We are still feeling very well and except for the bad weather and the extreme cold we are quite happy and just as adventuresome as ever. Until next week, Fondest regards, Meredith & Charlotte P.S.: Today was our sixth successive day of no sunshine and few pictures, so perhaps you can understand our reason for griping about the weather. All winter we have had people tell us "But you should have been here last year, as we had a wonderful winter with balmy days and mild temperatures, the entire season." We appreciate their telling us this, but it does not alter our feelings of disappointment. M & C |