Visual Entertainment from Near and Far
June 1973 Madrid
Dear Mother
We had a lovely dinner last night and then watched Flamenco dancers until the wee hrs. Today we spent several hours in the D’El Prado (like the Louvre) and Kathy ran into 3 kids from her school – one her roommate for next year!! We’re going by train tomorrow to Lisbon, Portugal to be on the beach for a week.
Love, Dede
The postcard is of the Christ of the Lanterns located at the Plaza de los Capuchinos in Cordoba, Spain. It was created in 1794 by Juan Navarro Leon.
June 8, 1973 San Rafael
Dear Mother
Another beautiful day here – blue sky, warm sun, blue Mediterranean. Everyone “beached” yesterday and all have a bit of sunburn but not too much. Everybody is okay and relaxed. K bought a new bikini yesterday. Wish you were here!
Love, Dede
June 1982 (Den Haag)
Hi
K. Leaves this aft. We went to Enkhuizen to see the boats and across the dam yesterday, toured Rotterdam Harbor Sat., took the Elsmeer-Vollendam- Marken tour on Wed. It was HOT. Now I must get the apt & myself organized to leave Sun. Bill will stay the week in Minn. Thanks for Tom’s nice announcement. Will give congrats later. Hope all went well. The wedding sounded nice. Hope to be talking to you soon.
Love, Va
This postcard is of an art museum in Paris – the Georges Pompidou. When we first saw it we thought it was a very ugly thing. It had a big open area in front of it where all kinds of street performers were doing their thing, breathing fire and dancing around. It turned out to be an amazing space with wonderful art – contemporary and modern. It has all it ‘guts’ on the outside so it makes it possible to have large open spaces. It opened in 1977 and I think I must have been there a few years after that.
January 1967
Saludos de Espana
Estuve aqui con Bob y su unica hoy. Este lugar es muy similar de Taxco pero con mas pinturas – por ejemplo del Greco y Goya y otros.
Con mucho amor, Bill
May 1981
Hi
Arrived ok, took an hour’s bus ride from Belgrade to this nice little city on the Danube. I have been enjoying the meetings, as well as a tour of the Agric. Fair which was very impressive and we walk everywhere, at least, my feet are holding up so far. Tomorrow we’ll go to a farm, slaughterhouse, dairy, et. More walking. Many ministers of Ag. here so security is tight. All very intersting.
Love, Va
July 1995
Greetings
You should be here – There is still snow – even down at our level – but melting and mountains are striped with silvery streams and waterfalls! Lovely. Ours was first boat trip to have sunshine this summer – brought it from Florida.
Aloha, Katherine
View of Fjaerland, Sogn. Towards Jostedal glacier. Norway’s largest, 488 sq. miles.
May 1982
Hi
Happy May Day. It is cold and rainy. This statue is just unbelievably beautiful, done when Michelangelo was 26 yrs old!! This little city is lovely with such pretty bldgs with nice little windows. We did 4 churches, the city hall and lace factory yesterday. Will do a canal trip in the cold today.
Love, Va
Michelangelo did the Pieta, below, two years earlier (at 24 years old). Here, Mary is with the 33 year old Jesus. It is very similar, she is very similar.
The one in Bruges was the first work of his to leave Italy during his lifetime. Wealthy merchants bought it for 4,000 florins (not sure what that means but I’m guessing it’s a lot). The sculpture left Belgium twice after that. The first time it was sent to France in 1794, during the French Revolutionary Wars but was returned after Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo in 1815. The second was in 1944, when German soldiers smuggled it out in a Red Cross truck. It was discovered in Austria a year later and returned.
Below is a postcard of the Church of Our Lady in Bruges where the Virgin of the Infant Jesus can be found.
August 2000
Hi
We are having a great time in Lugano. We ended up coming early and spending 4 days here. We have been out on the lake and up several mountains. It’s off to TASIS today to celebrate Mama Flemming’s 90th birthday!
Love, K
May 1974
Hi
Be considered the first person I have written to! Paris is weird, especially with my family! Have to write you a really long letter (maybe tomorrow). Remember I’ll try to write as often as I can. My sister said “so you think Paris is weird” (she is sitting across from me at dinner. The last week of school is a complete blur. I can’t wait to get home. What a thrill! How was Vienna, etc? On Thurs. I’m going to London – Jeremy, Betsy and Jane! Ha! Saw Steve H under the Eiffel Tower!
Love, Dan
January 1991
Hi
We are at the Sheraton Airport Hotel and have just checked out for our flight to Nairobi with direct connection (we hope) to Lilongue (Malawi). Our flight out of Minneapolis was cancelled on Tuesday so we just got here this am. We are rested and all is well.
Love B & V
Postcard Buzz 