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Mom’s Tour de France 20 (FGK 111)

December 1960

Hi:

We are now in a youth hostel in Salzburg. There are also four other Canadian girls who are driving through Europe for the winter and staying here. The is place seems like sheer luxury because the one we were in at Neuchatel didn’t have any heat. This one has a lovely little stove right by my bed.

It has been snowing here all day so we haven’t had much of an opportunity to see the scenery which is supposed to be lovely. We are trying to economize because we stayed at a hotel in Munich and they charged us far more than we thought they would – not a very nice surprise.

We have been having all sorts of adventures. We are constantly lost in the cities and usually end up going the wrong way on a one way street. The policemen have been very patient and nice (mainly because we couldn’t understand them). People have helped us out on the street and in the stores. Every time we hit a new town we head like homing pigeons to the nearest Shell Station, which has maps of the city. We now know the German terms for left, right, etc.

The weather hasn’t been nice enough to take any pictures. I was foolish enough to put slides in my camera instead of black and white. I was so enthusiastic over the results of the ones I took in Rome that I got carried away.

(The next night)

I did some shopping today and spent my spare money. Austria is as bad as Italy, it is a terrible temptation to pass a store.

I wandered around some of the mountain villages this morning. They still use horses on many of the farms. It looks very Christmassy to see them pulling sleds full of firewood.

If people have sent me letters etc but haven’t heard from me, tell them not to worry, because we left on December 17th and won’t pick up our mail until the 9th of January. It will be nice to have that pile waiting for me!

I also haven’t mailed all my Xmas cards yet – so some of them will be New Years! I usually cannot get very much writing done while we are travelling. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. I’ll be thinking about you then – in Venice I think. From what we hear, it is going to be a white Christmas which is something new for the kids from California.

I’ll try to write again soon

Love

Margi

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Mom’s Tour de France 19 (FGK 110)

I continue to be impressed with the kindness shown by the people mom encountered on her travels. Was it a safer, kinder time? Was she just incredibly lucky (her guardian angels always worked overtime)? Whatever the case, she encountered some pretty remarkable people.

Part two

Pat and I remembered a marvellous restaurant there which served excellent meals for about 60 cents. We spent 3/4 of an hour searching for the youth hostel where we could stay for 50 cents (I’m sure we burned up more gas looking for it) and finally discovered it beyond the railroad track which we had been crossing all the time. It was a charming and picturesque little building, lacking only one thing – a stove. There was only one other person staying there and the lady was quite shocked to see so many people descending on her this time of the year. I don’t think any of us took very many clothes off that night and we were very speedy in getting out to the nice warm car the next morning. The drive through Switzerland was very pleasant in the morning when we could see the sun shining on the snowy mountains and the little villages which looked like Christmas cards but it clouded over in the afternoon so we were unable to see much of the Alps. We got lost at one point so we decided to stop and have a bowl of soup for lunch at a charming little hotel which was along the road while we found out where we were. It was a warm friendly little dining room with several people in there gossiping over cups of tea and glasses of wine. We were somewhat of an oddity and got several curious stares while eating. As we were leaving a man and his wife asked if they could buy us a cup of coffee. They were so very nice we couldn’t refuse and sat down again. No one spoke either French or English so we stammered out our few phrases of German and hoped that our smiles and nods conveyed some of our appreciation for this gesture. They were very concerned about us and stood waving at the door until we were out of sight.

We climbed through may mountains that afternoon getting into more and more snow. We could see the skiers returning to their lodges and I envied Gail who was spending her vacation with some French students learning how to ski. We stopped for the night at a little village near the boarder. Pat and I had a lovely room with a balcony. There was a lighted Christmas tree on it and we could see the snow falling on it all night. It really gave one the feeling of Christmas.

The next morning, after the usual continental breakfast of rolls and cafe au lait, we set out to find Liechtenstein. Since this country has a treaty with Switzerland, there is no regular border between the two and before we knew it we found ourselves in the tiny capital city with the Prince’s castle overlooking it. Liechtenstein’s main industry is postage stamps and we aided the economy by each sending off two or three post cards. Since the country is so small it was only a few minutes to the Austrian border. We were pleasantly surprised to find that we would be travelling on a big wide “autobahn” ie. a freeway. Needless to say it took no time at all to zip over to the German border. We did no shopping as we knew we would be returning in a few days. Germany is loved by us all as the land of the ‘Milk bars” and we stopped at the first one we found in a little town not too far from the border. There was a great big jolly German sitting in there who watched us with an amused and kindly expression on his face as we tried to ask the waitress if we could get a lunch there. Imagine our joy when we found out he spoke French and was able to translate for us. He ran out and bought the cheese for our sandwiches and made sure that we all got what we wanted. This was just one of the many times our limited French was a big help to us. We decided that Jeannie would drive for a while in the afternoon. Since she is very short it was necessary to push the seat of the VW up. It is rather sticky and we all got behind to shove it forward. To our consternation we pushed so hard it came completely out of the car and we were left in the middle of the street with a loose seat in our hands! We tried valiantly for several minutes to put it back but were unable to repeat our past performance of strength. Finally the waitress saw our trouble and sent out three big boys who soon had us all put together and ready to race off towards Munich again.

Love

Have to go to classes now, will continue at a later date

Margi

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Mom’s Tour de France 18 (FGK 109)

Part one

January 8, 1961

Hi:

I realize you must be almost ready to disown me, it’s been so long since I’ve written. There is so much to say, I didn’t know where to begin. If i don’t get it all in one letter I’ll try to send it in instalments.

My car didn’t arrive from Paris until the last day of finals. Of course I rushed right down to see it, hoping to drive away in it that very afternoon and get a start on our trip – the next day. Pat came down with me and was just was excited as I to see the bright shiny blue Volkswagen complete with a sunroof which slides back in sunny weather. It took a day and a half to clear it with insurance, customs officials etc. I was issued a temporary license plate which actually consists of a piece of black tape with some numbers chalked on it. They assured me that when I return my permanent plate would be ready, which didn’t help much then. While in the midst of doing all this, there were countless things going on at the centre. We gave a Christmas party for some of the people of Tours who had put so much effort into the centre. Between the end of the last final at noon and that evening, decorations were put up all over the building and last touches were made on a dinner which was a traditional American dish in that there was turkey but it was served in the French style and with Loire wines. We had entertainment for them – this was also a mixture of both cultured – and then sang carols in French and English.

Friday I was invited to a dinner at noon with a French Family. They served the French version of lemon pie! We also had roast pheasant and some sort of sauce made out of chestnuts which was just delicious. It was the first I’ve I had visited their home so we spent much of the afternoon comparing cultures and telling out our homes. By this time I had to leave to pick up my car, I didn’t get back to the centre until late and consequently had to stay up until one am packing.

The four of us agreed to get an early start, leaving Tours at 7am. We had just gotten about 10 kilometres out of town when the engine started making weird noises and finally stopped completely. We were let sitting in the dark on a country road with no idea how to get to the next town. We all looked at each other a little foolishly, because in the rush to leave, no one had thought to get the gas tank filled! A couple of trucks passed by but wouldn’t stop. Finally Pat, who is no one to stand on ceremony, got out of the car, took off her bright red scarf and flagged down the next truck. The poor man didn’t have much choice as he saw this weird apparition coming at him out of the dark. He was very nice, however, and gave Pat and Carol a ride to the nearest gas station while Jeannie and I waited in the car. We questioned why the Germans, who are so efficient in everything else, neglected to put gas gages on Volkswagens! The rest of the day passed without any serious incident. We were all learning how to shift gears on VWs so did not make very good time. It was the same route we took to Switzerland in November but since it is what I consider to be one of the most beautiful sections of France, we didn’t mind the repetition. There was a light fall of snow on the Jura’s which excited everyone in the car but me. By the end of the trip Californians were beginning to come around to my point of view. At the Swiss border we hoped to buy the green card which signifies that we had international insurance as this is the first thing they ask for at almost every frontier. Imagine our dismay when we discovered the office was closed and we would have to pay extra for every country we entered because we didn’t have it! We decided to make Neuchatel the destination for our first day.

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Mom’s Tour de France 17 (FGK 108)

I remember as a teenager finding an old sweater of my dad’s sitting on a shelf. I’d never seen him wear it, I thought it looked kind of cool, so I stole it. Turns out it was a sweater he’d bought at a market in Rome while they were there on their honeymoon. I loved that sweater, and once I wore it completely out it became my barn/riding sweater. One time I was at a horse show and there was another girl there wearing the exact same sweater. Dad had to go over and talk to her dad to see where she’d found it and apparently that girls parents also had honeymooned in Rome around the same time, and the dad had also bought the sweater at a market. That girl also had found the sweater while snooping and had made it her own. So, all of mom’s coins in Trevi Fountain were worth it – she went back to Italy several more times.

Part two of mom’s letter

During our tour the day before we had a world famous ice cream parlour pointed out to us. It is a place frequented by all the movie stars as well as those of us of more humble status. After dinner a large group of us, including Prof. Knolls and his wife who are as full of mischief as any of the students, took off through the little back streets for the goodies. The store is in the square of the fountains of the Four Rivers. These are lit up at night, making them even more beautiful than in the daytime. I think the poor people in the shop were a little overwhelmed by having a group of 20 singing Americans descend en masse, demanding the specialite de maison, but they are probably quite used to it because we all were served within a few minutes. Some of the kids had birthdays so we sang to them – with all the Italians joining in. I had so much to eat I could barely waddle home.

Thursday was a free day with no tours. Pat, Carol, Susie and I spent the morning finding the Yugoslavian embassy to get our visas. When we finally got these we almost drove the little man mad because he only spoke Italian and Yugoslavian. There happened to be a lady standing by who spoke French so she translated for us but I have never seen anyone so relieved as he was when we finally left. Pat and I stopped at the Fountain of Trevi on the way home and i threw in my three coins just in case I couldn’t make it back the next day. We also had a water fight there – much to the consternation of the policeman on the corner.

I spent the afternoon window shopping – I wish you could see the beautiful things they have in Italy. It just killed me not to buy anything. Fabulous sweaters only cost about $10.00 and the purses, gloves and shoes – oo la la!

While I was wandering around I came upon a splendid fountain in front of the terminal. It really was a fountain to end all fountains. I spent about 15 minutes watching the sun on the water. That is the fun of Rome. You never know when you are going to stumble on a magnificent fountain. I also explored St. John the Lateran. The church were all the funerals for the Popes are held and where they used to live. From hereI walked down to the colosseum where I hoped to catch a bus home. Italy is the only country where I would have enough nerve to ride a bus alone. The people are so warm and friendly I always have more than enough help getting on and off – when I get home remind me to tell you about some of my experiences on buses, I’ve gone some dillys. I asked the conductor if the is was the bus for Ponte Sisto? He said “si” but made all sorts of gestures which I couldn’t understand. Since the bus definitely went to my stop I decided to get on anyway. An hour later I discovered what the gestures meant. Before ending up at Ponte Sisto the bus makes a route all over the city! Well that’s one way to see Rome.

Friday morning we left bright and early for Tivoli. First we visited Hadrian’s villa. This is the size of a small city and it is just incredible to see the luxury which existed at this time. By this time we were experts at climbing over ruins. Two of the boys disappeared underground in the sewer system only to pop up in front of us while we were studying the mosaics in the sun room. The guide was a little perturbed but the boys had a wonderful time. This trip also gave us an opportunity to see some Italian countryside. As our buses climbed up the mountain to the fountains of Tivoli we had vistas which stretched out as far as Rome. The fountains themselves were glorious. There is an enormous garden which is full of every type of flower imaginable. In places there are long walks stretching out lined with fountains on either side of them with one enormous one at the end. You have probably read about the organ fountain which is also there.

Our bus took us a little farther along the road to a viewpoint where we could see two enormous waterfalls tumbling down the mountain side into a valley with vineyards on the hills and pastures in the bottom. There was a tiny little church perched on the top of the hill with a narrow little path leading up to it. We ate our lunch while perched on the wall overlooking all this. The tour continued in the afternoon to some more ancient temples and villas but I returned on an early bus with some others who were feeling the effects of the Roman hikes, to have a two hour sleep. I woke up just in time to dash out with Gail and Pat to throw another coin in the fountain and eat a doughnut in front of it before dinner. We were planning a birthday party for one of the boys so had to get back early. That was my 4th coin in the fountain – for an extra strong wish to return to Rome again. After dinner we just had time to pack and take a bus to the station. You never saw a tireder more loaded down group in your life. No one wanted to come back to Tours. Most of us spent the two nights and a day on the train trying to recuperate – without much success. Some of the kids had their guitars along so there was more singing than sleeping.

We reached Tours at 2:30am this morning (Sunday). We didn’t get to bed until 4:30 though. I was really glad to see it!! Suzanne invited Gail and I to her place for lunch. It was just wonderful. We are starting to feel that we can be at home in her home. In France, this is really something. As usual they sent us away from their place just loaded down with food. She is just a darling girl.

All my Xmas cards will be late because I ordered some and they still haven’t arrived. This really makes me sad. Please tell everyone to hold on, they’ll come one of these days. Don’t expect to hear too much from me between now and the 15th as we are having our exams. I really don’t know how I”m going to do – they could be bad news. But I think the education I’ve received outside of the classroom will make up for some bad grades (I hope). The competition here is rough as most of the kids are outstanding Stanford students. The more I talk about it the more scared I get. Guess I’d better get to work.

Wish me luck with my finals. I need it!!

Love,

Margi

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Mom’s Tour de France 16 (FGK 107)

I have to say, after my years spent in the South I finally understand how useful the phrase “y’all” is (as well as the plural versions including both y’all and all y’all). I never got it before, but y’all is at least as handy a phrase as our Canadian “eh”, maybe even more so.

These letters really impress me – people are so kind. There are so many random strangers who just appear and make mom’s trip more enjoyable. Not just how they help her physically get around, but how they invite her (and her friends) places and try to ensure they have the best possible opportunities to see all the sights and take in the essence of Rome.

Part one of this letter:

December 5th, 1960

Hello Y’all (Mustn’t forget my stay in the South)

I returned this morning at 3am to find a nice little pile of letters waiting for me in my box.

Rome is past- and it all seems like it was a dream which was too good to be true. We have ours this and next week <I assume exams??> so everyone in the group has a pressed and worried feeling. I can’t remember when I last wrote you from Rome so I may miss a few experiences in my letters – but that will give me more to tell you when I get home.

We were taken on our most fascinating tour Wednesday morning when we were taken through the Roman forum by a man from the American Academy who is writing a book on the subject. He had the gift of making the past come alive for us as we walked among the ruins, ancient temples, and palaces. It was a bright summy day and all the Marble columns stood out against the deep green grass – a day which makes me decide I should have learned Italian instead of French! He told us the history of the spot -factual and traditional, and how it evolved from a swamp separating the tribes to a meeting place to arrange peace. They are still discovering new facts about it. Johnny, Russ, Robby, and Larry all made sure I got to the very heights of the Palatine hill. I’ve told them if they ever come to Canada I’ll have them out for a big steak. They really got me into some of the most impossible places during our stay there. I snapped all sorts of slides there so you will have an opportunity to see some of the things we saw there. I am going to send them home to be developed as I’ve been told they make a better job of the colour processing in America. I’ll give you the number of my film so you can send me a bunch which will be paid for the processing in advance – then I can send them directly to the company.

By the time we had spent four hours climbing all over the forum, we were starving so we sought out a bus to take us home as quickly as possible. We had barely gotten on it when the conductor started making all sorts of gestures while explaining something in great length in Italian. He spoke neither French or English so we were at a loss. Finally another man got on the bus who spoke French and translated for us. The conductor wanted to know if he could take us on a tour of Rome in his car in the afternoon. We were overwhelmed because we had never even seen the man before but also sensed that he really wanted to do this very much so we said this would please us. That afternoon he called around a the villa in his little car and jammed Pat, Russ, Gail and I in it. None of us spoke Italian but Russ had a phrase book with which we tried to make some sense. He took us to see one of the more famous churches – there we met a couple who spoke French so we were able to communicate somewhat with our friend. From there we went to one of the hills where we could see the entire city with the mountains in the background. As it was at sunset, the whole scene had a rosy tinge which reflected off the sky and mountains. He took us to St. Peter’s which Russ had never seen (the rest of couldn’t explain that we’d already been there – besides there is always something new to see.) By this time it was getting dark so we went back to the villa. Russ tried to buy him a drink to express our thanks, but while he willingly accepted the vermouth, he wouldn’t let us pay for it. He wanted to take us out again the next day also, but since this was already planned we regretfully declined. He just wanted to do something kind and help us as much as he could.

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Mom’s Tour de France 15 (FGK 106)

I am constantly amazed by mom’s strength. Not just the emotional strength that it took her to move on from the trauma of polio and the years in the hospital, but her physical strength. Even though I remember as a kid mom walking everywhere – through the mall, the grocery store, and anywhere else she needed to go – it still blows my mind that mom did most of this trip on her crutches.

Margi’s second letter from Rome part 2

After leaving the shop we went up past the Fountain of Trevi again to see the camera shop where I had left my first film to be developed, 35 of the pictures turned out – I’m going to send you some of the most interesting ones. I just love the camera, you have no idea how dark it was when I took some of these pictures and yet they all turned out!!

We each bought one of the great big doughnuts they sell here and sat down by the fountain to look at the pictures. Trevi is use splendid at night too, because it is all lit up. From here we wandered up some little side streets to look t the many and varied little shops and outdoor stands. They have everything from freshly killed wild boars to every type of spaghetti imaginable. We really confused one little man because we anted to get some Italian wine bottles as souvenirs but he just couldn’t comprehend that we wanted them empty!! Finally by all sorts of gestures, we got our ideas across, leaving the poor man convinced that we were completely crazy.

We later found ourselves in the more expensive part of town where we had all sorts of fun window shopping. We went into a textile store with the firm intention of just looking and ended up being unable to resist the wonderful bargain. They were just closing, but they kept the store open for us and we had all the clerks climbing around the shelves for us. We really were made to feel important. They spoke to us in a weird mixture of English, French, and Italian, just to add to the confusion.

By this time it was 8:30 and we were hungry. We found a restaurant that looked excellent and was recommended in our guidebook. Since we were all broke, we decided to keep everything below 1000 lire (about $1.50) only to get inside and discover this wasn’t the type of restaurant where this could be done. We told the head waiter our problem but he assured us he would do his part to get us some of their good dishes for this price. We ordered one serving of ravioli and told him we would spit that up among the three of us. This was wheeled over to us on a little table. The Maître d’ and 2 waiters bustled around serving us each a great big plate of it, I’m sure it was more than one serving. There we sat in our skirts and sweaters with our two courses surrounded by grand dames in their minks and disdainful stares. The waiters loved us, however, and we got twice as much service as anyone else in the place. When we walked out they were all lined up to say goodnight.

We got lost coming home and at one point ended up at the Parthenon. This is rather spooky at night but I could pretend I was an ancient Roman.

Sunday morning we roamed around our district and went to mass in a little tiny church squeezed in between the buildings. The French Embassy took us on a tour of some of the buildings around their place. A group of us decided to visit the Catacombs in the afternoon. We hopped a bus out of the colosseum where we stopped for a while to watch them making a movie. It was about 19th century so the costumes were very colourful.

From here we bounced along the Appian Way to the catacombs of St. Sebastian. Dr. Knolls was with us and happened to be going to to see the Moses by Michel Angelo so Pat, Gail, and I went with him. This is in the church that has the chains which bound St. Peter. There are 50 million steps leading up to it but the statue was well worth it. On the way back we passed the colosseum and forum all lit up. They are even more beautiful at night. This morning we were taken on a tour of the Vatican museum. The buildings would take years to go through, I’m sure. We saw everything from Ancient Greek works to Renaissance and Baroque.

I had no idea it was so large. Fortunately we had the wheelchair along and I was given many a hair raising ride down the corridors of the Vatican by the boys in our group. My neck is still a little stiff from the Sistine Chapel. I don’t know how Michel Angelo ever did it.

I’ve spent most of the afternoon writing this letter and I’m getting writers cramp. You’ll have to wait until I get home for me to tell the rest of my adventures.

Hope I have some mail when we get back, none for two weeks now

Love to all,

Margi

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Mom’s Tour de France 14 (FGK 105)

Margi’s Second Letter from Rome (part one)

Hello Everyone:

There is so much in Rome – I don’t know where to begin! We went to bed early Friday night to get a good start on Saturday. The director, M Beaucoussin, is such a dear thoughtful man. He rented a wheelchair in Tours, brought it all the way here and wheeled me down to the Vatican in it – because the only way to see Rome is on foot. It was another bright beautiful day and our route took us right along the Tiber. We crossed St. Peter’s square and entered one of the other buildings where the Pope was holding his audience. The doors are all guarded by the Swiss Guards and other ones in what seem to be medieval costumes. The inside is extremely ornate and rich. The room where he had his audience looked just like what you would expect one of the kings courts would look like with all the rich marbles, tapestries, and paintings and brilliant colour of the cardinals, bishops, guards, etc. We stood where we could see all the people entering into the room. With every important person the Swiss Guards snapped to attention and looked very smart. Between times they seemed very relaxed and I saw one got the giggles. The pope came last, surrounded by all sorts of attendants and in robes that just sparkled in the light. It really was an impressive sight but for me it was overshadowed by the magnificence and splendour of St. Peter’s which we entered afterwards. I really can’t describe it. I hope you can get a book and read up on it. We spent almost three hours there and there is just tons we haven’t seen yet. They have works of Michael Angelo and several other important artists. Each has contributed a masterpiece which, when they are all combined, just overwhelm one. Dr. Knolls, our history professor who is just like a father to the whole group, filled us in about much of the church’s past, making it even more interesting. We took an elevator up to the top where we got a wonderful view of St. Peter’s square. Ray and Gail went right up to the top of the dome while I wandered around the roof. We also visited the treasure. This is just a fantastic collection of all the gifts and offerings which have been made to the Church by various countries and monarchs etc. It was difficult to believe that there could be such enormous emeralds, amethysts, diamonds, all together in one place. It was a scene straight out of Arabian Knights. We spent so long at St. Peter’s we barely had time to rush back to one of the enormous Italian lunches they serve us here. I have never had so much pizza, spaghetti, ravioli, etc. It all tastes twice as good too – probably because we are eating it in Rome. All the Italians have a siesta in the afternoon and the town starts to come alive again between four and five. This is a delightful custom we have picked up too, so that’s how we spent Saturday afternoon until four. Gail, Pat, and I decided it was time we did some Christmas shopping so we wandered forth into the streets again. Shopping is a real art here because in Italy any tourist is fair game and each shop has a different price. In many places only by bargaining furiously with the shopkeeper one can get even a reasonable price. Pat was looking for some silk so we bartered in various textile shops along the way. It was nearing the hour with all Italians come out to walk or go home from work and the streets were thronged with all sorts of fascinating people. Rome, like Paris, is an international city and all types of people are found there. We spent about one hour in one little store where I spent $20.00 getting gifts – needless to say I walked out feeling rather ill. If anyone has some special thing they want me to get while I’m in Europe, I’ll be glad to so so if they’ll send me the money. They’ll me what they want, otherwise this souvenir buying can really rack up, especially when we have living expenses too.

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Mom’s Tour de France 13 (FGK 104)

In 2009 a bunch of us were fortunate enough to go to Rome to see my cousin get married. Large as the city is, it seemed as though every time we turned a corner we bumped into a Copithorne, which made our sightseeing days pretty damn enjoyable as we always had someone to share them with. I loved that trip, and I’m so grateful that mom and dad were in good enough health to fully enjoy the trip too. The wedding was amazing, the food was outstanding, and the place was unbelievably spectacular. I hope to get back again someday soon.

Rome, November 25th 1960.

Dear Everyone:

Well – I made it at last! You know how I’ve always wanted to see Rome. We left Tours at 2am Thursday morning and arrived here at 5:30 this morning. I had sleepers for both nights so didn’t get too tired. There was some snow in the Alps – it reminded me of home, only there are fortresses along the passes instead of the wild kind of nature that’s in the Rockies. There were two busses to meet us at the train. They took us past all sorts of fascinating monuments to our hostel which is run by some monks and is a block away from the Tiber. A great big breakfast was served and then we were let loose on the town. Gail, Pat, Ruth and I walked along the Tiber for a way and then turned off up a street which led past some sunken ruins of Republican temples. There were all sorts of cats prowling around the broken columns and statues. I tried to take some pictures but don’t think the film was set right. We then wandered to the central church for the Jesuit Order. It is a magnificent example of baroque art. The marble had designs in it made of different colours of rock, and the paintings on the ceiling were well worth a stiff neck. The streets of Rome have no rhyme or reason. They just twist back and forth or else end abruptly at a fountain or a church. Every time you turn a corner you don’t know whether you are going to run into some old Roman theatre or a church. It makes one feel so very ignorant because it seems as though the whole wealth of western civilization is displayed here like a historical pageant. I never realized there was so much history I didn’t know about – and I never thought I’d see the day when I thought a building dating from the 8th century was relatively recent! After we came out of the Jesuit church Gail and Ruth lingered in a little shop while Pat and I strolled a little farther on, planning to meet them later. I wanted to see the fountain of Trevi first thing (remember the movie?) so we went to find the right street. When we went back to get Gail and Ruth they were gone so we decided to go on. We asked an Italian policeman for directions and boldly set off – not sure whether or not we had really understood the Italian. After we turned innumerable corners and gone up some little side streets we decided it was time we got our bearings again. We saw a priest standing on the steps of a church so I said, “Oh, let’s ask him, priests are very well educated so he’s bound to know French or English!” He had already seen us so we went up and hardly got our mouths open when he said: “You speak English?” We were immediately relieved and started to speak in very slow careful English – imagine our embarrassment when he answered us fluently. Then Pat asked him if he was Italian. He gave a start and said “Aye n’ if I had any Italian blood in me I’d give it back to them! I guess I haven’t been puttin’ on me brogue enough!” His face just overflowed with mischief. If I’d given it a second thought I’d have guessed he was Irish – and after we heard him talk a bit we knew!! When we asked him where the fountain was he insisted on taking us there because he had a few minutes of spare time and it wasn’t far away. As we were walking along we found out that he is a student at a school here for fellows who are going through to be priests. Classes let out while we were there and we met ones from the US, Canada, and Germany. They are there from all over. When we got to the fountain, Jon (that’s his name) offered to take our picture in front of it. That got me to explaining how I have this gorgeous camera and don’t really know how to use it. I had two pictures left on the film so Jon took those of us and offered to take us to a camera shop where I could get the film changed. We didn’t have any Italian liras so he said he’d take us to a place where we could get our money changed. We said “Oh no,” we didn’t want to take up more of his time since he’d already spent about half an hour with us. Then he told us he was already late for class by 15 minutes, that he might as well cut the whole thing and that while his Superior might not understand he was sure God would! So we proceeded to have a guided tour. Jon told us the best Italian foods to buy and the cheapest places to get it. I got a slide film put in my camera and had my travellers cheque changed into Italian money because you get 20% off here for cashing travellers cheques in stores.

After we left the American Express we went to the Spanish Steps. By this time it was almost noon and Joe had to leave us, after giving us careful directions for our way back. We got hopelessly lost and finally had to take a taxi in order to get back to the villa in time for lunch. After the meal the whole group went off in busses for a general tour of Rome. We saw so much it’s just impossible to name it all. We went through an old quarter where they say the people who live there are now the same (type) as those who were there during the time of Caesar. This road led to the top of one of the seven hills of Rome. Here we had a magnificent view of the entire city spread out before us. St. Peter’s was the next stop – we just saw the outside as this trip was just to get a general idea of the city. We went past all sorts of Pope’s palaces and Emperor’s tombs and ended up at the stadium where they had the olympics last summer. It is by these buildings that Mussolini was going to make into a second forum. There is still a big monument there with his name on it. We stopped in the Park Borghese overlooking the Plaza do Puopolo. This gave another view of the city. Several countries have their Academics in the park there and there are all sorts of ponds etc scattered through the trees. It was here that I saw my first Punch and Judy show – only it was in Italian. when we were going by the monument Emmanuel 11 on our way to the Colosseum we met some kids from Stanford in Italy so they came along on the tour with us. We went out a little on the Oppian way and followed the old wall of Rome until we came to a freeway which went right under the gates. We also passed the place where they used to have their chariot races. By the time we started home it was evening and we could see the sunset over the city. Tomorrow we are going to the Vatican and will have a chance to see the Pope. Pat and Ruth came with us as we wandered down some back streets tonight to a little pizza place which had been recommended to us. I burnt my tongue on a pizza, but it was just delicious. We also had some Italian pastries which were also yummy. I wish I could send some of those dishes home to you, they are so much fun to try.

It’s now 9pm – and I’ve spent an hour writing this letter. There is just so much to say I can’t get it all down on paper I think I’ll go to bed instead.

I’m going back to the fountain of Trevi before I leave, so I’ll throw a coin in for you all.

Love,

Margi

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happiness

Mom’s Tour de France 12 (FGK 103)

I remember mom talking about driving her little Beetle around France. What amazed me was that she drove a stickshift, I think the clutch was on the steering wheel.

November 22nd 1960

We are all busy getting ready to go to Rome on Wednesday. We start our finals when we get home, os things will be right tight. My French mark is going to be dreadful I think – not to mention what the others will be. There are so many things to do over here besides study! Don’t expect very much from my marks this quarter! We have 8 hours of French a week plus a course in 18 century European Thought and one in French American relations. I think though the biggest educational experience we are getting is just living over here. You really get a different slant on things. winter has started to come a little bit, at least it’s raining a little more. Our building is nice and warm but it’s almost 40 degrees outside.

We’ve just got a television set installed so now we can watch the weather report in French. We are having what is known as “petits pluies” ie little rains.

I’m writing this from the US Information Services. I’m here to talk to the man about my car, but he is out to tea. We have just tons of work back at the center too!

We hope to have an Xmas party for the people in the building such as the maids, the concierge, etc., before we leave for our holiday so we have to plan it before we go to Rome because of exams when we get back.

We had a chance of having our way paid to Algeria for 10 days by the French government for the next quarter but as you can guess, things sort of fell through. I don’t think they’re very anxious for visitors there right now. I’m rather disappointed because I think that would have been quite interesting. If it’s ok with you I think I’ll take my summer holidays during Spring quarter. Gail, Ruth, and pat and I would like to see the Scandinavian countries and England while we are over here. It will also give me some time to come home before I go to Stanford for summer school.

After summer school I will have 6 weeks at home before Fall Quarter starts. It will be good to go home and have a great big thick creamy milkshake. The French don’t drink milk and you can really notice it. All the Americans are tall and healthy looking while the the French are short.

Well I’ve finally seen the Volkswagen man and should get my car between the 10-15 of December. It will be blue and have a sun roof because that is the only kind they are shipping to Paris.

Au revoir

Margi

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happiness

Mom’s Tour de France 11 (FGK 102)

I know mom was really annoyed at Grandma for sending these letters in to the paper to be published (can you imagine how annoyed she’d be with me posting these again 60 years later hahahaha) but I am so glad Grandma did – this was a Mom who I never knew and I’m so honoured that I get this little peek into her life post polio but before Melissa.

I had to chuckle when mom was describing how she wanted to learn to cook while in France. If she got French cooking lessons, we never benefited from them. But not only was cooking not really mom’s thing, it was physically difficult for her and became more so the older she got. A bonus of this – that I didn’t realize until I was older – was that it meant that my sister and I got a dad who did a lot of things for and with us that many dads in the ‘70s didn’t do. I grew up thinking it was normal to have a dad who helped around the house and who spent time playing with his kids. It wasn’t until I became a bit older that I understood what an anomaly he was – especially for the time.

November 13th, 1960

Dear Folks,

You’ve all been neglected in my writing lately! I thought I would have lots of time this weekend because Gail went to Belgium and I stayed here, but I didn’t even get any studying done. Thursday afternoon we went to have tea with a French family in one of the suburbs of Tours. It is not one of the wealthy sections of town but it was a very clean and happy home. The tea was very simple but good and the family just sat there and fired one question after another. I’ve never been in a home here yet without having to get out the map and show them where I live. I wish I’d collected more snaps to bring. They made me feel just as home because we sat around the kitchen table to talk and drink tea.

Friday was Armistice Day (Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!) so Tours had an Armistice celebration. There were both French and American troops with a band and flags all over the place. Some men were decorated with the Legion of Honour also. At noon that day I was invited to lunch with a doctor and his wife who are from the more wealthy class. The meal was served by a maid in uniform and there was a vast array of knives and forks from which I invariably chose the wrong utensil. I was in the awkward position of having everything passed to me first so I had to decide how to manage it. In spite of all this the afternoon was just fascinating because they were such excellent conversationalists. There was a German student there also and they were discussing the last war (he could really speak French, I just listened) among other things. I was very interested to see how they felt about those things and about the present world situation. The French have an opinion on everything and every opinion is different. I wish so much that I could speak the language better to try and understand some of their positions. I still haven’t reached the point where I can carry on a good conversation or even understand everything that is said to me. After speaking French for six solid hours as I was on Friday, I’m just exhausted. This is really an experience though, because they tell us it is very difficult to be invited into the French home – and I’ve reached the point that if I’m invited to another I’ll never be able to waddle off the boat.

Gail and I met two girls from the Lyiee, Suzanne and Danielle, who came to visit us a few times and took us to see the movie. We had them over for dinner here on Wednesday night to show them some of the building. They are really just darling girls and have been so helpful because they take time to speak slowly and to correct our mistakes. We’d forgotten that Wednesday was the night we got the election results so everyone here was quite boisterous (the democrats that is). But they understand when we told them Americans didn’t sing at the table all the time. After dinner some students from the French med. school came over in an impromptu demonstration for Kennedy. They were dressed up in red, white, and blue costumes and made all sorts of comic speeches – half French, half English for us. They also sang some students songs (which we didn’t understand but I was told it was better) so we sang some back to them. I believe med-students are the same no matter what country they’re in.

On Saturday, Suzanne came by in the afternoon and we walked over to her place and then to Danielle’s house which is on the other side of town. Here we listened to some records (I tried to translate an Elvis Presley song into French for them but even I can’t understand it). They both have penpals in New York and have saved up all sorts of post cards so of course I had to describe our one rushed day there. They are just as fascinated by the idea of seeing America as I was of seeing Europe. On the way back, Suzanne took me to a patisserie to have some more yummy cakes and some tea. She also invited me to Sunday dinner at noon. I had mentioned how I would like to learn how to cook some French dishes so she asked me if I would like to come early and watch her make the meal. Her family have a boucherie (butcher’s shop) in a narrow winding street in the old part of town. It’s near a building where the man who made Joan of Arc’s armour lived. They live in behind the store. I was just overwhelmed to see all the work that goes into these meals we have been having with a family and what an occasion it is to have even just one insignificant guest like me. I’m sure they weren’t very wealthy but they just put out the very best of everything they had. This has been the case in every place we’ve gone to. Each plate was a masterpiece and Suzanne worked lovingly over it. The frustrating thing was I couldn’t express myself well enough just to let them know how much I appreciated it. I felt so guilty having all that done for me and know how much it was probably costing them. During the meal I go the usual questions about America and the atlas was brought out again. I’m beginning to feel like a walking encyclopedia- but I hope I’m giving the right answers to all these questions!! I had to sample their best wine and tried almost every cheese they had- I couldn’t even go to supper tonight I was so full. Her mother invited me back again to do some cooking. I told her that it took all my ingenuity just to work a can-opener! They don’t know what they are letting themselves in for.

Did i tell you we are going to Rome for 10 days on November 24th? It’s one of the trips conducted by the university. We have to pay $25.00 and for one meal a day but all the rest is paid for. I’m really excited about it.

I’m not sure where I’m going for Christmas. I may go to Vienna if the roads are good and if the weather’s fine. If not I may go to Spain or inland. I would rather wait until spring to see England as i don’t think the weather is too pleasant there now.

Tell somebody to write, yours are about the only letters I get.

Love,

Margi

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