December 23, 1961 – Spain

Palace Hotel, Madrid, Spain – Drizzly rain, very cold

     Edith and I woke up early but went back to sleep for a little while longer because both of us were still worn out from our ordeal yesterday.  We didn’t have any tours to take today and both of us were glad since it was still raining and cold outside.

     Finally about 10am Edith and I got up, ordered room service for breakfast and got ourselves ready to go back, once again, to the tour office to check on our flight arrangements.  Since we found we couldn’t count on them to keep us informed we decided to check on them frequently ourselves. 

     Since the rain had let up Edith and I decided to do a little more shopping after we finished our business.  I had seen a purse previously that I decided I wanted so we went back to that shop.  I was excited that the price had been dropped to $18 and true to form Edith determined she wanted one too.  However, the store didn’t have any more so we had to look around other shops to see if we could find another purse like mine.  An hour later we did find another place that had a similar purse but it cost Edith $22 which didn’t please her at all.  I came away with the feeling she blamed me for the difference in price.

     While we were looking around we found a nice little café that had wonderful smells coming out of it so we stopped to eat.  Afterward when we were done eating it had started raining hard so we caught a taxi back to our hotel and decided to stay there the rest of the day.  Once we were back in our room Edith and I partook of the siesta custom and took a nice long nap which I thought was much needed.

     When we woke up Edith and I ordered room service for dinner and then played cards for awhile till it was time to go to bed.  We wanted to go to bed early because the following day we had to fly to London.  As I lay there trying to sleep I was glad my trip was almost over.

December 22, 1961 – Spain

Palace Hotel, Madrid, Spain – Raining, very cold

     I slept better last night than I had the night before.  Edith didn’t do a lot of coughing and she woke up feeling much better this morning.  Edith and I had an early breakfast so we could take a taxi to the tour office where we were scheduled to join a group for a full day of sightseeing from 9:30 to 6:30am to Toledo.

     Once we arrived at the tour office I was sorry I hadn’t brought my rain coat because it had started raining.  We traveled 44 miles to the south of Madrid to get to Toledo which was situated on a hilly plateau and practically surrounded by the Tagus River.  Our guide told us that the city was famous for its steel, particularly the flexible metal commonly used to make fencing swords. 

     I was excited when we went to a factory where they did Damascene style of products and art work where they inlayed one metal like gold onto another one.  I bought some scissors for gifts that were really wonderful.

     We also visited two 15^th century cathedrals that had a lot of statuary.  Then we went through the Synagogue of El Transito, the Presidio and a museum of Moorish, Arabic and Flemish architecture.  Finally we visited a recreation of El Greco’s home where we saw some copies of his original paintings. 

Toledo While it was Raining

Another View of Toledo in the Rain

     Edith told me on the trip back to Madrid that she thought our day of touring Toledo had been too long and disappointing.  I didn’t argue with her and added that I had seen enough statuary for awhile.  The return drive was miserable because I was still wet from getting rained on each time we had to go back and forth from the bus to buildings we visited.

     Back at the tour office at 7pm Edith noticed that they had once again changed our flight to London but hadn’t notified us.  Edith had taken them to task about this yesterday but this time she didn’t just talk to the agent at the front desk called for the supervisor.   After talking to the supervisor Edith and I went to a nearby café to eat dinner so we didn’t have to wait till we got back to the hotel.  Each of us ordered some soup and a sandwich to warm our spirits.  After eating we tried to find a taxi but weren’t able to so we finally gave up and walked back to the hotel.  After a few minutes it started to rain again so by the time we arrived at the hotel we were soaked, frigid and muddy from the splashes we’d gotten by cars that passed us.  While I felt horrible and was upset that my coat had gotten so muddy I knew Edith was in worse shape because of the problems she continued to have with her feet.  In addition her coughing had returned.  I enquired at the desk to see if I could get my coat cleaned and found out I could but it wouldn’t be done in time before we left for London.

     Once we were back in our room I tried to wash my coat off and laid it out to dry but I feared it wouldn’t help very much.  Edith and I ordered some hot tea to try and warm us up.  I suggested to Edith that she should take a hot bath while she waited for the tea.  By the time it arrived she told me that the bath had seemed to help her congestion so I was glad.  I decided to take a bath too and afterward we both went to bed.

December 21, 1961 – Spain

Palace Hotel, Madrid, Spain – Clear, very cold

     Edith was far from better the next morning and I felt sorry for her so I ordered room service.  I had a full breakfast and coffee but all Edith wanted was toast and tea. 

Madrid Fountain near Hotel

     After we ate Edith and I joined a scheduled tour with another group.  The city was interesting and traffic wasn’t too bad although Madrid’s wide streets were a little confusing because many ran diagonally.  Ten streets branched off an oblong square called Puerto Del Sol.  All the buildings we saw were of Spanish architecture and had quite a bit of iron grill work.  We also saw many monuments that were each quite stunning.  The Gate which had 18^th century Italian architecture stood in a large circle.  We spent most of our time during the tour at the private museum of Lazaro Galdiano so we could see its vast collection of paintings including many masterpieces by Francisco de Goya, Rafael, Botticelli, El Bosco, Hans Meniling, Vander Weyden, El Greco, Murillo, Alonso Cano, and many others.  Edith was particularly interested in the Velasquez masterpieces which were filled with life and action.  At the museum of fine arts there were also many cases of miniatures and a very large collection of antiquities.  One room had a priceless array of fans from several countries.

     The Royal Palace, now a museum, was furnished in a manner someone with an exotic taste would appreciate.  Entire walls were covered with tapestries.  The porcelain rooms had elaborate designs on the ceiling and elsewhere.  The throne room was less ornate but had beautiful chandeliers.  The dining room could seat 300 guests and had ancient, gorgeous ornate clocks everywhere to keep perfect time.

     When we were dropped off at our hotel, Edith and I decided we should walk to the tour office to make the final arrangements for the remainder of our trip.  However, after only walking a few blocks Edith tired out and we had to hail a taxi.  That was when we had a problem.  The taxi we got had just dropped off a man when we got in. At the tour office the meter read 90 pesos but I wondered if the driver had put it back to zero since he had just driven us a couple of blocks.  Edith handed the driver only 5 pesos so the driver started yelling at us.  I thought Edith must not have any more change so I gave him 65 pesetas which was all the change I had.  Then surprisingly Edith pulled out more money and handed it to the driver.  Finally happy the driver waived us off and we got out.  After taking care of our business we caught another taxi back to the hotel but this time it only cost us 12 pesetas.  After doing some calculating of distance versus what we were charged we figured out the previous driver had duped us.  I also discovered that I had given him $2 more than Edith had and when I mentioned it to her all she could say was, “That’s okay” which annoyed me and made me feel like I’d been duped twice.  She didn’t offer to even try to reimburse me for what I’d overpaid.

     After lunch Edith decided to go back to our room, take some medicine and go to bed to nurse her cold.  I was still a little annoyed with her so I decided to walk around by myself to see what I could see but I had forgotten that after lunch they had their siesta time.  I decided I would have to come back later because some of the shops really looked interesting.

     When I returned to the hotel and inquired at the front desk, I found they were holding two letters from Ramona and one from Anna.   I sat in the lobby, read them and enjoyed hearing from home.  I decided to write Ramona and mail it on my way out again to shop later this evening.  I figured that if I wrote Ramona now and mailed it right away the letter would get to Ventura before I did: 

Dec 21, 1961 – Madrid, Spain

Dear Ramona, Anna, Ray, Janice, David, Mike, Binky and the Cat;

     Just received your letter mailed Dec 15.  Also your letter mailed Dec 16. 

     It is real cold here this morning and there was frost all over the ground at 9am when we left the hotel.  We went on tour of the art galleries and the palace.  Saw all the collections then came back here. 

     We sure got took this morning.  Edith was late getting ready and she insisted on walking to the tour office.  Part way she got tired so we saw a taxi and she grabbed it.  The driver had just stopped to let a man out.  Well we got to the office and he pointed to the meter and it read 90 pesos.  Edith handed him 5 pesos and of course he hollered.  Well I thought Edith didn’t have change so I gave him 65 pesetas when I ran out of change.  Edith gave him something more and we got out.  90 pesetas is almost $2.  Well I should have questioned it but we were late for the time we were supposed to be at the office so I didn’t.  Coming back the same distance cost us 12 pesetas this afternoon.  It sure costs something to be stupid here.  The worst of it was I paid most of it at least $1.50 and Edith said that was okay and didn’t offer to make it up to me. 

     I am a little homesick and I’m counting the days.  So you know we will be home on the 30^th, God willing.  Barcelona was a nice city – 2 million people.  Our hotel was very nice.  We had a nice flight here and this city is beautiful.  Fountains all over in both cities. 

     I am wearing 2 pair of stockings to keep my legs warm. 

     I got a letter from Anna and I will enclose the clipping she sent me.  Aunt Emma is fine and everything is okay there.  I haven’t written to Ada lately we have been so rushed. 

     Now in Madrid we have 3 days.  Our flight plans were changed.  We fly to London on the 24^th instead of the 25^th.  It gives us an extra day in London and we will be there Christmas Eve.  However we hear that it is very, very cold and rainy there so if our hotel is cold we will probably be frozen when we get home.  Have the car warm and the house warm and my electric blanket on please.  I hope nothing happens to change our flight plans on the 30^th.  Say a prayer for me. 

     It is nearly 4pm so I’m going shopping.  We have siesta here from 1 to 4 all shops are closed – makes it very bad for tourists because as it gets later it gets colder and colder.

     Well dear I’ll be seeing you all soon – Love Mother

     Edith still didn’t want to leave the room so I made my way back to a few of the stores alone to look through them.  In one store I found perfume that was cheaper than it had been in Barcelona so I bought another small bottle of My Sin.  I thought this one might be a good present for Pat.

     When I made it back to our room it was time to eat but Edith didn’t want to go down to the dining room so we ordered room service.  We were able to get the same choices that they had on the menu downstairs.  After eating we passed a quiet evening playing cards and it was enjoyable.

Fillmore Herald: Jan 11, 1962 Article

January 11, 1962

December 20, 1961 – Spain

Hotel Avenida Palace, Barcelona, Spain – Clear, very cold

     I was happy when I woke up this morning because it was almost Christmas and I always loved this time of year.  People always seemed so happy and there were so many decorations out.  In addition I knew I only had a couple of weeks left so I wanted to make the most of the time.  Edith and I took our time getting ready for our tour this morning since it didn’t start till 9:30am and was only meant to last for three hours.

     When we went downstairs to see if our driver had arrived yet we were pleased to find him waiting downstairs for us already.  Today a nice young lady named Mia drove us around and she was wonderful.  Our trip around Barcelona began at Jose Antonio Avenue which was one of the city’s major thoroughfares and Tetuan Square.  Then Mia took us to see a bullring even though it wasn’t the season to see a bull fight.  We also visited the Chapel of the Holy Family which was an architectural masterpiece of Gaudi but I thought his style bordered on the grotesque.  Later Mia took us to the Picasso Museum, to see the famous statue of Christopher Columbus and Columbus’ ship.  I really loved Barcelona and enjoyed everything we saw. 

Barcelona Chapel

Barcelona Church on Hillside

Another View of Barcelona Church on the Hillside

Barcelona Columbus Ship

Barcelona Courtyard

Barcelona Road

Chapel of Holy Family by Gaudi

     At the end of our touring Mia was gracious enough to drop us off in a nice area where there were shops for us to look through.  She even wrote down a few phrases for us to use if we found someone who didn’t speak English.  Before she left us Mia even pointed out a few places that might be good to eat so Edith and I were able to find a café to eat in.  Both of us opted to have a sandwich which turned out to be simple but filling.  After eating we shopped for several hours and I bought two tablecloths for $8.50.  One nice shopkeeper even gave me a Christmas card which pleased and surprised me.  Finally we caught a taxi back to our hotel at 3pm.

     Our flight to Madrid was to leave at 5pm so we had to get our bags, check out and get to the airport but we made it with enough time to sit and play cards while we waited to board our plane.  Our trip to Madrid only took 90 minutes but the flight was a little delayed so we didn’t arrive until 7pm.  Once we arrived we found a taxi to take us to our hotel.

     The Palace Hotel was beautiful and when we walked into the lobby we saw there was a fantastic stained glass dome over the top of it.  The décor was elegant but not too ostentatious so we were made to feel very comfortable.  We were given some beautiful rooms and I was glad we were going to be staying till Christmas Eve.  Edith and I unpacked and hung up our dresses so they could shake out and then we went down to the dining room for dinner. 

     Edith and I took our time over dinner.  We felt like we’d rushed around all day so we just wanted to relax and enjoy the food.  I had a champagne cocktail before dinner and a nice wine with my main dish of prime rib and then a Crème Brule for dessert.  Edith had a broiled fish dish and a couple of bites of my desert instead of ordering her own.  The hotel had a harpist playing music while we ate and it made the environment very nice.  The waiter was attentive and neither of us had any complaints.

     By the time our meal was over it was after 10pm so we didn’t have much time to do anything else.  Edith and I both took a bath though because it was so large and looked inviting.  While Edith took her bath I enjoyed looking out the window at all the city lights and the Christmas decorations on the street below. 

     I noticed Edith did a lot of coughing as she took her bath and when she got out she complained of feeling a little under the weather.  I felt her forehead and it was warm to my touch so she took some aspirin and went to bed.  During the night I heard her cough periodically and I made a promise to myself to get her some cough syrup if she wasn’t better the next day.

December 19, 1961 – France

Plaza Hotel, Nice, France – Clear

     Edith and I got up at 7am this morning.  Edith and I had slept well because we found our beds were quite comfortable.  We decided to have breakfast in our room and I loved every bite of the omelet I ordered. 

     After eating we decided to go shopping a little more before leaving for the airport.  The shop where Edith had bought the perfume was near the hotel and she wanted to go back and get a little more.  This time I made sure to have some money with me so I could buy some perfume too but not nearly as much as her.  I only got 1 ounce of Shalimar for $16.

     Once we got back to the hotel at noon we checked out and took a taxi to the airport.  At the airport we got our tickets and sat down to wait for our flight.  We were on a Lufthansa Airlines for our trip to Barcelona in Spain and the flight was quite nice.  During the trip we had a wonderful lunch of filet mignon and free champagne served by the stewardess and it was quite elegant.   Our flight arrived at 2:10pm and I was happy because it looked like we would have some free time during the afternoon.

     On the drive from the airport into Barcelona we noticed many things.  First we found that the people looked much better dressed and more prosperous that they had in the area of France where we were.  Also that the city had traffic signals and if you crossed the streets against them you were taking your life in your hands.  We passed several pedestrians who took the risk and one almost was hit by a car.  It was scary.

View of Barcelona from Hillside

     Our reservations for Barcelona were at the Hotel Avenida Palace which turned out to be very elegant and we had a very nice room.  Edith and I unpacked a few things to wear tonight and in the morning.  I also laid out some clothes to wash out.  After doing that both of us wanted some fresh air so we went down to the lobby and got directions to an area nearby that we could shop in.  We were disappointed when the clerk explained that it was still siesta for many shops and that it would be better to wait to look around so we returned to our room and washed out our clothes.

     Later Edith and I both explored near the hotel and found a few shops with interesting things for sale.  We found a perfumery whose prices were much less than Nice and Italy and Edith and I splurged and bought some more perfume.  I found some My Sin for only $8 an ounce and thought I would surprise Ramona with that as a present.  As we walked back to the hotel darkness was coming on and everywhere we saw the Christmas decorations light up and it was so beautiful.  With a chill it made it feel more like Christmas than it would have been back in Ventura with its very moderate temperature at this time of year.

     Dinner turned out to be a real treat.  Edith and I had a drink before eating then ordered a wonderful Spanish meal.  I had a lamb dish and Edith went with chicken. For desert we both had a flambé dish that was scrumptious.  After dinner Edith and I returned to our room to play cards for a little while before turning in for the night.

December 18, 1961 – France

Plaza Hotel, Nice, France – Clear, cold

     I slept well last night and it felt good to wake up today and know we were free to do what we wanted all day.  We made plans for our day while we ate breakfast.

     After we ate Edith and I confirmed our travel arrangements for the following day to fly to Barcelona.  Then we got directions to the bus depot from the concierge and caught the bus to Antibes.  We had fun walking around the town looking in stores.  No one we encountered spoke English though so we didn’t have any help.  Edith found one shop that had Limoges plates and she bought several of them.  We found a lovely little café and had lunch there. Our afternoon was relaxing and interesting.  We finally caught our bus back to the hotel and arrived by 3pm.

Antibes Outdoor Cafe with Edith

     We only stayed long enough at our hotel to freshen up before caught another bus at 5pm to go to Monte Carlo.  Our trip took us by way of Grande Corinche showed us gorgeous scenery and gave us a chance to look down on the illuminated city of Nice and the other villages along the coast.  Once we arrived at Monte Carlo we found it was a massive building with an exotic garden.  The interior of the famous gambling casino was marble with brilliant frescoes on the walls and ceiling.  It had the most glittering chandeliers that looked like dripping diamonds.  We only spent a couple of hours walking around before we caught another bus back to our hotel.  Our drive to Monte Carlo took an hour each way and then we spent a couple of hours walking around the casino before returning to our hotel.

     We had returned to our hotel relatively early but in time to get our dinner in the dining room before returning to our room.  Once we were back in our room Edith and I washed out some things and then I sat down to write Ramona a letter to bring her up to date:

Dec 18, 1961 – Nice, France

Dear Ramona and Everyone;

     I got this paper at the last place (Florence, Italy) so will use it to show you the picture of the hotel in Florence.  Our room was on the 2^nd floor front. 

     We did a lot of running around there.  Edith wanted to get shoes.  She finally found a place and they will send them to her – $28.  I looked at purses but the prices were too high.  My purse has both handles broken – it’s a mess.  We could not change our money in Italy so this morning I got Franks for my Italian money – took a loss on it. 

     We took the bus for Antibes this morning and got our lunch there.  We didn’t find one person who could speak English so we had quite a time.  Edith bought some Limoges saucers and we came back.  I have a terrible time with the money here for the first time, maybe my brain is added. 

     This afternoon at 5pm we took the bus to Monte Carlo and got there at 6pm.  It was all lit up like Christmas trees everywhere and Cyclamen blooming in patterns.  We went into the casino and it was beautiful, marble and frescos – everywhere. They wanted to charge us $3 to go in the gambling room so we didn’t go in and after walking around we came back to the hotel. 

     Our hotel here is right on the Mediterranean and our room looks out on it.  It is lovely.  I am writing you this letter just so I could get you a stamp.

      Edith also bought some perfume.  I was buying some and found I didn’t have my traveler checks with me so I skipped it.  Well we will be taking the plane at 12:30 pm tomorrow so I will sign off now so I can get some sleep.  Love Mother

     P.S. Open Rays suit from Hong Kong if it doesn’t fit I won’t want to see it.  Love to you all.

     I was glad that I had finished another letter to Ramona so she would know what was going on.  I sealed up my letter and then since Edith was done in the bath room I decided to take a bath before going to bed.  I was excited about traveling to Spain in the morning so going to sleep was hard.

Fillmore Herald: Jan 4, 1962 Article

January 4, 1962

Fillmore Herald: Dec 28 Article

December 28, 1961

December 17, 1961 – Italy

Hotel Savoy, Florence, Italy – Snowing

     When I woke up this morning I was glad I had turned up the thermostat the night before because we could tell the temperature had dropped even more during the night.  After I got up and looked out the window I was surprised to see that it had snowed.  Edith stayed in bed while I got up, turned the heat up a little more and called for room service to have our breakfast sent up.  While I waited for the room to warm up some more I crawled back under the covers for a few more minutes. 

     When we heard someone knock on the door Edith got up to let the waiter in with our food and then we started to get ready for our day.  We had to be ready to leave when our driver came to pick us up to go to the train station at 9am.  I wasn’t quite ready to leave when our driver knocked on the door but I finished getting ready quick enough so he didn’t have to make more than one trip downstairs.  Our driver today was a young man named Peter and he seemed nice enough but once again he wasn’t very communicative.

     As we stepped outside to get into the car we were struck with how much snow had fallen.  We had to be careful walking to the car so we didn’t slip and fall.  Edith especially needed to be careful since she was still slightly handicapped from the problem she had with walking.  We didn’t have time to get some change before we left and it created a problem later when it came time to get our tickets for the train.  When we reached the train station Peter didn’t give us any directions on where to go and what to do.  He just dropped off our bags, waved off vaguely in one direction where we saw people moving and then he left us.  We had to find someone who could speak English and willing to help us but we had to ask two or three people before we found a couple who happened to be traveling to Pisa and were taking the same train as us.  We felt fortunate to have found Jim and Darlene Harry from Florida who had traveled in Italy before and knew the ropes.  Jim helped us to get our tickets find the right train.  As they left us, Jim gave us some guidance as to what to look for later when we had to change trains at Pisa.

     Edith and I found our compartment and made ourselves comfortable.  Before the train took off we were disappointed when four men came in and were talking so loud that it didn’t take long before I got a headache.  I tried to tune them out but it was hard.  Edith and I both had window seats and sat across from each other.  Even though we didn’t enjoy having the men with us in our room we did enjoy the scenery. 

     Once we were in Pisa I was disappointed we didn’t have time to look around.  I knew we only had a short time we had to find our train before it left the station.  As it turned out we didn’t have much trouble after what Jim had told us about changing trains.  This time when we entered our compartment instead of it being empty there was an elderly Chinese gentleman present.  Edith and I introduced ourselves and then spent quite awhile talking with him.  In talking to Mr. Lee we found he liked to play cards so the three of us passed the remainder of our time traveling to Nice playing Gin.  As we traveled we saw many interesting things like the famous marble quarries in Carrara and the coastline of the Italian and French Riviera which was quite beautiful.

     Once we arrived in Nice it took a little time to get our luggage and find a taxi to take us where we had to go.  Our hotel in Nice was the Plaza Hotel and at check in the clerk made sure to tell us that it was a four star hotel.  We found our room and were ecstatic that we had a great view of the Mediterranean and a garden below. 

View of Nice France from Window

     After we finished settling into our room we found it was already 8pm so we went down to the dining room for dinner.  I was pleased when the food turned out to be very elegant.  I was glad that they had the menu in both English and French which was good since I didn’t understand their language.  The beef dish I ordered turned out to have the most delectable sauce had ever had.

     Edith and I finally finished dinner and returned to our room after 10pm so we wound up doing little else but relax a bit before going to sleep.