Faye and gordon: our story
A JOURNEY FROM THE DANCE FLOOR TO A LIFETIME TOGETHER!
Here we are after the wedding ceremony, posing. We are in a car heading to our wedding reception. After the reception we will be heading to Europe. How exciting is that!
HOW WE MET
Faye: My Story about how we Met
I met Gordon at an Anglican’s Young Peoples Banquet. The old Hiawatha Lodge would be the venue and the place I met the love of my life.
The evening began with a meal. The meal began with speeches and toasts. Gordon gave a toast, I don’t remember who to. This toast really impressed me. What impressed me, was his confidence, his articulation and I must say his handsome face.
At the end of the dinner, Gordon asked me to dance. I was thrilled, as you can image. I responded with a no, thank you. My excuse was that I did not like Country Music. this was untrue. That’s what your nerves will do to you. I was nervous as he was in university and I was a high school student.
I am sure he will not ask me to dance again. Halleluiah, he did ask me to dance again. This time I said yes. We danced the rest of the evening and he took me home a bit late according to my mother.
The next day Gordon invited me to join him for a day at Shinwaugh Residential School to play base ball against the residents. We had a great time playing baseball and winning the game.
We had a good time and I wanted him to ask me out again. he didn’t.
The next date was initiated by me. I wanted to take him to a school dance. This meant that I had to call him. My friends and I decided I should call him. Dialing his number at the rectory where he lived, with his parents took several attempts, before I let my finger go and the phone rang. I was nervous. I was sure he would not want to go. Why would he want to attend a high school dance? Much to my relief, Gordon answered the phone and he accepted my invitation, much to my delight.
That acceptance resulted in our dating throughout the summer.
HOW THE SUMMER CEMEMTED OUR FUTURE
The summer fun included movies, meals and visits at my house. We even got to go to Whitefish Falls to an Anglican camp together. Spending a lot of time traveling to the camp and taking part in all the activities I got to know Gordon very well. I liked what I
My mother thought a lot of Gordon. He was often a guest at our house. His parents were summering at their cottage in Bracebridge. I did get to visit them one long weekend there. Gordon’s father thought Gordon was stealing from the cradle. He thought I was 11 years old. I must admit I was very young looking for an 18 year old.
One special date was at his house. He made me a special invitation, to a dinner at his house. He cooked the meal all by himself. The meal was a chinese meal of Chop Suey. I was impressed by the invitation and the meal. How special.
Every young person needs a chaperone right? Gordon and I had such a thing in the form of my eight year old sister Sandra and our dog Bogey. Sandra and Bogey always wanted to go with us on our dates, and sometimes they did. if we were going to the camp it was hard to leave without them.. How could we leave those 4 big eyes pleading, without saying a word, to take them along?
Summer is ending. Gordon will be returning to the University of Manitoba. The University of Manitoba is in Winnipeg Manitoba. Gordon has to complete 3 years, of architecture.
I was leaving to enter my first year of a three year nursing diploma programme. I would be entering The Greater Niagara General Hospital School of Nursing in Niagara Falls. Gordon would be able to come home for 3 months every summer, to work and play. I would only have one week off a year to go home.
Gordon came home for those 3 summers that I could not. Sandra and Bogey continued to want to be with him. Gordon would take the children with him to camp. He was doing some renovations. They were a big help, I am sure.
I came home, for a one week visit. I found that our dates would include a girl and a dog on a lot of our dates. They would be sitting on the front steps watching us get into the car to go to the camp or any other place we might be inclined to include them.
Gordon: My story about how we met
I was a member of St. John’s AYPA (Anglican Young Peoples Association). As a member I was invited to a “rally.” The rally was held at the old Hiawatha Lodge. I bet, I was a speaker at same, but about what I have no recollection. A dance followed and I remember the girl with the most beautiful legs. We danced, and as I remember, she was overwhelmed by my abilities on the dance floor. I was equally inept no matter the dance. I believe I drove her home after the event.
I remember the girl with the most beautiful legs!
A week or so later, Faye called and invited me to a girls invite dance at the YMCA on Spring St. and rest is history. We spent the rest of that summer together and then went our separate ways for our studies in Niagara Falls and Winnipeg. Faye beginning her 3 year programme and I my three years in architecture.
SUMMER IS OVER, GORDON GOES WEST TO WINNIPEG MANITOBA, I GO SOUTH TO NIAGARA FALLS.
As you will see ours was to be a long-distance relationship. I would only have one week in the summer off, to be in Sault Ste. Marie. Gordon had the whole summer off and worked in Sault Ste Marie.
One summer Gordon visited me in Niagara Falls for one weekend. He actually drove all the way to Niagara from Winnipeg in his old Volkswagen.
We spent some time together again, as I was able to fly from Niagara to Winnipeg one winter. I was surprised my parents let me do so. Gordon paid for the trip. We were happy to have these special times together to cement our feelings for each other. Of course they were never long enough.
We became engaged in July of 1995 when Gordon came for a surprise visit.
I knew he was coming but not when. I was busy trying to get myself presentable for his visit when I got a call from the housemother. She told me that there was an elderly gentleman waiting for me in the lounge. An elderly gentleman I thought who could that be. I was shocked to see it was Gordon with a beard. He did look old. The beard was soon shaved off, at my insistence.
y inssestance.
We finally graduated in 1960.
Pictures of Gordon and his cars
our graduation 1960
After six years at university Gordon, graduated as an architect from the University of Manitoba.
After graduation Gordon started working In Perry Short’s Architectural Firm. Gordon, worked from May until November.
I graduated from the Greater Niagara General Hospital School of Nursing, as a nurse. One became a registered nurse after writing and passing the Registered Nursing exams.
In June I was hired to work at the General Hospital. I worked at the General Hospital as a graduate nurse.
November was the month we were to be married. We became engaged in July 1959. After three years of separation and one year of being engaged we were married. The wedding occurred on November 26, 1960. The the same year we graduated
our wedding
some wedding pictures
entering the
church.
the reception
after the reception
(Groom’s Men)
our traveling begins.
After the wedding reception we changed into our traveling clothes and left to start our honeymoon. We left on the five pm train bound for Montreal. The trip to Montreal was an overnight ride. Traveling overnight by train is perfect. The hum of the wheels and the sway of the train rock you to sleep. We were fortunate to have very comfortable sleeping accommodations as pictured below. Our room was similar to this photograph. The furnishing would have been different.
The luxury of traveling by train at night!
We arrive in Montreal in the middle of the day and take a taxi to our Hotel in Montreal. The staff met us on our arrival at the hotel. Hello, Mr. and Mrs Smedley, welcome. This was a new way of being greeted, to us. A Bell Boy took us to the honeymoon suite. The suite was a lovely surprise. It was a beautiful room. Just what we wanted.
Gordon and I took sometime to luxuriate in the suite. The time was spent admiring the rooms decor and the view of the ocean, from our window. We left the comfort of our suite and slowly made our way to the dining room. We were looking forward to a taste of french cuisine. The dining room staff greeted us and ushered us to our table. The meal was to start with a glass of red wine. A drink a lot of people enjoy. I did not. Alcohol was a drink I had never wanted. I did not drink alcohol, as I never wanted to loose control. The taste of the wine did not change my resolve, not to drink alcohol. I decided it was not something I wanted to have more of. Our meal consisted of several very different courses all of them left us wanting more. This delightful meal was a wedding gift from a client of Gordon’s, Jim Rudack and his wife. Gordon designed their house on Florwin Drive, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
The next day we managed to do some site seeing, in Montreal. As a bus was picking us up, in the afternoon, our site seeing was short. The bus was to take us to Quebec City, where we would be boarding a ship, to take us to England.
destination quebec city
Quebec City being one of the oldest cities in Canada we were happy to have time to explore it’s quaint features. The ship we were going to board was, the MS ITALIA Ocean Liner. The ship was taking us to Southampton, England. At Southampton, we would leave the ship. We would then fly to London.
Some views of Quebec city
We have a short visit with my Uncle Rich and Aunt Florence Grozelle on our way to England and on our way back home.
ms italia takes us across the atlantic
Docked waiting for us to board
LEARN ABOUT THE MS ITALIA
This information is from Google:This image is a photograph of the passenger ship MS Italia docked at a port. The text on the stern indicates it was registered in Panama, and the gangway identifies it as part of the Home Lines fleet. The MS Italia has a rich history; it was originally built in 1928 as the Swedish American Line’s Kungsholm, served as a US troopship during World War II, and was later purchased by Home Lines in 1948. It operated transatlantic passenger routes and later Caribbean cruises. For your genealogical research, photographs of ancestral ships provide wonderful visual context to your family’s immigration story.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT MS ITALIA GENERATED BY AI
The”Italia” of 1950 was built as the “Kungsholm” (2) for the Swedish American Line in 1928. Built by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (engines by Burmeister & Wain, Copenhagen), she was a 21,532 gross ton motorship, length overall 609.2ft x beam 78.2ft, two funnels, two masts, twin screw and a speed of 17 knots. There was passenger accommodation for 115-1st, 490-2nd and 970-3rd class. Launched on 17/3/1928, she sailed from Gothenburg on her maiden voyage to New York on 24/11/1928. In April 1932 she was refitted to carry 1st, tourist and 3rd class passengers and on 5/10/1939 commenced her last Gothenburg – New York voyage. Subsequently she was used until December 1941 on New York – West Indies cruises. She was bought by the US government on 13/12/1941, renamed “John Ericsson” and served as a US troopship. On 7/5/1946 she was chartered by United States Line and commenced New York – Southampton sailings. In February 1947 she commenced her eighth and last crossing from Southampton to Havre, Cobh and New York and on 7/3/1947 was damaged by fire in New York and repurchased by Swedish American Line. Sailed from New York for Genoa on 21/11/1947 and was refitted and acquired by Home Lines of Panama and renamed “Italia”. After refit, she was 16,777 gross tons and with accommodation for 226-1st, 296-cabin and 800-tourist class passengers. On 8/4/1948 she commenced her first voyage from Genoa to South America, and on 12/6/1949 started her first Genoa – Naples – Lisbon – New York voyage. In 1952 she was altered to carry 213-1st and 1,106-tourist class and on 14/3/1952 started her first New York – Hamburg crossing. On 29/3/1952 she started sailings between Hamburg, Southampton, Halifax and New York and in 1958 was altered to carry 140-1st and 1,150-tourist class. She started her first Cuxhaven – Zeebrugge – Havre – Southampton – Quebec voyage on 23/4/1958 and her first Cuxhaven – Havre – Southampton – Quebec – Montreal voyage on 23/5/1958. Her last Montreal – Quebec – Southampton – Havre – Cuxhaven – Havre – Southampton – Halifax – New York round voyage commenced 28/11/1960 and she then did a single crossing from New York to Halifax, Lisbon, Naples and Piraeus. On 4/9/1962 she resumed sailing between New York, Halifax, Lisbon, Naples, Piraeus, Messina, Naples and New York and subsequently sailed between New York and the Bahamas. In 1964 she became the “Imperial Bahama Hotel” at Freeport, Grand Bahama Island and on 8/9/1965 arrived at Bilbao where she was scrapped.
To view the interior of the MS Italia view this video.
The MS Italia offered a variety of events and activities for the passengers. The seas were rough and the winds were strong, we attended some events.. I remember attending a movie which proved to be quite eventful. The seats where the movie was held were not fastened to the floor. This lack of anchorage resulted in the movie watchers sliding in all directions. Sometimes all were moving to the right or to the left. Sometimes we were moving forward or backwards. Quite a hilarious time. This frantic movement increased my severe seasickness. I was aware of being sick in the middle of the night. The St. Lawrence River, had met the ocean. the seasickness happened. This discomfort happened the third day of our twelve day trip. The seasickness caused me to loose all taste or desire for food. I even tried to see the ships doctor. He never seemed to be there.
OUR TABLE MATES ON THE MS ITALIA
Gordon took the pictures seen below. We were exploring the ship decks and looking for places we could get our of the wind. Note the great wave action of the water indicating how rough the seas were and how cold the weather was. it was, remember, November! No wonder I was seasick.
our photos of the MS ITALIA decks
I hope you don’t get seasick viewing the pictures below. Note the white caps caused by the very strong winds.
I was happy to be standing on the stable ground. Solid, stable ground is an instant cure for seasickness.
.
we arrive at soutHamptOn
You are viewing the busy port of Southampton. Gordon was interested in watching how the tug boat guided our ship to it docking area. The pictures below show you some of the excitement around arriving at our destination.
We flew from Southampton to London. We were lucky that it was a clear day when we flew over Gibraltar, Gordon was able to get these two pictures.
we land at gatwick Airport London.
WHAT NO RESERVATION? DID WE REALLY NEED ONE?
Apparently, we did, need a hotel reservation in London. There was a Cat Show in town for this very weekend. No rooms available. What a shock. What do we do now? The thought that a big city like London would have all kinds of hotels was wrong. All rooms were booked up. One kind gentleman found us a room just for the night. It was decided that we only needed one night, fortunately, as the show ended the next day. Our hope was that this hotel was only needed for one night and was decent. We booked a room at the Regent Palace Hotel for the next day to be sure we had a good place to stay.
How bad could one night, in a not so decent hotel be?
We took a taxi to this questionable hotel. The man at the desk at the hotel gave us our key and room number and we proceeded to our room. A very old rickety elevator shook us all the way up to the floor our room was on.
Opening the door convinced us that we would not choose this hotel again. or stay another night.
How would you like to stay at this hotel? Here are the things I remember about it. Upon opening the door I immediately noticed the cigarette buts and ashes in the sink. There was dust everywhere and a nasty smell, which, caused us to sleep with our bed pulled to an open window. Not a pleasant experience. Needless to say, we paid our bill and left and went to the Regent Palace close to Picadilly Circus.
THE REGENT PALACE HOTEL AND PICADILLY CIRCUS
Were on our must see list.
.
INTERESTING ASPECTS OF THE REGENT PALACE HOTEL
The Regent Palace Hotel was a large hotel in central London at 10 Glasshouse Street, close to Piccadilly Circus, between 1915 and 2006. It was designated as a Grade II listed building by English Heritage in 2004.[1]
WHAT THE ACCOMMODATIONS WERE LIKE A THE REGENCY PALACE HOTEL
Information taken from Google: The upper floors contained the bedrooms, mainly singles and doubles, without bathrooms. The rather cell-like singles were very narrow, just wide enough to contain the bed and room to use the wash basin. Beyond the bed there was a chair and small table, a closet and the window. Even the inner rooms had natural light as they opened onto the central court, whose triangular shape prevented direct overlook. The double and twin rooms were much wider with more furniture. There were shared bathrooms and toilets in each passageway. A bell in each bedroom summoned a floor maid who would then draw a bath, supply hot towels and escort the resident to the bathroom and, after use, clean it..
TRAFALGAR SQUARE
ANOTHER MUST SEE
London was fascinating we could not get enough of it. It was exciting to see in person the many places we had heard of or seen in books or on TV.
Gordon and I will be returning to London. We will find work and a place to live after our extensive honeymoon travels.
WE ARE COMING BACK TO LONDON TO LIVE
TORREMOLINOS
OUR HONEYMOON CITY
British Independent Airlines takes us to Malaga airport. A bus takes us to Torremolinos.
THE TICKETS THAT GOT US ON THE PLANE
FROM England to Malaga then bus to torremolinos
Some pictures of the landscape between Malaga and Torremolinos we admired on our bus drive.
So where is Torremolinos?
Information from Google: Torremolinos (Spanish pronunciation: [toremoˈlinos]) is a municipality in Andalusia, southern Spain, west of Málaga. Torremolinos was a poor fishing village before the growth in tourism began in the late 1950s. Torremolinos was the first of the Costa del Sol resorts to be developed. It is still the most popular in the region.
THE LOS MERCEDES HOTEL IN TORREMOLINOS WELCOMES US!
THE LOS MERCEDES HOTEL TORREMOLINOS SPAIN
ABOUT THE HOTEL
The Los Mercedes Hotel was a brand new hotel.
A warm welcome from the staff who greeted us at the door. This greeting made us feel at ease. We were very tired from all our traveling. It was such a long trip. The trip so far included sailing the Atlantic Ocean to Southampton, flying to London England, and flying to Malaga, Spain. We rode a bus to the Torremolinos’ bus terminal. Our final ride was by taxi to the Los Mercedes Hotel.
We felt pampered immediately by the way the staff welcomed us. The uniqueness of our room decor and the view of the ocean from our balcony was very much to our liking.
The food never ceased to amaze me. The food was colourful, beautifully arranged on the plate and tasty. Some of the dishes included tastes foreign to me. These meals are often dreamt about.
The dining room waiters were extremely skilled at their job. Seating, handing a menu, taking an order and serving people they exhibited these skills.
Did you know that peeling an orange is a skill? The waiters at Los Mercedes had that skill. The waiters only used one sharp knife and one quick movement of their wrist and the orange was peeled and arranged artistically on your plate.
We enjoyed visiting the Los Mercedes Hotel bar after our outings.
The bartenders were very friendly. The bartenders, made non-alcoholic, delicious, drinks for me. These drinks were really refreshing after our day of adventure. They always made a different tasting drink for me. They varied the types of tropical fruit or juice used. Some of these flavours were new to me. They offered this colourful drink to me with such elegance. How could I not enjoy it.
I remember the first night we went up to our room after supper we got such a surprise. The surprise was on the bed. It was my nightgown. The gown was arranged like a flower with flowers on it and small chocolates. The room smelled of Jasmine.
Every night there was entertainment.
One night a violin player played for us. We did manage to keep this brochure.
A group of Flamingo Dancers entertained us another night. They did not disappoint us. The men were as straight and stiff as one would expect to be for this dance style. The women’s costumes were colourful and dramatic. The women were as flamboyant in their dance movements as were their costumes. Their intricate movements included an ability to use the fullness of their skirts to accent their movements. The male’s costumes were as colourful but slick. Posture changes and slow dramatic movements were the skills used by the male dancers. What a beautiful way to end a day.
A COLOURFUL DEPICTION OF THE AREA AROUND TORREMOLINOS
GORDON’S PHOTOGRAPHS OF THIS SMALL TOWN
AN UNEXPLAINED HAPPENING
WHILE BIKING THROUGH THE TOWN SQUARE
On a bright warm sunny day we decided to ride our bikes to the beach. To reach the beach we had to go through the town square.
In the town square a police man stopped us. The policeman, who spoke no english, was able to make us abandon our trip to the beach. Needless to say we returned to the hotel not knowing what the problem was. We never did find out.
WE SAW A BULLFIGHT IN MALAGA
Malaga was very close to Torremolinos which made it an easy place to spend time. We filled our time, with sightseeing and attending a bullfight.
The whole day was taken up with this event just like we have seen on TV. We watched the bull chasing hordes of people through the streets. We did not participate. We did visit the training schools and other establishments that catered to the bullfighters.
The actual fight between the bull and the matador was as gruesome and as exciting as I expected.
I don’t know if I could ever attend another bull fight. The fight was a spectacular event though.
SAN SEBATIAN, SPAIN
IS OUR NEXT VISIT
WE STAYED AT THE HOTEL MARIA CHRISTINA
“We stayed at the Hotel Maria Christina, What a beautiful hotel. I am happy here”. My Diary entry.
An early photograph of san sebatian
It has not changed much today.
San Sebastián is a resort town on the Bay of Biscay in Spain’s mountainous Basque Country. It’s known for Playa de la Concha and Playa de Ondarreta, beaches framed by a picturesque bayfront promenade, and world-renowned restaurants helmed by innovative chefs. In its cobblestoned old town (Parte Vieja), upscale shops neighbor vibrant pintxo bars pairing local wines with bite-size regional specialties. ― Google
My Diary Entries Date: Wednesday, December 28, 1960
Arrived in San Sebastian at 9 PM. It was a foul day, it was pouring rain and we had to wait for a taxi. Just as we were about to enter the taxi, I realized I had left my coat on the train. The train was gone. Will I ever see my coat again?
My Diary Entries Date: Thursday, December 29, 1960
The weather is the same as yesterday, pouring rain.
Fortunately, we were able to buy a big black umbrella and my coat had arrived.
In the afternoon, the rain let up. The beauty of the downtown was calling us. The beautiful town is right on the ocean. The streets are very wide and full of trees. The sidewalks are pictures of coloured tiles.
My Diary Entries Date: Friday, December 30, 1960
The weather was nasty. We walked down to the docks along the ocean anyway. The wind and the rain dashing onto the break water and onto the sidewalk was very spectacular. The splashing water was always just ahead of us or just behind us allowing us to remain fairly dry. We walked around for a few hours.
We returned to our hotel room tired just a bit wet, but happy.
A FEW PICTURES OF THE STORM
madrid spain is our next visit
WE ARE TRAVELING BY IBERIA AIRLINES SPAIN FROM MALAGA TO MADRID
MY DIARY ENTRIES ARE NON-EXISTANT FOR MADRID
I am using the items from my scrapbook to complete this visit.
CHRISTMAS IN MADRID
WE ATTENDED SERVICES AT THE BRITISH EMBASSY, THE CHURCH OF SAINTE GEORGE MADRID
Click here to see the Church as it is today.
We spent Christmas Eve in Madrid.
We attended a Christmas Eve service at The British Embassy, Church of Saint George Madrid. It was a Christmas Carol Service.
A CHRISTMAS GIFT
We spent our first Christmas together in Madrid. It was the first time that we did not have family close by. We did manage to get a tree to help us deal with missing our family. It was a small tree with minimal decorations. We did buy small gifts for each other.
Gordon gave me a bracelet. The design on the bracelet was a spanish design of black and gold. I wear that bracelet today. I am afraid neither one of us remembers if I even bought him a gift.
A SPECIAL DAY – A SPECIAL MEAL
The Casa Botin was recommended by the Concierge of our hotel. If you go he said be sure to have their roasted pig, it is a must. We ordered the roast suckling pig as was suggested. It was as delicious as we were told.
I can remember the taste of the roasted suckling pig. The old comfortable atmosphere of the dining room is part of the memory too.
The dining room and the menu
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CASA BOTIN
This Spanish fixture opened in 1725. It is famous for its roast suckling pig, which was mentioned in a Hemingway novel.
Service options: Reservations required · Outdoor seating · Private dining room
Address: C. de Cuchilleros, 17, Centro, 28005 Madrid, Spain from Google:
SOME MEMORIES OF MADRID
THE POVERTY:
Walking down the Madrid streets I saw such poverty. The poverty was very obvious very quickly. I remember this incident like it was yesterday. A fairly young woman approached us. She was holding a small baby bundled in rags with bare feet peeking out of this blanket of rags. She and the baby were surrounded by several small children. As she got closer she looked to me like she was trying to give her baby to me. The poor mother was begging for money. She needed to feed herself and her children. We gave her some money.
We were sitting by a window in a restaurant, several children in ragged clothes stood looking at us as we ate. They stood with their hands outstretched and a pleading look on their faces. It became very difficult to finish our meal. I cannot forget the look on the faces of these children.
PARIS FRANCE our next visit
My Diary Entry Sunday, December 31, 1960
We are in Paris, at 455 pm on Christmas Eve. We traveled from Madrid by train. The train ride was so relaxing. We were not tired after our long journey. We had an compartment to ourselves.
We checked into the Lafayette Hotel. There are two different shots pictured below.
The Hotel Opera Lafayette was a disappointment to us, as the Water Closet (bathroom) was across the hall. We would be the only one using it. We stayed there as the price was right .
The hotel restaurant was noted for it’s restaurant so we had a meal there, before we headed out for the evening. It was New Years Eve and we wanted to celebrate in someway. Going to see a movie was just what we needed as we hadn’t heard any english for a long time. We had been many weeks, not understanding what people were saying to us. The movie was “Don’t Give Up The Ship” with Jerry Lewis. It was our New Year’s Eve celebration.
Paris celebrated the New Year by ringing bells and honking car horns. The cars and the noise on the streets could be heard from our Hotel room. It was fun to listen to. We felt as if we were part of the night’s celebrations. The continuous noise began to bother us by 4 AM.
My Diary Entry Dated: Sunday, JANUARY 1, 1961
On this day we had our first ride on on the Paris subway to “Concorde” to the Eiffel Tower traveling along the Seine.
the eunesco building tour
We joined a guided tour of the Unesco building. The tour was mostly in French and as French is not our second or even third language we missed out on a lot of history.
I think we were missing hearing our english language as we took in a movie english movie called the “Can-Can” with Frank Sinatra and Shirley McLean. the movie was tries Bien.
One of the best things about this day was that we did not need an umbrella.
My Diary Entry Dated: monday January 2, 1960
We spent this day visiting travel agencies. We needed assistance to get to our next destination Holland. These visits took up most of our day.
Our plan to visit the Louvre Art Gallery proved disappointing, it was closed.
We returned to our hotel tired and upset. To ease our disappointment over not being able to visit the museum we had a rest.
My Diary Date: Tuesday January 3, 1961
We got to The Modern Art Museum, on Rue Du President Wilson Street to find it was closed. Just like the Louvre yesterday. The afternoon was spent watching a Judy Holiday and Dean Martin in the movie “Bells are Ringing. We left the movie theatre to pouring rain. We raced to the hotel as we didn’t have our umbrella.
The Modern Art Museum, on Rue Du President Wilson Street
holland is our next visit
My Diary Entry Date: wednesday January 4, 1961
On this day we decided to fly to Dan Haag, Holland on Friday. KLM made the arrangements for our flight.
This time the President Wilson’s Modern Art Museum was open. We were mesmerized by the enormous collection of modern art and modern architecture that was available for viewing.
My Diary Entry Date: Thursday, January 5, 1961
My diary is empty for this day. I know that we kept on site seeing. I remember seeing the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elselesse, the Eiffel Tower and other interesting buildings and parks. Writing about this magnificent structures would have taken a lot of time and thought.
We also enjoyed window shopping. It was fun to look in the windows and imagine buying something there. we promised ourselves that we would return and buy. We have been to Paris again and still did not buy.
Tomorrow we fly to Amsterdam Holland
Den Haag, holland
My Diary entry Dated: friday, January 6, 1960
A bus took us to the departure gate at the Paris Airport. Our flight departed at 1200 hours. We arrived in Amsterdam at 1300 hours. At approximately 1400 hours we went by busto Den Haag, our destination in Holland. We would be meeting Henny and Bill Dykstra. We are staying with Bill’s parents. Bill’s parents are friends of Gordon’s parents. The Dykstra’s, Bill’s parents had been in Canada for a while. The senior Dykstars were to be our hosts for our stay.
It seems we have a decision to make. We could each have our own room to ourselves or share a single bed in one of the rooms. If we each took a room their daughter Inaka would have to go to someone else’s place to sleep. Inaka stayed in her own room. Gordon and I shared a single bed. I was amazed to find that after six nights in the single bed at Dystkar’s we did very well. I must admit that we had met many a single bed on this trip.
It seemed that many places on this trip only offered single beds. It started with our train trip from the Sault to Montreal. The private car we had was furnished with bunk beds and a small sink and toilet facilities. There were two sets of bunk beds in the cabin we were assigned to, on the MS Italia. Were we going to be the cabin, I asked myself, but no we were not.
Having two sets of bunk beds facing in different directions was helpful for me when I became seasick. I could choose a bed depending on the way the wind was blowing and the way the boat was rocking. This seemed to help my nausea.
My Diary entry Dated: saturday January 7, 1961
After a leisurely breakfast Bill took us to the city of Den Haag to see the works of Dutch Artists. One that interested me was the “The Anatomy Lesson” of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp. It is a 1632 oil painting on canvas by Rembrandt housed in the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, Netherlands. It was originally created to be displayed by the Surgeons Guild in their meeting room. read more.. Bill bought a coloured slide and of the “Anatomy Lesson” and gave it to Gordon. Bill gave it to Gordon who had been admiring it so much.
The Mauritshuis Museum is home to the best of Dutch painting from the age of Rembrandt and Vermeer. “The Girl with a Pearl Earring”by Rembrandt is a masterpiece you can see here.
My Diary entry Dated: SUNDAY, January 8, 1961
Bill, who volunteered to be our tour guide, took us to Amsterdam to explore the Canal District or the Red Light District. The houses there have bay windows which show case women posing seductively in the window. Prostitution is legal in Holland. Read more…
Bicycles, are seen everywhere. They are main the mode of travel. in Den Haag and other parts of Holland. They do have streetcars, which we used to take us to our next destination the Rijksmuseum.
Famous Dutch artists were housed in the Rijksmuseum. I was not familiar with most of the artists. The artists impressed me with their abilities. I studied some Dutch artists in an Art History class at Algoma University in 1969.
Ancient articles of war were on display in The Rijksmuseum. The display included, a variety of armour, the shields and swords. Old soldiers uniforms in their different designs and colours drew my attention. There was an amazing number of huge models of actual fighting vessels. We returned to the Dystkars.
After this long day we returned home to a delicious home cooked meal. Mrs. Dykstra fed our starving bodies. Bill was invited to stay for supper after being our guide for the day. Henny was invited but she was busy so she joined us later. A very pleasant day and evening.
I must mention that we saw several windmills on our drives. Some were in use and others had seen better days. Both were very picturesque. You will see some windmills in the pictures below
We were pleased to meet a dutch architect friend of Bills.
My Diary Entry Dated: monday, JANUARY 9, 1961
Gordon went off without me on this Monday morning, which allowed me to sleep in. He had a desire to see more of the Museum of Modern Art and to visit some architect firms.
I spent the day catching up on some washing, I went shopping with Mrs. Dykstra about 4 pm, her housekeep accompanied us. I had a quiet ride by street car to Henny’s house, as the housekeeper who accompanied me only spoke dutch.
An interesting activity
Avalanche climber/walker. I did not know such a sport even existed. A friend of the Dykstra’s visited one evening and entertained us with stories and slides of his experiences with avalanches. This sport is almost as dangerous as mountain climbing. The beauty of the landscapes share a certain beauty. A winter wonderland.
Food safety was an issue with me.They had very small refrigerators some what like the ones we have to keep our drinks cool. Their windowsills were used to keep many foods cold.
Bathtubs were about the size of the copper tubs one sees in old western movies. I think they could be even a bit smaller. I cannot remember if they had showers or not.
WE ARE LEAVING HOLLAND
Our hosts Mr. and Mrs. Dykstra, Bill, Henny and Anaka could not have been more gracious. We said our sad goodbyes at the airport.
photos of holland by gordon
london england is our next move
We will taking the ferry through the English Channel. Travel over water is proving to be a bad experience for me. I was seasick on this trip too.
It is time to settle down and find work.
