1er avril

 

drama

Two views of the Gothic styled Kölner Dom, which took an astonishing 632 years to complete, although to be fair, it also lay dormant for 300 of those years.  It was finally finished in 1880.  Fortunately, the stained glass windows were removed before the Allied bombings in WWII, and the twin spires survived to continue being a navigational landmark.  

A slightly more than five minute walk from the Cathedral  will take you to the Hauptbahnhof, where you can catch a train for the 1 3/4 hour journey to Mainz.

Mainzer Dom, (aka St Martin's Cathedral) a mostly Romanesque styled cathedral with some Baroque additions, was founded around 975 and dedicated in 1009 whereupon it was immediately destroyed by fire.  It would be engulfed in flames six more times in its history.  Once you've followed your way to the 80 metre tall tower, you'll find yourself in the Market Square, a popular and busy meeting place.

crowning glory

 A rather unique style, Frida Kahlo was often seen with flowers in her hair as a symbol of fertility and her Mexican heritage.

Anna Pavlova

Here she is Princess Aspicia in the Pharaoh's Daughter for the Moscow Ballet, 1908

hydropathic

This was filed under hospitals, and with a name like "Waverley Hydropathic" that sounds a reasonable assumption. But, with a little research, it turns out this is actually a hotel with a golf course. First mentioned in 1905.

I even accidentally bought two!

 

It is now a bespoke hotel. Guests enjoy wonderful views of the Eildon Hills, with plenty of opportunities for walks down to the River Tweed. Waverley Castle Hotel, Melrose is the ideal place to unwind, rejuvenate and explore a historic and fascinating area of Scotland, 38 miles south of Edinburgh and close to the border with England.

The hotel has 77 comfortable, well-appointed bedrooms, with facilities such as a flat-screen TV, en-suite bathroom, hairdryer, desk and housekeeping services. Choose from a range of single, double and twin rooms. Larger rooms are also available on request.

logs

A logging train in British Columbia

An Alberni Valley Train Load

grapes

Greetings from the Mosel
1930s?

who else is thinking of I Love Lucy?!!

pulling heavy things

In the early part of the 19th century horses were used for pulling things like trams













and hay

but then things got really wild and silly and they were soon pulling things like giant ears of corn

and massive potatoes

some transportation and tall tales for Sepia Saturday - horses pulling things

ayr

The Belleisle House Hotel, Ayr
with guests sitting outside.

In June of 2019, a fire on the roof destroyed the 18th century mansion.

cradleboard

Cradleboard
photographed in 1903
Nez Perce tribe of Oregon

1933

Berlin 1933
Die Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedachtniskirsche from before WWII. 
Right, the Romanesque Cafe, famous meeting point of literary and intellectuals
in the background, the Zoological Garden
and back left, the Bahnhof Zoo

kakabeka

Kakabeka Falls
on the Kaministiquia River, Thunder Bay

Immenstadt

sent  May 11 1961 Immenstadt Germany to Toronto Canada

Immenstatd-Algäu, 731 m

message in German, but 'bed' is handwritten on front of postcard under the left hand window of house on right.

IF

unsent,
Real Photo, The Hart Publishing Co, London, E.C.

The Grave of our Dreams

PostcardFriendshipFriday

Jungfrau

Mt Männlichen and Jungfrau

unsent, circa 1910 

real photo

Paris... en flanant

unsent, real photo 1920s
Place de la Concorde
Les Éditions d'Art 'YVON', Paris 15, Rue Martel
I.B. 0571

'Yvon' was the pseudonym of the Parisien photographer Pierre Yves Petit who began publishing postcards of his photographs in 1919 under the Strolling around Paris series.

Postcard Friendship Friday

Quints

These five sisters, born during the Depression, were the first quintuplets to survive infancy. The girls were taken from their poor French Canadian family by the government who feared exploitation but then exploited them anyway. They soon became a huge tourist attraction and thousands of people travelled to the Northern Ontario town of Callander to see them playing through a one way screen at the hospital across the road from their family home. Meticulous records were kept of their progress as they were studied, tested and examined over the nine years they lived in the hospital. Although they themselves had limited exposure to the outside world, the girls were featured on anything and everything that could have their image plastered on it. Only two of the Dionne sisters - Annette and Cécile - are still living and will be 80 years old on May 28th.

Sepia Saturday