This time we see the massive rock along the Rhine known as the Lorelei.
The legend on the back is from a German poem, translated crudely as follows:
The Lorelei
The Lorelei waved from fading Stone,
Performance floods down her veil
And contributes to the listening land into
The gold melting blood of her songs.
She has sung in my lonely hour
Of home and hope and love;
There the words out of her mouth
Remain forever in our hearts.
— From the epic “Trutz Katz” by Jorg Ritzel
This is No. 105 in the series
Author: desteede
Rhine Tour, 1930’s: Mouse Tower
Next is a view of the “Mouse Tower” a keep in the middle of the Rhine river on a small island.
The description on the back of this card, translated from German:
The Mouse Tower on the Rhine near Bingen received its present form in 1856, but has existed since the mid 13th century. The grisly legend, the scene of which it forms, Rutland tells in his book Tell Rhine. Today the Mouse Tower serves as a signal light for shipping. About Rudesheimer against the mountain we see the glorious ruins of the castle rock.
This is number 103 in the series.
Rhine Tour, 1930’s: Rheinstein Castle
Today I begin an artistic tour of the Rhein river, from art postcards purchased by a relative during a European vacation in 1930. Presumably, all the images date from at latest the 1920’s, but given they are artworks, could be significantly earlier. The physical cards themselves, however, are 1930 era.
The first place is Rheinstein Castle.
The back of the card has a legend in German, translated (poorly) as:
A jewel of the German past is Rheinstein Castle, like the nest of a bird of prey on a narrow, steep cliffs, rising high above the flowing waters of the Rhine.
It is number 93 in the series.
Winter Haven, Florida Folio Collection 1951
Today introduces the postcard folio type. This is a collection of images in a single postcard cover, intended to be sent as a complete package. As such it differs from the postcard package, which is an accordion folded collection of postcards meant (and marked) to be sent individually, though bought as one item.
This particular folio is of the Winter Garden, Florida area and environs. It was printed on a linen texture paper to give a more cloth look, a process created by Curt Teich and Co., Chicago IL.
This particular collection is copyright 1951, so the photos probably predate the copyright. Other pictures are of prominent civic buildings and landmarks, as well as the famous Cypress Gardens water skiing show.
Click on an image for the full frame.
San Francisco-Oakland International Airport, 1970’s
The end of the week returns to California, with an aerial view of SFO, showing the terminal in the upper left and one ‘pinwheel’ terminal, in use by United Airlines. From the presence of DC-8 jets at several jetways, this picture looks to be from around 1970.
SFO doesn’t look much like this any more. The terminals have been extensively rebuilt with a new international terminal added, the parking area is now a multi-level garage with additional garages to the upper right and off the picture at the top. There is a tram that cycles between the different terminals, and the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) line is now linked to the airport as well.
It is also interesting to note that most of the airplanes are connected to the terminal with two jetways, one at the front and back of each plane, a policy which has since been abandoned. Now planes are boarded through one jetway, a much slower process, particularly for the larger capacity aircraft.
Motel Tradewinds, Rapid City, South Dakota
Returning to the United States, here’s a card from one of the many hotels which dotted the 50’s landscape for the auto traveller. This one was wisely built at the intersection of two US highways: 14 and 16 in Rapid City, South Dakota, giving it an enviable location to entice weary travellers.
Careful viewing will discover the various rooms are named for European nations. In the upper shot the cabins are England, Greece and Poland, in the lower shot is Scotland in the background and Palestine in the left foreground along the road. In other versions available on the web this latter cabin appears to have been renamed Finland.
Captioned on the back
Motel Tradewinds, on US Highways 14 and 16, East Side of Rapid City, South Dakota – “At the sign of the Waving Man – Fifteen modern family units, individually heated, with or without cooking facilities. For reservations Phone F I llmore 2-7632. Your hosts Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Beach
The postcard is used and postmarked August 30, 1956. A cursory search of the address online indicates the motel was demolished and replaced.
Fuji-Hakone National Park, Japan
Here is a photo of the world-famous Mt. Fuji in Japan, as viewed across the lake and parkland of the associated national park.
The card is postmarked September 1968.
The postcard is unfortunately cropped, as the recipient often cut the bottoms off the postcard so it would fit in an album. This is why the format of the picture is different from most of the other cards on this site. There will be others as well.
The Best Advice is Simple
No matter
What you cook,
When you cook,
Where you cook,
How you cook,
Why you cook or
Who you cook for, the first step in cooking is always the same:
Wash your hands.
– Emmett Steede, SMG, USA (ret.), 1929-1988
Having spent his Army career in Preventive Medicine, the military equivalent to public health, Emmett developed a incisive perspective on health and cleanliness. He understood the difference between sterile and sanitary, between pure and potable, and regularly noted how confused most people were about simple sanitation.
If you want to feel better after eating, be more careful before eating. Food poisoning is one of the most common ailments in our modern society, simply because cooks are careless at home with the most basic sanitary practices.
Wash your hands.
Wash your cutting boards.
Wash your knives and other prep tools.
Do it regularly during the course of the prep, and thoroughly after you’re done.
Every single meal.
The Fish Market, Bergen, Norway
This is a colorful scene of the bustling Bergen fish market as it appeared in the mid-1950’s.
According to the postmark, this card was mailed from Oslo and is dated 11 July 1956.
Grand Hotel, Taipei Taiwan, 1978
This postcard is more easily dated, as it was mailed, and the postmark is April 13, 1978.
My family lived for two years in the center of Taipei twenty years before this picture was taken. I don’t know if the hotel was already built back then or not.
It still exists in this location, near the river tributary in the Zhongshan district: Grand Hotel, Taipei