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Showing posts from August, 2011

"Grüzi aus Luzern" - 36 years of alpine tourism through postcards

    After the major peaks of Switzerland had been climbed by the super rich and the new comprehensive Swiss rail system completed, more 'ordinary rich Brits' started coming to Switzerland. This increase in tourism to the area and the development of the picture postcard means that it is quite easy to find early postcards sent by people on their European tour. Unfortunately these cards are a bit 'weather is nice, wish you were here', but they do seem to capture a bit of what life was and is still like in Luzern: 1935 "Having a lovely time - went to the Rhone Glacier yesterday. Everything terribly expensive giving to rate of exchange. Sunbathing on the Lido this afternoon. Weather perfect - not too hot!" 1929 "We have a balcony window, and can sit out in the sun." 1931 "Arrived here on Sunday after a very rough crossing from Folkestone - and an overnight train journey to Bale. The weather is terrible so far but this p...

'It's Manitoba Time' - Winnipeg Postcards

This is my first blog entry in a series about postcards from around the world. Actually, it is just a way to blog about some of the areas I have collected. So here are some postcards which show old Winnipeg. Here are some did you know facts about Winnipeg... 1. Winnipeg is the coldest city in the world. 2. Winnie-the-Pooh was named after Winnipeg. 3.  In 1942, the Government of Canada's Victory Loan Campaign staged a mock Nazi invasion of Winnipeg to promote awareness of the stakes of the war in Europe (thanks Wikipedia). 4. The Gas House cost 9,000,000 dollars to build (see postcard for more financial information on this!). 

Another Secret Code Postcard

I found this card at a car boot sale last Sunday. It cost me exactly 20p and is a super find because the last secret code postcard I found cost me £12! Thinking it could be a language I was not familiar with, I decided at 20p it was worth the risk and a great card for the collection. After I returned home, pencil poised with the eraser close by, the code breaking session began, and what a long time this one took! It says: Thanks so much for your letter so sorry I shant see you before you go but it cant be helped it is kismet much love Gordon. 23.6.07 It reminds me of this scene from the movie Brief Encounter (1945)...