In 1950, my parents took us to Europe. To save money my mother and my sister and I all were on the same passport. I'm on the left - age 12. My mother is in the center, and my sister is on the right - age 10. My mother had her 41st birthday on the trip.
Our passport picture.
My mother prepared us for the trip by taking us to Berlitz for French lessons. She made the travel arrangements through Cook Travel Agency (who were an American Express Agency).
We traveled by ship from New York, and we were to go first to Luxembourg, but the ship ran into a storm and was a day late. So we missed that stop, and after a day in Paris (where we would return) we picked up our journey in Belgium.
My dad had an early Polaroid that made sepia prints, a Bolex movie camera and probably two 35 mm film cameras one of which seems to have had black and white film
Brussels was the second place we went in Europe. On the way, we saw
Waterloo -1950
from the train. (Flying was not as common in those days)
Brussels from hilltop
We stayed at the Le Grand Hotel.
Facade of the hotel 1950
Entrance to the hotel in 1950
I have my father's photos of it, and I have seen a historic postcard which has the address of this current hotel on it. This was the second place we stayed on our European trip. Since we were traveling by train, we mostly stayed at hotels near a train station. This was common practice back then and these were not just cheap and dirty hotels. I don't remember anything about the hotel - if it wasn't for the photos, I would not even have remembered that we stayed there. Plus I doubt if it is the same now as it was then
Street in front of hotel
View from hotel window - Whippet racing sign
Closeup of building decoration from hotel window
My father took a lot of photos of buildings such as the Cathedral in Petit Sablou (which I do not remember at all)
Cathedral in Petit Sablou in 1950
2 Counts Egmont and Hornes - in Petit Sablou Square
and also of statues including several of the 48 bronze statuettes, each representing a different medieval guild.
One of the trade/guild statues around the church
My mother correctly labeled the
clock maker
as well as the
Fisherman
Sword smith
She called one of them a street sweeper and I have found a picture of that one and he is a
Bleacher
The last photo I have not been able to identify the guild - he has an auger in his belt so my mother called him a carpenter, but the carpenter is supposed to have a chair or a saw.
What occupation is this?
Our passport picture.
My mother prepared us for the trip by taking us to Berlitz for French lessons. She made the travel arrangements through Cook Travel Agency (who were an American Express Agency).
We traveled by ship from New York, and we were to go first to Luxembourg, but the ship ran into a storm and was a day late. So we missed that stop, and after a day in Paris (where we would return) we picked up our journey in Belgium.
My dad had an early Polaroid that made sepia prints, a Bolex movie camera and probably two 35 mm film cameras one of which seems to have had black and white film
Brussels was the second place we went in Europe. On the way, we saw
Waterloo -1950
from the train. (Flying was not as common in those days)
Brussels from hilltop
We stayed at the Le Grand Hotel.
Facade of the hotel 1950
Entrance to the hotel in 1950
I have my father's photos of it, and I have seen a historic postcard which has the address of this current hotel on it. This was the second place we stayed on our European trip. Since we were traveling by train, we mostly stayed at hotels near a train station. This was common practice back then and these were not just cheap and dirty hotels. I don't remember anything about the hotel - if it wasn't for the photos, I would not even have remembered that we stayed there. Plus I doubt if it is the same now as it was then
Street in front of hotel
View from hotel window - Whippet racing sign
Closeup of building decoration from hotel window
My father took a lot of photos of buildings such as the Cathedral in Petit Sablou (which I do not remember at all)
Cathedral in Petit Sablou in 1950
2 Counts Egmont and Hornes - in Petit Sablou Square
and also of statues including several of the 48 bronze statuettes, each representing a different medieval guild.
One of the trade/guild statues around the church
My mother correctly labeled the
clock maker
as well as the
Fisherman
Sword smith
She called one of them a street sweeper and I have found a picture of that one and he is a
Bleacher
The last photo I have not been able to identify the guild - he has an auger in his belt so my mother called him a carpenter, but the carpenter is supposed to have a chair or a saw.
What occupation is this?
- Next entry in the series 'Two Visits to Belgium': Manneken Pis 1950
