Into the Unknown - Sepia Saturday 614

 

La Savoie
82 - Chambésy - Rue de Boigne - Fontaine des Eléphants, oeuvre de Sappey
(Fontaine des quatre Sans-Cul)

As mentioned briefly in my previous post, between July 1922 and March 1924, there was an interlude in my great-aunt Gerda's employment with the Swedish Countess Sparre-Bielke at Sturefors castle, during which she was instead off travelling to 'exotic countries' with a Lady Henry - who at the end of that period declared Gerda to be an "excellent traveller and packer and a neat needlewoman".

Unfortunately, this is a period of Gerda's travels that I know very little about. I have no written postcards from those years; and neither do I have any blank cards from countries more 'exotic' than France. I seem to vaguely remember having heard (back in my childhood/youth) that Gerda had also been as far away as India, though. And my relative BW mentioned in an email a couple of small pistols that she was supposed to have carried in her handbag when travelling to the "colonies". So when I first saw this postcard with the elephants in her collection (of unwritten ones), I thought that might be from India. Of course the printed text in French immediately took me out of that illusion; but in lack of the "the real thing" (actual proof), I decided to use it for this post anyway.

A website (www.lonelyplant.com) confirms my impression of at least a connection to India:

Fontaine des Éléphants - Fountain in Chambéry

With its four carved elephants, this 17.6m-high fountain looks like the model for an old Indian postage stamp. It was sculpted in 1838 in honour of Général de Boigne (1751–1830), who made his fortune in the East Indies and was honoured posthumously with this monument for bestowing some of his wealth on the town. Locally, the elephants – whose front halves sprout from the statue – are lovingly referred to as the quatre sans cul (the rear-less four).

The text continues: 

The genteel arcaded street that leads from the fountain to Château des Ducs de Savoie, rue de Boigne, is also one of Boigne's projects.

There is a postcard of this as well, in Gerda's collection:

28 CHAMBÉRY - Le Château des Ducs de Savoie,
Le Donjon et la Porte Saint-Dominique - LL

Savoie (English: Savoy) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhônes-Alpes region of Southeastern France. As I know Gerda spent some time in the French alps when she lived in France during WW1, she may have visited Chambéry back then as well. But it may also have been before, or after the war.

I've spent quite a bit of time googling for a travelling 'Lady Henry', but without finding anyone who seems to fit with this window in time (1922-24). I've also tried 'Lord' Henrys, and 'Sir' Henrys - the whole thing not getting any easier by the fact that Henry might be either a surname or a first name. 

For a short while, I actually thought I might have a really exciting lead, when I did find an English earl by first name Henry, who had served in India and Mesopotamia during the war, and in July 1922 married an American girl; and after their marriage they did go to India... But as this couple is famous enough to even have a book written about them, it also soon became clear that no, alas - as much as I'd like to, I can't fit Gerda into their story... ;) Besides the fact that the couple went back to England in 1923, to take possession of an inherited estate, I actually even found out the name of the wife's maid, who was with them in India: She was called Marcelle, and had been with her "lady" since she was fourteen years old.

That couple's story is a very interesting one in its own right, though, and I look forward to continue reading the rest of it. The title of the book is Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey, written by the current Countess of Carnarvon. It describes the lives of the family who lived at Highclere Castle  from 1923 to 1945, "in particular the beautiful Anglo-American Catherine Wendell and the man she married, who became the 6th Earl of Carnarvon". (Better known as Lord Porchester, or Porchey, rather than Henry - even if that was his name.)

While I'll probably never find Gerda's Lady Henry, at least the first few chapters of this book gave me some thoughts about likely circumstances: In the context of travelling to 'exotic' countries, like India, it is perhaps more realistic to think of Lady Henry as being married to a gentleman with military or diplomatic background, rather than as a single gentlewoman setting off on a journey "on her own" to explore remote corners of the world in the company of just a lady's maid (however excellent at packing and needlework). (Or one might imagine Lord Henry already being in India, with his regiment; and his wife travelling to join him there. Or something along that line...)

Linking to Sepia Saturday 614

Whether Gerda ever rode a bicycle, I have no idea!

SVENSKA

Som jag nämnde i förbigående i mitt förra inlägg, så gjorde Gerda under 1922-24 ett avbrott i sin anställning hos grevinnan Sparre-Bielke på Sturefors slott i Östergötland, för att istället resa med en 'Lady Henry' till 'exotiska länder'. I slutet av den perioden beröms hon av Lady H som mycket skicklig vad gäller att resa och packa, och även i sömnad.

Tyvärr är detta den period i Gerdas liv som jag vet minst om. Jag har inga skrivna vykort från de här åren, och inte heller några oskrivna kort från mer exotiska platser. Jag har dock vaga minnen (från min egen barndom/ungdom) av att hört sägas att Gerda även rest så långt bort som till Indien. Min släkting Bengt W nämnde också i ett email två små pistoler som Gerda tydligen brukade ha i sin väska vid resor i 'kolonierna'. Så när jag först såg vykortet med elefantskulpturerna ovan i Gerdas samling av oskrivna kort, gick tankarna till Indien. Men texten på franska upplyste mig ju om att bilden var från Chambésy i Frankrike. I samma stad finns även Château des Ducs de Savoie. Både skulpturen och gatan mellan den och slottet har anknytning till en general de Boigne (1751-1830), som gjorde sig en förmögenhet i Ostindien, och postumt hyllades med uppförandet av elefant-fontänen, och att få en gata uppkallad efter sig. 

Savoie är en provins i alperna i sydöstra Frankrike. Det är en region där Gerda reste en del medan hon bodde i Frankrike under 1:a världskriget, så vykorten kan vara från den tiden. Men de skulle också kunna vara från antingen före eller efter kriget. 

Jag har tillbringat en hel del tid med att googla på både 'Lady Henry' och på 'Sir' eller 'Lord' Henry, men utan att hitta några som passar in i omständigheterna och det snäva tidsfönstret mellan juli 1922 och mars 1924.  För ett ögonblick trodde jag att jag kanske hade hittat en intressant kandidat – en engelsk earl med förnamnet Henry, som hade tjänstgjort i brittiska armén i Mesopotamien och Indien under kriget, och som i juli 1922 gifte sig med en amerikanska. Efter bröllopet åkte de också båda till Indien. Detta är dock ett berömt par, som det även finns en bok skriven om. Så jag kom ganska snart fram till att hur gärna jag än ville, så kunde jag inte få Gerda att riktigt passa in i deras historia. ;) Förutom det faktum att de 1923 återvände till England för att ta över en ärvd egendom där, så fann jag i boken t.o.m namnet på hustruns verkliga kammarjungfru, som var med dem i Indien: Hon hette Marcella och hade varit i tjänst hos sin 'lady' sedan hon var 14 år gammal.  

Detta pars historia är dock intressant i sig, och jag ser fram emot att läsa fortsättningen av den. Bokens titel är Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey, skriven av den nuvarande grevinnan av Carnarvon i England. Den beskriver livet och familjen på Highclere Castle (där TV-serien Downton Abbey spelades in) mellan 1923-1945, och inte minst den vackra anglo-amerikanskan Catherine Wendell och hennes make, som blev den 6:e earlen av Carnarvon. (Oftast kallad Lord Porchester, eller Porchey, även om hans förnamn var Henry.)

Medan det är föga troligt att jag någonsin kommer att lyckas fastställa identiteten på Gerdas 'Lady Henry', så gav mig den här boken ändå en del tankar – som t.ex att det i sammanhanget (resor till 'exotiska länder' vid den här tiden) ändå kan vara realistiskt att tänka sig att även Lady Henry var hustru till en brittisk militär eller diplomat eller liknande, snarare än en ensamstående adelsdam som bara gav sig av ”på egen hand” för att utforska okända hörn av världen, med bara en anställd kammarjungfu som sällskap (hur resvan och skicklig jungfrun än må ha varit på att ta hand om packning och sömnad mm). Men man kan ju också föreställa sig t.ex. att lorden rest i förväg och redan befann sig i Indien (eller något annat avlägset land), och att hustrun skulle resa senare för att ansluta sig till honom där (och då behövde ressällskap på vägen). 

Sturefors, Östergötland (1920s) - Sepia Saturday 613

 M.001.01 - Sturefors Castle, Östergötland (1920s)

Sturefors, Östergötland
Foto.  8.  Swensson.  Hovfotograf.  Linköping.

To: Fru Selma Emanuelson, Storegården, Fristad
From: Gerda  (Stockholm, december 1928) (?)

God jul och Gott nytt år! med hj. hälsningar från Gerda

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! with love from Gerda 

This postcard seems to have turned very yellow with age. In the image at the top I've edited the photo back to black and white, as I suppose it probably was when Gerda sent it as Christmas greeting to her step-mother Selma. There's very little left of the postmark to see, but I think it was sent from Stockholm in December 1928. It may look like a randomly chosen tourist postcard, but in fact Gerda worked as lady's maid at this castle during two periods in the 1920's: 1921-22, and again 1924-1928.

As shown in the previous post, after Gerda's return from France in 1919, during 1920 and until 21.5 1921, she was lady's maid to Mrs Ira Nelson Morris (born Constance Lily Rothschild), married to the US Minister to Sweden, at Oakhill in Stockholm. 

Afther that, according to the list of her employments that I was given by a relative, her next letter of recommendation is from 21.7 1922, written in French on stationary from Sturefors Slott (castle), and signed by a 'comtesse' (countess) Sparre. From the same source, I also have the info that according to Gerda's passport, in July 1922, she was in France. (If with or without the countess, I don't know.) 

Gerda and the Swedish countess parted ways for a couple of years, during which Gerda went travelling to 'exotic countries' with a 'Lady Henry'. Alas, that interlude is the period in Gerda's CV that I know the least about, and I'll skip that for now.  

In March 1924 (and until 21.8.1928) Gerda returned to Sturefors castle, and countess "Greta Bielke, born Sparre". Trying some online research, I can't find the name Greta Sparre or Bielke anywhere, though. The owner of Sturefors at the time was Thure-Gabriel Bielke (1894-1940) - and his wife was indeed born Sparre, but her first name was Birgitta, usually abbreviated to Brita (1895-1983). They were married already back in 1916, and had five children (three daughters and two sons) born 1917, 1919, 1923, 1930 and 1934.

I can only assume that her signature was hard to decipher, Brita got read as Greta, and the countess also used both surnames (Sparre-Bielke). 

Of Countess Brita Bielke, I even found photos, together with lists of posititions she held in various non-profit associations and charity organisations. 

Portraits copied from Swedish Portraits Archive 

At the end of the text next to the second photo, you also have the names and birth-years of the children. In 1921-22, there would have been a boy 4-5 years old, and a girl 2-3 years old. And when Gerda returns in 1924, another little boy has been added to the family. (Making note of this, as there are various photos in Gerda's photo album including children, but with no notes of who, when or where.)

 

Sturefors Castle is still a private property owned by the Bielke family. A park and a nature reserve  are open to the public, but not the castle itself. I've found some exterior photos, but no interiors.

The first castle was constructed by nobleman Ture Bielke (1548–1600) in the 16th century. Only the north wing remains of this building. The present castle was constructed in 1704 by Carl Piper as a dower for his spouse Christina Piper. It was designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger. After the death of Christina Piper in 1752, it was inherited by her grandson Nils Adam Bielke, and has since then belonged to the Bielke family. [Wikipedia]

Linking to: Sepia Saturday 613

... even if Gerda, in various letters of recommendation, was 
praised for her skills in needlework rather than woodwork ...

SVENSKA

Vykortet av Sturefors slott har gulnat med åren. Den översta bilden är redigerad tillbaka till svart-vitt, så som kortet antagligen såg ut när Gerda sände det som julhälsning till sin styvmor Selma. Inte mycket syns av poststämpeln, men jag tolkar det som att det postades i Stockholm i december 1928. Det kan tyckas vara en slumpvis vald turistvy, men är säkert medvetet vald utifrån att Gerda arbetade som kammarjungfru på Sturefors slott under två perioder på 1920-talet: 1921-22 och återigen 1924-28.

I föregående inlägg kom jag fram till slutsatsen att efter återkomsten från Frankrike 1919, under 1920 och t.o.m. 21/5 1921, var Gerda anställd på Oakhill i Stockholm som lady's maid till Mrs Morris (född Constance Lily Rothschild), hustru till Ira Nelson Morris, amerikanskt sändebud till Sverige under åren 1914-23.

Enligt listan över Gerdas anställningar sammanställd av min släkting Bengt W, så är hennes nästa betyg, från 21.7 1922, skrivet på franska på brevpapper från Sturefors slott, och undertecknat av 'Comtesse Sparre'. Enligt samma källa visar Gerdas pass att hon var i Frankrike under juli 1922. (Om hon var där själv eller i sällskap med grevinnan vet jag inte.) ”Sparres och Gerdas vägar skiljs för en tid o under två år reser Gerda genom exotiska länder med en lady Henry”, tillägger BW. Tyvärr är detta den period i Gerdas liv som jag vet minst om, så tills vidare hoppar jag över den. 

I mars 1924 återvände Gerda till Sturefors och Greta (?) Bielke f. Sparre. ”Comtessen återvände o gifte sig med slottsherren” skriver BW. I mina sökningar lyckas jag dock inte hitta varken någon Greta Sparre eller Greta Bielke. Ägare till Sturefors slott vid den tiden var Thure-Gabriel Bielke (1894-1940) – och hans hustru var född Sparre, men hennes förnamn var Birgitta, ofta förkortat till Brita (1895-1983). Paret gifte sig redan 1916 och fick fem barn (tre döttrar och två söner), födda 1917, 1919, 1923, 1930 och 1934. Jag kan bara anta, att signaturen på grevinnans brev måste ha varit svårläst,  att förnamnet 'Brita' tytts som 'Greta', och att hon använde båda efternamnen, Sparre-Bielke.  

När jag sökte vidare på Brita Bielke, fann jag två porträtt av henne i Svenskt Porträttarkiv, tillsammans med namnen på diverse föreningar och organisationer hon var engagerad i. Där hittade jag även namn och födelseår för alla fem barnen. Under Gerdas första period på Sturefors var det två barn i familjen, en pojke på 4-5 år, och en flicka på 2-3 år. När hon återvände 1924 hade familjen utökats med ytterligare en pojke, då bara något år gammal. (Jag noterar detta, då det i Gerdas fotoalbum finns diverse foton som inkluderar barn, men utan anteckningar om vem, när eller var.) 

Sturefors slott är fortfarande en privat egendom, ägd av familjen Bielke. Park och naturreservat är öppna för allmänheten, men inte själva slottet. Jag har hittat en del exteriör-foton, men inga interiörer. Det första slottet byggdes av Ture Bielke (1548-1600). Bara norra flygeln finns kvar av den byggnaden. Det nuvarande slottet ritades av Nicodemus Tessin d.y och byggdes 1704 av Carl Piper som gåva till hans maka Christina Piper. Efter hennes död 1752, ärvdes slottet av hennes dotterson Nils Adam Bielke, och har sedan dess tillhört familjen Bielke. [Wikipedia]

Oakhill, Stockholm, 1921 - Sepia Saturday 612

 

Above is one of the rare photos in Gerda's photo album that is marked with both place and date. 

When I first started going through her photos, years ago, I still had difficulties identifying the place though. From the name Oakhill, in English, and knowing that she had lived in America, and had worked as travelling lady's maid, I assumed it must be somewhere in America. It turned out to be from much closer to home, though: This Oakhill is actually situated in Stockholm, Sweden. The English name goes way back to the early 19th century, when there was another building on the hill, serving as summer residence for a British diplomat, Sir Thomas Baker. 

Oakhill, Stockholm, April 2013
Photo by Holger Ellgaard
Wikimedia Commons

See more photos from Oakhill at 
 https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakhill 

The Oakhill we see here was built in 1910 as a palace for the Swedish Prince Wilhelm and his wife, the Russian princess Maria Pavlovna. It was designed by the architect Frederic Boberg and had 40 rooms. However, the royal couple got divorced already in 1914, and moved out of the palace. Since 1926 it has been been home to the Italian Embassy in Stockholm. 

The Swedish Wikipedia article about Oakhill says that between 1914-1926, the palace stood empty for a while and then "in the mid 1920s" was rented out to Ira Nelson Morris. Looking up him, I found that he was "an American author and diplomat appointed the United States Minister to Sweden, serving from 1914 to 1923."  - Which in my opinion makes it more likely that Oakhill was rented by Morris during (part of) that period rather than the "mid" 1920s.

Ira Nelson Morris was married to Constance Lily Rothschild, daughter of the wealthy American businessman Victor Henry Rothschild. The couple had two children, Constance Irene Morris and Ira Victor Morris, born 1903 in Chicago. The son became an author, and has his own Wikipedia article as well, confirming that he was raised abroad in Sweden. 

[Why were people so keen on naming their offspring after themselves? It's so confusing!!]

Under the heading 'Personal Life' in the article about Ira Nelson Morris, there is also this note: "In 1921, while sailing to New York, on the Scandinavian-American liner United States, Morris saved the life of 19-year-old Ellen Neilson, of Brooklyn, in mid-ocean, when she was nearly washed overboard." (In honour of that, he later got a ship named after him - SS Ira Nelson Morris - in 1944, a couple of years after his death.)

Now, where does my great-aunt Gerda come into the picture?
Is she just out on a walk, posing for the camera with this impressive building as background? 

No, the connection goes a bit deeper than that. 

In the list of Gerda's work certificates that I received years ago from a relative (Bengt W, grandson of another of Gerda's sisters), the next one (after Lyon, France, 1919), is dated 20/5 1921, and "written on stationery from Oakhill, Djurgården [Stockholm], by someone with illegible signature, about to return to the United States".  

Adding one thing to another, my conclusion is that after Gerda returned to Sweden in the autumn of 1919, her next employment (until 20 May 1921) was as lady's maid to Mrs Morris (born Constance Lily Rothschild) at Oakhill. 

Wondering how best to connect the content of this post to this week's Sepia Saturday prompt, I extended my searches about Mrs Morris a bit further still, and guess what I found? 

The perfect transition to this week's Sepia prompt:

(click on the logo to get to the website)

Linking to: Sepia Saturday 612

Oakhill, Stockholm, 1921 – Sepia Saturday 612 

Sammanfattning på svenska

Fotot på Gerda vid Oakhill 1921 är ett av mycket få foton i hennes album som är märkt med både plats, årtal och namn.

När jag först började gå igenom Gerdas foton så hade jag ändå svårt att identifiera platsen för den här bilden. På grund av det engelska namnet, och med vetskapen att hon både bott i Amerika och arbetat som 'resande' kammarjungfru, så utgick jag först från att det måste vara från någonstans i USA. Jag tror det var först när jag (för ett antal år sedan) fick en lista över hennes anställningar, som min släkting Bengt W sammanställt, som jag upptäckte att detta Oakhill ligger i Stockholm. Sedan 1926 hyser det den italienska ambassaden – men det var ingenting jag kände till. 

Nu har jag äntligen tittat lite närmare på förhistorien, och vem Gerda egentligen arbetade för på Oakhill.

Namnet Oakhill går tillbaka till tidigt 1800-tal, då det låg ett annat hus på kullen, som användes som sommarresidens av en brittisk diplomat, Sir Thomas Baker. Palatset som ses på fotona här i inlägget byggdes 1910 som bröllopsgåva till prins Wilhelm och hans maka, den ryska prinsessan Maria Pavlovna. Det ritades av arkitekten Frederic Boberg och hade 40 rum. Prinsparet skilde sig dock redan 1914 och flyttade då därifrån. Enligt den svenska Wikipedia-artikeln stod huset tomt ett tag men hyrdes sedan, i ”mitten av 1920-talet”, ut till det ”amerikanska sändebudet” Ira Nelson Morris, innan det 1926 såldes till italienska staten för att användas som ambassad.

När jag läser vidare om Ira Nelson Morris finner jag att han var ”United States Minister to Sweden” mellan 1914-1923. Det verkar därför troligt att det var under (del av?) denna period som han hyrde Oakhill (snarare än ”mitten” av 20-talet). 

Ira Nelson Morris var gift med Constance Lily Rothschild, dotter till den förmögne amerikanske affärsmannen Victor Henry Rothschild. Paret hade två barn, Constance Irene Morris och Ira Victor Morris, född 1903 i Chicago. Sonen blev senare författare, och har en egen Wikipedia-artikel (på engelska).

I artikeln om Ira Nelson Morris finns också en notis om att han 1921, på en båtresa till Amerika, räddade livet på en ung flicka som höll på att falla överbord. Till minne av detta fick Morris senare (ett par år efter sin död) en annan atlantångare uppkallad efter sig (SS Ira Nelson Morris).

Hur kommer nu Gerda in i bilden? Jo, i hennes meritlista finns alltså ett anställningsbetyg från 20/5 1921, skrivet på officiellt brevpapper från Oakhill, av (enligt BW) oläsligt namn, ”som skall återvända till USA”.

Lägger jag ihop alla pusselbitar så innebär detta, att efter att Gerda återvände till Sverige (från Frankrike) hösten 1919,  så var hennes nästa anställning som kammarjungfru till  ”Mrs Ira Nelson Morris” (född Constance Irene Rothschild), fram till 20/5 1921. (Även om Ira Nelson Morris var anställd i Sverige ända fram till 1923 så bekräftas ju också en resa till USA 1921 av händelsen ombord på båten.) 

Ytterligare några sökningar resulterade i att jag även hittade ett porträtt av Mrs Ira Nelson Morris med hennes två barn, målat 1911 av en spansk konstnär. (En ganska perfekt matchning till inspirationsbilden från Sepia Saturday 612, av en okänd mor med två barn). 

Länkar till diverse web-sidor där jag hämtat info och bilder finns inbäddade i den engelska texten.

Hotel Postcards (1913-18) - Sepia Saturday 611

Linking to Sepia Saturday 611

Hotel Postcards from Gerda's travels 1913-1918

Besides the postcards that my great-aunt Gerda's wrote to her brother Gustaf, I have some blank ones which she probably kept as memories for herself. With this week's Sepia Saturday prompt being a vintage postcard of a hotel, I felt inspired to do a post of hotel postcards from Gerda's years in France. If you have been following my recent series about her, you have already seen some of these. But in this post I'm also including three unwritten cards not previously shown here; plus I have also done some online research to check if the hotels still exist, and if so, what they look like now. 

The post will serve as a kind of summary of Gerda's travels in France (and to Switzerland) during WWI. Seeing the hotel cards together enhances my impression that Gerda's employer/s must have been very well off - and Gerda herself, as lady's maid, thereby also enjoying a rather comfortable life compared to "most people" in France during the war years. (In the text on her postcards, she also never implied any financial worries for her own part.)

- - -

In 1913, Gerda was employed as lady's maid and travel companion to an English lady (her name unknown to me). In 1914, they were in France when WWI broke out. According to what I've been told, the lady was able to go back to England, but Gerda (Swedish citizen) was left behind in France.

G.064.01 -  London - Claridge's Hotel - 1913

London - 14.11.1913
"The journey has gone well so far, leaving for France tomorrow." /Gerda 

G.072.02  - Vittel, France - L'Hôtel de l'Établissement - 1914

I did not find any contemporary hotel in Vittel by this name. An English Wikipedia article informs me that from November 1917 until February 1919, Vittel was home to U.S. Army Base Hospital 36 from Detroit, MI. "This unit was formed at the Detroit College of Medicine and Surgery now Wayne State University, School of Medicine. They occupied the five resort hotels in the city plus the casino." 

Vittel, France - 1914 (date unreadable)

"This is the hotel where I am now. Next week I'll be travelling from here to England." /Gerda

Or so she thought. That did not work out though - Gerda ended up remaining in France throughout WWI and until the autumn of 1919. She obviously soon managed to find a new employment in Lyon, though, with another lady (I think maybe American) who also liked to travel.  With the war going on, it seems they limited their trips to the south-east of France, but were also able to cross Lake Geneva by boat to Switzerland. On the French side of the lake, they stayed at Evian-les-Bains.

M.014.02  - Evian-les-Bains, France -  L'Ermitage

(Blank postcard)

Hôtel Ermitage, Evain-les-Bains

"Anglo-Normand architectural style and elegantly designed 80 rooms and family suites --- located at the heart of the Evian Resort ---  on the shores of Lake Geneva, in close proximity to the Alps. A harmonious blend of luxury, picture postcard scenery and tranquil pace of life." 

 G.077.02 - Lausanne, Switzerland - Royal-Hotel

Switzerland 19.09.1915: "I'm now out alone on a pleasure trip on the lake." /Gerda

"Royal Savoy Hotel & Spa is located in the center of Lausanne
and a 5-minute walk from Lake Geneva." 
"The hotel consists of of two wings:
the Savoy wing occupies an elegant Art Nouveau-style building
and all rooms and suites are with lake views or city views."

They also went down to Nice on the French Riviera a couple of times. (1916, 1918)

G.086.01 - Nice-Cimiez, France - Hotel Riviera Palace

Spring 1916 (sent from Lyon 1.6)

"Here you can see the hotel where we stayed on our trip. I'm marking our rooms with X."

"Like most Palace-Hotels in the area, the Riviera Palace did not survive the tourist disaffection between the wars and was converted into condominiums. The huge park, fortunately preserved, gives this residence an exceptional character. The apartments, which have mostly kept their Belle Epoque charm, enjoy a remarkable view of Nice and the sea, and a haven of greenery in the foreground, at the heart of Cimiez Hill."

And they also went up in the mountains, to Brides-les-Bains (1918).

M.014.02 - BRIDES-les-BAINS, France - Hôtel des Thermes - Etablissement  

(Blank postcard - c.1918)

Hôtel Mercure Brides Les Bains Grand Hotel des Thermes

"Perfect for relaxation, leisure and work,
where the mountains and the snow meet
 a spa resort set amidst lakes and streams."

At some point, Gerda also visited Vichy, a spa and resort town in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France. Whether that was before, during or after the war years, I can't say for sure, as I have only blank postcards from there.

M.017.02 - VICHY - Rue Cunin-Gridaine et le Carlton-Hôtel

(Blank postcard)

My searches for Carlton Hotel in Vichy seemed only to lead to other old postcards and photos.
(Don't know when the photo above is from; I copied that from somewhere by screenshot.)

Also found a French article, though, from which I get the impression that it has nowadays been converted to apartments, but that back in WWI times it was a rather grand hotel. 

Google Translate to the rescue with the details: 

"Rebuilt almost entirely in 1912 by Joseph Aletti, the large Guillermen hotel, rue Wilson, is transformed into the Carlton palace. This new building, with a more sober and Art Deco decor, offers 300 rooms and 150 bathrooms. Its interior garden is reputed to be “a real little paradise”. In the 1960s, 20% of the Carlton was sold as apartments, with the rest of the rooms becoming a three-star hotel. Today, the entire building has become a condominium, the Résidence le Carlton."