Dijon, France, c.1918 - Sepia Saturday 688

The Sepia Saturday theme for September, On the Street, made me go back and look at some unwritten old postcards from my great aunt Gerda's collection. 

Readers who have been following me for a while probably remember Gerda - my grandmother's older half-sister, the travelling lady's maid. When World War I broke out, Gerda "got stuck" in France, where she spent the war years working for someone living in Lyon. I've not been able to establish whom. (In my imagination, a wealthy American woman who "got stuck" in France during the war as well - but I have no real evidence of that.)  What I do know, from Gerda's postcards written to her brother Gustaf during the war years, is that they were also able  to travel a bit now and then, in the eastern parts of France.

 

Dijon is situated north of Lyon, and they/Gerda could have travelled there by train. The last of the postcards below gives me an important clue as to when she actually bought that one, though: It can't have been until July 1918 at the earliest; and may not have been until on her way back home to Sweden in 1919, after the war was over...

I like how all these street photos also have people in them.

34. DIJON - Rue de la Liberté 

40. DIJON - La Caisse d'Epargne

3. DIJON - Place de la République et Monument Carnot

9. DIJON - Fontaine de la Jeunesse ('the fountain of youth')

27. DIJON - Eglise Saint-Pierre - Place du Président Wilson

 Wikipedia : "The square was originally called St. Peter's Square. In 1904, during a campaign of "secularization of the streets" led by the radical municipality, the square was renamed People's Square. During the First World War, on July 5, 1918, the municipality of Dijon gave it the name of Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), 28th President of the United States, to salute the entry of the United States into the war on the side of the France."

All the cards also include the printed names Caloin, Dijon and Cl. Baudinfère. I got no relevant hits when googling, but I assume the latter to be the name of the photographer.

Linking to Sepia Saturday 688 - On the Street

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."

G.090.01-091.01 - "Away On A Little Trip Again" (1918) - Sepia Saturday 609

 G.090.01 - Lyon (January, 1918)

329. Environs de Lyon - L'ILE-BARBE - Vue génerale - E.R.

In the vicinity of Lyon - L'ile Barbe (Barbe Island) 
I närheten av Lyon - L'ile Barbe 

Don't you think this is pretty? 
Visst är detta fint?

To: Mr Gustaf Ekman, Backa, Brålanda, Suède (Sweden)
From: Gerda (Lyon, 14.1.1918)

Ouvert par l'Autorite Militaire
Opened by the Military Authorities

31 av. de Noailles, Lyon

My dear brother, Did you get my card I sent you to Xmas? I have not heard from you for a long time. I am writing this in english because I think you >> will get it quicker and if you can write me a card in english and tell me how Ester is ...

... getting on. I have had no letters from home for Xmas. I hope you are all well. I am quite so. I am so sorry for Ester that she is not well. I hope she will be better after this illness. Best love, and write me soon. / Gerda

Ester was one of Gerda's and Gustaf's older sisters - born 1876, two years older than Gustaf, five years older than Gerda. Like Gerda, she never got married; but unlike her two younger siblings, she did not emigrate with them to America in 1902, but stayed in Sweden. After working as housekeeper at a big estate, and then at a garden center, she ran her own flower shop (in Mullsjö near Jönköping); and later a confectionary. Whatever her health problem was in 1918 (at age 42),  she lived to be 82.  

31 av. de Noailles, Lyon (14.1.1918)

Min käre bror, fick du mitt kort som jag skickade dig till jul? Jag har inte hört något från dig på länge. Jag skriver detta på engelska därför att jag tror du får det snabbare [då]. Och om du kunde skriva ett kort till mig på engelska och tala om hur Ester mår? --- Jag har inte fått några brev hemifrån till jul. Jag hoppas att ni alla mår bra. Med mig är det rätt bra. Jag är ledsen att Ester inte mår bra. Jag hoppas hon ska bli bättre efter den här sjukdomen. Kära hälsningar, och skriv snart. / Gerda  

Ester var en av Gerdas och Gustafs äldre systrar, född 1876,  två år äldre än Gustaf, fem år äldre än Gerda. Liksom Gerda gifte hon sig aldrig, men hon emigrerade inte med de yngre syskonen till Amerika, utan stannade i Sverige. Efter att ha arbetat som hushållerska på en egendom nära Falköping, och sedan på en trädgårdsskola, drev hon sedan under många år en blomsterhandel i Mullsjö, och därefter en konfektyrbutik. Vilka hälsoproblem hon led av 1918 vet jag inte - men hon levde till att bli 82 år gammal.

G.090.02 - Nice / Menton (April, 1918)

6. MENTON. - Vue prise de la Frontière Italienne. - L.L.

MENTON - View from the Italian border.

MENTON - Vy tagen från italienska gränsen.

To: Mr Gustaf Ekman, Storegården, Fristad, Suède

From: Gerda (Nice, 10.4.1918)

Ouvert par l'Autorite Militaire
Opened by the Military Authorities

Nice d. 10 april 18

Käre bror! Det är länge sedan jag hörde från dig. Har hört genom Sally du är hemma nu. Hoppas ni alla äro krya hemma. Jag är nu ute på en liten resa igen. Reser till Lyon igen om söndag. Kära hälsningar till er alla från syster Gerda. - Skrif när du kan är du snäll.

Gerdas första kort 1918, skrivet i mitten av januari, sände hon till Gustafs adress i Brålanda, där han bott de senaste fem åren. När hon skriver igen i april, från Nice på franska rivieran, har hon fått veta - inte av Gustaf själv, men av deras yngre halvsyster Sally (min farmor), att han flyttat "hem" till Storegården i Fristad, Västergötland. (Mer om detta längre ner.)

Nice. 10 April 1918

Dear Brother, it's been a long time since I heard from you. I heard from Sally that you are home now. I hope you are all well there. I am now away on a little trip again. Will be going back to Lyon on Sunday. Love to you all from sister Gerda. - Write when you can, please.

Gerda's first card in 1918, written in mid January, was sent to Brålanda in Dalsland, where Gustaf had been living for about five years (since around Christmas 1913). When she writes again in April, from Nice on the Riviera, she has learned, not from Gustaf himself, but from their younger half-sister Sally (my grandmother), that he has moved back "home" to the family farm Storegården at Fristad, in the province of Västergötland. (More about that below.)

G.090.03 - Brides-les-Bains (August, 1918)

1673. BRIDES-les-BAINS et les Glaciers de Vanoise

To: Mr Gustaf Ekman, Storegården, Fristad, Suède (Sweden)
From: Gerda (Brides-les-Bains 13.8.1918)

Ouvert par l'Autorite Militaire
Opened by the Military Authorities

Brides-les-Bains 13 juli '18 [August] *

Dear brother, How are you. I am in the mountains, it is very pretty here. I have been here since the 29th of July * and are going to stay until the 30th of september. I will soon write you a letter. My best wishes and love to you all. / Gerda

* There is some mix-up of dates here. The postmark seems to say 13.8 so I think she arrived 29 July, and wrote the card 13 August. 

Brides-les-Bains 13 juli '18 [augusti] *

Käre bror, hur mår du? Jag är i alperna, det är väldigt vackert här. Jag har varit här sedan 29 juli * och ska stanna till 30 september. Jag ska snart skriva ett brev till dig. Kära hälsningar till er alla. / Gerda

* Något datum måste vara fel här. Poststämpeln ser ut att vara 13.8. Jag tror hon anlände 29 juli, och skrev kortet 13 augusti. 

MEANWHILE IN SWEDEN.... (May 1918)

G.091.01 - Uppsala Castle 

Upsala. Slottet

(The image on the card is not related to the message.)

To: Herr Gust. Ekman, Åkerhult, Bredaslätt, Hökerum
From: Sally (Gustaf's younger half-sister, my grandmother) 
(Fristad 24.5.1918)

Storegd Fristad d. 24/5 '18. 

Hälsningar från Fristad. Undrar huru Ni mår. Ella är här nu, hon kom i onsdags kväll. Edit var här igår eftermiddag emelllan 4 och 8-tåget. Vi voro i skogen och drucko kaffe* och hade så roligt, då skulle Gustav varit med. Undrar om Ni köpt någon ko. Gustav har fått brev idag. Kära hälsningar från oss alla. Hälsn. Sally

Storegården Fristad, 24.5.1918
Greetings from Fristad. I wonder how you are. Ella is here now, she came Wednesday night. Edit was here yesterday afteroon between the 4 pm and 8 pm trains. We were in the woods and had coffee* and had such a good time. You should have been with us. I wonder if you have bought any cow. You have had a letter today. Love from us all, Sally

---

From some Christmas cards from 1917, I conclude that Gustaf moved back to Storegården, Fristad, around Christmas 1917 (after five years at Brålanda in Dalsland, some further 130 km north of Fristad, and before that, one year in Värmland, a bit further north still). He'll be 40 years old in the summer of 1918.

Storegården (name meaning "Big Farm") was the family farm, in 1918 run by the eldest brother Carl (48), living there together with his stepmother Selma (57)  and her three children - a daughter from her first marriage, Hildur (26),  my grandmother Sally (18) and Nils (16). (The father, Samuel, died back in 1907.) 

As for the reason why Gustaf moved back, I can only speculate. Maybe Carl had expressed need of his help? Maybe Gustaf simply was no longer happy with his situation in Brålanda, and missing his family? And/or maybe (as has been vaguely hinted at now and then in his wartime correspondence with Gerda) he did actually eventually win a bit of money in a lottery - not enough to go into farming on his own, but perhaps enough to enter into some kind of partnership with his brother? 

Alas, I can't recall ever hearing any family story told about this. All I have is those mysterious allusions on various wartime postcards, with Gerda repeatedly wishing her brother "luck" connected to the same recurring date, the 15th. And then, in 1917, suddenly a couple of hints that Gustaf seemed to be thinking of moving to a farm of his own. But then the fact that towards the end of 1917, he moved back to the family farm in Fristad instead - and remained living there for many years to come.

But, getting back to May 1918: If Gustaf has moved back - why is Sally writing to him at a different address?? 

The villages Fristad and Hökerum are situated only about 20 km apart. And Sallys question at the end suggests that Gustaf has gone to Hökerum with a purpose: To buy a cow. (Which seems to support the idea of him now taking active part in running the farm.) 

Sally (my grandmother, now 18 years old) seems to have taken over as "main correspondent" at the farm. Back in those days, they used postcards pretty much as we send digital text messages today. So she sends a card just to tell Gustaf that they have had visitors in his absence, and that a letter is waiting for him at home. (I'm so glad she also added the question about the cow, though, as that explains why he's away.) 

The visitors, Ella and Edit, were their nieces, daughters of their oldest sister Emma. Emma, born in 1866, was 44 (!) years older than Sally (and only five years younger than her "stepmother", Sally's mother Selma). I don't have the dates of birth of Ella and Edit, but thinking about it, I realise that they must have been older than Sally, and to her probably would have felt more like older cousins than "nieces". 

- - - 

*/ "We were in the woods and had coffee"

Still in my own childhood (1950s), my grandma Sally loved a "coffee picnic". An illustration that my mother made in 1957, in my first photo album, came to mind for me. I recognise Sally's basket...

Kaffeutflykt - Coffee Picnic

And in one of Sally's photo albums, I found this photo (below), which she has dated to 1921, and with a note that the occasion was "a break in the work of potato lifting". As the photo is rather blurry, I'm not sure who is who. It could be Gustaf in the middle, thoguh, holding a cup. And possibly Sally on the right. 

"Paus i potatisupptagning 1921"

In the same  album, there are also two blurry photos to do with milking cows on the farm. Neither of them has a date attached but my guess is that they are from around the same time. I think it's probably Sally in both photos.

"Inför kvällsmjölkningen" - Going to evening milking

"Kon mjölkas" - Milking the cow

- - -

World War One ended at 11 am on 11 November, 1918.
(This became known as Armistice Day.)

Gerda remained in France until the end of September 1919;
then she returned to Sweden.

(That was not the end of Gerda's travels, though!) 

- - -

I have no more postcards written by Gerda in 1918, nor any from 1919. But according to notes I received back in 2013 from a relative (BW, grandson of Emma), a work certificate, dated 28.9.1919 in Lyon, states that Gerda has been working as Lady's Maid, and is an excellent packer and hairdresser and a neat needlewoman, and her French is good. I also know that after her employment in Lyon ended, she did go back to Sweden - but that this was not the end of her travels. Although I have no  postcards written by Gerda from the next decade (until 1928), I do have some other clues. So I'll try to continue the story, putting together what I have.

Linking to Sepia Saturday 609

"I am away on a little trip again."

- - -

SVENSKA

Av några julkort från 1917 drar jag slutsatsen att Gustaf flyttade tillbaka till Storegården i Fristad omkring jul 1917 (efter fem år i Brålanda, Dalsland, och dessförinnan ett år i Värmland). Sommaren 1918 ska han fylla 40 år.

Storegården var familjejordbruket, vid denna tid skött av äldste brodern Carl (48), som bodde där tillsammans med sin styvmor Selma (57) och hennes tre barn: en dotter från hennes första äktenskap, Hildur (26), min farmor Sally (18) och Nils (16). (Fadern, Samuel, dog redan 1907.)

När det gäller orsaken till att Gustaf flyttade tillbaka, kan jag bara spekulera. Kanske hade Carl uttryckt behov av hjälp? Kanske trivdes Gustaf bara inte längre med sin situation i Brålanda? Eller var det faktiskt så (som antytts då och då under kringsårens korrespondens med Gerda), att han till sist faktiskt vunnit lite pengar på lotteri - dock inte tillräckligt för att flytta till en egen gård trots allt, men kanske tillräckligt för att ingå någon form av partnerskap med brodern?

Tyvärr kan jag inte erinra mig att jag någon gång hört en sådan historia refereras till inom familjen. Allt jag har är de mystiska antydningarna på flera vykort från kringsåren, där Gerda önskar honom tur och lycka till, i anknything till ett upprepat datum: den 15. Och sedan, 1917, antydningar om att han verkar ha planer på att flytta från Brålanda till en egen gård (oklart var). Men sedan istället, kring jul 1917, flyttar tillbaka till Fristad - och blir kvar där. 

Men, för att återvända till Sallys vykort från 1918: Om nu Gustaf flyttat tillbaka till Storegården - varför skriver då Sally ì maj 1918 till honom på en annan adress? Svaret finns i texten. Hökerum ligger bara ett par mil från Fristad, och tydligen är Gustafs ärende där att köpa en ko. (Vilket verkar tyda på att han nu är aktivt involverad i skötseln av Storegården.) 

Sally, 18 år nu, verkar ha tagit över som "förste korrespondent" på gården. Vykort vid den här tiden användes fortfarande ungefär som vi skriver textmeddelanden idag, så hon skriver för att meddela Gustaf att de haft besök under hans frånvaro, och att ett brev också väntar på honom hemma. (Jag är glad att hon även la till frågan om koköpet, eftersom det förklarar varför han är borta!)

Besökarna, Ella och Edit, var döttrar till äldsta systern Emma. Emma, född 1866, var hela 44 år äldre än Sally (och bara fem år yngre än sin "styvmor" Selma). Jag har inte Ellas och Edits födelsedatum, men inser när jag tänker på saken att de måste ha varit äldre än Sally, och måste ha känts mer som äldre kusiner till henne än "systerdöttrar". 

"Vi voro i skogen och drucko kaffe."

Fortfarande i min barndom älskade Sally att göra "kaffeutflykter". Teckningen med kaffekorgen är ritad av min mamma, i mitt första fotoalbum. Fotot nedanför är från ett av Sallys album, och försett med anteckningen "Paus i potatisupptagning 1921". Fotot är lite suddigt, så inte helt lätt att identifiera personerna, men jag tror det kan vara Gustaf i mitten, med kaffekopp, och Sally till höger.

I samma album finns också två foton som hör ihop med kor : "Inför kvällsmjölkningen" och "Kon mjölkas". Antagligen är det Sally på båda bilderna. 

- - -

Första Världskriget upphörde kl 11.00 den 11/11 1918.

Gerda blev kvar i Lyon i Frankrike till slutet av september 1919;
sedan återvände hon till Sverige.

Hon kom dock att göra många fler utlandsresor under sitt liv.

---

Jag har inga fler vykort skrivna av Gerda från 1918, och inte heller 1919 (och ett antal år därefter). Men enligt uppgifter jag fick 2013 av Bengt W, sonson till Emma, finns ett intyg daterat 28.9.1919 i Lyon, som bekräftar att Gerda varit anställd som Lady's Maid (kammarjungfru), och att hon skicklig både på att packa, och som hårfrisörska och sömmerska, och talar bra franska. Jag vet också att hon efter att ha avslutat anställningen i Lyon reste tillbaka till Sverige - men att detta långt ifrån innebar slutet på hennes resande. Även om jag inte har några vykort skrivna av Gerda under de närmast följande åren, så har jag en del andra uppgifter och foton. Och sedan några vykort till, från 1928 och in på 30-talet. Så jag hoppas kunna fortsätta historien genom att lägga pussel med det jag vet.  

G.086.02-087.03 - '"I have had no news from Sweden in months" (1917) - Sepia Saturday 608

 G.086.02 - Nice

154 - NICE - Grotte - Jardins des Palmiers

"Ouvert par l'Autorite Militaire"

¨"Opened by the Military Authority"

To: Mr Gustaf Ekman, Backa, Brålanda, Suède (Sweden)
From: Gerda (Lyon, 28 May, 1917) 

Lyon, May 28th '17

My dear brother, How are you? It is a long time I heard anything from you. Write me a card in english. Want to see if you forgot how. Love from Gerda. - I am quite well, hope you all are. - What kind of weather have you? 

Lyon, 28 maj 1917
Käre bror! Hur mår du? Det var länge sedan jag hörde något från dig. Skriv ett kort till mig på engelska. Jag vill se om du har glömt hur. Kära hälsningar, Gerda. - Jag mår bra, hoppas ni alla gör det också. - Vad för slags väder har ni? 

28th May, 1917: Gerda writes to her brother in English, and asks him to also write back to her in English. She says she wants to see if he can still manage it. (It's been six years since they both returned to Sweden from America.) 

However, from the next card (9th July, below), it's made clear that Gerda also thinks that cards written in English may more easily pass the censorship of the military authorities. That such censorship did occur is proved by stamps on some of the cards in this post.

From what Gerda writes about not receiveing any news from Sweden it is also obvious that the postal services are getting increasingly unreliable. I think that by writing in English, she was hoping that her cards would not be put aside as suspcious just because there was no one at the Military Authorities that could read Swedish.

G.086.03 - Evian-les-Bains, Lake Geneva

77 EVIAN-LES-BAINS. - La Jetée et la Ville. - LL.

To: Mr Gustaf Ekman, Backa, Brålanda, Suède (Sweden)

From: Gerda (Lyon, 10.7.17)

Lyon, July 9th '17

Dear brother! How are you, did you get my card I wrote you in english? some time ago now. I have had no news from Sweden for about two months. I don't understand why. Write me a card in english soon. Perhaps that will go quicker. Please write soon! - I am very well, soon going to the country. You can see the boat on the other side. Love to all, Gerda.

Lyon, 9 juli 1917
Käre bror! Hur mår du? Fick du mitt kort som jag skrev till dig på engelska? för en tid sedan? Jag har inte hört något från Sverige på ca två månader. Jag förstår inte varför. Skriv ett kort till mig på engelska. Kanske det går fortare. Var snäll och skriv snart! - Jag mår bra, reser snart till landet. Du kan se båten på andra sidan. Kära hälsningar till alla, Gerda.

"Soon going to the country" - and referring to the boat on the front of the postcard. This seems to imply that they're planning another trip to Evian-les-Bains, and across Lake Geneva to Switzerland.

Cf.  A Holiday at Lake Geneva (1915).

G.087.01 - The Alps

J.J. 8021 Lac du Grand Saint Bernard

Great St Bernard Lake (French: Lac du Grand St-Bernard, Italian: Lago del Gran San Bernardo) is a mountain lake of the Pennine Alps, located south-west of Great St Bernard Pass. It is divided between Switzerland and Italy, although it lies south of the Alps. The lake is located at a height of 2,447 metres above sea level and has a maximum length of 350 metres. 

"Ouvert par l'Autorite Militaire" 
"Opened by the Military Authority"

To: Monsieur Gustaf Ekman, Backa, Brålanda, Suède
From: Gerda (Lyon, 24.7.1917) - 

Lyon, 31 av. de Noaïlles
July 24th

My dear Brother, I wonder if you ever got my cards I wrote you a long time ago. I have had no news from Sweden for three months. Love, Gerda - Write me a card in english as soon as you get this. Don't send it over Switzerland, send it like always, the old adress. 

Lyon, 31 av. de Noaïlles
24 juli
Käre bror! Jag undrar om du någonsin fick mina vykort som jag skrev för länge sen. Jag har inte hört någonting från Sverige på tre månader. Kära hälsningar, Gerda. - Skriv ett kort till mig på engelska så snart du får detta. Skicka det inte via Schweiz, skicka det som vanligt, den gamla adressen. 

Two weeks later, Gerda is still writing from Lyon. I think this is the first time I've seen her add her street address on a postcard. Perhaps with the double purpose of making sure that Gustaf hasn't lost her address, and  to show the Military Authorities that she has nothing to hide: This is simply a private greeting from a sister to a brother.

 G.087.02 - Lausanne

Lausanne et les Alpes de Savoie

To: Herr Gustaf Ekman, Backa, Brålanda, Suède (Schweden)
From: Gerda (Lausanne, Switzerland, 12.9.1917)

Lausanne d. 12 sept '17

Käre bror! Sänder dig härmed de käraste hälsningar, hoppas du mår bra. Jag mår utmärkt. Har du fått mina kort. Skriv snart är du snäll. / Syster Gerda.

Lausanne, 12 September 1917
Dear brother, hereby sending you my best wishes. Hope you are well. I'm very well. Have you received my cards. Please write soon. / Sister Gerda

In mid September, she is writing from Lausanne in Switzerland. She does not mention how long they've been there. (I get the impression that when they went travelling they were usually away for a couple of months or so.) She's keeping the message on this card very short, but it seems that she still hasn't heard back from Gustaf. Maybe she had also written more cards in between that never reached him. 

G.087.03 - Heureux Noël (Merry Christmas)

Heureux Noël - DIX 584/2
Dans ce mignon sabot vous trouverez l'emblème
Du bonheur que mon coeur souhaite a ceux qu'il aime!

Merry Christmas

 "In this cute clog you will find the emblem

 of the happiness my heart wishes to those it loves!"

To: Monsieur Gustaf Ekman, Backa, Brålanda, Sweden
From: Gerda (Lyon, 26.11.1917)

"Ouvert par l'Autorite Militarie"
Opened by the Military Authorities

31 av. de Noailles, Lyon, 25 Nov '17 
Käre bror. Hur mår du, det är så länge sedan jag hörde något från dig. Kanske du har flyttat nu. Jag önskar dig på det hjärtligaste en god jul och gott nytt år! Kära hälsningar, Gerda

31 av. de Noailles*, Lyon, 25 November 1917
Dear brother. How are you? It's been so long since I heard anything from you. Perhaps you have moved now. I send you my heartfelt wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Love, Gerda.

Towards the end of November, Gerda is back in Lyon again, sending early Christmas greetings.

A Google search for the address *L'Avenue de Noialles leads me to a website from Bibliothèque Municipale de Lyon, and a street photo from c. 1870 (below). Nowadays the street is called Avenue Maréchal-Foch. In 1917,  it probably didn't look all that different (perhaps with bigger trees, though?)  I think we can assume that Gerda lived (with her employer/s) in a flat in a building like one of these: 

Going on to look up Bibliothèque Municipal de Lyon, a French Wikipedia article informs me that its history goes all the way back to a Jesuite college in the 16th century. Their library was later incorporated in public libraries.My French is not good enough to understand the whole article - but by putting part of the text into Google Translate, I came up with this:

The lending service is provided by the active town hall libraries, the origin of which dates back to the municipal decree of July 1, 1871. There followed the creation of borough libraries, "depots of books open every evening between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.”, which closed during the First World War. 

... closed during the First World War... What a pity. Just as I was beginning to imagine Gerda dropping in at her local borough library on her evenings off, to improve her French! Ah well - I'm not going to let that stop me from linking to...

Sepia Saturday 608

SVENSKA:

28 maj 1917: Gerda skriver till sin bror i Sverige på engelska, och ber honom också använda engelska när han skriver tillbaka till henne. Hon säger att hon vill se om han fortfarande kan. (Det är sex år sedan de båda återvände till Sverige efter nio år i Amerika.) Men av nästa kort framgår att Gerda också hoppas på att kort skrivna på engelska kanske lättare ska passera de militära myndigheternas brevcensur. (Antagligen inser hon att det finns risk att korrespondens på svenska kan bli lagd åt sidan i brist på tolkar som kan läsa det språket.) Vi har också här de första exemplen på poststämplar som visar att vykorten passerat kontroll av de militära myndigheterna. Det är uppenbart att postgången blivit allt mer opålitlig.

Den 9 juli skriver Gerda (från Lyon) att hon snart ska resa "till landet". Antagligen menar hon Genèvesjön igen - Evian-les-Bains och Lausanne tycks vara återkommande resmål. Två veckor senare, den 24 juli är hon dock fortfarande i Lyon. Men 12 september skriver hon från Lausanne. 

28 november är hon åter i Lyon och skriver en julhälsning i god tid därifrån.

En sökning på adressen L'Avenue de Noialles Lyon tar mig till en arkivbild från det kommunala bibliotekets i Lyon websida: Ett foto av Avenue de Noialles från 1870. Senare har den bytt namn till  Avenue Maréchal-Foch. Men 1917 såg den antagligen inte så mycket annorlulnda ut än 1870. (Kanske hade träden växt till sig lite?) Jag tänker mig därför att Gerda (tillsammans med sin/a arbetsgivare) måste ha bott i en lägenhet i ett hus liknande dem på bilden. 

När jag fortsätter och även söker information om Bibliothèque Municipal de Lyon, så hittar jag en fransk Wikipedia-artikel som informerar mig om att dess historia går tillbaka ända till ett jesuitiskt college på 1500-talet. Dess bibliotek införlivades senare med kommunala bibliotek öppna för allmänheten. Det fanns även små stadsdelsbibliotek som höll öppet mellan 7-8 på kvällarna - men under första världskriget hölls dessa stängda. 

Och jag som just var på väg att föreställa mig Gerda slinka in på sitt lokala bibliotek när hon hade någon kväll ledig, för att förbättra sin franska!  Nåja - jag låter inte det hindra mig från att länka till Sepia Saturday 608 (med en bild från ett bibliotek som insprationsbild!)