Travel Day!

7:30 am on July 30, 2013 - I had a great birthday yesterday with lots and lot of wishes from friends and relatives. Brothers Rob and Gord called from North Bay where they have been spending time flying their model planes and then trying to find them in marshes and so on. The flying seems to take less time than the finding. They sang The Birthday Song very well. Holly called and sang too. And Louise called and sang. I had a lovely birthday dinner at Bistro East with Bill in Annapolis Royal - http://bistroeast.com/ We had scallop-lobster risotto and a cheesecake with strawberry sauce. I got a candle in mine and with part of the choral group A Royal Consort in the restaurant, I had a fabulous rendition of Happy Birthday delivered. Great finish to my day!

I am trying to decide whether to take a large suitcase or a medium suitcase so there are two cases on the guest room bed being filled up and emptied this morning. I am hoping for the smaller one.

I've got all the electronic stuff together - Kobo, cell phone, camera, laptop plus all their cords and chargers and the converter. Jeez, I remember packing like this when I went North to Inuvik each year from 2007 to 2010! And that trip took even longer than this one - 2 hours to Toronto, 4 hours to Edmonton, overnight, 3 and a half hours to Inuvik. So the total flying time this time is just over 7 hours, I can manage that, right?

I probably won't post anything more until tomorrow when I see the first of many friends - Jemp and Lony - at the Luxembourg airport and then Holly at the train station. But you never know, I might just get motivated just before we drive off to Halifax after lunch today. The Condor flight takes off at 8:00 pm this evening and I'll be in Frankfurt tomorrow morning at 7:30 am. And the Luxair flight gets to Luxembourg at 1:35 pm. YAY!

1:30 pm - The smaller suitcase prevailed! Just heading out for the airport.

July 28, 2013 - Holly's Post

Anne’s daughter here!

I’m just off the phone from having a planning session for our trip together.  A trip to go and see the place of my mother’s early formative teen years (13 - 16 years of age), where her perspective was broadening beyond her family, extending to include best-est girl friends, a boyfriend and trips to the edge of life,  I am ecstatic!

July 31 to August 15 is Mom and Daughter time.  It will be the time when we continue to get to know each other more as people.  To meet old friends and new. To share stories.  To create stories.  To see sites that will change our perspectives...forever.  August 16 to 23, on my own, is Me time.  I have no plans for that time which adds to the excitement.  

This will be my second trip to Europe.  In 1990 my sister and I visited our paternal grandparents (Harry and Gwyneth Sansom) in Spain for three weeks. That was 23 years ago!  Whoa!  I lost a decade as it still feels like 13 years ago.  This won’t be my last trip though!  

Our first week will be fairly full.  We’ll be visiting with Mom’s friends and seeing the places you see in her photos she posted here.  Our second week winds down and we settle into Luxembourg City.  I am hoping (I know you’re reading this, Mom) that we can jaunt down to Paris for a day and a night.  It’s only two hours away and my cousin Lisa has offered to be our resource.  She lived in Paris not too long ago.  Thank you, Lisa!  

The plane and train tickets are purchased.  The itinerary finalized.  Today, I rip apart my closet and have a serious discussion with myself about what to wear and then pack it.  Tomorrow, I call Mom on her 73rd birthday and scramble to tie up the loose ends here so I can relax while over there.  Tuesday, its a drive up to Nanaimo to catch the ferry to Vancouver, a bus to the airport and then....off I go!  Wednesday, I wake up and land in Frankfurt to then catch the train to Luxembourg City via Koblenz where I get to give my Mom a slightly belated birthday hug.

Fun!

Stay tuned friends and family!  There will be regular posts and pictures of Mom with her friends as they are today.  I’ll sneak in a few of me too!

July 25, 2013

Here are some more photos from the albums I have. I'm taking the albums along with me so those who don't check Facebook or this blog can share the memories as well.

This was taken in front of our house on rue des Bons Malades when my best girlfriend (I'm pretty sure it is) Josee and I got dressed up for Mardi Gras. It was quite the party! The town band went all over the town, stopping in the bars along the way. The music got kind of strange near the end of the parade but no one cared very much. It was pretty exciting!

This was taken out the back of our house on rue des Bons Malades. Mom, Dad, Mrs. Lisson and 2 people I don't recognize. Dad planted a garden out back. I remember the neighbours were quite intrigued that he was growing corn. I think we even had a few cobs.

 

 

This is a postcard of the place where we went swimming in the Sure River. The other bit I remember about this place is that you could see ammo belts at the bottom of the river left there after WWII.

This postcard is one I sent my grandmother when our family went on a winter vacation to a resort run by the Americans near Garmisch-Partenkirchen. We did some touring around and saw the theatre where the Passion play is performed every 10 years at Oberammergau.

And this me on my new bicycle which I got for my birthday, I think.

Here is my family embarking on the S/S Homeric from Le Havre in October 1956 to head home to Canada. We had spent a day or so in Paris on the way.

 

And this was taken on board the S/S Homeric at one of the evenings' entertainment. Dad is on the front left with Mom beside him. And that's me on the front right with my lovely forest green velvet dress bought for the trip.

Just a Few More!

July 22, 2013 - When we left Canada to go to Europe in October of 1953, there were a few things that I remember quite clearly.

We lived on a radar base at Lac St. Denis north of Montreal. It was part of the Pinetree Line - a series of radar stations built during the Cold War. When we moved there from Ottawa, the Personnel Married Quarters (PMQs) had just been built.

That's the radar dome up on the hill.

That's another story. I remember my Mom cleaning the house working her way backwards so that there wasn't a speck of dirt or a fingerprint left. An airwoman did the inspection with white gloves on - I kid you not!

We moved to a hotel in Morin Heights - not too far away - for a week or so before leaving. Actually, Morin Heights is where I went to school each day on the big blue Air Force bus. Grandma and Grandpa Rannie drove to Lac St. Denis from Ottawa to see us off. That would be the last time we saw Grandpa Rannie as he died the following spring - heart attack while curling. He was a lovely man.

While the family lived at the hotel for a while, I stayed with a school friend, Muriel Black, at her family's farm. I got to drink milk straight from the cow and a saw the dairy bull in the barn which was a fearsome sight!

The Family Photo on the steps of the Morin Heights Hotel

We sailed from Montreal on October 16, 1953 on the Empress of France. Below is some more memorabilia which Mom saved from those days.

This is really something! I think the cruise ships must do something similar these days but probably electronically. The 1950s were coming up to the last days of the regular ocean liners. There are still some today but not nearly as many.

And here is our ship.

I understand that Dad stayed in the cabin for a lot of this journey and got some teasing about it - seasick! Here he is with Rob and Don taking the air.

Louise, Mom, a friend, Rob and Don in the fresh air.

You will note that I was not at the Children's Gala Tea Party. I'm sure I didn't want to be included with the little kids - or I was just too old (at 13!). Look at the Ovaltine and Horlicks on the menu!

More Old Photos

July 21, 2013 - When our family moved to Echternach, there was a big learning curve! Sometimes we had no idea what we were doing or why. We all went to school. We didn't know the language, we had to learn a new set of - in some cases - very strict school rules. We had to understand that we lived in a Roman Catholic society - we were Protestant (sort of).

There was a very big event held on Whit Tuesday every year called the  "Sprangprozessioùn". Here is the Wikipedia link with the details - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_procession_of_Echternach. It took a long time to go through the town and it could be very warm.

The other thing that would happen with our kids is they would come home with costumes and Mom would ask what they were for and they didn't really know. So she would dress them up and send them off at the appointed time to be in yet another religious parade. It was a great experience for all of them.

So here are some photos from that time in our lives.

I think this was taken in 1954. I am in the back row of girls looking up and I think Josee is on my left. We all had white handkerchiefs to hold - probably to prevent the "sweaty-palm" syndrome!

 

 

And here is brother Rob in the middle looking towards the camera with his arm folded.

 

Weese is in the very middle of this photo - the one with the blond braids. It looks like they were just getting ready at the beginning of the procession.

And here is Dad taking 8 mm film of the procession. We have hours of this film - hours and hours, believe me!

Always and forever, our family ham - Don being excessively cute parading along all dressed up with his banner and having no clue what is was for or why. His acting career started very early!

And here is the merry little band of siblings under the bridge which goes from Echternach to Echternacherbruek across the river in Germany.

More Pix

July 20, 2013 - Here are some more photos of me taken by Jean-Pierre Friedrich - Jemp - all those years ago. He was my boyfriend for almost half the time I spent in Echternach. These photos are a lot of fun to see again.

 

This was taken in the park in Echternach.

 

 

This looks like it was taken along the rue de Diekirch with the ridge just over the border with Germany in the background. I look like I'm trying out for a role in a film - Good Heavens!

 

 

I don't know where this is but it's a nice shot.

 

 

And here is the photographer! He told me that Mom ordered this shirt for him from Sears & Roebuck (its name then). Talking of clothes reminded me that everyone was mad to get jeans then. I can remember friends asking me if I could get them at the PX in Bitburg - the USAF base not too far away in Germany. Jemp tells me that she ordered 2 shirts, 1 checkered jacket and a pair of jeans for him.

More Photos from Yesteryear!

July 20, 2013 - I've been scanning photos from photos from old albums and here are some of them. I expect there will be more postings along this line through the next days as I get ready to get on the plane!

This is me in the front door of our house on rue des Bons Malades, Echternach, Luxembourg. It looks like about 1954 but I'm not sure.

This is our class photo taken at the end of the school year in July 1954. I went to the local school for part of the year. It was all in German or French. The French I learned in Canada was just barely enough for me to get started in school and I had no clue about German. By the way, I'm in the back row, in the white top on the very right next to the tall girl. My best friend Josee is almost right in the middle of the photo.

 

This is my report card from that year. I think the teacher was being very generous!

 

This napkin ring now holds my napkin for every day use! It belonged to my Mom. It's a bit battered but then, so am I!

 

This photo was taken on a wonderful Girl Guide trip we took to Austria. This day we went on a hike up into the Alps. See the stones on the roof? There were oodles of chalet music boxes made with those stones on the roofs. Mom and Dad had one but I'm not sure where it went. I recall that the glue started to let go and many of those little pebbles were lost.

 

Here is most of our merry Girl Guide troop on the lakeside at a Girl Guide campsite near Pertisau, Austria. I don't seem to have any photos of this terrific trip with me in it. Our leader is Mady Schaffner who is sitting on the far left.

Bastogne

Below is a photo of my Grandmother - Florence E. (Fraser) Rannie (Tot), my Mother's Mother - taken in 1954. She came to visit us in Echternach after the death of my Grandfather John Leslie Rannie (Les) in February 1954. Grandma Rannie was a lovely lady and we all loved her. She was a welcome visitor for us all and especially Mom who was pregnant at the time with brother Gordon.

This is a place I hope Holly and I can visit, perhaps either on the way to or on the way back, from As.

This is what is said on Bastogne's website today - "The Sherman tank was completely renovated and is a major monument in Bastogne. This American tank belongs to the 11th Division and was brought to a stop in Renuamont on 30 December 1944, after a German attack in the village. Its crew was captured by the Germans and brought to a prisoner camp."

This monument is one of the memorials in and around Bastogne for the Battle of the Bulge in 1944.

The Way We Were!

Here are a couple of photos of some friends I hope to see in a few weeks.

 

That's me, second from the right in the lovely dress Dad and Mom brought me back from Paris when they went with my aunt and uncle. Note the gloves! This photo was taken in the Echternach town square.

Holly!

I just heard today, for sure, Holly is coming along. I am so pleased. She will be great company and it is an opportunity for her to see a lot of places both with me and on her own. She flies in to Frankfurt on the same day - a bit later - as I do and I think she's taking a bus or the train to Luxembourg. More as we go along. The excitement is building!

Some Old Photos

This is my Dad bringing home our luggage the day after Mom, Rob, Louise, Don and I arrived from Chester. We took the train from Chester to Victoria Station in London and stayed at the Victoria Hotel right at the station. The next morning we took the "boat train" to Dover and went across the English Channel to Calais. We waited around for a few hours and then took the train to Luxembourg City. We arrived in the middle of the night to be met by Dad and either Mr. Lisson or Mr. Olsen who then drove us to Echternach. I think this is before Christmas in 1953.

And here is where we lived for some months before moving to rue des Bons Malades. This building was owned by the Schaaks. There was a grocery store below, a fish frying outdoor area on the right and they sold the fried fish out of the storefront on the left in the summer. My room was directly above that part. The kitchen was on the right hand second floor with the 2 windows. Moving to the left - the Schaaks' bedroom and the next 3 windows were ours - a living room and Mom's and Dad's room where Gordon eventually stayed after he was born. I understand that building isn't there any more nor is the wonderful old railway station.

And this is me in my Girl Guide uniform across the road from Schaaks. This is looking across the Sure River to Germany on the other side. This was in 1954 in the spring, I believe.

July 7, 2013

ITINERARY WITH CONTACT INFORMATION

- July 30 – I leave from Halifax and arrive in Frankfurt July 31 and fly to Luxembourg City; Holly flies from Vancouver to Frankfurt and then takes the bus to Luxembourg City.

Leave 8:00 pm Condor Airlines Halifax to Frankfurt – Arrive 7:30 am July 31
Leave 12:50 pm Luxair Frankfurt to Luxembourg – Arrive 1:35 pm July 31

- July 31 – Jemp picks us up and takes us to Echternach where we will stay (courtesy of old friend Emelie Knepper) at the

Hôtel de la Sûre
Restaurant Steak-House
49, rue de la Gare -
Echternach (Luxembourg)
tél.: 011 (352) 728806
Email: restknep@pt.lu
http://www.hoteldelasure.lu/pages_frz/hotel_frz.html

- August 2 – 5 – We stay at Josee’s sister Germaine’s in Echternach and we’ll be meeting up with some of the old Girl Guides – emphasis on “old”. I'm hoping to drive to Trier to see what remains of the base there. That's where I went to school for a while in a barracks building which was turned in to a two-room school house for Canadian kids. I did my correspondence courses there because the teacher was an elementary school teacher and couldn't teach high school material.

- August 5 – Jemp and his wife pick us up and we drive to As, Belgium where we’ll stay at the Mardaga (where Ludo says he tells Dad’s story whenever he can and the plaque that Cousin John designed is still hanging in the lobby) and meet with Karel to say Hello and pick up some pieces of Dad’s Spitfire. See Dad's blog for more information on the wonderful trip Bill and took in January 2010 to the Hotel Mardaga - www.philtripe.blogspot.com.

Hotel Mardaga
Tel. 011 32 (0)89 65 62 65
http://www.differenthotels.be/en/Hotels/Hotel-Mardaga?r=1

- August 6 – 7 – I’m not sure where we will be staying yet but all will be resolved when we are there.

- August 8 – 15 – We will be staying at Jemp’s daughter Claude’s apartment in Luxembourg – actually it’s in Rammeldange which is on the Echternach side of Luxembourg city. Somewhere in there we’ll be going to Mely Gallo’s for dinner. She lives part of the year in her lovely chateau in Lauterborn between Luxembourg and Echternach.

I’ll be checking my email every day and sending you info. If there’s a phone, I’ll send that when I get there.

- August 15 – I fly home to Halifax. Holly is staying on for another week to tour around on her own staying in hostels and stuff.

Leave 10:40 am Luxair Luxembourg to Frankfurt – Arrive 11:30 am
Leave 3:40 pm Condor Airlines Frankfurt to Halifax – Arrive 6:00 pm