Trip to Europe - 1956

Our Voyage to Europe
April 6, 1956

We left 2327 E. 68th St. Chicago for New York. The 7th of April we went through the United Nations Palace. On Sunday we went to church in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. We had lunch with Miss Wells, a retired school teacher. We stayed at the Hotel Bristol, 48th St. West. On Monday the 8th it snowed all day with a mixture of rain. I was forgetting to say, we had a turkey dinner on Sunday with Miss Wells, Au Restaurant Français. Later in the afternoon we went to Radio City Music Hall for three hours. (On Sunday the 8th we went to church for the service at the New York Cathedral (The Cathedral Church of the Diocese of New York) Episcopal which was still under construction.

On Monday, April 9th we went and saw a little of the most beautiful library of New York. Later I went to the top of the Empire State Building. From there I could see East River, South River and P River.

At three o’clock, April 9th we went to the dock. The ship Christoforo Colombo was ready to leave at 5 o’clock. I had the surprise of my life when I saw Barnard Hempelman, Sr. on the ship waiting for us. He handed me a huge box of delicious candy. It was a great joy to see him. We sailed away at 5 o’clock pm. A sumptuous dinner was served that evening. The ocean was very rough during several days. We were four in our cabin; it was rather crowded with all our suitcases. I had an upper birth and had to have extra protection to keep me from rolling to the floor. For one or two days we were strapped to the dining room table and were told to hang on to it. At times it seemed as if glasses food and all would go to the floor.

One night everything that was loose in our cabin began to fly every which way. The next day some of the passengers were injured.

April 13th, 1956
The ocean was a little calmer today. We saw two islands of the Azores Archipelago. We saw a few seagulls and a rainbow. I had become used to the rocking of the ship. I had no sea sickness to speak of. April 14th we made a tour of the ship with a guide and saw all the machines that are used on a large ship.

The captain of the ship gave us a cocktail party.

April 15th we went to Mass. A Bishop from London gave the sermon. The violin music was very touching. Quite a large number of passengers got off at Gibraltor. Mr. and Mrs. Wheatlake were among the number. We missed them very much. We passed “Andria Doria”, the sister ship of the one we were on. (Editor’s note: On Wednesday, July 25th 1956, at 11:10 pm on a dark and foggy night, two great ocean liners, T/N Andrea Doria and MV Stockholm, collided near New York, sinking the Andrea Doria.)

We packed our suitcases to leave the ship the following day. On Tuesday about 1000 passengers debarked from the Christoforo Colombo. The Custom House was very easy on us. We didn’t open our bags at all. I saw Naples for the first time, a picturesque and blusterous city. We called at the American Express Co,. to obtain informations. A friend of Miss B’s invited us to dinner in her beautiful apartment building on top of the highest hill, offering a view of the whole city.

Crossing the streets is most dangerous in Naples. The hotels are cold in April; heat is very expensive.

April 19th 1956
We went to Pompeii and Herculaneum to see the ruins that are nearly 2000 years old. In the afternoon we went to Vesuvia and saw it as it is today. The last serious eruption was in 1944 we were told.

We went to Sorrento at Hotel Victoria. We left in style for Positana Amalfi Ravello, had lunch at Caruso Belvedere for a fancy price.

April 25 we left Sorrento for Capri and stopped at Hotel Morgano. It was all very interesting. From there we returned to Naples. We stayed two days in Capri. April 27 We left Naples for Rome on a luxurious bus. On our way we made two stops, at Caserta and Cassino where we lost so many of our boys during the war. Cassino was completely destroyed now it is replaced by a new modern town.

Saturday, April 28. In Rome, we took the Bus Tour and went through the Vatican. Rome is an ancient city of fountains, monuments, and palases. On Sunday we went for St. Peters Church for Mass, had lunch in the English Tea Room. It rained very hard. The next day we took a long walk to the Pineian Hill and stopped at the fashionable Doney’s Tea Room. Who should stop next table to ours but Grace Kelly, now Princess Ranier and Prince Ranier of Monico. Grace looked very pretty. Later we took a second tour and went into the Catacombs. Our guide told us there are about 70 miles of underground passages in Rome.

May 1st—It was a great holiday in Italy. We went to St. Peters church. We found ourselves in a crowd of about 60,000 thousand people. The Swiss Guards marched in their colorful uniforms. There were police guards. Pope Pious was brought in and there was a great demonstration. He blessed all the people there and their dear ones at home.

May 3
We walked nearly all day. We saw the beautiful University of Rome and we went to the Royal Pallace which was then occupied by the President.. We went to Pincian Park on a high hill. We also went to the famous Railroad Station. It was very different from any railroad station I had ever seen. The construction is mostly of glass.


May 4
Friday again we went to Saint Peter’s Church. I climbed to the top of the tower of that famous Church 310 steps. Later we went to Foro Italica, Mussoline’s Forum. Then we went to Piazza Benezia. We looked at Victor Emanuall where the Unknown Soldier is buried. We also went to see the great amphitheater in Rome, Coliseum. It was built in the first century A.D. A large part is still standing. After seeing many more curiosities, we returned to our hotel to pack.

May 5
Saturday
We left Rome on the C.I.T Bus for Florence at 8 a.m. It was a beautiful ride, for it gave us a chance to see the picturesque country side. We stopped at Assisi (St. Francis of Assisi).

May 6, 1956
Sunday
We roamed around Florence, went to see Hotel Helvetia, but did not care for it. The we went to 82-83 (Une Pention) Villa Merlo Ripoli Biancha (Sisters of John the Baptist). It was a beautiful place and we were happy there. The following day we went to Montecatini. It was the most romantic resort I had ever seen. We took a horse and buggy ride through town. I was wishing we could have stayed there for a week or tow in one of their fine hotels. One day we went to Pisa to see La Tour Penchie, the Pendent Tower. It took two hours on the bus from Florence. We walked to the top of the tower. Pisa is quite a city.

One afternoon we were invited to a tea in a villa upon a hill in Florence Leonareo? Lena Venzia and her grandchild Ariana.

We left Florence May 14th, 1956, on a Monday to go to Venice. It was an all day drive on the C.I.T. Bus. It was evening when we arrived there and went to the Hotel Gabrielli, in a gondola by moonlight. It was all very romantic. The next day we went through the Excelsior Hotel a place of luxury on the Ledo Isle one of the largest Isle. Venice is built on 144 islets.

From Venice we went to Milan. We had a grand view of the most beautiful Lakes of Italy. Once more I had the joy of seeing the great Cathedral of Milan. I had seen it in 1909 with my husband.

We left Milan the 19th of May and went over the Alps in a bus to St. Moritz in Switzerland. St. Moritz is a very scenic summer and winter resort. It has more than 50 hotels. We stopped at the “Hotel Languard”. All the large hotels were still closed the 21st of May.

Europe 1962
1. The Swiss National flower is the Edelweiss
2. Avanlanches
3. a cogwheel railway
4. the alps filled 2-thirds of the land.
5. the Rhine River