When my grandparents went to Paris they always sent postcards back to friends and family. My grandma always wrote “save this postcard” on them and lucky for me we have many of them. I just found two the other day, sent a day apart and one from my grandpa to the kids and one from my grandma to her parents. It was April 1972 and it was their first visit to Paris.
It's their handwriting I know so well from all the journals and everything I have of theirs and it's comforting and a little sad when I see it. I can imagine the two sitting in a cafe filling out the cards with a few facts of their trip. These two really struck me because they mention the Louvre.
Grandpa’s postcard of Notre Dame
“Dearest kids…. Yesterday we did the Eiffel Tower. In AM I did Sorbonne, Notre Dame, etc. I love this beautiful city. Our hotel, real deluxe. Will do Louvre tomorrow.”
Grandma’s postcard with Mona Lisa
“Dearest family, we saw this world treasure - also the Venus de Milo. Still can’t believe we are here although we walked miles up the left bank to the Louvre and then the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. Will hate to leave Paris - I love it, almost more than San Francisco. “
My grandpa also kept a steno pad filled with notes on what they did.
“First saw the Mona Lisa and other paintings in the Salle des États, then Galerie d’Apollon (beautiful) then walked through the Egyptian & Greek antiquities + the Venus de Milo. Walked through the Porte Henri II, Cour Carrée and the Port Egyptienne over and through Eglise Saint Germain l’Auxerrois.”
Seeing my grandpa write the exact name of the salle where the Mona Lisa is and his feelings of the Galerie d’Apollon makes me so happy. Even two generations later, it is the same love I have and it is all because of them. These are treasures I will keep with me forever.
I would give anything to have been able to visit the Louvre with them but I did share so much of it with my grandma. She loved to read my posts and articles and talk about how much she loved Paris and of course all the pastries and chocolate until the very end. In a few weeks I will take a bit of her back so she will always be a part of Paris.