Romans in Morocco

When I was sorting cards for this project I sorted this one into the Italy pile. The back caption reads "Roman Ruins." It also reads "Volubilis," which looked Italian to me (which I guess it is...or rather, Latin... the Arabic name is Walili) so I didn't think twice about its placement in the collection. It wasn't until I did my UNESCO research that I realized the site is in Morocco. I've learned a lot more geography while doing this project, including very basic world geography that I should have learned in high school. And I would have learned it, except world geography wasn't a subject I could take back in the 1970s. I wonder if it is today?

Mary in Jersey (British Isles) adopted this card and she got to visit Volubilis. She writes the craftsmanship is amazing and all the more impressive that much is still there for us to marvel.

Mary always uses lovely postage on the cards, and this one is no exception. I'm particularly fond of the birds in the center.

Colorado Envy

Another card adopted via surrogate. Jackie, sent this postcard to her penfriend, Christi, in Arvada, who only increases my desire to relocate to Colorado with her note that she loves the "fairly" mild weather, eclectic spirit and mountains.

A Silver Route

This is a scenic route ("holiday road" is what I've also read, which I rather like) in Germany that features sites where silver was once mined. It is in the Saxony, the southeast of Germany. Annett adopted this card and writes that there is a traditional greeting in the area dates to when the mines were still in operation, "Glück auf,"which translates to wishing good luck to see the daylight again.

I think the distance between the two cities on either end of the route, Zwickau and Dresden, is only about 65 miles, so it would be a fun day trip, taking time to weave in and out of all the smaller towns and villages along the way. The area is also famous for nutcracker dolls and "Christmas Pyramids," which entertained me as a child.

Where's Quasimodo?

Notre-Dame, Paris. Imagine Quasimodo peering out at you from the belltower. Marie’s children did just that when she brought them to visit her birth city. Marie played along and told them he was hiding, afraid of the tourists. Her daughter exclaimed “But I wouldn’t hurt him! I know he’s a nice guy.”

I read Victor Hugo’s novel, Hunchback of Notre-Dame, many years ago, as a high school student. I don’t think I grasped the significance of the novel back then. Social injustice was all around me in the early 1970s and reading about it in literature written more than 100 earlier didn’t seem relevant. Oh, fickle youth!

And if you do go to Paris, you can see Quasimodo. There’s a small
sculpture of him on the exterior of the north transept along the Rue de Cloître Notre Dame.

Sage Advice

James offers some very good advice should you visit the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The reflecting pool nearby might tempt you for a cool dip of your toes, but do resist. It is disgusting. Perhaps due to the geese James also warns of.

James wrote this card with a Parker 45, fine nib, in MB Racing Green ink. I like the name of the ink. Good for quick notes and postcards.

I also like the deckled edge of this card. I scanned it against a bit of colored cardstock so the deckle would stand out. I think it was popular in the 1960-1980s. Today it is usually just a way of making a card look old-fashion. This card very much looks like it was from the 1970s.

Canadian Unknown

Another postcard via surrogate. Juli in Florida requested a couple of postcards to send to some of her penfriends. This one came back with just "Hello from Juli." I don't know who the mystery sender is, but thank you for participating!

Short Bahamas

I'm not much of a beach resort type person. I get bored on the beach, even with tons of reading and correspondence. However, I think I'd enjoy the Bahamas. It's flat. That would make it fun for bike riding. And the weather is nice. February in the Bahamas might suit me just fine.

Debbie spent some time here as a port for a Caribbean cruise. She really enjoyed visiting the famous Atlantis Hotel.