Mr. Edward Poole, Jr. lived in Princeton, the pretty college town in west-central New Jersey.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeton,_New_Jersey
In August of 1930, Edward received a postcard from Ida.
(The signature is blurred and crammed into the bottom of the postcard – it may not be “Ida”.)
The postcard was mailed from Luzern, the beautiful city on a mountain lake in a German-speaking district of central Switzerland.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, this area was not noted in records until the establishment of a Benedictine monastery in the 8th century AD.
Since the 19th century, Lucerne (Luzern) has been a popular destination for international travelers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucerne
We have seen several postcards from this lovely place:
“A Zeppelin Over Lake Lucerne” and “Robert Sends a Postcard to Grandmother”.
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The face of the postcard is an uncolored photograph of a large carved lion – the noble beast is expiring from deadly wounds.
The lion’s expression of sorrow, suffering, and resignation moves the viewer to pity and admiration.
The carving is very large, sculpted into the side of an exposed cliff face in Luzern.
Alas, the history and meaning of the monument remains controversial.
The lion statue was commissioned in memory of Swiss Guards who were killed in defense of King Louis XVI during an attack by republican partisans during the French Revolution.
The Latin inscription makes clear the association to that event.
The carving was designed by designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen and completed by Lucas Ahorn in 1820-1821.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertel_Thorvaldsen
Financial support for the memorial was largely from aristocratic and Roman Catholic patrons, while many liberal and Protestant citizens resented an enduring reminder that Swiss mercenaries had abetted a tyrannical regime.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_Monument
Nevertheless, the Lion became a popular tourist attraction.
The postcard photograph was printed in Lucerne.
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On the reverse, Ida reports that “Lucerne is certainly a nice place>”
Ida found that “there is something awfully impressive about the lion…”
Tomorrow morning, the traveling party departs for Oberammergau -the picturesque town in the Bavarian Alps where citizens performed a Passion Play every ten years.
The performance is part of a vow and an act of thanksgiving for relief from the plague in the 17th century.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberammergau_Passion_Play
Ida thanks Edward for his thoughtfulness in sending her a Birthday card while she was abroad.
Ida thought the gesture was “mighty thoughtful” and she “appreciated it a lot”.
In closing, Ida tells Edward to behave himself and she sends love to “Katherine and the family”.
One hopes that Ida continued to enjoy her European tour and that she returned safely to her home.
