Mieders, Stubai-im-Tyrol, Aus.
Aug. 4, 1928
That's where we are, as I may have said on the card. It's not Cortina, but there are many delightful places in the Tiron, and this is one. The Cortina episode saddens my soul, but yet each time it seemed as if I did all I could. Letters from 2 places to So. Hadley o.k. Then Helen's pension did not reply to me as I asked in a U.S. letter. So I waited a little, then wrote from Jena. Their letter saying there was no room was a much-forwarded one. Then we telegraphed twice to Miss Randolph's place, paid reply, got no reply. Wrote three other places of which only one replied at all - no room. Telephoned from Innsbruck to Miss R's place - no room. And to a Reiseburo - no beds in Cortina! Sad blow - but fortunately Alice had this address from Olive Ware Bridgman - we came up and scouted one day, and though we couldn't go to her Austrian place, which is quite big & interesting - we've found much comfort and a different sort of diversion at the little English Waldrast.
At this moment I may be 1,500 feet above the village by a little shrine - they're all over these parts, with a gorgeous view - many flowers, too. But it's time to go down to lunch!
The valley leads off the Brenner valley and up to a big Ortztal (sp?) group, the highest over 11,000. The glaciers stream down quite impressively at the head of the valley, and along both sides are handsome ranges, not chalk but the older rocks, and with an interestingly different flora. We have seen many kinds of campanulas today, tall ones with many bells, short ones with sessile upright bells almost like gentians, a low hairy one, quite exquisite, a white one, beside these we knew before.
The valley is much less touristed than Cortina though many are here. I think there are about a dozen or fifteen English in the house - you know they are secretive souls! We sit at table with a pleasant Mr. & Mrs. Gore (?) who give us lengthy information on many themes! There is also a younger woman, alone - teacher?? They have been here a long time. The Gores seem to have money - she has an old Chinese necklace which you would adore.
The town is thickly built with most interesting rather tall houses, cement to the top story, painted with madonnas and such in the old ones, then at the top elaborately worked wooden supports, over-hanging caves, and always many wooden balconies with flowers. There are many manure piles about the village, but all three pensions seem very clean. Fewer flies than you might expect! Innumerable walks down to the rapid glacial river, grey and cloudy like the Danube to which it goes, ultimately, - and also up to the wooded hills, with wonderful outlooks. There are high farms too, and just now the grain is being harvested by hand, so the fields are picturesque. Yesterday and today rather warm for vigorous walking - we hurried down to lunch! The English tell us the Sunday costumes are good - so far they are less picturesque than near Salzburg, where the trampers' costumes were rich. We've seen one woman in knickers, in Garmisch. The men have lots of dinky things, but the women go in anything! Today we met one in her chemise - her dress hung on her husband's alpine stock over his shoulder! There are a good many women who wear full skirts, straight waists and little white slips showing at the neck and short sleeves - I think it is the remains of the peasant costume used by residents and visitors alike!
There is an old monastery (1392) up in the mountains - our path today leads there - and all along the way to it is a series of really very attractive shrines, with good fresco paintings in them, beginning with the Annunciation. I'd like to get up to the place, but I'm afraid it's too far.
In town beside the church with the tall red steeple - the one across the river in Telfes is a charming green - there is a little chapel up on a tiny hill. Leading up is a little walk that completely circles the hill, with its series of little shrines, with pictures done, I should say, by the same artist who did the others twoard Sta. Maria Waldrast (the monastery). In the chapel, which has a deep porch toward the west, there are only about 4-5 rows of seats and the altar, in a semicircular east end. This has a Gethsemane, with Christ and the three sleeping disciples carved wood figures, maybe 18-24 inches high, not unlike the Oberammergan figures. There is a painted background for the garden, with Judas bursting through a gate and some soldiers - all quite dramatic. I don't know the history, but the art is much better than most in the little places. On one of the shrines there was a special little memorial to a man struck by lightning in 1885. The Catholic religion is still very simple around here - there are madonnas over two fountains here in the village and in this picture by the shrine the man lay on the ground and a path of light led straight up to such a funny full-skirted madonna, carrying his soul up, no doubt.
We hear there is a grand village band which comes out on Sunday. I'll not mail this until after it appears, for I suppose there is no more mail out until Monday morning. Oh, all our 4 telegrams of yesterday have replies, reservations made for Aug. 11 at Trafoi up in the Stelvio, for Aug. 12 at Tirano down the other side (these our two Italian nights!), for Aug. 13 & 14 at Gletsch to which we get by a long day's travel thro' exciting mountains, for Aug. 15, 16, 17 at Riffelalp. We've written to Geneva & Paris. I hope we'll have good weather for the Stelvio. We go from Innsbruck to Landeck by rail, then to Trafoi by auto bus, ditto to Tirano, rail the rest of the way. It's wicked to take such leaps, but one can't stop everywhere. We think of expressing our heavy bags to Geneva, so as to have less luggage for that week. Oh, I had another Compton print mailed from Innsbruck, a cheap one, but that man does get the effects!
There are swallows' nests under these wide eaves, and a few days ago at Oberammergan we saw two big black salamanders out strolling after a shower, a huge brown toad today.
Sunday, Aug. 5. Thunder showers all day so far, 2 p.m. So I've done a wonderful job at letter writing. I'm putting in a few prints for you - some of our best. The one of the beeches seems to me as good as I've done this summer, though you'll like some of the last lot with the yellow filter. Mountain ones.
Few costumes this morning - too rainy. But the women where [sic] small, black, high-crowned sailor hats tied down behind with broad black heavy ribbon, brocaded velvet (??) which goes clear to the bottom of the skirt, long. Silk aprons, lavender, shaded green, blue-green &c. Quite different from anything else we've seen. - Much love -
Inscription on front: "Renalt 1260 im Stubaital Tirol."
Inscription on back: This is up a little beyond where we went today in Stubai-tal. A valley leading from Innsbruck up toward some high ones with glaciers rolling down them. Our spirits are low because we've missed out on Cortina, a story too long to recount, but this valley - if we can find a place in it, is very lovely for a week's stay. Just now we wait for the landlord! It's a little inn quiet attractive, and I hope we can at least get rooms near by. But life has its doleful moments! I'll write after we get our plans adjusted.
Nickolai Tower in Copenhagen. Canal & Fish market beyond.
Castle on the Danube
Fish women - Copenhagen
Old church in Helsingør, near Hamlet's castle, Kronborg.
Beeches in Dyrehavn outside Copenhagen
Deer in Dyrehavn outside Copenhagen. (sorry print is so dark)
Cooking "wieners" in open market place, Jena
market place, Jena
Old tower in city wall, Jena
The windmill where we saw them grinding corn near Holbeck, Denmark