A Postcard A Day - Tuesday 1 February 2022 - T for Vincent, Clipper tea and a hospital

 Hello lovely ladies, I'm writing from a rainy Rotterdam (Netherlands). My mother is still in hospital. She had fallen and although she hadn't broken anything, she is still short of breath and there are no doubt underlying problems, so it's better that they get sorted out, if possible. My sister and I are fully aware that at the age of 97 anything is possible. I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime I have changed places with my sister and I am now staying in Rotterdam. Obviously I don't have access to my own computer but I have brought a postcard with me:

In the picture you can see on the right Vincent van Gogh, the famous painter, and on the left his uncle Stricker. The building on the right is the Oosterkerk (East Church) where Stricker preached and Vincent would often go when he was in Amsterdam.

The card was sent to me by Cecile in the Netherlands. She tells me she also does lacemaking.

Willemina Catharina Gerardina Carbentus – Aunt Mina – was Vincent's mother's sister.

 

She had married Johannes Paulus Stricker, a clergyman. During Vincent’s time in Amsterdam, Uncle Stricker acted as a mentor to his nephew, who was hoping to follow in his footsteps. Vincent admired his uncle's enthusiasm and passion and enjoyed going to see him preach at services all over Amsterdam.

                            

 

                                    

On 10 February 1878, Vincent wrote to his brother Theo that he was taking lessons from Uncle Stricker twice a week alongside those he was receiving from Mendes da Costa. This was probably no coincidence: his father had come to Amsterdam that week to discuss how his studies were progressing, and Vincent must have decided he could use additional help.

The classicist Maurits Benjamin Mendes da Costa (1851–1938) gave Vincent van Gogh daily lessons in Latin and Greek. Vincent had to immerse himself in the classical languages to attain the proficiency required for the theology course on which he hoped to enrol. Vincent had difficulty mastering the material, but Mendes told him he was on track to prepare successfully for the entrance exam. Vincent consulted Mendes, a mere two years older, on numerous matters and greatly respected him.

Ultimately, the pressure became too great: Vincent was unable to take in the enormous amounts of new material he was confronted with. Mendes gave up hope that Vincent would be able to attain the proficiency necessary for the entrance exam and advised Vincent's family to allow him to quit. In July 1878, Vincent left Amsterdam in disappointment and went to Etten to figure out what to do with his future.

While in Amsterdam, Vincent visited the Strickers often, up to a few times a week. He joined them for coffee after church, went to their birthday parties, spent holidays at their house and sometimes had dinner there. He got on well with their daughter Kee, who lived on Prinsengracht with her husband, Christoffel Martinus Vos. A few years later, after Vos’s death, Vincent would fall in love with his cousin Kee and ask her to marry him.  (She said no)

The stamps are magnificent too. Of course right in the middle there is a large stamp featuring a famous painting by van Gogh: the Sunflowers. The bottom two stamps read: Think Green! The stamp on the right is about the small area of nature left in the Netherlands (It's a small country, very urbanized).

  

Here are the paintings from the stamps:

I love those sun flowers, even though they are dried out and discarded.

Now today is Elizabeth and Bleubeard's T-Party! So I will share a drink with you: 

I bought this yesterday and I like it a lot.

I'm staying at my mum's apartment at the moment. She lives on the 5th floor and this is the view:

She overlooks the car park and beyond that, the shopping centre. On the left there is part of the church visible (the low red bricked building).

The building at the end of the car park is a restaurant. The last evening that my sister was here, we went out for dinner. My cousin and his wife came all the way from Friesland to see us and they joined us for dinner.

In mum's building, in the foyer, just beyond the elevators, is this winter display:

It shows a little booth that one woud find along side the frozen waterways where people go skating. It sells hot pea soup and hot chocolate.

The skates are hanging up. The skates on the right are for speed skating, the white boots on the left are for figure skating.

At the bottom of this photo you see the old fashioned skates that bind onto your boots. I used to have a pair ike that. (like all Dutch people of my age, Due to climate changes, there isn't that much ice nowadays)

These are the old enamel pans that I remember frm my childhood. The pan on the left ison a petroleum burner. Nowadays he pea soup comes in tins which you can see on the right.

I go to the hospital every afternoon. Only one person per day is allowed to visit, so I go leave the house at 3 pm. It is a ten minute walk, then a ten minute train ride, and another ten minute walk. So between 30 and 40 minutes. Not bad. 

This is what the hospital looks lik on the inside (taken at night):

Downstairs is a communal area with little shops and information desk etc. The wards are built on either side, 3 floors up. All the behind the scene stuff like laboratories and operating theatres etc are on the ground floor on one side and offices, kitchen etc are on the other side. There are lots of surrounding buldings and a multi storey car park too.

This is it from me today. 

Wishing everyone a happy T-Day,

Stay safe,

Hugs,

Lisca

PS: Tonight (Monday night) mum is a bit better. She has been walking and she enjoyed her main meal tonight. All the drips have been taken down. Great!

PSPS: I won't be able to do a Second on the second as I have no access to my own computer. Sorry Elizabeth....