The first page
When you open the album, this image is the first thing you’ll see. On september 11th we arrived in Grenoble, and took the ‘Télépherique de la Bastille’. This postcard is the first message of Hannie & Billo to their family.
So our first visit had to be Grenoble. With ‘we’ I mean Vincent, me and the album. The cable car in the postcard is the touristic attraction of the city, because it was the 3rd one in the world. The view had to be amazing. When we arrived at the entrance I learned, through an open air exhibition, that it had opened in 1934 and this year was their 90th anniversary. That means it was only 5 years old when Hannie & Billo took them. They were in the original ones of wood (!!).
In their first postcard, they wrote the following:
”After a smooth but tiring journey, we took the cable car up and are now enjoying a sandwich. Unfortunately, we can’t appreciate the view because it’s raining and there are heavy clouds. Only the lights of the city are really nice. We both slept the whole night in the luggage rack, somewhat annoyed, because they keep waking you up at the borders and it’s not easy to get out. We had a nice meal in the dining car with a lovely glass of wine. Until next time!”
In the cable car I could see the differences in the view from then and now. With the postcard on my phone I tried to determine the changes. Some new sky scrapers, but surprisingly a lot of it seemed the same. I was confused what to photograph, what to focus on, we only had so little time in the cabin. Then, obviously, I found out I forgot my SD card in another bag. So I took it as a sign to chill and watch without a device. I’d spare my analog images for the view, like Billo would have done (I think).
Up on the mountain we drank a beer and watched the view: the weather was great! The air was fresh and clear, a bit chilly but in the sun it was perfect. We could see as far as the mountain tops that we would go and visit the next day. A big contrast to Hannie & Billo’s view though. I felt bad for them and took a new picture with my analog camera*. This time with a bright and clear sky. I tried to find the exact same angle as the postcard.
There was also a cave to visit from the 19th century, and a museum about the French Mountain Troops. We checked them out both, also because maybe Hannie & Billo had done the same.
The station of Grenoble, as it was their point of arrival by train, had to be visited as well. The station is very modern and there’s nothing left of before the second world war. But still I tried to find anything they could have seen. The first one is an archival image from 1936.
P.s. I am curious to find out why they send this first postcard to Gent, Belgium… and not to one of the addresses in Rotterdam.
