My diary - March 25-27, 1972

Autograph from Norman Rockwell

Oropeña Spain 

March 25, 1972 Sat.

Dear Diary:

We went to the airport. It was all foggy in Lisbon so we couldn’t go by airplane so Dad rented a car & we drove to Spain. We started around 9:30 & we finally got to Oropoñea around 8. We stopped for lunch in Spain (bourdeline) We waved to people. We stayed at this small but nice hotel. Everyone was so friendly. Load of guys. I fell for the owners son. He is adorable looking & seems nice. I think he like me too. He talked to all us (kids) but directed it to me, kept smilling at me & came up & offered me a cigarret Becky too but changed his mind. I share a room with Becky. Beckys beds against door I moved it there.

BYE!

Note: Funny how when you are 14 years old, you get a crush so easily! I doubt I would have taken a cigarette but you never know. I guess we were nervous that the guys might try to get into our room so I moved Becky’s bed against the door, I was not a very gallant sister.  I should have offered to sleep there.

Damascene jewelry from Toledo, Spain

Madrid

March 26, 1972 Sun.

Dear Diary:

We got stucked in our room. we threw the key out the window & one of the workers got it & opened the door. Boo! I dont even know the owners sons name & I had to leave! We drove through many little towns & we stopped in Toledo & went to church. Palm Sunday. We ate in Toledo. We walk around & I saw Normand Rockwall! The famous artist!! I got his autograph & later on I talked to him for about 10 min. We saw El Grecos house & paintings. I’m all excited having talked to him. We finally got to Madrid. We had a hard time finding the hotel but is it gorgeous!! T.V. Everything. Watching “Three is a Crowd.”

BYE!!!

Note: My instincts might have been right as somehow the door locked from the outside. We were on the 2nd floor and I remember yelling to the gardener that we were locked in, threw him the key and he came up and opened the door for us.

Meeting Norman Rockwell was just amazing. We had gone to a small gift shop and I saw him looking at souvenirs with his wife. He was elderly, tall, and thin, but I recognized him from the Saturday Evening Post magazines of my parents. I was a big fan of his art. I approached him and he was very shy and worried about drawing attention. We talked outside the store and when he heard we were living in Nicaragua, he told me he had been sent there in the 1930’s with U.S. troops to stop a government insurrection. We discussed El Greco's art as I had just seen some of it. He said it was believed that El Greco suffered from astigmatism which caused him to paint the way he did. I suffer from astigmatism so I found this fascinating. He and his wife were lovely and I got his autograph. I am excited all over again with the memory.

Damascene jewelry from Toledo is handcrafted with black metal backgrounds and gold or silver foil pressed into the chiseled design.

March 27, 1972 Mon.

Dear Diary:

We got up alittle later than usually. We ate in our beautiful room. Has T.V. Dining room table, kitchen 3 beds, radio etc. We traded in our Hertz car for another (other one danced to much!) Dad drove us to Segolbia. Has one of the best aquadocs of world (by Romans). We ate lunch their. We got a free pitcher for eating at the restaurant that we did eat at. We then drove to Avil. We walk & walked. We saw were St.Teresa musean. She was born in Avil. I asure you I do not want to be a saint. Your finger might be in a glass case like hers, your arm else were.

BYE!!!

Postcard from Segovia

Note: Segovia was beautiful with its beautiful aqueducts, and Avila is where I decided I never wanted to be a saint. It’s not going to be a problem 😊.

Postcard from Avila, Spain