Barcelona, 2/1/1936
Yesterday evening at 12 o’clock exactly we tied up at the key, but Peter was too tired (weak) to go out and look for the “Spanish Girls” so much sung about, he stayed nicely home by wife and children, and this morning we got the mail with the tax papers so that will be delivered too late. The letter must have come to Sete the day after we had left and of course we are not the orient express or anything like that but Like a snail we crawl forward with a house on the back and explore every corner where there is a place to anchor. I have written explanations on the tax papers, maybe they will show mercy.
Barcelona has made the best impression. Here we have reached the summer, 14 °c in the shade and new potatoes for the same price as the old, tall palm trees and of course oranges everywhere. The oranges started already in Port Vendres, a very friendly on duty customs man sorted out the ones stacked up on the key and honored Lars and Anna with presents of them. Later on several other boys discovered that a freight train was parked right in front of “Restmore” and was filled with oranges and that these could be reached through a hedge that was left open so one of them lay down on his stomach through the hedge and threw the golden fruits down to the others who’s pockets were sticking out and stuffed. One – but only one – was given to Lars. Most likely to buy his silence, but later we got the visit of a merchant who had a boat load 5OO tons and when he left he asked – “oranges”? – “Yes”! – “Then come along.” So Peter and Lars got a great big bag from the ship Enclosed is a drawing, Lars masterpiece that I think can easily compete with those on “Den Frie” exhibition, and they only have modern painting, books with volcanic eruptions and so on.
We can also add explanations on the catalogue. It depicts both, ChuChu train and WauWau, steamer, light house fixed and a lot of other things which you have to guess. Right for the moment I am teaching him his name which maybe I won’t succeed at all. He is namely quite sure about the meaning of the word dumb and when I say Lars Dohm he says “Lars not dumb”, and he insists on that stubbornly. Today we received a letter from Koln. The “Stadt Anzeiger” had got our address through the German Engineer in Belgium, and they asked Peter in a friendly way to send a story to his dear hometown’s newspaper, so that was the real stuff. Peter liked it. We now intend to rest a little here in Barcelona for one month. I have to wash and Peter has to varnish, furthermore I have to go to the dentist. In a small French town I got a terrible tooth ache and since the dentist came only three times a month I let myself got talked into to go to the regular doctor there and let him pull the tooth out and he mistreated me terribly, the tooth broke and he pulled out piece -after piece and think he pulled at least ten times and at last he said there are two roots still in but you better wait and go to a dentist in 2 days He didn’t want any money, and when I got home I discovered that he had broken the tooth next to this one in pieces so I guess I can expect something from that. Halo has, also a toothache, there are two coming through. Otherwise the health conditions On board are good. How is it with you?
To finish up – our loving greetings from all 4,
yours sincerely Lars, Peter, Anna, Else