Canal Lateral 11/13/1935
First many thanks for your long letter, Marie, that was a surprise and something new to get a letter from you. Lars and Anna study your fine sail boat on the paper that was more interesting for them than what you wrote. Those ungrateful little rascals. As you see the canal passage his started with all its troubles. We sit on ground at least once a day. The papers that we thought were in order from Bordeaux were still not enough for the fine gentlemen in Toulouse. We were kept back by the first lock, we had terrible trouble and had to pay an expensive telephone call bill to Toulouse, 14 francs Finally we got permission to slip through and sail on until the 3rd or 4th lock, then came a very mad gentleman and demanded 12 francs, after a lot of baloney and bull again telephoning it turned out to be the same we paid in Bordeaux already. Well, after that we haven’t had any more trouble with locks. Actually, the sides of the canals are wonderfully picturesque, real wild forest and bushes we sailed through, but with the pulling of “Restmore” it really doesn’t work at all, Peter pulled us right away we went on ground and it also goes extremely slow and complicated. Lars was otherwise very interested in the project and shouted, “Papa is tied up” and he also absolutely wanted the line and walk besides Peter. Another not so nice surprise was the price for gasoline. It is more than twice as expensive as the one we bought in ports on the coast. Imagine! 60 øre a liter. In Denmark it costs 30 øre and there’s the half of it is tax. Therefore, the money in the box has terribly disappeared and so I would ask you to send 500 francs to postrestened Toulouse as soon as possible, that burns. Difficulties don’t come alone, therefore Peter had to brake the lamp the other evening so we had to make up with the anchor light and a kerosene light, and now Peter fixed the electric lights but it is not as cozy as the kerosene light and it doesn’t throw any heat either and since the nights now are fairly cool we have got the Tiled stove out again for mornings and evenings. In the daytime the sun shines and it is nice end warm. Of other calamities the little creatures have picked up a cough. Lars’s is over now. We two have not been without cold symptoms. In Bordaeux be got a Swedish steamer to take our mast out with its cargo boom and got it placed in 2 boom crutches on deck. When Lars saw the mast laying there he said right away: The mast takes a little nap.” Furthermore the captain had ordered the “S.S. Skodesskan” to throw some packages, lots of salted and smoked meat a dozen of pickled herrings, anchovies, gaffelbitar (fork bite) in addition to Knackbrot and home baked cakes, delicious, hm! We are still living high on the hog with all these good things. The 3 ladies who were on board “Skodesskan”, the cook and the lady who cleans were having coffee in “Restmore” and from there we got the expression: “Out and jumping” that was used in connection with the first mates.
Have you been by Mrs Sjoberg, she would certainly be happy for your visit? She is very hospitable. You must say Hallo from me and tell her I probably wouldn’t manage to answer her letters before Christmas. I have thought about asking you, Marie, if you would save our letters if we someday should come so far as to write some memories may be there are some moments in these letters that we can use and which we otherwise forget. do you think you have room for them in the attic?
At last our loving greetings, Lars, Anna, Peter, Else (your adoring)
I would just like to come a little to Copenhagen and arrange Valdes books a little. I am so clever at that. Now at last many loving greetings to both of you from yours adorable Larsemand.
one afternoon – Dear Marie and Valde You could just believe that we were at a park. We were in a kind of Tivoli and there were merry-go-rounds only for children with airplanes, trains, and cars, and there was one with boats that sailed in real water but I sail so much with our boat so I would rather sit up in one with an airplane, they are swinging high up in the air. It surely was a lot of fun, you can imagine. Afterwards I had to accompany Hallo in ones but she is of course so little so it was only a car. They also had lots more, lions, tigers, monkeys, ladies without the lower part of the body and wild natives from Haiti, and then there were so many lights, yellow, green, red, and blue. I have got a Teddybear from a Swedish lady, he is so sweet, he has a red right arm and a blue left arm and a red left leg and a blue right leg.
We also thank for the picture of Marie’s new bathing suit, it was right away pinned on the wall and the Swedish captain found it really fortjusande terrific attractive! Little sister said “wau wau” but Lars had , more understanding and said “Lady Sitting” did you look up when the train leaves for Nice, France?