Today I was on the road in my town.
I was on the hunt for certain things. I couldn't really find any of them. First I visited the flea market, which was in the process of being closed down, and then the shopping hall, where I got into conversation with a young lady from the tailor's, to whom I suggested to take some products into the display, which would cover the small tailor's needs.
Here is a selection of the images I was able to create. I was genuinely enchanted and the woman at the reception announced - not without pride - that this hotel was one of the last remaining owner-managed houses in Hamburg. I was lucky, the lobby was almost empty. But see for yourself.
Here you stand right after coming in. The reception is on my right.
"The 1950s," I read here, "were the decade of the Doo Wop era.
The term "Doo-Wop" was used to describe a US-American vocal arrangement suitable for pop and rock, for which the contrast between bass and falsetto voices was typical. One of the countless doo-wop formations was The Chords, who experienced their one-hit wonder with "Sh-Boom" in 1954."
So here are the lyrics, which really don't have any depth. Or have they? ;-)
Life could be a dream
If I could take you up in paradise up above (sh-boom)
If you would tell me I'm the only one that you love
Life could be a dream sweetheart
(Hello hello again, sh-boom and hopin' we'll meet again)
Boom ba-doh, ba-doo ba-doodle-ay (sh-boom)
Boom ba-doh, ba-doo ba-doodle-ay (sh-boom)
Oh, life could be a dream (sh-boom)
If only all my precious plans would come true (sh-boom)
If you would let me spend my whole life lovin' you
Life could be a dream sweetheart
Every time I look at you
Something is on my mind (dat-dat-dat-dat-dat-duh)
If you do what I want you to
Baby, we'd be so fine
Oh, life could be a dream (sh-boom)
If I could take you up in paradise up above (sh-boom)
If you would tell me I'm the only one that you love
Life could be a dream sweetheart
(Hello hello again, sh-boom and hopin' we'll meet again) boom sh-boom
Hey nonny ding dong, alang alang alang (sh-boom)
Ba-doh, ba-doo ba-doodle-ay
Life could be a dream
Life could be a dream, sweetheart
7 times: Dee-oody-ooh, sh-boom, sh-boom
Life could be a dream, sh-boom
If I could take you up in paradise up above
Sh-boom if you would tell me I'm the only one that you love
Life could be a dream sweetheart
(Hello hello again, sh-boom and hopin' we'll meet again) boom sh-boom
Hey nonny ding dong, alang alang alang (sh-boom)
Ba-doh, ba-doo ba-doodle-ay
Life could be a dream
Life could be a dream
Dee-oody-ooh, sh-boom, sh-boom
While I took the photos, I wondered who had already visited this hotel.
I simply forgot to ask, because the photography took me so much time. I remembered films from my childhood, those with Grace Kelly and Doris Day, of whom I didn't know that she died recently (!) at the age of 98. I think it was in May? I had to think of petticoat dresses and pumps and the smell in the hotel reminded me a little of the past, at least that's what I imagined.
A young man was lounging on one of the comfortable sofas and two pretty young women were sitting in another corner. A couple, not older than their early twenties, played Rummicub in front of the window at the table, a game where you have to form rows of numbers, similar to the Rommee card game.
I admired the curved lines everywhere. You find them on the ceiling, in the shape of the S-shaped bar, in the elegant curves of the seats, all still original and beautifully preserved.
I would have liked to have a drink with someone.
Usually I am not showing present pictures but recently I am getting into Vintage fashion and hairstyles and after having a shower I tried out to work on something new with my hair (a couple of weeks ago) and came out with that result.
I fell in love with Evelyn Woods, a seamstress whom I found on youtube. She is adorable and very skilled. When she is reporting from her thrift-store adventures, I am all hers.
But the best is her advice how to refashion old clothes into new and wearable lovely skirts and blouses in the styles of past eras. I am far from handling the garments and sewing-machine in the way she does. But recently I took up a sewing course and will enhance my skills in that matter.
What a cosy place to have a chat.
The key box of a hotel reception has something of its own.
Anyone who comes to a city as a stranger experiences the moment of excitement when he walks through the door of his accommodation and receives his room key. What awaits him? On which floor must he go, how will the room appear, how will it feel to spend the night in a strange bed?
The slight smell of aged furniture in hotels that have long been part of the city is not everyone's cup of tea, but I like it. The rooms have many stories that, if they had mouths, they could tell.
Everything is already breathing out events and still to be experienced. The weight of the key, that desire to feel at home, yet to enjoy the alien details, the first steps you take when you enter a hotel room.
What are your first moves and actions when you enter a hotel room?
I make myself at home and first put my personal things on the night desk, the boards and the bathroom. I spray some of my perfume in the air and if I have, put a book on the bed and look into the mini bar. Not buying anything, though. Nothing fancy.
And here is lovely Evelyn Woods with one of her excellent presented videos on youtube.
I made two blog posts today! Now I am really tired and go to bed. Bye, until next time. I hope you enjoyed this little excursion into the past.
Photographs: erh.germany