Postcard, New York, 25th March 1991

Postcard, Brooklyn Bridge, New York

Postcard, Brooklyn Bridge, New York, Postmarked Washington, DC 25th March 1991

Postcard from me to my family of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, mailed from Washington, DC on 25th March 1991

Transcription:

Wanderlust Strikes Again!

Love, 

Laura

Resident Registration Form, Munich, Germany, 20th November 1990

 Resident Registration Form, Munich, Germany, 20th November 1990

Back of form

Commentary, 4th January 2012: I'm not positive, but I think this form is the form I had to fill out to de-register as a resident... either that or I had to re-register as a resident again... my German fails almost as much as my memory.

Application for a Work Permit (Extension), Munich, Germany, 2nd November 1990

Application for a Work Permit (Extension), Munich, Germany, 2nd November 1990

Back side

4th January 2012: So I liked Germany so much, and was enjoying my work as a cleaning lady at a hospital so much, that I requested an extension of my work visa.  Okay, truthfully, the money was good and really needed for my further travels - the Deutschmark had risen quite a bit in value against the dollar, in reaction to Iraq invading Kuwait in August, 1990, so my DMs went a lot farther than my dwindling supply of US dollars.  So I went to the local authorities and requested my student work permit be extended for another three months.  This was met with some resistance, as they couldn't understand why I wanted to work when I should be attending classes - it was the Fall term, after all! To be honest, I'm still not entirely sure how I convinced them to extend my work permit, but the new company I was working for (Die Münchner Heinzelmännchen) did some magic and got me approved.

Postcard, Prague, Czechoslovakia, 10th September 1990

Postcard from me to my family, Prague, Czechoslovakia, dated 10th September 1990, postmarked Prague 11th September, 1990

Transcription:
10 Sept. 90
Back to Munich on the 12th - I'll call you then
Prague has some of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen! It was not bombed during WW I & II, so has stayed intact far better than other European cities. Everything here is real cheap - but not much selection! That's Eastern Europe for you!
Love, Laura

Hand-stamped Leather Billfold, Budapest, Hungary, 1990

Hand-stamped leather billfold from Budapest, Hungary, 1990.

3rd January 2012: This little billfold is one of my all-time favorite souvenirs, in that it is one of those rarities: a souvenir that can be used in day-to-day life, not one that simply gathers dust on a shelf somewhere! I used this billfold daily from when I purchased it from a street-vendor near the Magrit Bridge for the equivalent of US$1.00 up until late 2009, when I finally retired it to my scrapbooks.

Postcard, Budapest, Hungary, 6th September 1990

Postcard from me to my family, from Budapest, Hungary. Dated 6th September 1990. Postmark unreadable, but pretty sure I mailed it from Budapest within day or so of writing it.

Transcription:
6 Sept. 90
Hello Gang! Greetings from Budapest, Hungary! What a cheap country! 3-course meal in fancy restaurant $4! This bridge is across the Danube river - real pretty - we're eating out & shopping every day - went to a neat laser-light show -
Love, Laura

Postcard, Vienna, Austria, 2nd September 1990

Postcard, Vienna, Austria, written 2nd September 1990, postmarked in Prague, Czechoslovakia 

Transcription:
2 Sept. 90 (Austria)
I (heart) Vienna!!!!
Unfortunately it's very expensive! But we (me & 2 Irish girls) are only here for 2 days! Saw a wonderful monument to Mozart - next visit here I'll go to the horses, we don't have time this visit -
Love Laura

Commentary, 2nd January 2012: The horses I refer to here are the Lipizzaner Stallions, which my father highly recommended I see - he really enjoyed them when he was in Europe in 1980.  The reason this postcard was mailed from Czechoslovakia is because thanks to the exchange rate, postage was MUCH cheaper there than in Austria (or most any other Western European country at the time).