Happy holidays!

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As we listened to the radio in our warm office, we realized that the summer holidays have begun for many people. There were reports of miles of traffic jams, with rows of cars all stuffed with overheating families, each heading to its own holiday destination, dreaming of relaxing in the sun with a refreshing glass of beer or lemonade. Until then, they'll just have to make the most of the remaining three hours in the car, trying to keep the squabbling children apart and staring daggers at the other family in a lease car making a brazen attempt to force its way in front.

How different the situation is from 80 years ago in the beautiful postcard we received from Karel Vermeer. We see a Dutch couple sitting next to their Wanderer W23 Cabriolet, enjoying their holiday and looking truly relaxed. Was it really so different, though? The message on the card says 'Leve de Vacantie' (Happy Holidays), but we cannot tell whether these two are really enjoying themselves or whether they, too, were stuck in a traffic jam for so long that they've had to pull over and wait for roadside recovery to attend to their overheating engine. The woman looks somewhat hot and flustered and the gentleman doesn't seem too cheerful either. However, we tend to look positively on these images of bygone motoring and naturally assume that these two have just stopped momentarily to look at the motley procession of cars loaded with tents and caravans on their way to beautiful destinations. Perhaps there are other, more personal reasons why the look so hot under the collar...

We wish you all a wonderful holiday and, while you're enjoying yourselves, don't forget to send us a postcard from your destination!
 

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