So, what fascinates you?

I am fascinated by old passports. The stories they could tell. I wonder about the people who held them and the places they went.....
And, some -- like this one -- are so filled with visas -- I can't bring myself to cover them up.

This guy.

Bad hair aside....he looks a bit like a hippie....but the places he  went.
I had to google S.A.R. and I'm still not sure what country this is. Anybody know? Is it South Africa?
I love those postage-like stamps they stuck on there....

The visa on the right is for India..more cool stamps and writing...

Jordan is a little off the track.....

Russia

Iran

Bangladesh 

I can't even tell with this one is....

He had an Afghanistan visa in there too...

Nepal

The woman who sold me this passport (Hi Eleanor!) was joking it was a "hippie passport" but I think it was more than that, hippies didn't go to Russian and those Middle Eastern countries back in the 70's. It is a wonderful mystery to me. I would sure like to know his story......wouldn't you?

I went to multiple countries on my last trip and only got ONE crummy passport stamp....no fun at all. I'm trying again again this year.....if they don't start stamping my passport I might have to bring some rubber stamps and stamp it myself!

Flying High

Recently I scored some vintage passports and some of you said you'd like to see them. I got two belonging to Anne Marie...
Now what do you think her job was? Any guesses?

Stewardess!!!!
We call them flight attendants now....

Anne Marie sure got around a lot.....just look at those stamps. I traveled through four countries and my last trip, four borders and I got ONE miserable passport stamp.....
Now that Europe has go to the EU (mostly) no one seems to care when you cross a border and that's just no fun. But, I digress.

Look at the cool Chinese characters on that visa and stamps.

And check out this one -- Afghanistan! She really got around.

Is it me, or is it a little heart-breaking she had a heart and a four leaf clover glued into her passport?

Her other passport had a flower......you know, now we are not allowed to glue random things in our passports...and you know I'd like to.

We are also not supposed to write our social security numbers on things like this..times were a lot different back then (and it was all that long ago).

Apparently Anne Marie studied French in Paris. I really think we would get along. I love the outfits. I had white go go boots so I really shouldn't talk...

I found this guy's passport too....he looks like a player, don't you think? I wonder if he ever met Anne Marie?

So, my passport and I are on the road -- or, maybe I should say, in the air.
I'll keep you posted on Instagram (PamelaArtsinSF) and on the blog's FB page. Or, maybe by sending out a postcard or two.

I sure hope I come home to a BIG pile of mail. Not that that's a hint or anything.