Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1869-05-20
Travel Notes i'm Europe.
PRAo, OR PRAGUE, OR PRAuA,
ADril 9Th. 1869.

April 7th, 1869.
l left you (on paper) at weheu. At pleasant
little inn there we refreshed ourselves with some
very good Bomische beer, aud having got " sail
ing directions from the fat and obliging land
lord, set of up the Uttcrwalder Grund, to the
Teufeskuche or DEVILS Kitchen, curious natu-
raj formation in the rock. From thence we re-
traced our steps, for short distance and ascend
cd the Hollen Gruud to the Baste one of the
most elevated and striking of the Basaltic forma-
tions, which give Saxon Switzerland its peculiar
charm. Az we reached the summit the setting
sun was casting It's last yellow rays over the love-
liest landscape ever bched. For moments g..
and stood spcechlcss, hardly daring to move,
lest 1t should vanish like dream, which 1t SEEM
cd to be. But when we found words TO express
ourselves we united in saying that even Switzer-
land could not compare in magic beauty to the
scene before us. The rock formations are of the
widest and most beautiful character, lofty nina
rets, battlemented towers every conceivable
shape and style. While amongst them all, far
below, runs the silver stream of the Elbe, and
from its banks the green fields. and the rich
brown of the freshly ploughcd earth, stretch far
away, broken here and there by some solitary
mountain Of picturesque form, making lovely
contrast. We could with difficulty tear ourselves
away from It's contemplation to the more practi-
cal, but necessary business of eating dinner,
which our walk had given us right COED relish
for. When this duty had been performed, the
evening had grown SO dark that nothing more
was to be seen, 20 VIC retired to rest after giving
orders to BOOTS" to waken us in time to see
the sunrise. He fulfilled his part, and we did
ours, but regret to say that "0d Sol' served us
the same scurvy trick that he SO often does the
aspiring mounters of the Rghi. lie rose, to be
sure, as is usual with him, but under cloud, and
looking so sulky and grim, that we went back to
bed for another nap. At length, when VIC rose
for good, we walked out to the Bastion to en-
joy the view again, of the delightful scene be-
meath us.
After breakfast We shouldcrcd our packs and
started off for Rathen, at the base of the Bastel,
on leaving which we passed over handsome
stone bridge connecting the Bastei and two other
smaller points of Basalt, forming the only access
to 1t upon that side. 1t is In excellent taste and
does not, as such structures too often do, mar
the beauty of its surroundings, being built In n
style which corresponds with the rock formations
around. latin inscription records that 1t was
constructed by, Frederick Augustus, in 1874, Il
A pleasant walk brought us to Rathen, then
along the bank of the Elbe to Konigsteln where
we crossed over In q lerry-nOt n steam ferry, be
fure they are quite too primitive in Saxony for
that Here, over beer and pretzels, we held
counsel as to what should be done. We would
both have liked to see the Fortress of Kongstein,
and then have assembled the Kleimar and Great
Wintuberg, and other points of interest. But,
alas heavy clouds were rolling up In the West,
looking like near and long continued rain, SO VIC
II NIL and ,ynIk I'd mr. IN NIL
we arrived just as the rain began, and took the
O'Clock train for Prague. At Bodenbnck we
had our luggage examined by the Austrian Gus
tom House officers. who are the most polite and
gentlemanly Of any of their class have come In
contact with. After an hours detention we got
on our way, and reached Prugue about O'Clock.
Next morning 1t was still raining. but under our
umbrellas we went out to sec Me Lions. Went
to the Jews Quarter" very curionsly old and
dirty part of the city. There is an old Synagogue
said TO date back above thirteen hundred years.
And the old burial place (Which has moi been
used for a hundred years. has In 1t tombstoncs
which are said to be the same aye.
Thtn to the palace of the ex- King of Bohemia,
and To the Cathedral, which Is very magnificent,
and TO several of the finest points of view from
the nights above the town. Prague is curious
old place, but of more interest from It's historical
associations than anything else, except its splen-
did situation.
The language is so peculiar. For the first time
since have been IN Europe, found at the Hotel
neither English or French was spoken by any
ore in the house, and many of the servants in-
deed did not know German, speaking only
Bohmisch II seemed so queer that all the shops
had signs written in both Bohmsch and Dutch,
and the names of the streets were the same
Even the bill-of-fare at the Hotel was double
one language on each side The language is very
singular similar both to the Russian and Italian
ia sound, and by no means unmusical as one lis
tens to II, ut least not more SO than any utterly
strange tongue is.
enclose specimen of Bobmisch-an adver-
tisement from Prague newspapers
Valna schuze
akcionaru spolecne tovarny M cukr
Velime
bude Sc dne II. dutna b. r. Q hodine odpoednc
V mistnostech spolkovych cd yvati, ku
ketcrez sc timto uciive pozvani cini.
Program sc zvluste dnruci
Jmcnem spravni rady: j. f. SzALATNAY,
21iS T. r. prpdspdu