Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-01-28
ECON EUROPE.
Notes Of Foreign Travel, by IA Citi-
zen of IndcpendeNce.
FLORENCE, Italy, Dec. 2lst, 1869.

| NAV have been for some time, as have not
seen anything Of that reputed sanguinarg
craft for over six weeks, having been upon
a pilgrimage through many lands and Gil
les of this hnary, wireless old continent
had reached here tired of the incessan,
round of old churches, dreary palaces, mus
ty pictures and disfgured statuary, and still
more tired of the incessant showers and
dreary skies which We have experienced for
a month, and even yet more tired of looking
into tens of thousands of faces and seeing
| but one familiar one-that of my friend
and travelling companion. DR.. Peck-when,
like cup of water to thirsty soul, came
to me, Just now forwarded from the Ship,
half dozen letters from dear friends in In
dependence and from home, among which
were yours.
We left the ship on the 7,h of Nov. and
went to Marseilles, over route which fol
lows along the shore of the Mediterranean,
and which presents a thousand aspects OF
beauty of scenery and points of historical
interest. Marseilles we found interesting
| only in commercial point of view, although
it is large and very finely built place.
| From thence we went to Aries, up the val
ley Of the Rhone, where we saw a large ex-
tent of celebrated Roman remains, among
them large and fine amphitheatre, where
they used to have their gladiatorial shows,
as in the celebrated Coliseum Of Rome.
Thence we went to Avignon, once the rival
of Rome as the seat of Papal power, where
for Is years, seven Popes lived and rcigned,
and left interesting monuments of their oc-
cupation. Thence we passed up the val
ley Of the Rhone, with every hill crowned
! with some old ruin Of castle, monastery or
hermitage, and every town noted as the
scene of some event in Roman, Goth, Hun
or Moorish upation-theatre of deeds
noted in the lives of the most eminent of
Roman Generals and Emperors, as well as
more modern warriors and rulers. This
adds the principal charm to these countries
and scenes, although the natural attractions
of the landscape are by no means few. We
stopped at Lyons, and found it very attrac-
tive by its beauty of situation, the excel
lence of its buildings, and the character of
its industrial products, We wen, thence to
Geneva, Switzerland, through the Jura
Alps. There we stayed three or four days,
| and had most favorable weather for seeing
| everything about the beautiful city aud
lake, and Al inc surroundings. We were
| too late III the season to g. up to ChamonaiX,
bat we went up the Little Saleye Mountain,
and had splendid view over the whole Mt.
Blanc range, with its eternal SHOWS and gla-
ciers, and wonderfully rugged peaks. We
went up the north side of the Lake. visited
the Castle of Chilon: made memorable by
Byron's "Pr soner Of Chilion, Veyay, Lau.
same, and several other beautiful towns
and getting thousand beautiful views OF
TIE Alps. Thence Sent we to Fribourg, tiud
ing Switzerland beautiful garden spot al.
most up to the eternal snow line Of her
mountains. Repubicauism and Protestant
ism have done much for her, for 10 coun.
try in Europe seems SO rich, and fertile
aud thrifty, in al agricultural sense, and nc
people better satisfied, perhaps not so well.
Fri.ourg has II famous organ, and two still
more famous suspension bridgeS-one 2e5
| feet high, and the other lis feet high
spanning the valleys that lie deep down be,
low the city. Thence we went to Berne, Z
queer old Swiss city, the capital Of tht
| Clntons, from which Il fine aeiew can be OBJ,
tanned over the Barnese Alps, Thence W,
went through Basic to StrasJourr, the mali
attraction of which is lis great cathedral
whose spire ranks rcxt to the great pyra
mid of Egypt, as the most lofty work o
man. 1t Is certai.,iy a wonderful church
y teatn.e of the city is also Its old houses
viii. roofs sloping backwards and upward.
! five aid six stories, and having as man,
rows of chimneys and dormer-windows
while upon the highest of the chimney
could be seen the great nests of the long
legged s,orks. From Strasbourg we wen
again to Paris, passing through an interest
ing country. We stayed in Paris week
but it was cloudy and dismal all the timt
we we're the,e, and had been for month
and since we left it we have hard Y seen til,
sun for more than few hours i'll succ, s
sion, and indeed, have hardly seen it at all
1t has been cloud, and mist, and rain, ant
snow constantly, and although the weather
is not nearly so cold as with US at home, i
is infinitely more disagreeab!c than the gen
crafty of our winter weather. "Sunny 1t
a'y," too, is humbug, for the skies hav'
been weeping tears for weeks, and the swol
len rivers are drowning out the inhabitant
along their banks in many places. Th
Holy Fathers at Rome ought to be washed
clean, if water alone is necessary-but o
course they eschew all but holy water
From Paris We went to Brussels, Belgium
so that we have crossed France, to an,
from Paris, by five different lines Of road
running in as many different directions, an,
feel as if we had seen that country prett
we'll. Belgium is one of the thriftes
states in Europe, and Brussels one of th
best built capitals and we saw much to in
terest us in it, as well in its lace manufac
tory as in its churches, pictures, sculpture
monuments, promenades, parks and palaces
From Brussels we went to Antwerp, an(
saw, of course, much that was odd and nc
ticeable. We intended going thence int
Holland, but as that land is all water, (tt
use Hibernianism,) and as we had al
ready more water than we liked, we though
we would prefer going southwark to "Sun
ny Italy," and so started for Cologne. Their
we saw a celebrated cathedral, and churcl
with the bones of 1000 virgins decorating
It's walls. From Cologne we went up thu
Rhine to Coblentz, and then the next da,
to Frankfort, getting a good view Of thu
celebrated Rhine scenery, although o
course, not under such favorable crcum
| SIanctS MS III luC WcdtilcE Was WdIul anu lut
vine-clad hills were clad with verdure
The route is very beautiful one, but by
Americans generally, is considered inferior
to the Hudson in natural beauty, although
the ruins of old castles on the hills, ard Tho
historical associations give it charm
that the Hudson does not possess. Frank
fort is the money-centre OF Germany, and
we went to the Bourse and saw Rothschid
and some Of its noney kings. The city
has seine of the queerest old architecture
to be found in Europe, and very well pays
a visit. From there we went to Munich
through the Bavarian Alps, and over a
country possessing considerable scenic at.
fractions. Munich is splendid citv, and
is one of the most modern capitals in its
appearance, in Europe. Old King Louis
of Lola Montez notorety, was a man OF
excellent taste in art, and instead of build
ing up great army, pat the money voted
for that most expensive Of all the Injuries
in which a nation can indulge, into works
| Of art and buildings to hold them. In
| this respect Munich is almost the peer Of
| any place on the continent, and perhaps is
the greatest school of modern painting. Ii
is wonderful how much the old fellow did
| for education and for identifying his CAPT.
| tai. and | came away honoring his memory
despite his liaSon with Lola. From Mu-
| Mich we went to Vienna, seeing much on
the route, as elsewhere, Of scenery, and
people, and national costumes, and Gus
toms that would be interesting to detail il
| had time. Vienna is a city of nearly a
million inhabitants. and exhibits great con-
trasts Of magnifcence and squalidness.