The New York herald., 1873-09-09
ASeries Of Norman Watering Place
Letters-.-NO. 8.
ON THE SANDS.
Partisan NOtienS Of Water and Its Effects
Upon the Human System.
FROGS IN THE SURF.
Costume and Customs of French
Female Bathers.
on rHE SANDS. Inly O. 1sra

ON THE SANDS, July 23 1879
| French gentleman who really intends to wash
himself prepares for SO grave and unusual an acc
with precaution. AS he generally lives, when af
home in Paris. in sort OF sugar-pum box, which
he calls an appdrtement, but which could not be
used for ablutlonary purposes without great harm
and loss, he does not know what effect water ap-
He'd to any other part OF his person than his face
and hands might have upon his health and pros
| poets in life His doctor, whom he naturally con.
suits the subject combines the resources OF SCI
ence with the resources OF his own imagination, and
| recommends him to stand bolt upright on the sea-
| shore, III becoming costume, and
| WAIT FOR THE WAVES.
| When the waves have hit the French gentleman
he Is Of course bound IN honor to return the blow,
| and does 80 with his head down and his mouth
| full Of salt water. Determined also conscien-
tiously to follow the advice OF his medical man. he
begins to jump, dance and dsport himself alter
the manner Of a seal. Having had enough Of this,
he puts his feet in hot water, provided in tub in
| his bathing machine, drinks glass Of rhuDa
and fancles himself sea wolf for the rest OF the
| day.
DRESSED FOR A DUCKINd.
Some or the ladies' dresses are Outrageously Emo
| when they 60 publicly into salt water. yard Of
false hair, long rarasol, double eyeglass pair
of sky blue trousers, fishing net and opera glass,
feather, poodle dog, two young gentlemen an IL
lustrated newspaper Of fashions pair oflac boots,
q lighted cigarette q camp stool, noscgay and
q nlghtcap make up this most simple and interest
| ing costume The sea is q big place, and French
lady may want all these things before she gets to
the bottom Of 1t. The best part Of her bathing is,
| as might be supposed, to walk on the SANDS and
keep her costume dry. There must be q large
30 on doing So she 81 calls UPON all
tout le fsaO1de) to witness her courage. Then she
WSo taxes her in his arms and hong sort
Of war dance with her, while all the gentlemen Of
the neigh6ornooa are are looking on aamirngly %
comes out the proper thing is to ask her ISL e!s q
oesacoup p6ohen to Which dt. question she answers
some other places 1t Is considered good, ladylike
taste to SMOKE cigarette perched on camp
stool, immediately alter the War dance above
HONEYMOON QUARTERS
practice which the French have recently b0r-
| rowed from the English and Germans Is to'pass
their honeymoon at the sea side The method or do.
Ing this IS to go to sleep under an umbrella on the
beach with the last new sensation novel lying half
read amid the shingle.
Dieppe, Trouville, Deauvie and Etretat are
merely mimic representations of Paris super mare.
The notion OF sea bathing is merely q pretext.
These places arc really marriage markets. They
are, the meeting places OF inya!ids who arc quite
cold bath than he would think OF going to the
| moon. On week days the most moderate lady at
Dieppe, Deauville and Trouville considers IL alb.
solutely necessary to dress herself at least six
| times. on Sundays and holidays she transforms
rather masquerade, for her. 1t seems to be SO
for most French ladies' OF independent principles
'''"''A -'tHft CIRCULAR Sil RAJ railway TICKETS.
The beat way Of seeing the coast % OF Normandy is
by circular railway tickets. About ten thousand
| travellers profit by them annually. The journey,
| II leisurey done, should take about three weeks,
but It may be managed in ten days, by energetic
| people. The cost OF making the best of everything
! on the way Will be about two hundred dollars. II
is as well to take as little baggage as possible, for
prices as well as OF Paris workmanship, and ono
wants very little. whereas the cost OF Juggling
| francs day. in Paris 1t is common thing to take
bedroom at hotel and to dine at restaurant.
taurants are generally bad, and to cat at them adds
considerably 10 the expense Of a journey. Through
which Is only to be got at a high price,
whereas cider, at discretion or at indiscreton, IS
tipple in its way, but not very nice. A traveller
must chose between his palate and his purse.if he
by stawart chambermaids instead OF walters.
They are not pretty but they are good natured
eray era. rsauented By Partisan tourists 'i l. Paris.
Rouen, Dieppe, Fecamp lavre, Trouylle, Honfeur
Ha1rs Touve Mone aRa
There good deal Of =, cross a county co.; 1 work in
diligence, with its rope harness and nglins bells,
turns up on the way as fresh as ever
ROUEN AND CAEN
are perhaps the most interesting places on this
road, but nearly all the ancient Norman cities
have a peculiar interest to Englisnmen and Amcri
cans as the birthplaces OF our common history.
Rouen now is a rich manufacturing town OF revolu-
tionary politics. Caen Is chiefly known among
Frenchmen for its method OF cooking trlpe; but
both Of these towns are full Of memories for the
who wish to catch last glimpse OF them
must be quick about it, for ancient Normandy, its
disappearing fast Many OF the castles and some
OF the converts still outstanding have been turned
ments Of Others are sold as rubbish by need needy heirs
The state OF puolic affairs IN France Is so hazard
Gus that though the high price Of land an is main
clamor; 80 castles are at discount Just now, and
may be rented fer about $500 year.
PaIcE OF LAND NORMANDY.
hardly to be bought at all and the market price OF
them, when comeatable, Is not less than $1,000 an
acre.
have two hotel bills now before me which tN SNOW
| than whole column OF loose words. One OF these
hotel bills Is dated from The "C0te de Baleine, u
capital od Inn at aoaen ane cean bed Included and
| plentiful homely 1are, at seven francs anu y naii,
and any best hots on the road The other hotel bill is
q much more awful document 1t Is datea ron mine tne
ali the hDenfs 1e hotes S'tS the neither
so good SO clean as the ancient s Inn At
seyenyssht swe nsys "s rancs and y csntmes
| to q moderate man who takes things easily. The
breakfast and dinner arc really tnc sauie Us tnOSe
| provided at the cote de Baelnc, but the items
| make the bill more than foot long. II Is hardly
| worth while to 20 into the prices In detail They
are the same as those charged at the Cafe Anglas-
| al x francs for q beelsteak, and 80 forth.
sALrTING the NEW YORK HERALD.
IL must be admitted. however, that one gets
good deal for onos money at these big hotels; for
no sooner was It known through the lctter.box IN
the hall thar correspondent OF yours was in the
house. than the American nag was hostcd on the
principal terrace Americans we're ALWAYS popular
In France, from their pleasant, open landed ways,
and since the establishment or the Republic they
have become more popular than ever.