Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-10-28
Letter from Switzerland.
Berne, Switzerland, Sept. rs, l;

instant, just 10 days after leaving New
York, and right glad we were once NOR
to put foot on solid land, and that the sol
of merry old England. 1t is not Difficult
for the traveller to perceive Immediately
that he is in foreign country. Although
the language is the same, the tone in which
it is spoken, the expressions used, the faces
of the persons one meets are so much differ.
ent to what we are used to hear and see in
America, that feeling of lonesome ness,
even in the midst of the hustle and excite
ment in the busy streets of Liverpool can
not help taking possession of the traveller
From our short stay in England, leaving
Liverpool on Wednesday morning, arriving
in London in the afternoon, leaving again
early next morning ard embarking for
France at Dover at 10 o'clock lie same NOR
ming, it is of course impossible to form
fair impression of things and persons in
Great Britain. The landscape, as we pass
through some of the most fertile and flourish
ing agricultural districts, cannot fail to i'm
press one tavorably, as compared with ours.
| The hedge rows OF buckthorn or other ever
greens, neatly trimmed, dividing the fields
in small squares of 5 to 10 acres each, the
! fields neatly planted with splendid oaks,
the avenues that form the roads, and above
all the love OF flowers that seems to be in
bred in every person, and the variety and
beauty OF their colors, give the landscape
! an entirely different aspect from anything
10 which we are used in America In Lon
don we found time onl y to walk around the
immediate neighborhood of Charing Gross
HOTEL seeing the House Of Parliament,
Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace,
DC. Reaching France the next forenoon we
found country of a different aspect but
evidently not less fertile or prosperous than
England. From Amlens to Paris, we look
ed in vain for any evidence of the late war,
everything looks peaceful and happy, and
even in the immediate neighborhood Of
Paris, where one would think that the
woods would yet show the ravages of war,
there is nothing to indicate TO the traveller
that the city has been the scene of u severe
and protracted siege. Our stay in Paris
was only two hours, time only to eat supper
and pass from one station to the other all
night we travelled through the western
part of France, fortunately securing for our
selves an apartment in u tirst-class carriage,
which enabled US to lie down and sleep
quite comfortably, instead of being obliged
to sit up straight all night. A little alter
sunrise we reached Alsace, now German
at no no off
Gals are exchanged for Germans; the names
become German, but the people look French
| yet. Near the border is the fortress Beefort,
strong fertilization, where the French
general Burbaki was defeated and driven
over the Swiss border. From Germany we
pass into Switzerland, and the difference in
the aspect OF the country is almost instan-
taneouS. Here everything wears look of
| neatnesS, cleanliness and order that cannot
escape our attention. The farm houses all
look new, nicely painted, and OF that peculiar
style of architecture, that MAKES the Swiss
cottages SO picturesque and attractive. The
land looks as il in the highest state Of cul-
tivation; the grain has of course been har-
vested, but potatoes, cabbages, flax, &cIrare
still in the field, and the large grass fields
are Of a bright and beautiful green the
fields are not divided by fences, but consist
OF little patches of land On which are grown
different kinds OF vegetables. We notice
that dairy business is here a prominent
feature; in the outhouses we can see long
slanting rows of bright milkpans, made of
wood, with bright brass hoops. On the
hill sides, gradually increasing in height,
and soon reaching what we would call
mountains, are extensive graperies, full OF
delicious yellow grapes; through tunnels,
across mountain streams, slong beautiful
valleys we reach our destination in the
| middle Of the afternoon.
The city Of Berne is a most quaint and
attractive city. where the Old and new are
curiously blended together. The city was
founded some 600 years ago, and has taken
its name from bears, which are looked up
on as its patron saints, and the num-
Der OF monuments Of bears one sees every
where is astonishing. in a park on the
outskirts OF the city, across the river Aar d,
which surrounds the city on7three sides, is
bear garden, where two pairs of live bears
are constantly kept. The old houses with
protruding roofs and covered archWays on the
streets, and the narrow streets form Curl
Gus contrast to the modern houses and wide
streets found IN other parts OF the city OF
public buildings the Clock Tower and the
Y athedral are among the most ancient,
while The Federal Hall Or Capitol, IA large
building, plainly but neatly built in Italian
style, represent the modern times. The
streets are ornamented with numerous
fountains, most of them Of very old date,
and space around them is devoted to
family washing grounds, where it seems as
II all washing is performed. The women
perform by far the hardest part of the work
here, public or private, and it is curious
sight to see in the early morning small ar
my OF Old women sweep the streets, while
it is not unusual to see a whole family en-
gagged in wood cutting, the woman saving
the man splitting and the children carrying
in the wood. The sale of curiosities and
useful articles carved in wood forms an i'm.
portant branch Of industry, not only in
Berne, but IN all cities of Switzerland. The
number OF shops of this kind is innumerable
and the price asked for articles of that ma
ture generally very high; advantage being
taken OF the fact that they are only bought
by travellers who are supposed to be i'm.
mensel y rich. My experience in the cheap
ness of tkings here, which extends to near
H.