Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-09-18
ACROSS THE CONTINENT
OF EUROPE.

of the 18th, we went by rail to Aroma, in |
the District of Piedmont, Italy, situated
on the beautiful lake Maggiore, where we
left the cars and proceeded to a hotel on
the lake shore for dinner, which we found
spread under the shade trees of the gar
den of the hotel. The hour was now be-
tween and s P. NJ, and the shades of
evening were casting their shadows DER
the festal board. In the absence of chan
deliers and frescoed ceilings, lamps were
placed along the table, and on the limbs
of the trees were suspended Chinese Ian
terms. At9P NJ. we started by diligence
on our journey over the Simplon Pass.
which consumed the entire night and
until six O'Clock in the evening of the
next day. A diligence is a large, stout
vehicle in three compartments, and will |
carry, when packed as we were, from Is |
to "A persons and baggage, owing to the
kind, as they vary some in construction. |
In order that the ladies and timid gentle |
men might be accommodated on the in |
side, numerous old bachelors like ourself, |
and even younger men and also a few
strong-minded ladies, sacrificed the safety
and comforts of the inside for the more
dangerous, sleepless and tiresome ride on
the deck, or top. The night was dark,
and to those on top the air was chill and
cold, SO that all the overcoats and shawls
at our command did not suffice to keep us
warm. Our route lay along the lake in
full view of the far-famed Borromeo
Islands, which the darkness prevented as
from seeing; then bearing away to the
/ left we gradually aseended the valley of
; the Orrola, and arrived at the town of
DomO d'Orrola about A. NJ, where we
t found breakfast spread and waiting out
: in the court yard of the hotel. This part
of the programme was soon dispatched,
r and again we were flying over the even,
| rock-bound road as fast as the new relay
+, of six horses could go, not to run. Soon
: we bear to the left again and wind up the
precipitous valley of the Vedro, where
a the simplon begins to vindicate its char
4 acter as an Alpine pass. The road-a
splendid piece of engineering skill, foun-
e ded by Napoleon winds up the narrow
: valley, whose walls of rock seem to touch
e the sky-at one time splashed by the foam
+ of the turbulent and brawling cataract
n at another time five hundred feet above
r it, whence the little stream seems like a
= thread of silver lying along the. rocks be-
: low. Now we pass through a lengthy
e tunnel, cut through a point of rock high
# up on the cliff. Here is an avalanche
=. of snow lying by the roadside. 1t
v had filed up the gorge, but the stream
d found its way through, and now the snow
II lies like white marble arch over it, melt
I, ing slowly in an August sun. An ava
ie lance of snow is quite dangerous at times.
We noticed where some of them had
e, brought down trees and rocks in their
n course, and sometimes house shares the
,e same fate, and baricade of heavy en-
bankment of rock is frequently seen on
te the unprotected side of a house to guard
af against this danger. About noon we
I'd passed the column of granite that divides
in Italy and Switzerland, and we bid adieu
n to the "classic fields of Italy, for VIZ
Ao are now in the land of William Tell
a Now. we pass along galleries Thousand
e. feet above the ravine. Some are archeC
al over with rock, sometimes carrying tht
road around a projecting point, some
er times through an overhanging rock, ant
lit at other times affording protection agains
u the terrible avalanche. These gallerie
are living monuments to the head tina
,e. contrived and the hands that executes
en- this stupendous work. Now we are il
Oy the ravine of the Condo, with the g gray
no majestic clIffs'' stretching far above Il
as and shutting out the blue sky above. 500
we pass the Hospice, reach the broa
plateau at the head of the pass and begi
= to descend. Now the scene changes. Ir
stead of the glaring white stone house
of the italian villages, lying along til
powdered and dusty flint of the high roa
under burning sun, we see for the firt
!, time the nut-brown Swiss cha!ets far u
ct- the slopes of the Alps. How they eve
the manage to get up and down is a puzzle
od- all Americans. These houses are mac
lei- lu of pine logs, hewn square and joine
no together. The roots are fastened dow
ses by means of poles laid across the shingl
do or clapboards, and rocks laid upon Il
aai laa1 poles. They are very rude habitation
nv and we are thankful that we were IL
for born in Switzerland and compelled
the climb these lofty heights for a lifetim
soe eoe. as thousands do and have done from tin
mo immemOrial. Directly in our front
IS the Bernese Alps behind it. We drC
ao ,.o., down much faster than we came up, al
son soon we have passed through the chill
rat blasts of winter and perpetual snow
summer, or rather spring, as everythiT
;Sb ;eb is fresh and green, and as we looked l
of at the snow-clad peaks and then dow
ub- upon the green slopes we were remindt
ana of the very many changes of weather v
;es have passed through since the 28th
tic June. Between 5 and P. NJ. we reacht
ent Brieg, in the valley of the river Rhon
ans where we had expected to take the ca
''' for Vernayaz for dinner and to spend tt
~ night; but we were far up the mounta
~ when we saw the cars going out of tow
o,+ SO we were compelled to spend the mig
,or at Brieg. and go on early the next NOR
ing. After visiting the wild gorge of Il
- Trient, which is located near Vernaya
,,.a we started at half-past twelve P. NJ.
49, carriages on our journey over the AL
aas by the way of the Tete Noire Pass, whi,
a5 is, almost without exception, the nc
a., popular of the Swiss passes. The tv
best views of the road are that from tt
~ Forclaz, over the valley of the Rhon
49, and from Martigny to Brieg, lying like
tno map beneath our feet, and that from tt
~ further side of the Tete Noire, at Arge
,,os of the Mont Blanc range, including Il
49, "monarch of mountains himself II
descent from the Roche Percee (whe
r. = the road is tunneled through projectil
= rock) is very interesting, and wild al
grand in the extreme. We pass along
a. full view of the mighty guardians of tt
- region, who raise their icy crowns f