St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-10-10
Switzerland.
GENEVA, Sept. 10, 1879.

Pension Suter. 1t is finely and health
fully situated, overlooking the lake and
the town, and commanding a grand
view of the surrounding mountains.
Let this and Hotel Pension Bellevue,
Geneva, be put down as among the
very best of homes for the traveller.
After IL brief trip to Basle to look in
upon the Evangelical Conference, we
resumed mountaineering and the first
night with most of the day preceding
was spent on the Rigi, a mountain near
Lucerne, about 5000 feet high, which
stands, nearly alone, almost midway
between the Jura Alps on the north and
the Helvetic or St. Gotthard Alps on
the south, and so commands a broad
panorama of "mOuntain, lake, and
river We had magnificent sunset.
The retiring king of day wrapped him
self in a mantle of fire, the snowy peaks
Of the Bernese Oberland, the Titlis, and
the Glarnisch were kindled with reflect
ed fame, while the f1eecy clouds and
the lazy haze of the northwest was
scarcely less brilliant than the sun him
self. The sunrise was no more note
worthy than l have seen in America,-
say from Mt. Washington, or even
Ascutney, but for the wider vista.
The Rigi is ascended by a railway
similar to that on Mt. Washington and
the constructor of this, without doubt,
first got his idea from the designs of
Mr.. Marsh of Littleton. Both the aver
age and maximum grades of the Switzer-
land ascent are less than these of the
American line.
Crossing Lake Lucerne for the third
time, we reach Alpnach and take carri-
age over the Brunig Pass to Brienz, a
drive of 25 miles. This is a lovely
winding way, along Lakes Sarnen and
Lungern, and, while not comparable in
hight or grandeur with any of the great
passes into Italy, yet is very picturesque
and even bold at the western end, es-
pecially as there bursts on the gaze,
just beyond the summit, the narrow
valley of the Aare with its precipitous
mountain walls, with Meiringen village
at its head and Lake Brienz laving its
foot. The st. GotthaId and Furca
passes are quite bare of trees or shrubs,
but the dells of the Brunig are of the
lOveliest green, and much of the road is
gratefully fringed by the remnants of
forest. In ten minutes by steamer from
Brienz we were at the foot of the Giess-
bach, or Pouring Brook, a stream which
rushes down the mountain side for
nearly 1000 feet in series of cascades,
the first seven of which constitute an
hsailf That distance. Nearly half way up
is large and well-kept hotel, and we
ascend to it by a railway with the steep
incline of one foot in three, being drawn
up in a car balanced, and little more,
by another weighted with water,-the
wire rope running round pulleys at the
top being our only hold and hope. Af-
ter the late and long table d'hote is
over, an Alpine horn-the customary
signal for every event, save avalanches,
in Switzerland-is sounded, the inmates
of the house are summoned thus to
seats on the terrace, and, beginning
with a rocket at the foot, there flash
up, first white and then red lights, at
six or eight different heights at the sides
of the fall. The effect is very pretty,
almost equal to the reflection from
the drapery of some tableaux we have
seen. This aside from the wild locality
is the one attraction of the place.
Sept. 6. After an early breakfast we
descend from our eyrie, cross Lake
Brienz to BOdigen, and in an hour and
half from the start reach InterlakeI
{ tile between-lakes (Brienz and Thun,
town. Tarrying here only long enougl
to secure a room and order a carriage
we are off towards Grindelnald, vii
lage three hours away, near the foot o
lHc w IL 10
now, but Switzerland weather is moody
and we must, like the peasants "mak'
our hay while the sun Shines" Thi
valley of the Lutschine is narrow ant
dark at first, but higher up opens int
wide green slopes covered with cottage
and herdsmen's chalets. This is one o
the most fertile wales in Switzerland
and we wonder not when we find tina
the mountains about are all of lime
sometime was under the sea and tha
d the roots of grass and grain feast on tn
a skeletons of periwinkles and small oys
e tiers. Here again this week on int
the autumn, we find plenty of will
, Strawberries, and, more to our surprise
T bank pink with new-fedged crocuses
J, A mile or two farther on men and boy
!, : are gathering black cherries from tn
l. large wild trees such as we find her
$ and there in Vermont. What a won
), dertul country this, to have all its fruit
!, : and flowers at oncel No wonder tina
5 strangers come to thee at the summer
end
Il From our hotel, while the horses ar
It at dinner, two glaciers are of easy ac
? cess. The foot of the nearer has re
a ceded a third of a mile in twenty-fiv
l. years. So says an American who visite
o the spot so long ago. We walk to th
upper and farther glacier, enter tn
!. orottO within it-a cave carved aoc