Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-08-04
A NORTHERN ISLAND.


A correspondent of the London Pail
MAI Gazette, writing from Sassnitz, Is
land of Rugen, says:
You will not discover Sassnitz in
Slurray's guide, nor can Mr.. Cook give
a ticket thither; but were it otherwise,
and did occasional tourists find their
way to this strange sweet place. might
falrly be excused for describing il to
those who remain behind. A strange.
sweet place indeed is the little northern
island from whence / write-veritable
bower of roses and greeDery in the midst
OF a,pale gray sea- One might fancy
that IN those early days of history when
the Phenlclans brought amber from the
shores of the Baltic their descriptions of
the mowers and hanging woods of Rugen
inspired Islands of the Blessed of the
Greek poets, so verdant, sunny and
fiowery is it, if not from end to end. at
least for the most part. Sassnitz, on
the north side of the island, is one of the
lOvellest spots and one of the most fire.
quented- Formerly a fishing village, it
has now become favorite resort for sea
bathing; handsome hotels and lodging.
houses have sprung up, and for three
months IN the year. e., July, August,
and September-the place presents an
animated appearance. The townling Of
few years standing is scattered about
the chalk hills and beechwoods, and so
near are some of the houses to the sea
that you could drop pebble from your
window into the ripping waves. There
are no sands, and there is no shore. The
cliffs, richly wooded, run sheer into the
sea, and you can walk for miles in little
winding paths cut into the woods, hav-
ing the sea close on one side and the
thick beechen groves on the other. 1t is
this abundance of greenerY and shade
that renders Sassnitz and Its sister town
ling Grampas- this also is not mentioned
in Murray-so delicious. No glare. no
burning sun, nothing to weary the eyes
or BRAIN instead, cool outrageous ways
beside a pearly, lake like sea. It's fairy
like, enchanting, whether you keep to
the ways by the sea or skirt the lofty
cliffs above, getting wide views of the
sea and the narrow bays of the island.
'Rugen should be within three days of
| London, but to travellers who like to
sleep on the way the journey occupies
six. 1t is best reached via Berlin and
| Stralsund, and Stralsund itself deserves
a day. Nowhere in Germany are to be
| seen finer relics of medieval German
architecture, and although the gem of
| gems, its quaint and beautiful Rathhaus,
has tumbled to pieces, several fine
| churches and some most picturesque old
houses remain. From Stralsund the
little steamer runs to POlchow in four
hours, and from Polchow by road Sass.
| nitZ is reached IN two hours more. Per
nit me to correct myself. There are no
roads, properly speaking, in Rugen, no
roads and no carriages. Over stony
tracks and in ruts several feet deep you
are jolted in vehicles without springs, or
rather blanketed after the manner of
poor Sancho. Sassnitz may also be
reached from Stralsund by steamer, but
there is no proper landing place here,
and small boats are not to everybody s
taste; so the Polchow route is preferred.
had innocently enough telegraphed to
| my friends in Sassnitz for a close car
riage. AS well ask for the moon. So,
not without reluctance, betook myself,
travelling bag in hand, to the little wayside
hostelry or Gasthof 1t was nightfall,
aud this landing place on the Baltic
looked inexpressibly lonely. What was
my delight to be shown into an exquis,
itely clean bedroom, where, after an ex-
cellent supper of homely kind, l slept
delightfully."- till dawn. The peace and
oTderliness of that little Gasthof l shall
not soon forget. No noise within, and
without only the ripple of the waves
| against the green shore, for here all was
verdant as at SassnitZ These simple
| Rugen folk bear an excellent character,
and as for cleanliness, they will bear
comparison with the Swiss. AS next
day l was driven to Sassnitz between
undulating pastures and cornfelds we
came from time to time upon the sweet
est trimmest homesteads imaginable,
whitewashed cottages, with deep
| matched roofs and oval dOrmers, each
having its flower garden, each a picture
of cleanliness and order. Anything like
it | have seen nowhere else among the
Bauer folk of Germany Yet the life of
the fishers and peasants here is labori-
Gus in the extreme, and they have taxes
to pay with the rest. Here at Sassnitz,
| too, the people have a neat, cared for
look. In our cheerful furnished lodg-
ings, close to the sea and the beech
woods, we are waited upon by pretty
girl, neatness itself; and the accOmm0.
dation, although homely, leaves nothing
to be desired on the score of cleanliness.
Our landlady cooks for us; and herein
let me note the immense strides made in
| Germany within the last twenty years in
the art of cookery, aud not only in hotels,
but in the family circle. We have
several fellow dodgers, and each group
has little summer house in the garden,
shaded by greenery and looking straight
down into the sea. Here most of the
meals are taken, and we fraternize one
with another. The hotels are very good,
but are more expensive, and the noise of
the table d'hote and general hustle are
drawbacks to quiet folks like ourselves.
1t is now the height of the season, and
IN few days more not a room will be
vacant anywhere; so crowded, indeed, is
the place already that no one should come
on the chance of finding accommodation.
| hope another time to describe the more
romantic spots of Rugen, the ancient
beech grove cOnsecrated to the Goddess
Hertha; the Black Lake, mentioned by
Tacitus-abOve all, the fisher folk of
Monchgut, among whom the ancient
costume still fingers. Sufficient to-day
to chronicle holiday resort remote from
the routine and artifciality of travel,
and Astounding in quiet beauty and po-
etc charm. These honest folks, more
over, are content to make their little
harvest without extracting a pfennig
more from the stranger than is their due
No extortion, no insolence, no subservi-
ence. The tourist of modest means is
indeed, milliOnaires ever come here
and eivilfty, honesty and fairness are the
order of the day.