Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1882-11-24
SCENES IN SWITZERLAND.
Graphically Pictured for 'sTEe
Democrat by ''F. NJ"
The Lauterbrunnen- Giessbach Falls
Lake of Rrienz-Brunig Pass
Sarnen and Santa KIaus-The Rigi
-ThorWaIdsen's Lion of L.
cerne-visit to IuFich-Etc.

sfSb ~ &Ai
In order to take up the thread of my narrative
where left it last August find it necessary TO
so back to Interiaken. Switzerland. as starting
point. 1t is long way of, and fear that MEM
DRY may fail me at tunes.
The day before leaving Interlaken We took
carriage from our hotel and drove to the Lauier-
brunnen-valley Of springs-and there spent an
enjoyable day. The road was good, the weather
fine, and the scenery very beautiful. From the
sides off narrow, deep valley, where in winter
the sun penetrates only at midday. the countless
springs were gushing forth, and dashing down in
series of the most exquisite cascades. The larg-
est of these, the Snubbach, the pride of the
valley, and the one VIZ were most anxious to see,
fell in one airy leap, he distance OF nearly one
hundred feet reaching the bottom cloud OF
spray. The Staubbaeh, or 'dust brook" Is
famed, not for its volume OF water, for il is but
small brook, but fer its exquisite beauty as 1t
dashes down the dizzT height, starting so boldly,
and long before reaching the bottom turning into
cloud of spray, waited by the wind and envel-
oping the meadow in misty shower. l think we
paid something like two cents each TO walk into
this misty meadow AID get believed with spray.
oA our way 10 the nOtci WSs othci III
fling sums in hearing man wake the echoes with
a tremendous horn longer than himself, and
in seeing some chmnois in dingy little pen,
where they looked 50 forlorn that we felt like
criminals rejoicing il their misery. The gauntlet
of sellers of the Edemeiss-the curious woolly
fiowerwhich grows so near the SNOW, of makers
of Swiss lace and Swiss carvings, and of numerous
little stands decked out in crystals and polished
agates, was even more trying in the Lauterbrun-
men than at any other place we had visited. The
glaciers of the magnificent Jung frau frowned in
vain on these disturbers of the tourists peace.
The next morning we babe adieu to Inter
laken and it was with great regret we left our
delightful hotel and the vista of enticing shops
which had wasted so much of our valuable time.
We took the tiny train to Bonigen and enjoyed
the landscape from the second story of The car
riages. At Bonigen we found steamer in wait
ing, and were soon steaming over the beautiful
lake of Brienz to Giessbach, where we stayed for
the night. blessings on the German school-mas-
ter who found the Giessbach falls and formed the
idea of building hotel there, and such COM
Portable hotel. 1t has its own railway, which
brings the guests from the steamers to its own
height above the lake. over three hundred feet,
and from its balconies it has the lovliest view
over the lake of Brienz that mortal ever looked
upon; besides view of the falls which in seven
cascades leaps down the mountain side, some
twelve hundred feet into the lake below. Before
dinner we climbed to the top of the falls, and
under them, and crossed them in front where
tiny bridges had been placed. After dinner and
when it was quite dark we sat out on the ter
race and watched the illumination of the falls
by eolored lights. 1t was an indescribable scene.
After dinner we again on the lake of
Brienz on our way to Lueerne. We were so for
tunate at Brienz to get carriage to ourselves,
the diligence being quite full, much to our de-
light when got there. In this way drove
comfortably over the Brunig' Pass, of the
prettiest if not the grandeSt in Switzerland.
Children followed us nearly all the way with
baskets offresh mspberries aud strawberries, and
from some of them we bought some very pretty
carvings. Wherever the diligence stopped we stop
ped also, and waited while our driver refreshed
himself with sour VINE. At one pleasant Swiss vii
lage we sat out in an arbour and INDUCED in beer
and sweet cakes. At Sarnen we dined with
a most cosmopolitan crowd, each member of
which shouted or seemed to shout in an I'M
known tongue. The Swiss mattresses flew
about frantically, and altogether it was as
entertaining a meal from one point of view as
could be wished. At Sarnen, l must not for
get to add are relics of st. Nicholas Santa
Claus, who lived and died few miles from
there. We fancied after we left Sarnen that
the buildings grew less Swiss -like, and we
missed very much the snow-clad mountains
the waterfalls, and tiny cha'ets perched on
a., tat, Onl-o
steamer and We're the famous lake
of Lucerne considered the most beautiful lake
in the world, Mont Pilatus was at our left
grand rugged mountain where PLATE is said
to have fled when banished from Galilee. At
our right the Rigi the most visited mount
ain in Europe and the scene of various ex-
PLOTS of Mark Twain. Soon we had turned
wooded promontory and Lucerne was in sight
So like its picture in the Ladies Repository"
one of our party remarked. We all recognized
the slender twin spires of the cathedral, and
looked with satisfaction at the imposing array
of splendid hotels facing the lake; all of which
we found SO full that We were for the first
night forced to put up with what we could
get.
At Lucerne one naturally drifts first of all
to Thorwaldsens Lion of Lucerne" the noble
monument to the memory of the Swiss guard
who fell in defence of the Tuilleries in 1892.
The dying lion sheltering the Bourbon lily
with his paw is seulptured out of the face of
sandstone cliff which is overhung with ivy
A spring flows down one side of the cliff form
ing dark pool at the base, and the whole is
surrounded by trees and shrubs, forming a
most impressive memorial. Once seen the ex-
preston of the lion can never be forgotten.
No photograph or copy satisfactorily i'm
itate it. The Glacier Garden adjoining the
monument enclosure, contains a number of most
interesting relics of the ice period.
We attended the organ concert in the ca
thedral the first evening in Lueerne. The organ
is quite famous, rivalling that at Fribourg,
but we did not like SO well. The fault may
have been in the organist. OF course he played
"a Storm" and made it very impressive. We
were much amused ut little girl who sat
i'll front of us, and who gave frightened look
around the cathedral, hurriedly putting on her
cloak when the organ initiated the thunder
and the falling of rain.
But l must hurry by the different sights of
Lucerne, including its picturesque old streets
and its covered bridges, with roofs decorated
WIN paintings representing events III SWlSS
history. From our MOTEL the lights of the hotels
on the Rigi could he seen each evening and
afternoon started for that desirable |
spot, crossing the lake to Vitznan, where we
took the peculiar little train which struggles |
up the mountain side. The ascent took nearly |
two hours although the distance is not much |
more than four miles. The grade is about |
one foot in four and the carriages and loco |
motives are so arranged that their seats are |
on a level The sensations experienced in |
making the ascent are very peculiar and dis |
agreeable to timid persons. A great deal of |
the time we were in thick cloud and the |
rain very cold. At intervals the clouds |
would break and we could see the beautiful !
lake thousands of feet below. When we reached |
our hotel on the Rigi-Kulm the mist was so |
thick we could hardly see our hands before |
The hotel was quite grand in all its par |