Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1888-11-29
WHEELING THROUGH EUROPE.
A Bicycle Tourist Tells How Enjoyable
Such Travelling is.

SUCH ArdNeliHss
One scarcely realizes, till he has tried
1t, how little is the expense of a bicycle
trip through Europe. To the practical
American wheelman the first question is,
"What does it cost?' From the expert
ence Of one who has been through the
Trossachs of Scotland and the cathedral
towns of England, who has ridden up the
Rhine and climbed half dozen or more of
the Alpine passes in Switzerland and has
spent nearly month each in the cities of
London and Paris, the cost is found to
have been little more than it would have
been to have continued in the dull routine
Of home life. To be sure, there is the lost
time of those who have only salaried in
comes. Once over here, while the traveller
by ordinary means of conveyance is de-
batting whether to go second or third class
or to buy Cooks tourists tickets or the
regular ones, the wheelman selects an in
dependent route and, without waiting
upon the manner of going, goes. Besides,
the going, instead of being a matter of
great expense, as it sometimes is by steam
or horse power, on the contrary, over the
perfect roads of Europe, is a means of en-
joyable exercise that not only does not
decrease the bank account, but increases
the sNDck of physical health. After nearly
four months, or 1,S00 miles, of such de-
ightful travelling in the present case. the
limited letter of credit is still found so
bulky that ride through southern France,
along the Riviera, down through Italy
and over to the Pyramids is to be under
taken soon.
But as to the cost, so far, in dollars and
cents. While the English hotels are, as
a rule, think, more expensive than those
on the continent, yet in either case, my
expenses did not average over So day.
In fact, through Belgium and Germany
they were but 81 day. A wheelman
travels so independently that he is not al
ways obliged to stop over night at the
larger cities, and l often could avoid
them by riding eight or ten miles further
to some small inn. | found plenty of good
food and comfortable bed for half the
money. Such mode of travelling does
not allow of the putting on of any great
amount of style, but my chief ambition
was to see rather than to be seen of men.
In London there are plenty of good, re-
spectacle, private boarding places to be
found for 81 or $1.25 a day. To find
them one needs only to inquire of some
friend who has made an extended stay in
London, or to apply to some American
living there. l found good place on
Euston road, within mile and a half, or
four cent omnibus ride, of Fleet street,
for $3.50 q week That included the
room and attendance, meat breakfast at
$50 and four or five course dinner at
$50. The luncheon at I2, if had, was ex-
ira, but it was usually more convenient
to take light luncheon wherever hap
pened to be.
1t is proverbial that Frenchmen like
Americans better than almost any other
class of foreigners, and this was, perhaps,
shown to be so one afternoon when was
riding out in the Bois de Boulogne, that
beautiful park of 1900 acres just outside
the Notifications towards the west. was
riding slowly along, listening to the music
of the Grand Opera orchestra, which, to
many of the listeners, must have been in
pleasing contrast to the sound of the
German shot and shell heard there so
short a time ago, when a policeman
stopped me and ordered me to go another
way | did not understand which way,
but turned about and rode off In about
half an hour l met the same policeman in
another drive. This time he was mad.
He gesticulated wildly and talked so fast
l could say nothing. Finally, when /
COulu ScU III IL NOIu, SdiO uOU
stand. and could only speak English.
You are an EnglishmanY" he said in
French l could understand, but without
cooling down any. NO" said, Il am
an American" ''Oh," he replied quickly,
pass on, !" and he stepped aside with a
wave of his hand, as pleasantly as could
be. l happened, l have since found out,
to be riding in some of the drives
from which we are prohibited. Many of
the English and German wheelmen use
little sleigh bells fastened to the handle
bars as warnings to pedestrians, but in
Switzerland, where the noise Of running
water browns all other ordinary sounds |
in so many localities, found that my
shrill whistle even was insufficient, and |
nothing but the most throat splitting yell |
would clear the road of the numerous |
pedestrians. Here in Paris the wheelmen |
have adopted the tram car horn, an in |
strument with rubber bulb for forcing
the air throuOA, and, really, one blast |
from those pneumatic levers is enough to
lift O whole regiment out of the road
George B. Thayer in New York World.