Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-09-10
From Over the Water.

MILAN, Italy, July 22d. !

MILAN, Italy, July 22d. 1891.
But about Lugano. Our hotel was very
| p.easant-upon the hill away from the
smells-and with pleasant rooms, good
| table and pleasant people. After supper
we had a boat ride and it was elegant.
AS we came back to the hotel the moon
| rose and the reflection on the water was
beautiful. There is bewitchlng, beguil-
ing, languishing something about the air
in the Italian lake region, which I'm sure
would make a simpering ''spooney" OF
me in short time. We LETT Lugano at
$50 Tuesday morning by boat as far as
PorleZza; train from there to Menaggio,
where we took lunch. If 1 ever come to
Europe on '.wedding tour III stop two
weeks at least in Menaggio at the Hotel
Grand Victoria. Ills Just on the edge of
the lake, with pretty garden In front.
There were cOreOpsis and heletropes
growing in the flower beds. The hotel is
clean and cool inside, and we had a model
lunch-omelet, (the first we've had since
leaving home) beefSteak, fried potatoes,
plumS. pears, and don't know what all.
Twas more like home than any meal
we've had. and to think it was our first
meal in Italy, the place of all Others where
we had dreaded the food. So far we've
had not a bit of trouble getting good but
ter, water and fruit Except canned fruit,
OF course; they hlye mild preserves
I've really learned to like vegetables,
bravelv try everything, and | actually
like green's and cauliflower now, I'm
ashamed at the way | eat any way. Pm
fIriousIy hungry three times a day, and
everything tastes so good. We have had
some peculiar dishes, cooked bologna and
rooster combs. We ate it without asking
was Until afterwards. Everything is
served in fine style, all dishes arranged to
look pretty. | wonder if the Italian cook
ing is really so clean as we are led to sup
pose by the outside of cup and platter.
How they manage to get up such meals
so cheaply is a constant marvel to us.
Fifty cents is the most that we pay for
dinner in these ''second class hotels
Just such meals as we would pay 81. so for
at home. That elegant Cinner we had on
the Rhine boat (eight courses and all de-
licious) cost us only seventy five cents,
and that is Il luxury we've not allowed
ourselves since. 'Twould be fine place
to have lots of company, you could put
on style and make qnite a spread at very
little expense.
Let us come back to our starting point,
Menaggio, which led US off into this di-
gression. We took the boat there for
Como, and the ride on Lake Como was
all too short: less than three hours. |
can believe that it,ls the most beautiful
lake in the world, and it s. lemed to me
that there could be nothing to surpass it.
1t lacks the grandeur Of Swiss scenery,
but it has charm all Its own which | felt
very strongly. The water is smooth as
glass and very clear. Women were wash
ing on the sGone inclines built down to
the water. but the lake looked lust as
clear and clean as if nothing of the kind
were going on. There arc beautiful villas
along the shores, hills with their slopes |
covered with evergreen and olive trees. |
The olive looks like a willow in color, |
the leaves are shorter and the branches |
have not the droop which you notice in |
the willow. We saw fig, cypress, null |
berry and oleander trees; the latter are
too large to be called shrubs. We saw |
some which were as large as six of our !
lilac bushes put together, and all in bios |
som. Twas bright warm day. but the
air on the lake was sweet and refreshing. /
| felt as though could sit and dream my
self away 10 everlasting bliss If [ only |
had had my family and best friends there
with me. We had over an hour to wait |
for the train at Como, so we took drive
through part of the city, saw the eathe- /
lral and Garibaldi monument. -Four OF us
were out halt an hour in an open carriage I
for three francs, Fifteen cents apiece, and /
thought we had our money worth. We /
reached Milan in time for supper; had I
little experience on the way up from the !
station There were ten OF us in one bus