The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-03-25
SWITZERLAND.
Davos and the Pleasant Journey Thither.

The French, in their hours of leisure
and recreation, go to Paris. The Ital-
ians spend their summer months
in their villas, which are scattered
along the shores of the lakes in
northern Italy. The Germans visit
the Tyrol and circle around that
combination of beautiful lake and noun
tain scenery, the Salykammergut.
The Austrians travel much in their
own lovely domains, taking occasional
trips down the Danube. They also
wander off into the Thuringian forest,
and up into Norway and Sweden. And
the Swiss, ! think, for the most part
stay at home and cultivate their own
mountain resorts. But the Americans,
the thousands who come over here every
year, where are they not found? Now
even in summer, they venture far south
into Italy and go up Vesuvius, though
few years since, it was considered almost
fatal to go as far as Rome in summer
time. But they are found in great num-
bers along the route from Brussels to
Cologne. They come up the Rhine, cross
over to Bale and visit Geneva and Lu-
cerne. Some 60 to Chamonix to see Mt.
Blanc, others go over the, at present,
very accessible Brunig Pass to the Inter
laken, where now they find a narrow
gauge railroad to spoil that formerly
most delightful carriage drive to Lauter-
brunnen and the Grindelwald Glacier.
But wherever they are, Lucerne is always
full: the Vierwaldstaettersee and the
Rigi are always swarming with Ameri-
cans.
From the italian lakes there is mag
nifcent excursion, through Lake of Como
to Colico, by Chiavenna over the Splugen
Pass by the Via Mala or over the Julier
or Maiola Pass to ST. Moritz. This city
is also full of foreigners Notwithstanding
the two or three days required by post,
or private conveyance to bring one again
into railroad communication at Chur or
Davos over the Albula OF Fluella Pass.
CLIMATE OF THE GRIsoNs.
We were to take this trip from the
Italian lakes, but having an invalid in
our party and hearing that st. Moritz
was literally showed in, we abandoned
the project and took more feasible route
into the heart of the Grisons.
1t seems very strange to the casual OBJ
server and thinker that St. Moritz and
Davos are such successful resorts even in
winter for consumptive and dyspeptic
patients and those worn out and deficient
in nervous force. But the climate is no
doubt always the same though the
weather is most changeable. One day
blankets and furs, failnels and now even
fires in summer are in requisition, while
the next day, perhaps, the sun comes out
with such heat and glory that all these
accessories are packed away and the thin
nest underwear is burdensome. Some
times, even, from morning to midday
and from midday to evening as great
variations in weather take place. But
the climate remains the same throughout
the wear. The air is always pure. There
are no vast cities to fill the atmosphere
with germs, no smoke of engines to stifie
the lungs and I believe there are hardly
any doctors in these places. So the sys-
tenn receives no shock from the reaction
of powerful medicines.
THE ROUTE FROM BAsLE TO DAVos.
This route to Davos is from the first
both picturesque and magnificent. The
fast trains make up at Basic and from the
start penetrate the Jura mountains until
they arrive at Zurich.
Zurich is proud of everything and ar
rogant in its pride, as though doing
Christendom favor in receiving iton the
way to more remote mountain regions.
1t is always full of travellers. And right
here after the railroad skirts for an hour
or two the charming Lake Of Zurich, the
little branch lines, which lead into
and stop at the foot, and on the top OF
mountains, commence. They are inter
spersed everywhere.
Post routes, over passes and down into
valleys on the opposite side, are found
all along the route, and add much in va
riety and beauty to the pleasure of the
traveller. One of these delightful villag-
es at the terminus of short branch line,
is Glarus, with Glarnisch, one of the
most picturesque mountains of Switzer-
land in the back ground, the ascent Of