The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1892-09-22
Rambling Notes on European Travel
Written for The Republican Journal.

party of five left Boston Tor summer IN
Europe, and while we have verified the
truth of Alcott's saying that, ''Travel is
no fools errand to him who carries his
eyes and his itinerary along with him.,
yet the trip has been as nearly perfect as
heart could wish. Without any attempt
to describe in detail what we have seen
and enjoyed. a few running comments on
the places visited may be of interest to
the readers of the journal.
We landed at Antwerp and having tried
both that city and Liverpool as port of
entry. should recommend, especially for
ones initial trip. landing on the Cont
nent: and no better ship crosses the ocean
than the Westernland of the Red Star
Line The advantage lies in first seeing
places and people that are decidedly for
eign. Language, dress, food, houses,
streets, currency and customs are all to-
tally unlike what We have at home The
sail mp the Scheldt where one sees houses
below the level Of the ships keel and
windmillS tapping their clumsy arms
against the horizon, gives a sensation of
being abroad in the fullest sense.
There : a peasurable excitement too.
in running the gauntlet of a douane (cus-
tom house) amid the iargon of French
Flemish and Dutch tongues. but as moth
ing is dutiable in Belgium, except tobacco
and spirits, it proves to be a very simple
matter. Indeed. it is mere form in most
places on the Continent. but in sending
trunks ahead you are obliged to forward
the keys also. To the American mind it
looks like a very singular way of doing
business to consign the keys of your
trunks to an unknown man and think cf
them as being ransacked at will, and you
not present to demonstrate. But they al
ways turn up all right, with contents I'M
disturbed. In ordinary cases you keep
your luggage with you and sharp look
otlt as to its whereabouts. Otherwise it
may be whisked off to the south of Italy
while you are serenely iourneying towards
the north of Switzerland One of the
lack Of our system of checking baggage
Here let me say that the wise tourist will
take jnT as little as possible A small
trunk, one of the basket kind to be pre-
ferred. is all that is necessary in addition
to variety of bags and ''hold-alls' to be
carried i'll the hand. 1t is neither pleasant
nor convenient to be laden down with
these, but on the whole it is easier and
far less expensive to dispense with trunks.
which have to be weighed at every fresh
start and ali excess over about sixt,
pounds weight paid for. Portels are al
ways ready to carry your bags and wraps
for small fee. Laundry work can be
done at short notice. consequently one
needs but little understanding. In one
instance we gave ours to the maid at
breakfast time and it was returned at
noon all nicely washed and ironed.
Hotels, as rule, are better than those
1t home at the same price. The large,
@irst class hotels the world over do not
,litfer materially. We rarely patronized
fhem- as good accommodations can be
found at the pei,SioAS and more modest
establishments. We missed many con-
Tenlenees which are found in all our
houses at home. notably good lights and
running water in the bed rooms. Once
o. twice by paying extra for the luxury.
we had kerosene lamps. But usually We
wrote up our journals and pored over
guide books by the feeble flicker of the
primitive candle, The lack of rlnninu
water was made good by the prompt at
tendance of the 90rrou OF s.boots'' bear
ING Jugs OF tin cans filled With the desired
liquid at any temperature asked for
The food, ON the Whole, is excellent.
An American. accustomed to his break
fast Of steak, chops, eggs. fish hot bis
cults and buckwheat cakes, surveys with
'ti>nay the meagre matinai meal spread
before him on the Continent He sees at
lirSt nothing but an array of dishes,
waiter appears and asks if you will be
served to coffee, tea OF chocolate. He de-
turns in the course OF half an hour with
a pot of the beverage ordered. Again he
disappears and after the lapse of what
seems another half hour returns with a
plate piled high with a variety of rolls.
little pats OF scrolls of unsaIte1 butter and
a class dish of honey Your hungry Wis
ION seldom sees any variation upon this
bill Of fare, but in time YOU like it and
stow away an unaccountable amount of
'kEe simple food. OF course. meat and
eggs are cooked, if desired-and CHARGED
for accordingly. In our innocency. on
fist landing, we asked if they did not
furnish fruit at breakfast. so. oui.
noddme atec pioisir." A small dish of
strawberries was brought and with them
a bill for two francs, forty cents. The
elmer at night, however is abundant and
appetizng. The table Il hate, at which
only one thing is served at a time. some
times becomes very tiresome with it's six
to ten courses, but it compels people to
eat i'll a more leisurely way and is a posi-
tive advantage to the traveller who is in
i