The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-09-18
NOVEL BICYCLE TOUR
DIR. and Mrs. Wait Ride Through
France and England.

Mr.. and Mrs. Horace C. Wait nave been
n, the habit for the last few years of go
ing to Europe in the summer months.
Long since they ceased to follow the
beaten track of summer tourists and visit
all sorts of interesting places little heard
Of This last summer they decided to
make their trip more unique than ever,
and they took with them their bicycles.
They started June 81 on thu Netherland
steamer Amsterdam, and arrived in Bou-
logne eleven days later. Here they stayed
q few days, though it was the fourth time
they had visited that quaint city. Be
fore leaving here Mr.. and Mrs. Wait
had become members of the Cyclists
Touring Club, an English society similar
to the L. A. W., and on presentation of
the C. T. u. badge the bicycles were adj
mitted duty free. In ar interview with
a News" reporter, Mr.. Wait described
his trip as follows:-"We started on our
bicycling trip from Boulogne, working
our way south on good roads. The roads
are all good in France, the national or
military roads, particularly. The by-roads
are p~rettier, but not SO good for riding.
Our first stopping place was the fishing
place of Etaples. Here we found fisher
folk in quaint costumes. From there we
had a delightful evening ride eastward
to the old media eval fortified town, Nom
treuil, where we experienced the delights
of a veritable provincial French Inn. From
Montreuil we took our way to Abbeville,
an ancient city with many remains of
medieval Institutions and the magnifi-
cent cathedral of ST. wulfrom. To-Day
it | the stronghold of he nobility. In
the neighborhood are the battleaelds of
Cressy and Ag'ncourt. NV carefully and
willingly covered with grain by the
French in an attempt to efface the mem
DRY of defeat. We visited ST. Riquier
and Amiens and went as far south as
Beauvais.
las one rides through France one is
delighted with beautiful fields of grain
on either side the roads. Now and then
one meets quantity costumed peasants,
numerous two-wheeled vehicles drawn by
fat French horses and driven by sleepy
peasant farmers on their way to or from
market. The road rises from time TO
time to a height enabling one to view
the county for many miles around show
ing. the ever-present parish church spire,
and now and then the ruin of an old
monastery; sometimes It sinks into some
river valley along the graceful poplar
trees and willows. Here and there is
ancient m~anor-house now closed or in
ruins, just such places as you read of in
Ttories, We Wa gent mt s as far south as
for the purpose of seeing its cathedral
unique in that 1T consists of only the
chancel, the transept and a single bay of
the nave. We CHANGED in Beauvais on
the French Fourth of July, the Four
teenth, and we saw the provincial cele-
bration IN all its detail. The market
place was fantastically hung with lights
manufactured from different colored tum-
blers containing paraffin and a wick.
The morning was devoted to military
nrnanCCinn0 vhtah III IN
country folk witnessed with much en-
thusiasm, frequently expressing their
thorough conviction hat these troops
could whip triple their number of Ger
mans. In the evening there were fire.
works. after which there was dancing IL.
the market place to the music of the mill
tary band, positively until morning. Here
also we witnessed the manufacture of
Gobelin tapestry.
W. then made our way to Rouen. ceie-
brated for its beautiful churches and sitll-
ated on the Seine. Here a provincial ex-
POSITION was in progress, and here the
French boomer girl was very much in
evidence The boomers worn are some of
the most hideous things / eve- saw, red
and blue and checks and pIaids. After
considerable cycling in Normandy we
crossed to England.
w wheeled to London over the South
Downs passing the ancient town Of
Lewes, Reigate, the home of Lady Henry
somerset and Dorking, the home of the
the Evelyns; thence to the Thames at
Kingston. following the river until the
trafhc made it necessary to board the
train After a week in London we had
three weeks in Cambridge. taking lectures
at the University and making bicycle ex-
cursions. TO Ely, Girton College. Newnham
tertained by different Cambridge people
OF note and left it with regret for every
thing but its climate. We left Cambridge
to make our last bicycle tour in England
ana visited Huntington, the Childhood
home of Oliver Cromwell. and the home
OF Cowper and the Unwins, and Peter
borough and Lincoln Cathedrals. From
Lincoln we enjoyed one of the most ner-
feet bicycle rides of the season over
eighteen miles of moderate swftchbark
En- route we passed an ancient structure
a tower tina had been used in mediaeval
times as a lighthouse to guide the travel
er on the then dreary wastes Of moora
Boston Stump in the distance. The nexf
point OF interest was Kings Lynn. q civ
formerly the seat of many monastic as
adjustments. Making our way to Har-
wick past many places of interest we
crossed the North Sea to the hook Of Hol-
land, and sailing up the Mass we landed
at Rotterdam. After various excursions
into Holland we sailed for New York and
arrived on September g."
Mr.. Wait said when asked how he liked
bicycles as a means of travelling that
they are far ahead of all other modes Of
travel. In all the time of their tourney
they had but two bicycle accidents. two
tires. One was easily fixed and the other
occurred the last day they rode. So M
harm was done. Mrs. Wait had with her
her Kodak, and they took many views ~
pretty places. Mrs. Wait also took fro
quent notes of her travels.