The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-03
JOURNEYING in ITALY
NOTES OF FOREIGN TRAVEL JoTTED
DOWN BY AN INDIANA WOMAN.
Ocean Trip to Naples Agreeable
Surprise-Nature's Many Charms in
ItaIy-The Eternal City.


was after all not so very much unlike lake
voyage. We did not at any time have that
desoIate feeling of being worlds away from
land. 1t was Saturday when we sailed. sun
day you could still play that you were not
far from New York bay, Monday and Tues
day we were out at sea, to be sure, but on
Wednesday we began to look for the Azores.
Early Thursday morning the steward
knocked at my door to tell me that land was
in sight, and looked from my stateroom
window up to high cliffs overhung with
trees and dripping with vines. All day we
threaded our way among these lovely
islands, sometimes in narrow channels bor-
dered by steep and rocky shores, sometimes
in great bays from which we could look
over leagues of land and ocean. There
were green shores and soft slopes of hill and
VINEYARD. There were neat little towns,
each with its church, and there were con-
vents that nestled like gentle birds high in
protecting shadows. The whole scene was
so peaceful and quiet that it was delightful
to look at it, 1t was not the tired-out peace
Of a city at night, but a comfortable sunny
ouietness It was lovely all day, and at
night when the sun went down the scene
was still the same so that one might, If one
chose in dreams still sail between the gilt
tering shores of fairy isles" In the morn
ing the coast OF Spain was blue line on
the horizon and everybody had something
to remember about Spain. II you don't
know history you recall a hundred songs
and poems-''Ye mariners of Spain bend well
unto your oars and bring my love to me,
for he pines among the Moors," and Mr.
Kfpling's splendid lines, Loud sang the
souls of the gentlemen Adventures, or the
words of the apostle, II come to you by
SPAIN" Next there was Gibraltar, fearless,
arrogant, ready, bright with the color OF
red coats and English compilations. Min
gled in the scene were smooth-moVing
Italians and intense Spaniards and swarthy
Arabs, but their claim on ones notice was
crushed out of sight by the pervading En-"
glishness From Gibraltar on there was al
most always land in sight, perhaps showing
only as blue mist in the distance or per-
haps so near that we could see the white
teeth of fishermen who smiled at us from
boats anchored in quiet bays.
The passengers on an ocean steamship are
like a box of candy-a carefully assorted lot
of different kinds There are the nice ones
whom you Iiacognize instantly, the very nice
ones, whom you don't perceive so quickly,
the ones who are not nice at all, the queer
ones-and the others. All of those sorts,
even those who are not nice at all, are inter-
esting except 1.-The Others" They are like
the last tasteless bits of candy that are left
in the box when everybody is tired OF 1t.
You might enjoy them if you were ship
wrecked on a desert island, but not other
wise AS far as the voyage goes the queer
people are the most illuminating. There
was a fat and aged infant a Hungarian
count He wore queer cap almost like an
old woman's he had a high shriil giggle,
he was very good natured very untidy, and
all knowledge was his. In the smoking
room they would speak of a lake in central
Africa or a bay near the north pole or d
break in the bank Of a South American
river and the count could always promptly
draw a chart of the place which would be
verified by the ships maps There was the
lady q hope she is uncommon enough to be
uueer) who told everybody that she had
brought twenty-five diamond rings with her,
and that you'd notice wherever you found
person of her name he was sure to be rich.
How elegantly her sister did live, to be sureI
Why, her sisters cook thought nothing of
giving them chocolate cellars or cream puffs
for breakfast! And there was beautiful
bull fighter going home from Mexico. He
had been betrothed in Mexico, the wedding
day was set. 81 said To Seraphita: wish
to see my mother. She is in SPAIN 1 can
never come back here to marry you-an
that way. SO say goodbye like sensible
girl"
All through the Mediterranean the skies
and the water were calm and blue. Even
the sea-sick people were sorry when the
last night came. There was a gorgeous
dinner and everybody made a toilet in
honor of it, and the stewards scurried
across the dining room bearing champagne
and Mr.. So-and-So's compliments and will
you have a glass of wine with him? After
dinner everybody sat late on deck in the
moonlight and took last walks together and
got each others addresses. AS for the
young man from Baltimore. he had to have
g. few last words with nine different girls
and it was half-past / when he got to his
stateroom, where he was heard exhaustedly
ordering a brandy and soda.
1t is considered quite knowing to despise
Naples but it is still more knowing to be
aware that Naples has some charms and
beauties of it's own. The people who have
been abroad eight or nine times will tell you
that Naples is a place to get away from
as soon as possible-a place of goats and
DeSSdFS anu ulrl-Dut the pSOpAS WHO nave
spent twenty or thirty winters in Italy
will, if they think you worthy, express a
different view. They know of all sorts of
fine things, of lovely palm-shaded marble
palaces and old castles full of treasures of
art. But there is nothing esoteric about
tile knowledge that Naples contains some
Of the finest bronzes in the world. AS to
the town itself there are no fine churches
and almost no great buildings, but the city
seen as whole from the bay is as beautiful
as the bay seen from the city, and you
could hardly say more than that in praise
of any scene. AS for the dirt it is not the
town, but the natives who are dirty; and
their grminess softens the bright hues Of
their garments and persons in a most ar
tistic manner. I admit that they look bet
ter when seen from a distance.fas one views
the impressionist pictures Of course, there
are rather queer things TO be seen; but be-
ing queer is not necessarily being objec-
tionable. For instance, L see no reason why
a drove of cows should not, if they prefer
walk through the principal streets and de-
liver their milk in person rather than send
it around in bottles
We were in Naples about three weeks.
If one of us was i'll there, as I have heard,
the memory of the few days when she could
go about has quite obliterated every thing
else from her recollection. Indeed, it would
not be too much to say that If you're going
to be III you'll have much better time
journeying about than staying at home,