Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1900-04-05
Letters from European Travellers.

We have had the pleasure OF reading
several delightful letters written home by
Charles @. Dubois and Miss Mary, de-
seriptive of their travels, and are permit
ted to make few extracts.
Miss Dubois describes a pleasant voy-
age, considered unusually smooth. The
first land seen since leaving the United
States was the Azores islands, which they
passed very near, and OF which Charles
secured several pictures. Neither OF the
travellers were seasick after the first day
on the ocean, but one day on the trip from
Gibraltar to Genoa was almost too much
for Charles. An extract from one OF his
letters follows:-
1--WE are again en- voyage and expect to
arrive at Naples tomorrow. Mr.. and Mrs.
McRae, a young couple from Duluth,
Mimi, went to Monte Carlo with us. We
found them very pleasant company on the
expedition, though they are a bride and
groom within the month. The trip was a
great success. Perhaps you know how
they build the cars here-iu compsrt-
ments, all opening outdoors and without
any sisles or communication between
compartments. Each compartment holds
seven or eight. We had one to ourselves.
They take the tickets after you get off. i
cannot imagine what they would do il
you didn't have one. You would laugh at
our struggles TO make ourselves under
stood. / wanted to tell the railway man
that we wouldn't ride in a smoking COM
partment-both men and women do-and
all could get oct OF him was a direction
toward the nearest tobacco stand. / find
the few French words | know quite con.
venieat, but English spoken appears
on many shop doors and people who
speak it can always be found at the hotels.
The two hotels we have tried were clean,
comfortable and reasonable. We notice
81 he hnf
and have a good many laughs over them.
In Genoa, which is the main commercial
town in Italy, believe, we took long
drive and saw the town pretty well in
short time. 1t is built on the side OF
very steep hill with the sea and railroads
at the foot, somewhat like Burlington.
Monday we went up on Mount Vesuyi-
us-a three hours beautiful carriage
drive, with a good luncheon at house
near the top, then ten minutes on an in
clined railway and fifteen minutes
climb which made Mary puff sOme-till
the crater Is reached. While we were up
there the couds cleared OF just as there
was a spouting up OF smoke, rocks, etc.
The mountain smokes all the time as
shown in the picture and often at night,
as we have seen the flames leap up into the
air, or perhaps il is only the reflection on
the smoke Of the red hot lava below. We
had fine view Of II and 1t is sight never
TO be forgotten.
The bay OF Naples is very large and all
the coast of il, together with the small
islands at the sides, is very beautiful and
interesting. Yesterday we started on a
tour with guide, going by boat to the
island Capri, then to the fascinating little
village OF Sorrento on the coast, where we
spent the night at delightful hotel, the I
best we have found in Italy. Then today /
BY two hours carriage drive we reached /
the famous Pompeii,in which we spent an /
hour or two.
Capri is beautiful-all covered with .
orange and lemon groves. We picked and [
ate oranges and they are delicious. The
mountain sides are all terraced up to
make these gardens and you don't won
der that the people are ready 10 get every
cent they can out OF unwary tourists when
you see how little they have-i0,000 OF
them-out OF which to make living.
But Sorrento is best OF all-neither my
pen nor my camera can give you the least
idea how lovely il is there. / would like
to spend a week In that one spot and il is
only a village on the cliffs overlooking
the bay. But the spot is ideal for situa-
ton and the natural artistic sense OF all
hese Italisns-even of the lowest classes
Impresses one In the arrangement OF their
streets and houses and gardens. They
are rather indolent, are dirty and IN.
thrifty in the sense of doing everything
u old-fsshioned, unhandy ways but they
ire picturesque.
Pompeii was much more interesting
ban had expected, but the cyclopgdia
ellis you more about that than / can.
Nary took il all in and her classes will
lear all about 1t, imagine, ia the future.
We find our ordinary winter clothes !
bout right so farm fact / imagine We
hall wear them till we get home. To- ,
morrow we are going to visit the squari-
Im-said to be the finest in the world
he museum and the shops and FRIDAY
morning leave for Rome-tour hours" 2
we shall hope to find letters. 7