Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-24
ON THE CONTINENT.
An American Girls Ten Day
Trip.
MUCH SIGHTSEEING
NOT GREATLY ENAMoRED OF THE
RIVER RHINE.
Wonders Of the Alps and Castles Until
%1a
MUCH SIGHTSEEIN G
Wonders Of the Alps and Castles Until
One is Tired-Gossip on the
Venice Incident.

| LONDON, July -, 1902.
| 1t is a long way from Washington to Lon
! don, but how 1 do wish you all might have
been with me on this trip. For business
! men who have four or five weeks vacation
and think they can't see anything worth
| trip abroad they should read this letter OF
mine take notes and do likewise. The top
most note is to leave New York two weeks
| before the full of the moon, as 1t Is an alb
! solutely necessary article in Venice. l came
| over especially for the coronation, and
| shall now remain In London until some
| thing is doing in that line. 1t was rain
| ing, of course, when We reached Southamp-
| ton, and London, with its vast amount OF
| scaffolding, resembled a huge carpenter
| shop. and the streets were filled with all
sorts and conditions of people. Each day
| became worse so I decided to go over on
| the continent warm up bit and return
| for the celebration. 1 Joined a party OF
! friends and was gone just ten days, ana
| the interesting part of my trip was that all
| expenses, railroad tickets, hotels, cab fares,
| drives, galleries and the ineVltabie tips
| amounted to just 800. 1t can be done
| little less for we went first Glass; where
| as, the second class" carriages are just as
| good; the only difference that l could see
was in the plush uphostering, the first
| class being in red and the second in brown, so
| that in warm weather the brown. In color
at least, is preferable. The trip was fas-
| cnating one from beginning to end and
| the railroad officials were most courteous.
| which meant a great deal for my small
amount of German and French would nave
been of no use whatever had they been the
least bit cross or impatient l left London
in the evening for Harwich, a three-hours
trip, and there took a tiny steamer and
crossed the North sea to the Hook of Hol-
land.
The Hook of Holland.
We were called at 400 In the morning,
and 1 was never so happy to be up and
doing" Before US stretched the fiat coun-
try of picturesque little Holland, and here
1 first saw the large windmills standing out
| like sentinels against the sky. peculiar
purple haze was over everything, and was
enchanted. Here at the Hook train was
waiting, and my baggage was marked o. h.
by the customs officials, as they seemed to
| want only wines or tobacco, and l did not
| look particularly guilty. Never once cross
| ing the frontier into any country was my
trunk or hand bags opened, and at every
| place the officials were obiging.
From o'clock a. m. until noon<we were
! crossing Holland and through some of its
| most interesting cities-Rotterdam, Dor
drecht Leerdam and others-where one can
| get an idea during the short stops Of the
| people, their costumes and the quaint
| chitecture of their buildings. And one must
note, too, the industry everywhere-even
| the dogs work, work hard, and seem to be
j happy in doing so. 1t was a curious idea
| to me to see dogs helping women and chill
| dren pull the heavy milk or vegetable carts,
| and I am glad to say that these dogs are
| well treated and their owners are justly
| proud of them About o'clock of our first
| day we reached Cologne, and though we
| only had half an hour we hurried out to see
| its wonderful cathedral. which stands
| close to the depot. On through miles of red
| peoples, through dozens of small towns.
| each with it's quaint building and quaint
| people and each a perfect study. We passed
| through Bonr. where the emperor and
| Prince Henry were both educated, and on
| until at last we reached a little stream,
which. I was surprised to learn, was the
| famous Rhine. We went along this river
| by train, and I am sure I should never
| want to go by those little river boats, when
| by train the narrow river is at one side and
| on each side of us the beautiful mountains.
! Everywhere are vineyards, for right in this
! country are all the famous Rhine wines
| made excepting, of course, the Rhine
| wines which are made in California;. We
| passed the little town of Lorelei, famous in
| song and story, and here saw the high
| rocks, with the river seventy-six feet deep,
| and but 22o yards wide, where Lorelei
| coaxed the sailors on to their death We
| passed the grand old castle Schonberg, but
| by this time you will have seen so many
wonderful castles, each in its inaccessible
| and picturesque surrounding, that you have
| become bit blase on the subject of cas-
| ties. About pm. we left the Rhine and
passed through perfect country for
|
| light, reached Nielhausen the home of
| Dreyfus, and the town where he was taken
| prisoner. Then at Basic, we changed cars
| for Lucerne. Switzerland, reaching there
| at II at night.
| In the Alps.
The next morning at o'clock we took
| the train, a ride of half an hour, to Arth-
| Golden, the scene of the great land slide
of 1906, when the whole town was buried
10
| the cog incline, and in a queer train with a
| Queerer engine we were pushed I'D Mount
| Regi and spent an hour on top right among
| the snow-covered Alps. Below US stretched
lake after lake Of the bluest water and
| mile after mile of green farming land
| Here, from our guide. l learned, what you
probably all know. that the Alps as com
| monty supposed do not mean the mountains
| patches of farming lands scattered all over
the mountain sides. Each little farm hay
Ing Its picturesque chalet or cottage Each
Alp helping to form the long chain Of
| Alps. Be sure after descending Mount Regi
| to return to Lucerne by steamer The trim
| through the lakes was perfectly beautiful
| There are lots of Interesting things to see
In and around Lucerne. l am sure we saw
| many things during our short stay which
people fail to see during two weeks stay
AS we returned to the hotel about O'Clock
the sun was just setting and the snow on
| the tops of the highest peaks looked like
| streams of fire. The whole effect was per
| fectly gorgeous. The next morning. nv
| third day from London, we left Lucerne at
o'clock over the most wonderful railroad
In the world-the San Gothard, with its
corkscrew tunnel built right through the
heart of the Alps, wonderful bit of en-
cheering There are dozens Of tunnels on
this road and we were in one for just half
an hour. They are not so disagreeable as
ours. for the smoke is not SO oily and there
Is not near so much dirt and cinders and
| dust.
We reached Milan at 8 o'clock in the at
ternoon and remained three hours. each
minute being Of the greatest interest, Here ia
the second largest cathedral in the world A
priest showed us it's most celebrated paint
ings and many of it's most sacred relies
gifts from different rulers. For five francs.
he said, he would show us las a speciai
favor" the tomb and the body Of St
Charles. The patron saint Of the cathedral.
which IS In the wonderful casket of silver
and gold. I am getting along" and never
having seen saint. dead or alive, decided
it was worth any price to me and I never
paid bill more gladly. With a torch
light of eight candles we followed "the
man from Cooks" down the winding stone
steps to the crypt. The room Is octagon in