The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1902-05-13
YURRUP! {!
FEW OBSERVATIONS OF MR..
STRAYER.
OF Things We Have Read About.
and Some Things We Hadn't.
CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE J

(CONTlNC fhOM f1hSI fAGE
Paris, April l9.
Among the Celtic passengers Is
clever German pork packer. who,
while having money to burn, is very
careless of his personal appearance,
his thick heavy hair maintaining
warlike attitude in utter defiance alike
to comb or brush. At Athens he went
part way up the hill to the Acropolis,
and turned back in disgust, saying he
would "be burned If was going up there
to see lot of old ruins; If We had that
'Acropis' in the United States we'd
keep it fixed up" He puts In all his
time on the Celtic in the smoker, play
ing cards, and his companions there
have nicknamed him Ham"
Well as we went into the Casino, we
met "Ham" outside swearing like q
trooper. He said to us, Those burned
cusses won't let me in cause / 'aint
got on a boiled shirt and haven't my
hair parted In the middle" And he
didn't get in.
We bid the Celtic farewell at Nice
and leave for a trip through Europe.
About 25O go around with the ship to
Liverpool. Some 400 go from Rome
and Nice on arranged tours through
Europe accompanied by guides fur
nished by Mr.. Clarke. The rest OF the
passenger list which includes US, go
independent in groups OF four up to
sometimes q dozen. It's our experience
that the more persons We had in q party
the more time was lost in waiting. 80
usually about four or eight travelled to-
gether, enough to fll compartment.
or two carriages in driving. We had
all sorts of experiences, having our
baggage tumbled out at the Custom
Office as we came from France into
Italy, having q half dozen trains TO
choose from al some stations and not q
soul around that could understand q
word of English. But some of us got
to be experts on signals, 80 we got along
and our experiences were charged up
against the money We saved by being
non-conducted.
Cooks Tourist tickets were quite q
help to US, for we did not find railroad
employe throughout Italy that could
understand q word of English, but the
tickets were printed In Italian and
could be read. From Nice TO Genoa Is
along the Mediterranean Sea for six
hours ride, and through gardens OF
fruits and flowers the entire way. At
Pisa, we saw the Leaning Tower,
which has stood for ages, Ii feet out
of plumb. Florence, the home OF Art,
is almost as interesting as Rome. We
spent several days here visiting the
various places in interest. The LOgis
which is q public place where Is ex-
hibited original statuary work, copies
OF which may be found all over the
world. Polyxens and Achilles by
Fedii, Rape of the SAbines by John OF
Bologna, Perseus and Meduci, and
many others.
Adjoining the Logia is the Piazza
Vecchio, where there are many biblical
scenes and works in FIorentine tapestry
the fresco work being that of Michael
Angelo.
Twas in the tower of the Plazzs
Vecchio that the great Reformer Saw
onarola, in the 18th century, was con-
fined before he was taken out and
bur ned. In the Ufzzi Gallery is the
greatest collection of rare and fine
paintings in the world, masterpieces
Of the old artists. Artists were copy
ing many of the celebrated pictures
and many tourists paid from $40 to s2Ot
for copies of some of these.
Florence Is not only the home Of Art
but also of great men, Dante, Galites
whose home we visited. Michael Angelo
and Raphael claimed Florence as theil
home.
| Leaving, Florence via Bologna and
Padua, the country is devoted TO grape
culture all the way TO Venice. We ge
into q gondola, and are conducted
through the Grand Canal and numerous
small canals to our hotel. It's q sight
gondolas everywhere; no noise, saw
the soft splash of the oars or the harsl
warning cry of the gondolier rs VI
come to q turning corner. We shall
never forget our first night in Venic'
THE absence of rattling cabs ant
crscking whips; the sense of sscuri,!
in walking the streets that you'll no
bump into q carriage or moving van
the sweet Italian music that come
from minstrel bands in front of ever.
hotel along the Grand Canal.
From our hotel we can pass from
rear exit through narrow paved street
to large rectangular opening calle'
St. Marks square. This is the cente
of interest in Venice. The Rrea
church of st. Marks faces one end o
this square, the Palace Of the Doges t,
the side of 1t. If we had not been visit
ing csthedrals until we are tired of th,
sight of one, we would enthuse owe
ST. Marks, which cost millions of dol
lars, being inlaid with mosaics. Doge
Palace is noted for having the larges
painting In the world: THE Las
Judgment" by Teptoretts- just acros
q canal from the Doges Palace is th,
prisCn, and connecting the two Is tn,
"bridge of sighs" immortalized b.
Byron, and over which many q politica
prisoner passed to be heard of no more
The feeding Of the pigeons. which