The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-11-30

The recent somewhat unreasonable
snow storm recalled to my mind a SINH
lar experience the past summer among
the snow-covered peaks of Switzerland.
August is the most delightful month of
the year in Switzerland and this time is
considered the very heighth of the sea-
son. Then the hotels of Lucerne, Inter-
laken, Geneva and the innumerable
mountain and lake resorts are sure to be
filled to OVERLOOKING, and tourists are
busy planning and enjoying the many
coaching trips and walking tours which
are the charm of the Alpine country. So
| numerous and popular have these excur-
| sions become of recent years that the
| tourist is sure of comfortable entertain
ment in even the most inaccessible and
remote mountain passes. And in the more
| frequented points will be found the most
commodious and luxurious hostelries.
Lucerne. which has rightfully been called
the paradise of the world, is the center
| of this delightful region. The v ord Luz
cerne implies beauty and fidelity Ancient
and modern beauty hymned and MUIR
INJURED by these old towers, those en-
battled walls, those venerable wooden
bridges crossing the Reuss, the limpid
sheet of water which ripples against the
| quays covered with f1ower-Deds, in face
| Of the Right and Pilatus, which rear
| their lofty summit on either side.
| The glory of Lucerne is the lake of the
| Quatre- Cantons, around whose borders
| cluster nearly all the historic interest
of the Swiss people. The favorite lake
| trip from here is to the Tellsplatte,
t,4Aa lab nd
! on which William Tell leaped from the
boat in which Gessler was carrying him
| off to his castle of Kussnacht. The trip
| ends at Fluelen, at the extremity of the
| lake, by the marvellous Axenstrasse
which follows all the windings of the
| shore and pierces the rocks by several
| tunnels, offering magnificent views. APP
| preaching in interest and beauty are the
! lakes of Leman, Thoune Aunecy and
| Brienz; the valleys of the Arne, the
| Rhone and Zermatt. From GNneva trav-
! eIers have long since been attracted to
Chamouix and its valley watered by the
torrential Arne For Chamouix, lying at
the foot of Mont Blanc, is full Of life and
animation and is as celebrated as Ter
matt or Interlaken. From the tourists
generally enjoy the drive in large COM
Portable breaks over the road that leads
to the 'Tete Noire' an almost perpendic-
a short distance. The site is wild and
grand, and overhangs the yawning abyss.
But neither of these mountain passes,
nor the famous Simplon, nor the Furka
pass nor the almost Incompatible coach
ing TO Grindewald and Lauterbrunnen
from Interlaken into the very heart OF
the beautiful Bermese Oberland at the
foot of the Jungfrau, can compare with
the rugged grandeur and the piercing
beauty of the Gemmi Pass. Although the
nagnifcently wild mountain passage OF
the Gemmi long ago attracted the atten-
ton of wide-awake mountaineers, 1t re-
mained for the ned Spiez & Frutigen rail-
| way, opened in the summer of 1901 to
| make fully accessible one of the most
| beautiful tourist districts in the whole
world. This new railway, which now
/ runs from Interlaken to Frutfgen, Is the
| first installment of the international line
| through the Simplon to Italy. There
stretches away from Spiez beautiful
green Alpine valley endowed with many
a gem of nature, and rich In historic
memories After an hours run to as
cending heights and through tunnels, the
train at last energies at Frutigen, and
the tourist is fascinated by the cleaning
Tags and pinacles of the silvery Bluemlis-
ain which with It's enormous glacier
slopes, towers up magnihcently behind
the -darkened foothills. This is the
valley of the kander. A shower mad evil
IDENTIFY preceded us and the air was con-
tinually growing fresher and crisper. At
ter a most enjoyable hot luncheon at the
Frutigen hosiery. we took the diligence
for two hours coaching to Kandersteg.
The post road skirts the ruins of Tellen
Castle, and goes among the sun-browned
dwellings of the Kander Bolton. Pass
ing through romantic wilderness among
mighty rocks and labyrinths of stones.
one comes in the thick dust of a wood
to the blue Lake" which suddenly like
a picture of fairyiand, lies at the travel
ers feet. The road then passes In sweep
ing curves along a valley not unlike the
Chamouix valley to Kandersteg. This
mountain village Is the highest on the
Gemmi route and is, therefore, an Inn
portant center for excursions into the
Bluemlisalp group.
We spent the night here at the cozy
Hotel Gemmi. and, after a mountain
climb to a picturesque waterfall, were
eager enough to gather close around the
big fire in the reception hall. The outing
had given us hearty appetites, though
Europeans credit Americans with this
valuable possession at all times and we
were ready for Table d'Hote at the first
bell tap. We felt very far from civiliza-
ton in this remote mountain village, and
had we not been as merry a party as we
were, might possibly have felt very lone
ly Imagine then our surprise upon enter
ing the spacious dining saloon to find no
less than sixty or seventy guests assem-