Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1907-07-03

graduate OF the music department OF
Alma College and the Michigan Con
servatory OF Music under Alberto
Jonas and Victor Benham, and for
the past year studying piano with
Leschetizky in Vienna, we are per-
mitted to give the following from a
recent letter. In company OF friends
from Pennsylvania she was making
little tour of Italy, taking 'the
longest way around as the surest
way home expecting to sail from
Naples on the North German Lloyd
s. s. Princess Irene, due to arrive at
New York this week.
Pension Jennings, Ricciole, 81 Corso
del Tintore, Florence, Italy, June
7th, 1907
We left Vienna last Monday morn
ing and had one of the most mag
nihcent scenic trips which l ever ex-
pect to experience, from there to
Mestre, Italy. Immediately after
leaving Vienna the train begins to
ascend until it passes over the Sem
mering Pass, and the journey is like
a great passing panorama-one splen
did view after another bursting upon
the sight. Great mountain peaks,
fertile valleys, dashing mountain
torrents, dotted here and there with
picturesque little villages, and the
train ever ascending until il makes
one almost dizzy to look down. One
never realizes what the Alps are until
he has seen for himself and | shall
not even attempt to describe them.
We had one or two funny exper-
fences in connection with the Italian
language before we reached Mestre,
which / will not take time for now,
but which will afford you a good
laugh when | reach home. Arriving
there at 1925 p. m, we changed cars
and went over the long bridge into
Venice, which looked, indeed, like a
fairy city" rising out of the water.
A porter from the Daniel" met us
and put us into a gondola with two
gondoliers and we went directly to
our hotel. l shall never forget that
ride-the soft splash of the oars-the
shadowy forms of other passing gon-
dolas, strain of song floating oc-
cssionly across the Grand canal, the
lighted windows, some shuttered,
on the two banks; and then the half
darkness as we passed from the
large canal into smaller ones and
went twisting around in funny, mar
row little Streets. under bridges,
and so until we reached our hotel.
The Danieli is a former old palace
and splendidly situated on the Grand
canal. Everything about it is first
class (including the tips!D and we
found many other Americans there.
We went directly to our rooms and
after a good nights rest, felt ready
to go out and see something. First
we went about FIVE minutes walk,
past the palace of the Doges. turned
to the right, and there we were at
St. Marks. with its almost oriental
magnihcence of decoration and the
famous bronze horses. We spent
good while in the interior, admiring
Al.
in the gallery and around the upper
outside gallery, from which Sc
cured some snapshots of the horses,
the famous "bell-ringers" clock and
the piazza, or square. We fed the
pigeons in the Piazza and then went
to the Palace of the Doges, which is
again beyond my vocabulary, with the
masterpieces of art and splendid dec
orations, to say nothing OF its great
historic and romantic interest We
visited the Senate rooms, the rooms
where the Inquisitions were held,
with their secret doors and passages;
went down into the dreadful dark
dungeons where prisoners were con-
fined, the torture chambers and stood
on the far-famed Bridge of Sighs"
over which so many great men have
passed TO their death. After the
Palace we visited the shopping dis
trict and admired and invested a
little in the Venetian beads and ex-
quisite glassware. We had dinner at
7:30 and then after writing a few
cards went to bed. Early next morn
ing we were up and went by gondola
to the Academy where we saw more
wonderful works of art-Titian, Rein,
Rafael, Bellini-and others, and then
did" the Grand canal with its sue
oession OF beautiful palaces and in
teresting churches. We visited sew
eral. including San Giorgio Maggiore
which is beautifully situated on an
island by itself, and where we climbed
wooden staircase of thirty-two
spirals to get the great view from
the top. In the choir is some OF the
most exquisite wood-carving you
could imagine. The choir stalls re-
quired twenty men twenty-five years
to accomplish. In the afternoon we