Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1908-04-02
ABILENE TOURISTS ABROAD
IN ORIENTAL LANDS
Mrs. Alexander Writes Of Their
Trip,e Finest Sights.

Il
The following letter by Mrs. Ger
trude Alexander gives the REFLECToE
readers an excellent summary Of the
Abilene tourists trip. They sail fol
home this week and will land In New
York April ..
SMYRNA, March 2. 1sOs.-To.
day at four we sail from Smyrna
after sojourn Of about eight hours
Here we saw the famous rugs. Some
we could hardly resist we're 1t not fol-
the trouble Of carrying around. The
caravan coming in from the desert
interested us most. There was very
large one arrived yesterday. Some
old ruins and the ever present bazaar,
distinctive featurs Of this country,
served to occupy us in Smyrna for q
day.
Last evening we had several inter-
esting hours passing through the
Dardanelles, past the spot where
Byron swan across and the plains Of
Troy. 1t makes one rack the brain to
recall all these famous NEUROLOGICAL
characters.
Our stay in Constantinople was
pleasant and instructive but it is the
dirtiest city l think was ever in.
Were it not built on the side Of hill
its inhabitants would perish Of the
plague. Many of the buildings and
works Of Constantine and Justinian
are still standing. The mosque Of St.
Sophia is perhaps the most historical,
having been build during the Byzan-
tium period. Much Of the beauty
has been obliterated by the Turks
but we saw some lovely mosaic work.
1t was my first experience with
mosque slippers and do not think l
shall forget how we had to shuttle
along in them.
The shops in Constantinople are
very attractive and there are some
lone lovely things 20 buy but every
thing is so dirty it rather diagusts
one. they tell us though that it is
nothing to what Jerusalem will be, so
l approach with fear and trembling.
We will arrive there next Thursday
for five days stay and while twill be
very interesting l fear it will be a
little disgusting; but one must make
up ones mind to everything on trip
Of this kind, and l think how for
tunate am to have taken it.
think the day in Athens was the
most delightful and instructive one
so far. We saw all the famous things
we have read and studied about for
years, pored over when we were
children and hardly realized they
were really standing. Sometimes /
have to pinch myself to think / have
stood on the ground where Paul stood
preaching or where Socrates was i'm
prisoned. drank the poison and died.
And the Parthenon where were made
the offerings to Athena, the temples
of the other gods and goddesses, the
theatre Of Bacchus and the Odeon, the
Stadium and countless other places
that add to the glory of Athens.
The Partheron is perfectly magni6-
cent with its massive columns, its
ireize representing the procession Of
Minerva and the gateway.
One could spend weeks were and
not feel as though he had seen 1t all.
Modern Athens is very attractive and
clean, all the buildings are Of the
Grecian style ibid not see many with
the Grecian bend) and the people here,
in spite OF high taxes and other bur-
dens. look more prosperous and better
kept than any Of the southern coun-
tries we have visited.
We noticed the absence Of beggars,
so prevalent in Spain, Algiers and
other places. For novelty Of scene,
situation and beauty think MADEIRA
is the most attractive place we have
been.
To leave New York with its snow
and cold and touch land again in al
most fairyland, is a decided and de-
lightful change and 1t was hard to
realize it was the middle Of February
when the orange trees were in bloom
and laden with fruit, the rose In