The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1910-08-19

I shore was trod by the feet of the
Forty Immortals, who then only be-
| longed to the Orleans party, and by
deposed statesmen. The imperial
court had abandoned Dieppe and gone
to Biarritz. but that was too far from
/ Paris for the lesser officials and the
busy men of the party to follow. And
/ Trouville offered a bathing place with
| in six hours of Paris. So 1t came
about that villas were built and
square foot of sand soon cost as much
as a square foot Of building ground
in Paris itself Very soon it was the
favorite resort Of the monde and the
demi.monde
The real life of Trouville, Of course,
is closed to the merely passing visitor,
just as is the case at Cowes and at
Newport. The passing caller has not
the entree to the salons and the vii
las. But he may see that the people
change their toilets every hour, he
may walk the promenade and the
beach, firm and smooth, which slopes
so slowly into the sea that the bather
must wade far to get into water to
his neck even at hign tide, and he
may visit the Casino, so close to the
sea that the great tide of 1876 almost
swept it away.
Dieppe shows a seascape that is
called "inexpressibly grand" The Wis
itor seats himself upon the terrace
and looks seaward over a glorious
and far-stretching eXpanse. Some
times it is as calm as a mirror. But
the tide never creeps in. It brings
waves and foam with it, Often it is
turbulent Sometimes it comes in as
a raging plain that lifts itself at last
mountain high and thunderously
dashes itself upon the shore and filings
it's salt showers over the spectators.
1t is splendid for the eye and it
gives vigor to the body.
Napoleon played with Josephine,
pushing her into the water, and hiding
her bathing slippers, to the amuse-
ment Of the boatmen and the onlook-
ing staff, in their bathing expeditions
in 1903 from Bayonne to Biarritz, that
bright little corner of France, nest
ling at the foot of the Pyrenees, over
looking the Bay Of Biscay and ad-
joining the Basque provinces Of Spain.
There are memories here of the
Empress Eugene also. On the slope
and overhanging the great rocks at
the head Of the bay are the ruins of
the bathing villa, where she and
Louis Napoleon spent many happy
hours. It was sold, then enlarged and
burned in 1903. There are many his
torical memories here. Gladstone
spent weeks here each year. Many
battles were fought in the vicinity in
the Wellington campaigns and the
Spanish provinces adjacent are full Of
"reminiscences of Loyola and Xavier.
Ostend-to the initiated that means
the most beautiful strand to be con-
ceived, as smooth as q billiard table
and stretching away many a league. |
1t means also in the summer months
most diyerting spectacle, where
dandes mince and firt even with the |
waves, where bathing dancing, ga |
ming and music occupy the fashion
able world, and where the vast |.
throngs present a gay and cheerful /
miscellany Of faces and costumes.
This most important seaside town
on the continent of Europe has it's |
palatial villas, including the summer |
residence Of the king; its sports, polo, |
golf tennis, racing, it's great annual |
"bataille de fleurs," its promenades, |
and around all its beach, paradise |
for children, and its bath houses, so |
great a novelty for Americans. Above |
all, it has it's kursa11, the center Of |
all the gaieties Of the season, which |
gives the visitor who sees it for the |
first time most confused impression |
of marbles and mosaics, brass, copper
and gliding, rich hangings, palms and
mirrors. The dixie or "digue" which is |
built along the beach is a three-mtle
promenade, and at night the spectacle !
seen upon It justifies the saying that
Ostend is the maddest, merriest" city |
in Europe.
Every country has it's seashore re-
sorts, some of then, rs famous as
Biarritz and Brighton. Bray in
County Wicklow, is the Brighton of