Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1911-10-18
FROM LONDON no PARIS

p. m. Our route was via New Haven
and Dieppe. At the latter place we had
no trouble with the customs. | spread
out my hand grips. The officer io3ked
at me and babble6 something while
lookedsat him and said nothing. | sup
pose looked innocent enough, fer with
out more ado, he made mark Son
my baggage and / was free to board
the train, which was right alongside.
| left the train at Rouen On my way
here fell in with an aimless American
who had lost his position by strikes.
He insisted on staying with ne like a
brother, but here | shook him and saw
nothing more of him till one day In
Paris, while looking through the picture
galleries. He is the one American whom
have not enjoyed talking to since
leaving the United States. Il was here,
while hunting bed, that first realized
what it was to be IN foreign land with
almoet no speaking knowledge of the
tongue. finally saw a railway porter
ard asked him about the hotel Victoria,
which honored the coupons / carried.
He could only speak a few words such
as .bed, /" coupon. but he wgs ex-
ceedingly kind and patient. We chased
to three hotels, but all were full. At
length he took me to place of his own
choosing. 1t was clean and the noon
day meal ate after five hours sleep
and two hours sightseeing, was ex-
cellent, The two ladies Of the house
couldn't speak a word of English. II
was ludicrous. But in a few minutes
an English lady of French ancestry
came down stairs and after conversing
with Mile. Leroy for few moments in
French addressed me, to my delight, in
fluent English. II would not have sur
prised me to be charged six and half
francs for bed and one meal when |
left, If she had not told me their rates
were seven francs a day. That is how
they do" fellow who cannot speak
French. However, that was the only
instance in France in which | seemed
to be overcharged. All around the
tourists were talking of exorbitant
charges and bad money, but it was my
good fortune to almost entirely escape
the former and entirely the latter.
THE FAMOUS RoUEN CATHEDRAL
visited the famous gothic cathedral
Of Rouen. The heart Of Richard, Occur
de Lion, king of England, who figures
as Black Knight in Scott's novel Ivan
hoe, is buried here, and Henry II of
England is also. A visit TO the church
Of st. 0uen, not far away, revealed II to
be handsomer, although a smaller
building. In the cathedral huge tow
er--Topr de Beurr9 Butter Tower lis
70 called because K was tuilt with the
money obtained from selling indulgenees
to eat butter during Lent
When ! got to the station | saw a car
marked Paris, st. Lazare, my station
N Paris, but was uncertain whether |
could go by 1t, for all classes cannot
travel by all trains in Europe. | showed
my ticket TO several porters but they
gave no favorable sign. When the train
pulled out in few moments they were
kind enough to bring a red headed
Frenehman who looked something like
a Scotchman. In broken English he
told me | could have goiie BIZ that train,
that the next was no good too Slow
and that one at $40 p. m. was The best.
Thus delayed had more time for Rouen
and strolled down to the quays. On the
way down ! observed the innumerable
small tables and chairs with which the
restaurants and cafes line the sidewalks
m the summertime. Here men and
women spend much Of their time, sip
ping their wine or other drinks. Some
quaint old buildings were to be seen.
A very high iron framework consisting
of two steel towers, one on either side
OF the river, and connecting bridge oil
steel Is used to cLsvey passengers
across. believe the view from 1t is
grand, but what ! saw of the hills
around was fine without ascending the
towcr. Some fishermen were actually
catching fish. The progress Of two
trains amused me. An engine and
few trucks passed along the quays. A
man with brass trumpet and a red
flag preceded it at a walking pace,
blowing the horn and waving the flag.
A few minutes later two men preceded
an engine and one truck, one man fol-
lowing each rail- They footed their
horns frequently and with great author
ity one waved aside wagon which
threatened to come near the track.
Surely they wouldn't run over beetle
at that rate. Several workmen passed
me winding long, soiled blue cloth
several times around their waists to
keep their trousers up Such form of
suspension must be very hot, Stylishly
dressed men sometimes wear a bright
colored silk band. Other novel sights /
must leave unmehsioned and hasten on |
to Paris
SIGHTS IN GAY PAEEE
After other passengers had boarded /
the train for Paris great crowd Of /
French soldiers in their unique uniforms /
Of red and blue swarmed on to the train. |
There was only standing room for most t
OF them. They appeared to me an in. /
Significant lot. This party was prob
ably moving TO Paris as result Of the
war scare. From what have seen Of 4
French soldiers in general, they don't +
look as If, man for mar, they would i
whip many sturdy Germans. The route I
70 Paris was not very interesting. af- /
fording, however. occasional charming
glimp5es Of the Seine, villages, villas 1
and chslky looking hills. On ray ar
aiyal at Paris, / took the advice Of /
Cook S agents and went to one Of their I
hotels. Nearly all the force spoke fair
English, 80 I got along alright.
Nov that have reached Paris it will /
be impossible to describe in detail all +
/ witnessed there. Six dozen post cards
which | purchased only gave souvenir
glimpses Of few places Of interest /
visited. OF course, among my visits
were included Notre Dame, the Made /
Iiene, two among the famous churches
Of the world, the tomb Of Abelard and
Heloise and the eremat0ry in the same
cemetery, Pere.Lachgise, which con.
.ains Il, 900 monuments; the Place de Ia
3astille and thecolumn Of the Fourteenth
3f July, whence a fine view Of Paris can
be had, the Place Vend9ne and its great I
bronze column bearing in spiral sue.
session sculptures OF Napoleon & battles;