The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-07-04
From the New York Sun.

ONT you believe II your duty
\ to see your own country
49, first?" a friend asked an indie
pendant young woman who was prepar-
ing for a trip to Europe.
miserable recurring question: was the
Young woman's reply. Each time / hear
If 7 am more impatient Duty indeed'
What has duty to do with it? 1t Is all a
matter of taste and how much money
you have A little money will take you
further on the continent than in the states.
No further perhaps in miles, but in sights
and lore, besides the earthly but newt
able consideration of food and service. For
where in America could you find delicious
meals, q comfortable room, prompt answer
to yourfbel for 81 q. day." And she went
on to tell of the boarding houses she had
stopped at in Europe.
One of the boarding houses was In
Rome. In the large cities on this side 81
a day often sends you hungry TO bed ana
walking down four flights of steps for
what you want. A dollar day was the
summer rate at the Roman boarding
house. but it is little more in the season.
The young woman reached Rome late on
a. June night and the factotum OF the
pension met her at the station. He had
worked for the padrona 81 years, ever
since he had worked at all. He was guide,
butler. counselor in one, efficient, ana
beyond that, graceful.
The next morning the maid brought TO
the Americans bedroom coffee with crisp
rolls and a pat OF butter imprinted with
md tha wolf Tne
real breakfast at noon consisted OF sew
eral courses.
First soup, then an entree, which was
often a native vegetable and very savory,
tasting like gumbo and eggplant COM
bined; next meat, which was frequently
fowl. a vegetable salad, pastry, fruit and
coffee. Your own small caraffa of red or
white wine was before you. The evening
dinner was somewhat similar, with more
vegetables and olives.
At Florence she stopped at pension
which charged s1.2o day. Comfortable,
IL commonplace, it boosted a lift. The
lift carried three passengers only SO
some of the party usually walked up.
They reached the top floor before the lit,
of course.
In Venice she was comfortable at a more
pretentious pension on the Grand canal
at 81. 40 a day.
From Italy to Germany is far cry. the
Young woman felt the contrast, though
it was chiefly in nonessentials,' thick cups,
for instance But there was cordial well
come at a pension at Freiburg in Baden
and 81 a day gave her little room on
and dhIln6ant
table. The extras were candles at about
10 cents a week and fire. She had a hre
only once, and it cost 10 cents. In re-
sponse to her order maid brought a
basket of slim wood, the pieces little
larger than toothpicks, and put SIX OF
eight of them into the large porcelash
stove. In a short time the room was
u,arr M. the traveller was hypnotized into
believing SO.
Freiburg is university city and she
was there in the summer season, May
and June. Her pension sheltered five
graduate students in science, who were en-
gagged in research in the same laboratory.
They were from Holland. Switzerland,
Wales. Canada and the United States
and made an interesting group.
A place where she had a very INTEREST
| ing fortnight was in the heart Of the Black
| forest at Sommerau. The pension rate was
| 81 a day, but since she was to make ex-
| cursions and would frequently miss after
noon coffee, she was charged IS cents,
| the extra IL cents to be paid on the days
she had coffee This was the hotels sug-
gestion..
! Sommerau was a great success as
| starting point for excursions. Some OF
them lasted all day, but there were sew
eral trips that cost only few cents ana
| were easily made in the long summer a1t-
ernoons. one day she walked five miles
TO Triberg to see the waterfall. She found
the place a fashionable resort and noisy,
| and was quite content to take the Tram
| hack TO Sommerau. Another day she went
nv train to Donaueschingen and saw the
source of the Danube in beautiful large
stone basin, while the band in the public
Garden played 1.-THE Blue Danube
| she went to peasants wedding, too,
at the village of Unterkirnach. The we'd
ding party walked the village street, the
nrettv bride in a black dress and long
,,,h,,e veil. The bridesmaids were far more
oorgeous. their headdresses seemingly dec
Grated bird cages The American was
covertly leveling a camera at them. when
one of them stopped and said she would
stand still to be photographed.
| At last, Paris. There the rate paid by
the American girl was s1.20 day 81