Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-06-05
Trompeloup to Bordeaux.

Trompeloup to Bordeaux. Those
French trains surely are funny
things. Their coaches are smaller
than our street cars and altogether
different design than our coaches.
They have three different classes,
first, second and third. Officers
ride first class, enlisted men and
middle class of French second class
and poorer class of French third
class. The first class coaches are
divided up into small compartments
with two long seats facing each COM
partment. The seats are uphol-
stored and are really more comfort
able than the seats in our trains.
There is glass Widowed door for
each compartment and, believe
six compartments to each coach.
The little engines would make you
laugh, but the trains make good
time considering that they stop at
every station. We made the thirty
five miles in about an hour and a
quarter. We arrived in Bordeaux
about five o'clock and Immediately
proceeded to find a room. We
found one at the Hotel de Bordeaux
that cost us thirty francs apiece.
That was very reasonable consider
ing the kind of arooms we had, for
it was surely swell, bath and eve
rything. Those French beds are
the best beds | ever slept in because
they have the thickest and softest
mattresses | ever saw.
At about six l and one of the
other machinists took a walk around
Bordeaux. 1t certainly is a funny
city and nothing like the American
ones. | believe a five story build
ing is the highest they have there.
The street cars are not much larger
than good sized motor bus and
have only four wheels. Almost ev-
cry hotel or restaurant have tables
in rows out in front of them where
you sit down and order your Vim
Rough or Vim Blanhe, Sautern or
some stronger drinks. We went
into a Frog restaurant and blew
in about nine francs that wouldn't
have cost a dollar here. Of coure, |
suppose the Vim Rough that Dewey
ordered made it count up. / tasted
the stuff but couldn't give it much.
We walked out to a very beautiful
park that the Americans call the
park with the fence Of gold" and
then walked around some of the
narrow Frog" streets that are not
any too we'll lighted. If it were not
for the many American soldiers and
sailors over there one would have
an awful time getting around for
it's next thing to impossible to make
those Trenches understand ANY,
thing. We arose about seven the
next morning and caught the Mide
for Trompeloup at 8:12. That day
Bill and / had to work on the ship
and Dewey took the shore patrol
party over to Pauilluc. Bill and /
got liberty at 100 but it was too
late to catch the train for Bordeaux
so we rode on our army truck over
to Pauillac. We took a walk out
in the country ways to see some
of the chateaus and other houses of
the lower class. Rich people live
in the chateaus and the poorer class
in small houses that are most al
ways overcrowded. 1t seems like
in France a man is either rich or
poor. He either lives in chateau
or in small white stone house COW
cred with a red tile roof. The prin-
cipal product in that part of the
country seems to be grapes and you
can see vineyards everywhere. Most
Of the cultivating is done by oxen
or by hand. People working in the
field (mostly womenl always carry
their Vim Rough with them in 8
bag by their side. Bill went back
| in tho evening hit as T had fo senC