The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-08-29

was AIOl dS IdISC do 1it1 Nlt0uSaliuo
who pour through n. Y. customs
each day.
The food on the Greek boat was
excellent-lunch was always four
courses, and supper five courses and
we could help ourselves to as much
as we wanted. However, the serv-
ice was dreadful and the dirt and
filth was terrific.
The people in first class were a
mixture, from rich Iraqui, Irani,
Egyptians, Lebonese, Greeks to the
poor who slept on deck-I don't
know who all they were for | had
no chance to talk with them. Hard
ly any English was spoken, although
great many of this group were
making their way to America via
LaHavre.
Alice and the other students paid
travel agency in Beirut $500 to
get them across France and on to
the ship to America. The Greek
ship charged black market prices.
The terrible accommodations we had,
which wouldn't have been so bad if
the boat hadn't been so crowded,
cost 1925. Altogether including my
baggage, trip expense, etc., l spent
approximately 5000, including living
expenses for July in Lebanon.
In Marseilles we took taxi trip
around the city for an hour-very
fascinating place, and much cleaner
port town than / had expected-we
saw the Chateau Ollie of Count of
Monte Cristo fame. After very
meager lunch in a good hotel we
went to see a movie of Sgt. York
and all the mountaineers and Yanks
speaking Frenchl We thought the
picture would be in English with
French sub-titles but this was the
real Mccoy. Naturally we didn't
get much out of it for they all talked
so fast.
After a more meager supper Mon
day night the Cooks man came with
my ticket to London, via Paris, End
class, and | was off into the great
unknown againl had to sit up
all night, s in the compartment, on
wooden seats, but somehow | man.
aged to catnap it. Back in Beirut
some in the mission had nearly
scared the daylights out of me by
saying what a hazardous undertak-
ing crossing France would be-no
food, no accommodations, etc., how
ever, breakfast was served, includ-
ing beautiful ripe peaches.
In Paris I had stroke of luck
for there are about s railway sta
tions and | was going to have to
get a porter and then a taxi to go
from one station to another with no
assurance that l could catch and get
reservations on the Boat Train for
Calais once / found my way to the
Care du Nordl
Out of the hundreds and hundreds
of people getting off the Marseilles
train | found a porter who asked
if | wanted to get the boat train to
Calaisl Finally | got all my
pieces of baggage together, but that
was where | wished I'd only had two
that / could carry-it was all con-
| fusion.
AS soon as / got on the boat train
it pulled out for the Care du Nord.
While we were waiting one of the
Greek business men from the boat
asked me to dinner on the diner.
The food was plentiful and excellent
and | ate heartily for which | was
thankful for / didn't have another
meal for "a hours.
At Calais we boarded the English
Channel boat, run by British, not
French, and in all my foreign travel
experience / never yet had seen any
thing more poorly organized! Mud
ding through" certainly does apply
to the British.
(Unless Pm married within two
months and have reported to the
police Immediately after the cere-
mony l shall be sent to prisonD
As soon as the boat docked al
Dover the worst blow of all felli ]
had no English change with which
to tip the porter and it was physi
cal impossibility to carry the bags
myself!
While standing in passport line
had approached an American man
35 years or so, of the American
Friends Service Committee Che wore
grey uniform and arm band which
identified him) with my problem OF
baggage and no small money, and he
definitely gave me the brush-off