Evening star., 1947-03-09

The steamship backlog, in both di-
rections, has remained critical. Thi.
factor will throw an extra load oi
tourist travel on airlines. Trans-At.
lantic airlines also will be drawing
a new type of pass s~nger-the mer
and women who have only two week.
of paid vacation time for trip tx
Europe. This is the first oppor.
tunity Americans have had to fol
low out that dream.
In connection with the tight ship.
ping accommodations, the Ameri.
can Express Co.'s travel survey fol
March points out that the State
Departments recent easing of pass
port requirements for tourist trave
to Europe, making mandatory the
of accommod odations abroae
and return passage obtained in ad.
vance, sis offering disappointment
to thousands of prospective ses
travellers"
This tourist agency says: "A sur.
vey Of ocean carriers shows large
liners solidly booked through Sep.
tember, with a west-bound backlog
through october. A late estimate
from travel and steamship officials
shows approximately 1890 persons
now on the waiting list"
It will be months before thu
Mauretania, scheduled to re-entel
passenger service April 26, will bt
able to offer her accommoda
to the average traveller. In announc-
ing last week the date on which
this 1,l53-pasSenger liner will re-
sumo express service on the NORTH
Atlantic run, Cunard White .Stal
disclosed that virtually all the ships
accommo modations through the height
of the summer sailing season have
been assigned to applicants from
the lines long waiting list, in dats
order OF application"
Il X r. X
Surveys from time to time are
informing American travellers oi
conditions in Europe, as they change
for the better, and one of the mos,
interesting of the recent appraisals
was compiled by American Air
lines. 1t tells the uninitiated visitor
of customs of several countries
outlines currency and import-export
regulations and gives hints on how
the typical American should con.
duct himself in the host country
For instance, of Denmark it says:
'It might be well if you were
posted on native mannerisms sc
that you can conceal possible as
tonishment. Danish women, for ex.
ample, smoke cigars-but these
cheroots are small, very choice ane
in every way ladylike. Elaborate
courtesy is also a matter of custom.
But for the purposes of this ar.
ticle, the following excerpts touch
on living conditions as the tourist
would find them:
Great Britain: At the moment
England is going through an after.
math of the war that is nearly a.
wearing on the spirits of her citi-
zens as the W. bombs. Essen.
tials such as food, clothing anc
housing are acutely short. :.
Rationing continues in full force. AL
food except fruit, fish, vegetables
and coffee is under ration control
Except for restricted fare, in public
eating places, rationing does not
concern the visitor staying at 9
given hotel five days or less, as ra~
ton cards are not needed. If you
are staying longer, you will neee
a ration card, easily obtained.
Service and appointments in restau-
rants are up to standard, but there
are things you should know to gel
along well. In order to be sure OF
eating, it is advisable to make res
ervations in advance, and to get te
the eating place before the fooc
runs out. Hotel space is a
major problem. Reservations should
be made well in advance. You
should take your own soap and
towels.
Denmark-Its just little amazine
that Denmark could go through five
full years of German occupation anc
come out as unboWed as she is
Denmark has fast gone back to nor
NAL in many ways. Right now
the country has the fattest larder ir
Scandinavia. Food is plentiful, rich
and wholesome. All Denmark
restaurants are of top standard.
There is a geneal shortage of hotel
accommodations throughout Den
mark, and in Copenhagen particu-
larly. Stays are limited to four tc
six days. Soap is scarce and there
is no hot water, due to the fuel
shortage.
Holland-Even as you approach
Schipol Airport, outside Amsterdam
you'll realize that Holland saw
plenty of war. Rotterdam and The
Hague have come out of the wal
with great areas Of bomb -fattened
rubble. Only one hotel in Am
sterdam was hit, but capacity Is
limited. In most cases there is hot
water. and towels are available, but
little soap.
Sweden-No country in Europe
has higher standard of living.
On arrival in Sweden you will be
supplied with ration cards for the
three days meals in restaurants and
public eating places. If you're stay
ing longer, the Food Ration Board
will supply the needed rations.
Food is becoming more plentiful. :,
Swedish hotels are good, and the
service and food fine. But at pre-
sent, the hotel space problem is
much the same as in America
they're full to the caves with Swed-
ish guests, vino evidently feel this
is good time to Set Sweden First
Ireland-Ireland is working hard
to improve its facilities for accom-
modating visitors. Due to her
own agricultural resources, the food
situation is far better than in other
parts of Europe. Rationing is lin
tied to butter, sugar and tea. All
restaurants in Ireland serve good
meals at reasonable prices. Ho-
Als are comfortable Though soap
Iess) and the rates are lower than
n America. There are no night
clubs in Ireland.
France-Tn recent months, her
'ecovery has been rapid. BY the
standard of normal times the food