THE CASUAL TRAVELLER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 254, 20 July 1908, Page 11

THE CASUAL TRAVELLER.

JOTTINGS BY A CLOBE-TROTTER. A' RUN ACROSS EUROPE (By IV H. 11 Wood:) ; ; ... . * ( y .. . ' vlf : J!'; remotaber; right, the' last article •: I. wrote you Tvas m reforonco to China, and posted al; Colombo.- Since then I havo visited many-Countries, all l very, interesting to roe, but I 'liavo . refrained from writins you in, , 'reference'-'to them, or my experiences 'anjl, impressions, ...lost; they should-'f ail to interest jour .readers. •• ...,.■ -Nowxl am in. London after an absenco , of.'forty-ono years, and feel like a sort of Rip Van Wmkle. Evorythmg is so altered • frbm-^liea' I -;list saw it, that ■ . XTamipractically a stranger in my oivn. laud. I:have;no\v .been .hero, a week,: having tra- . .vblledvthrough,'. afid. stayed :a. short time in each ■of-i tlio following countries, : viz.:, From BortiSaidj. through Cairo, and ;Alexanuna in Egypti'Cvisiting; of course; r tho Pyramids and everyi-'othor plaeo .of interest);■ thence., bj EtodiVal mail steamer . Saidielnto Constan- ' tuiople,:calling and Athens. -,:I Athens on :tho. Greok Gopd' Fiir day aild Easter Sunday. On tlio former all the ■ flags ■ worn at half-mast and . tho city . in ;inijdrhiHg, . whilS-6ii' ; Eastor ..Sunday all the bolls-woroi.ringing.on slioro, and ; tho ships : bells iiyid'gongs 111 tho harbour.: and at tho whdrresv were .kopfc , going most vigorously . ■ The : oily i was gaily decorated uith flags and garlands of flowers; all the_inhabitants w ero hi -gala attire; and. lambs,, decorated with flowers,-wore roasted whole on-the footpaths and iil thb .roads ancl sold, thnro was general rejoicing evidenced, on: eveiy hand. li?fkctl;it w'aS : a "most interesting,and excit-. ing scene. ■ Guns were kept constantly firing, and thousands of crackers and small bombs wriro exploded. .I.visited tho Acropolis and other •points, of interest in Athens, and got ' passport vised thfcro by tho Turkish Coniiext port- was' Smyrna,! where thore are Somo magnihcont marblo rums/'ineludthe famous Genoese castle, etc.. Oil arriving -at'the.cntralico .to the Dardanelles, ' our captain'had;':ventured too near: without i "• ; first having obtained a permit, or . patent, and the Turks fired two shots across our i had'at oncofto go astern>and i ■ waitifdr 'the Government -officials'?.visit-and i ddcto's-irispectibH. -The passage through | the Dardanelles was' mosti'intfirestiug.. -v | T I ' At Constantinople. On arriving at ' Constantinople I was favoiir6d:by having ; tli6 assistance of the British : Constil's Bpeoidl ; iavass; .a'gentleman-in most ■ gorgeous. uniform,;, brass swortf, "etcy'whoat ■'■ : :''bncer^-tisoK:'-chargS; ; got my.Muggage through' the Custom; and,took me up.to the • i rdsidciid'e: of/Br.M'Lean;(an;. erstwhile■ New ' ZeaMdbry; : \vith'whom'and his'family-I spent. '■■ a m'ost ; delightful oight days, having special : iSciliiies;f6i'; steeirig; everything kindly placed • ; : :isi' : ffiyosky by 7 'thos'o'in'authority.-- 1 went through the Bospliorus to the . . : ]Blabk;Sea, : ;ai)d,-I think "saw,, everything' there 1 that could .be seen in tlio.-: .' >' ,timeXa€''my"disposal. , | ''' ■uCofisidntinople'' is'; a 'most,; interesting ■ city, ■ m&rele'sjebially to'antiquarians, 1 but thesmells we:'.abominable, and the herds of mangy dcigk]?(the: only city scavengers) made tho liigfits Cllidcous with .their-' bowlings ■ and ' . '~ quarrelling. ; Most: of the Greek women are • and good-looking; the Turkish la- ■ - ' diesykre?6losely veiled,-'but their, eyes,'.which; one-is permitted Ao see, are .most charmingly dsifigfcrdiis■ and expressive., • .■■.■■, ' VPeraJ: Gllata North, the Golden Horn, and ■'.tfe\tbwn >of Skurati, atid the .Turkish ba- . /iifirs^kph'have their separaW.arid''distinct /ch'SrhiS;"while the famous mosque,,of Saint : " , •:SBphi|;'-:'Which • wo 1 , were permitted to -visit, 'tKrbiifih the courtesy and:intervention of the ■ British Embassy, is a building one can never forget.' ' I will': not-attempt-a. description, bijt.ithis; so'vast that you could put .St. . Pauls'; .Cathedral; in§ido-;«it. 'It 'is built' nearly all of marble_ and alabaster, showing the .'most lovely specimens of mosaio work in -« ( 'I'-ct/t y/ Overland to Budapest.- " ■' iFrbin^Constantinople I .went,-overland to' Budapest";;;a, v distance,of 860' miles, by train/ . -The'train.service;is very good,-and-well conducted,' and the'carringes are very comfort- • able";; - ■ . '■ surprised 'at. not seeing any . fences , r all -alotig-.the line, or as far as .the eye'could ' „ Bee;:t6,: right- and left ofthe line;.the>land and, well;-cultivated. ■ ...Crppijofcevery-description, were growing- luxu- ' v .herds'<of ";'- : ', as also. l abeut,'ap'par- ' shepherds-little orjilo'trouble in Jobking after tliem,'.although ( . •' had) any' dogs' to ' • ' ; . . ' ■ . ;: -,:l|udapest )s_ a-most charming ciiy io visit, < .with fine buildings, wido p-treets, ■ splendid public and private gardens; >md tlio mostvlovply women, and.,ho'rSes, in' the world, -.Hungary, being greatly celebrated, the ,world 6v,er r . fot,tho beauty of; its womeii'. and-horses; , .> '. ItjiS',;a]s9. considered,' and I believe correctly, ■ foj.bo-.tho most .licentious city' in the world, Prfrts . .: ,jy,v .. al jn,many other.cities I.have visi- :■ t-, ,1.-recieivcd . tho greatest ..courtesy and ■kindness.from tho British Consul and n'.em-bwbof-.'.tho: Press;' I wits'honoured by » Gallery .while a debate was on,^bufc'as it-was in Hungarian I' could i'ot-, of,cdntSe,;understand.a word ;of it! ''■■ all ovdfvthe ; House .of Lords and Parliament House; 'magnificent -buildings built,of marble, at a cost of over tivo million ■-/ . pounds; ; and • • said- • to_; ; be tho"- finesfi' in the - . world. ■ ; I was-shown through-noarly every room in • the King's palace, which is also built of 'mar- .';' ,:, ,ble,while -tho 'furniture;? paintings by ivorld- ■, fimod:'artists, silk, and wool,tapestries and embroideries baffle description. I also 'saw -.Prince Joseph, and his-handsome wife, tlio visited various points and build-, ' :■' irigs :bf interest,"had a trip up the Danube, ,and/'altogqther had a' most, charming' time ■ thefe,;;aiid -nas yory sorry to leave it. , '' ; : Frozp Budapest, I went by .rail to Vienna, a;:dist&nce, of .about' 240 miles, and spent a vory.; pleasant time ;. going thence by ; riiil:to,Paris, a:distance of 931 miles,'travol--1 ling,through ; parts of Austria; the Austrian .. Swiss' Tyrol, i tfirough'pr between-mountain-ranges covered wiuv''.§n.QW, '.the; drift! coming, right', dgwn to' tfte:;,rii]way dinepassed, :SomV. lovely .'Swiss ■ . ' lakes, and; .quaint ..villages;, went • through. one tunnel,'; eight'.- rfailes longi arid taking 14 minutfesjtp into Innsbruck,; a mostcity; and . 50.,0n ,to- Paris, where. I speiit a most delightful .Tveek. '■/■ Notesjfrom London. . . .i ■ ui have sinco put in a: very busy week in -Lonabnivand. thanks tho- of tlio,iHigh-Commissioner (to whom 11 had a ■ , loiker;pf introduction)/ and tho. members of :, the; ;Pfess i'AssQcintioii,.. I-havo--^eon-iavourod %'iW|a'^tions<tq;an'Borla : .pffanotioiis t ipri-' ; and public, have,been put down,-as lion, member. of the .Eccentric 'and 'other' good , cijibs; and;am .in a fair way of being spoilt, OncFriday. I attended -the ; Royal" Naval and - 'Military-tournament; at the; Olympia. : Tho Eihjraud-Queen of England, accompanied by ... the .Princess Victoria, ;and s largo suite woro pre3erit;.*nd remsined' for tiro and a half . Bours;;■ ■ ■' ■-':.; .;^l.:,thdught'the King looked very old and weary; ifyut the Queen looked almost as young . .. eis.JPnhcess Victoria,' and-was most excited ' - and enthusiastic 6ver the different events, ;■ ; ,-;I-was,present- ; the,bthor.day at tho Grand ■.' Empire Concert, .at the Royal Albert - Hall, which was thronged with a gay- and enthusiastic audience of about 10,000, I took - the opportunity during' the 15. minutes' intor- ' vftl of-renewing my acquaintance with Jvliss Ada. (now called Madame Ada) Crdssley, who received, me most graciously,; and kindly invited :mo:fo her hotel so.that-she' might iiitroduco ma to her-hiisband, an invitation I promised -to accept on my return from Ireland.: . ■: ... vOri my '.tolling her..l.-.was writing a letter *• to The Dominion newspaper, New Zealand, she said, "Ohl pleasp givo my Ncty.'Zoaland friends :a, message from .■ me. : Toll them 'I sliall. t nevor forgot their kindness,to;me, on . mj':last .visit, and that, I am>looking forward ■ witK-kebii pleasuro to sceing'them again in-a few months time.' " Madame Crosslny. is leaving .for; Sydney on September 8, and Will afterwards visit Now