ROUND ABOUT EUROPE.

Mataura Ensign, 26 January 1912, Page 7

ROUND ABOUT EUROPE.

A COLONIAL'S IMPRESSIONS. * THE TOURISTS' .RENDEZVOUS. V -ST Lucerne claims to be the most impor-. tant tourist centre of the country, and this may be conceded, even if its further claim to be "the metropolis of the travelling world" is questioned. It is essentially a summer resort. We had noticed on the way, especially at Interthat many of the hotels were ■shuttered— the season was over. We ■found we were late enough for Lucerne, ■though there were hundreds of other

visitors, for the weather was getting cold and the migration was coramen" ring. Lucerne is of course quite a considerable place, having a population of between 40,000 and 'oO.OOO, and can "put up" from 7000 to 10,000 visitors. rhere are fine shops and numerous at:ractions for the entertainment and xlification of the- sight-seers. Besides ihe Kursaal, there are several museums, the Hofkirche or Cathedral, •with a famous organ (concerts given daily during the season), the quay or promenade, a glacier garden, Alpineum, and so on. There are two famous old covered bridges over the rushing Reuss which makes its way out of the lake in the centre of the town. They are extremely picturesque and there are some curious old paintings inside them, one series representing the "Dance of iJeath" and being rather grisly. The liUcernees appear to be fond of paint, and many of their business premises and houses are adorned with frescoes, some of the work being exceedingly elaborate. It looks well while the col?u 8 a £ 6 fres}l k ui seems to accentuate «"? 1 shabbiness of old and neglected buildings. There are numerous fine excursions from Lucwne by road and water to such historic spots as Toll's Chapel, Altdorf (the scene of his alleged exploits), Sdnvyz (from which townlet Switzerland takes its name, and Andermatt, Brunen and other good centres for mountaineering. There are also many funicular railways in the vicinaty, one in the town itself being the gjhortest and steepest in the world—it is ■bout 150 yards long, and the little ■wain, looking for all the world like a ray on a wall, climbs up to its terminus m about two minutes and a-half. Sad to relate, in my survey of the city I was almost forgetting the "Lion, of -Lucerne," its most celebrated curiosity and which as a subject for wood-carvers runs a neck-and-neck race with Tell and the national animals, the bear and chamois. The wood-carving, by the way, is magnificent and would open the eyes of our craftsmen, amateur and professional. This lion is sculptured mi a wall of rock 60 feet high and is devoted to the memory of the Swiss Guards who sacrificed their lives in defending the Tuileries.

Two Hair-Raisers. it. Perhaps the most popular excursion , in Switzerland is that to the summit of t the Rigi. This was the pioneer mountain line, being constructed between 1869 and 1872, Vitznau, a prettilysituated village on the Lake of the Four Cantons, is the starting point, and is reached by steamer from Lucerne in about three-quarters of an hour. The ascent takes a little more than an hour and a-quarter. The train consists of a queer-looking engine and carriage of peculiar construction necessitated bv the the line. The first part o'f the journej is through chestnut groves •and with evidences of wild flowers everywhere though not many were blooming. Suddenly an immense prospect of low and hill lands opens before the enchanted vision. Every bend discloses some fresh scene, and presently the line, which had been skirting the mountain on the lake side, brought \is ,to.a spur commanding a view of thousands of acres of white fields and hun--dreds of glittering peaks. We were now among the snow, and though the day was a brilliant one felt the cold severely, while the sudden change to the rarefied air was a little trying to some of the passengers. Steady climbing soon brought the terminus in view, and a few minutes' walk through the snow found us at the actual summit, - £905 feet above sea level. We had , never been so high in theVorld before. Here now lay before our ravished eyes One of the grandest panoramas known, embracing a stretch of country 180 miles in diameter and including no fewer than 14 lakes and scores of towns and villages and many of the highest r alpine peaks. It was a scene of surpassing grandeur and marvellous beauty no P en or brush or camera could - doj Safe justice to, and will ever live in the mwnory of those privileged to wit- . ness it: During the summer season hundreds of people spend a night on the mountain in order to see the sun rise—a gorgeous sight under favorable circumstances, it is said—but grand as the panorama was we were not sorry to find that we could limit our stay to half an hour. . The descent takes as iong as the climb, the engine going in front and instead of pushing the car-1 K Tiage up, holding it back—hanging in the breeching, as it, were. The mean gradient of the line is J9lft. in 1000, •which is regarded as a mere trifle in 'railways *f/ the kind but is quite enough .£ or .anyojfe but an aeronaut. After a spell of two or three warm days, which'melted the early falls of snow to a fgreat extent, we made the ascent of * Klatus, on the. other side of the lake. ,3Lt is a bolder and more, thrilling line than the Rigi, climbing some 6000 feet in as many yards. Pilatus is a grim, iacarred veteran with little attraction Aeyond the view excepting that some 'Comparatively short walks from the ter- . minus lead one to various other vantage I points. The view is not regarded as so as that from the Rigi, though the j height is greater, being very .little short lof 7000 feet. Both mountains can be readily climbed by those having plenty 'of surplus energy on hand. Fingerposts point the way, and for the greater Ipart of the distance there are good paths.

' A Southern Centre. i , Our week at Lucerne was over all too "soon and a move had to be made for 1 Lugano, on the lake of the same name. ' The train journey of some five hours , must be pretty, well a record for tun- ' nels, and includes the famous St. Goth?ard bore of 9i miles in length, second r only to the Simplon, which is about 12 \miles long. The trains have been elec- , 4rified for the latter, while the smoke {nuisance eta the St .Gothard route is very objectionable and takes from the k enjoyment of the wonderful engineering t and remarkable scenery. For some l mflea we run along the lake-side with I typical Swiss views for company. LeavI fag the lake we proceed for miles up the P picturtequp valley ' of the Reuss, a f ''rantmi/roarin'" stream with fine I water scenes, cascades tumbling down I /the mountain-sides in all directions, t*6ome of them being of extraordinary I leight ani\ beauty, while tlie native

good tasto 15: o_r.r>mp!iiii\t in tne numerous artistic br.egcs. (>r,o notices here and then? thru. th-y enormous water 'power has boon utilised to some exigent and recognises i::ai: if the possession of _ such, power won the .sine qua non of industrial greatness Switzerland would be rut- manufacturing country of the world. Porhaps it will be when'the other c-ininyies' <;n>at coal measures give The train is no sooner out of one tunnel th-.n it rushes into another. Several ace of spiral construction, e-ch of these involving a considerable climb. We pass and repass a village which owing to the windings of the .line seenis to be changing its location lin a surprising •■avhion. A little later ithe big ntnrtel is entered at a height ;of 378G feet and the .rain takes about 18 minutes to pass through. Beyond it we find the watershed of the Ticimo. I Moro tunnels, a gloomy gorge, more ! waterfalls, a fertile valley "with chestnut groves and trellised vines, and still more tunnels. The people become Italian in their speech and ways, and on pulling up at Lugano we find an Italian town with narrow, winding streets dirtier than those of the northern centres and possessing the peculiar aroma which clings to all places occupied by the Latin races. The shops have arcades where much of the trading is done and the artisans are to be seen at work. But on the hillside are beautiful villas and gardens, and on the lake front a well-planted and carefullytended quay and many fine hotels. The alluring title of Paradiso is claimed for the "West End," and the widely-adver-tised "Indian summer" of Lugano, as the late autumn is called, proves a sure draw for the tourist in search of a benignant climate. There are many such. We met one man who had wintered in Madeira, Tangier, Nice, Egypt and other places and was in search of the ideal climate where man can live under perfect weather conditions the year round. I recommended a certain locality in New Zealand which shall be nameless, and the suggestion was noted for future consideration.

Swiss Sidelights. Strange sights are occasionally to be seen m Switzerland. In crossing the Bernese Oberland, for instance, we noticed at a station a fine St. Bernard dog harnessed to a small cart. Presently a man appeared literally staggering under the weight of a huge "milk can. He placed this on the cart, started the dog off at a smart trot, ran along and then hopped on to the cart himself. No wonder the animals have to be muzzled! Subsequently we found that the dog milk-cart was in common use in other parts. The bullock is greatly employed for draught work, not only in ploughing in the fields but in carting on the roads. Instead of the long string of bullocks to which we were accustomed in the early days one animal or a pair is usually employed, and they pull very big loads. They are invariably shod with thin iron, which is brought up through the cleft in the hoof and turned over. In the south mules are largely employed. Many of the bridges are roofed,'but these'are old structures, and the appearance is very quaint. Women do a deal of work m the fields, especially in the South, and they also carry huge loads on their backs in wicker creels which are strapped round the shoulders and under the' arms. In many places round the shores of the southern lakes and on the banks of streams the women are to be seen washing. They kneel in a kind of wooden trough and wash on a plain board in front, say 2ft. 6in. square, the furthest part of which Tests in the water. They put plenty of "elbow grease" into their work, "use a lot of soap, and liave of course an unlimited supply of water; but I was informed that the clothes were not a "good color," and much commiseration was expressed for the "poor things" because of the lack of the hot-water tap and other modern appliances. The job must certainly be a cold one in winter. (To be continued.)