TRAVELS ABROAD URGE FACTORIES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 117, 18 April 1939, Page 8

TRAVELS ABROAD

URGE FACTORIES.

IN STIRRING TIMES. MRS S. TRASK’S IMPRESSIONS. To be in Europe during the stirring days of King Edward’s abdication, the subsequent Coronation of King George and Queen Elizabeth,. and the Munich crisis was the experience of Mrs S. Trask formerly of Palmerston North, who has returned to the Dominion alter ail absence of two and a-half years. She visited Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy, spending several months in each country, but the beauty of England impressed her beyond everything, Devonshire and Cornwall being particularly memorable. Everywhere in the British Isles and on the Continent Mrs Trask found the people charming, sho told a “Standard” reporter. They were most, courteous and helpful, and though she was somewhat handicapped on the Con-

tinent by being able to speak no language other than English, she was able to find her way about quite satisfactorily. London was exploied with directions by policemen, and in Paris tho women tram conductors were very

helpful. 'file Coronation is, oF course, the outstanding memory of the trip for Mrs Trask. She had a seat on a stand near the gates of Buckingham Palace and the sight of the Royal procession coming down the Mall was unforgettable. The visitor was on the stand

for 12 hours. A Buckingham Palace garden party, tho Trooping ot the Colour and the Anzae Day service at the Cenotaph, in Whitehall, were highlights of her London experiences. Airs Trask was especially impressed with the beauty of the Duchess of Kent. She had also seen tho Duchess of Windsor, who was very smart but not so lovely. During the Munich crisis the iecling in London was very tense, but the organisation of air raid precautions was most complete and the city could have been evacuated in 24 hours. At the

time of the crisis schools were evacuated and hospitals cleared; business firms had duplicates made of their records and sent to the country lor sale keeping, and provision was made to billet in the country all Londoners who could leave, billets being allotted according to the number of rooms in each country house. Many people left their London houses and flats and took houses in the country. The welcome to Mr Chamberlain on his return from Munich was immensely enthusiastic, and both lie and Mrs Chamberlain received prolonged cheers when they appeared on tho balcony at Buckingham Palace with the King and Queen. It, was said this was the first time in history that a commoner and his wife had ap-

pea rod on the balcony with the Sovereign. On another occasion the traveller and her friends had met mechanised army units coming from Salisbury Plain and had to wait three hours .for them to pass. VISIT TO IRELAND. Ireland was a beautiful country and presented a prosperous appearance. In Dublin Airs Trask saw the famous Horse Show and the Flower Show, and visited Trinity College. Pheouix Park was beautiful and there were many fine buildings in Dublin with historical associations. By the invitation of the Lord Mayor of Dublin the New Zealander saw the drawing of the Irish sweepstake. It took three days to mix the tickets, which were put in barrels. Girls in wonderful costumes, many representing different nations, filled containers with handfuls from each barrel and these were emptied into large glass barrels revolved and the contents stirred by electricity. The tickets were then put back into tire smaller barrels and the whole process repeated throughout the three days, the draw eventually being made by hospital nurses. Airs Trask also visited Belfast and Cork and kissed her hand to the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle in preference to the more direct but precarious method of kissing the stone by leaning over the crumbling wall while being held by the heels, Thurtles, Wicklow. Connemara, the KBlarney Lakes, the Meeting of the Waters and Blaekwater were all lovely and unforgettable scenes

In Paris Mrs Trask visited theatres and picture galleries, seeing “Alanon Leseaub” at the Opera House twice and two Greek plays. She saw magnificent Versailles, where the King and Queen of England were entertained at a banquet, during their visit, and the exquisite Petit Trianon where Marie Antoinette had her toy dairy farm. At some special theatres in Paris the pictures had English captions. The Paris Exposition and the Glasgow Exhibition had both been visited, the New Zealand pavilion at the latter being very good. In the south of France the traveller visited Grasse, and Nice, from which a drive along the coast, through Yilla.FrancliC, took one to the tiny principality of Afonaco and the famous Casino at Monte Carlo. In Italy a variety of wonderful sights were seen at Pome, St. Alarguerita, Bolascio and Pompeii. Airs Trask did not see many other New Zealanders in England except at the garden party given for them at the time of the Coronation by Lady Alice Fergusson, Lady .Telliooe and Lady Bleclisloe, where she saw Air Hubert Carter and Afiss Stella Murray. She had seen a great deal of Aliss Nelle Scanlan, who had taken her to many places of interest and “seemed to go everywhere and do everything with untiring energy/’ Airs Trask said she had had a wonderful trip, but she was immensely pleased to he back in New Zealand after her long absence.