RECALLING THE PAST

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17185, 15 February 1930, Page 15

RECALLING THE PAST

HISTORIC PLACES VISITED

GISBORNE LADY'S TRAVELS

Paris, with its historic buildings, majestic cathedrals, beautiful .gardens, wonderful theatres, and gay night hie, appealed strongly to Mrs. M. Barlow, of Palmerston road, who returned to Gisborne last week after spending over 12 months abroad. Mrs. Barlow lett New Zealand with the intention ot visiting Franco, but later journeyed to Belgium, England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, seeing in turn the places of interest. During all her travels, Mrs. Barlow said to-day, her most pleasant experiences were in I) ranee, and particularly in Paris. There were so many old' buildings and historic associations in Paris which greatly impressed the visitor. , . , , . . In Paris •Mrs. Barlow visited the mint, the cathedral of Notre Dame, and the site of the old Bastille, now demolished, in addition to numerous other places ot historic interest.

The site where some American troops had fought in tho Great War had been purchased by the United States, and the battlefield was of particular interest to tourists, who were allowed to inspect the graves, 'lhe trenches had not been touched since) the war days, and tni some of .the tree stumps were to be seen fragments of shell. Mrs. Barlow was shown a stone in Chateau Thierry, at Lucy le llocay, which marked the extreme advance of tho enemy when they came within CO miles of Paris. The Javelin des Plants, a botanical garden near Paris, contained many beautiful and exquisite flowers and shrubs, and the Louvre, the historical Royal’palace, ’begun in 1541. and since converted into an art gallery, was considered the richest and most perfect example of Renaissance architecture m the world, Mrs. Barlow said. Tho gallery contains sculptures, pictures, engravings, and bronzes of considerable value. While in France, .Mrs. Barlow visited Grasse, which is famous throughout the world for its perfumes and soaps. Tho inhabitants there farm flowers, which are used in connection with tho manufacture of scents. Later she visited the battlefields of Belgium, and saw much of interest. From Belgium Mrs. Barlow proceeded to England, spending! some time there before travelling to Scotland, across to Ireland, and down to Wales. Afterwards she visited Coventry, Birmingham, and Rugby, and at Warwick she went through the historic castle. “One can picture Urn figures ot English history,” remarked Mrs. Barlow. “These magnificent castles appealed to mo "reatlv, and it was a wonderful sensation to visit the historic dwelling places of our makers of history.