Interesting Tour Abroad

Southland Times, Issue 22734, 9 November 1935, Page 17

Interesting Tour Abroad

LETTERS FROM MISS MAY O’BYRNE. In recent letters from Miss May O’Byrne, Dalrymple Road, she describes her tour of the Continent and lavishes praise on the accommodation everywhere. . While in Nuremberg, she says, a visit was paid to a winter garden and dancihg was enjoyed on a glass floor which changed colour during the dances. Between dances excellent artists performed and light wines were served. While in Prague and Budapest the weather was perfect and in travelling through this part of Europe golden crops were noticed with the women working in the fields and carrying big loads on their backs. Beautiful wild flowers were in bloom alongside the railway lines, and people were minding large flocks of geese. At the Grand Hotel in Prague the bedroom walls were tapestry covered, and brass ornaments decorated the rooms which were complete with lounges, telephones, writing paper, running water and five sets of electric lights. In spite of this luxury additional charges of 1/6 to 2/- are made for baths. In Prague, too, is to be seen the interesting and much-written about clock, in which the ornamental figures move at the hours. A skeleton rings the bell, a door opens, and the figures of the twelve Apostles appear in turn. At Budapest a marvellous choir was heard at the Coronation Church, the singers being from the Opera House. This city boasts of wonderful swimming baths and it is said that 30,000 people could bathe at the same time. Sunbathing is the craze, and the men and women are very brown. One of the baths produces ocean waves—most interesting to watch. The Danube river is extremely fascinating, and there are 15,000 private boats on it. Public gardens are beautifully laid out, and phlox of all shades seems to predominate. The name Budapest is derived from the names Buda and Pest. Buda is the old town with the residential quarters and castle, and Pest the commercial centre, with the Danube flowing between. St. Stephen’s Church and the Parliament Buildings are outstanding, the latter being built of Hungarian marble. In Vienna the party with which Miss O’Byrne was travelling was met by the Deputy Lord Mayor at the Town Hall, a huge place with large arched gateways through which the large chaiabancs passed with ease. There are many magnificent buildings in this most interesting city, including 105 churches. On a trip to the Vienna Forest a halt was made at the 200 years old house wherein Schubert composed some of his famous songs. A visit was also paid to Baden, the famous health resort in the hills, with its strongly smelling sulphur pools. From here Miss O’Byrne proceeded to Munich, Cologne, Brussels and then to The Hague, where she stayed for several days with sisters of Mrs Scandrett, Bowmont street, Invercargill. Later Miss O’Byrne returned to London and from there visited Paris, and while there had the good fortune to witness the operas “Thais,” “Lohengrin” and “Rigoletto.” The shop windows and the people in Paris all seemed very smart, but clothes were most expensive. Visits were paid to Versailles, Fountainbleau and Barbizon, the lastnamed of great interest as a place of residence of many famous artists, among whom was Millet, who painted the well-known picture “The Angelus.” It is of interest to know that while in Munich Miss O’Byrne motored out to Oberammergau, where the Passion Play” is produced every ten years and there’ met and photographed Anton Lang, who has taken the part of Christ several times. This interesting little village is situated right in the Bavarian Alps. After returning to London from Paris, Miss O’Byrne toured Ireland, Scotland and Wales and visited many places of interest in the British Isles. A wonderful sight witnessed in Dublin was the military tattoo, with fine bands, and over 200 horses taking part. While in Dublin, Miss O’Byme was fortunate in procuring a letter of introduction to the Lord Mayor Aiderman Byrne. She also met. his daughter, whose name, by strange coincidence, was May. Also in Dublin she met Mrs Mansfield, Mi- B. P. Mansfield’s mother. These people did much to make her stay there interesting and enjoyable.

A visit was paid to the dry dock on the Clyde in order to see the new luxury liner Queen Mary, which was at that time having the engines fitted. Miss O’Byrne mentioned that John Brownlee was appearing in the opera “Koanga,” taking the part of “Koanga,” with Sir Thomas Beecham conducting. Mr Brownlee was being well received. Among the Invercargill people Miss O’Byrne has met in London are Mr and Mrs A. Derbie, Dr. and Mrs Bums Watson, Miss Nancy Nicholson, Mr Paul Longuet and Mr and Mrs G. Tapper. Miss O’Byrne is continuing with her refresher course with Professor Frederick Moore, also attending lectures and concerts at the Royal Academy, where Miss Janetta McStay is studying. Miss O’Byrne plans to sail from London for New York on November 22, and will visit Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco, sailing again from the latter port by the Mariposa for Auckland via Honolulu and Pago Pago. She should arrive in New Zealand on December 27.