Golden Days in Many Lands

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLI, Issue 13, 23 September 1908, Page 20

Golden Days in Many Lands

BEING STRAY NOTES OF FIVE YEARS OF TRAVEL.

By

WINIFRED H. LEYS, AUCKLAND.

IRON ROME TO MARSEILLES VIA GENOA AND NICE.

IN following ihc coasta' Idllti- 11'0111 Rome. w<• -.1 \ g< |< H 1 bye in I lie it.X <»1 tile legion- and till'll "111 1 Il'Hlght - t " 1 l)"-c <it icXX b"-c pl'iwi 1 -' ha- been W'll nil ho-,. harried the i'xrrhen •an mid the .Mediterranean. who with tile Saracen-. and won surrounding i-lmid- and who-c 'i- we|f known and feared a- fai '"ii'h a- lae < oa-1 of Northern Africa, ami who during the holy war -mt men •• - fa r ea-t a - S\ ria. I ha \ e done llm |oiirn« x twice once bx da\ and "lire o night <-\pr<—- and if the da\ be in»t too hot those are \er\ plea-ant hour- indeed in which we -peed along, at : !i , •]. t,. t lie coa-t that xx <• h■■ -k ■ nil • ■ the b'.iie I\ ri henia n Sea J lid r mil a L 11l j " t tile i-land-'!"I l e| '• X. r \ hel f and there. '-"Hie lime- tiic train wander- a little in and. .1 nd «plee| l -ll.lied "hi I o II- .lie -cell pci he.| h_h on iitllc 11ills town- that in ii -1 .na\c known m.iiix a -i< when Italy wa- livided into iriiiieniu- repub ie -. 1..!- h of lhex r town- ha- a watch to.xei, n > 'runiblinL and 11-eh —. bill ••I Alia! I irnifiidoii- importance in itda\ ii .- nd hard to gm--. Before I. I ( !•>"'■" the line pll-he- -Ollie For a A’llie • e e>~e - .'J il I o| |||c -C.l. bill-" Oil rail- t" u- ajaili a- we pau-e al I olh»iiiea foi -par,. enough to look ■ a ’ a’ I. I i i.i .in' i uix • ■ . i thought to the great it.'n who pa - -cd -onir month- ■ m apiixitx. Ihxond thi-. Ihe nuti'rd ii'dock- are left behind, and on j train e.i r i i<•— ii- through tin It <i an train- have an iincoinforf a Ide habit 1 ii'X'-i ng t" a ic-tiiliant . ,tl, \\ . had had -Him expeiicJire ot

thi-. Inn llm train that carried n- on “>n da\ jouriiex up from Rome wa- the most erratic wo had -truck. It would ‘•liter a -lation. pau-e for a few minute-, and then da-h of]' again -o that w,. feared to alight in search of a nival. Further <»n. it would re-1 a him di r I \ a rd- or -<• out of a fair—ized station, leaving u- -tranded amid a -ea "t rail- and shunting train- for well nigh ha If a n hour. When it propo-ed t” do one thing and when the other w<- never knew. Ihr re-till was that w e ''•■lp roll I illlia II \ ru-hilig out of the re-t a urn nt.- r'utrhiiig -onic unwrapped

leg or wing ot cold chicken, a spectacle fully calculated to raise the cr\ of “Stop thief!" In thi- manner, and in the -pace ot a coiiplr of hours, we <<dlecled a chicken here and a few r<dlsoincw here el-e. a carall’e ot wine on one platform and a glass further on. and eventuallx with a bunch of grapes added to our little -tore we did not tare so badly. All thi- while we were running along i>‘9ir to the -ca. ami at San Vincenzo .2ave a parting glance at the island of I'Jba. showing up round the promontory of Piombino. Northward- we went, never

far from the lovelx blue waters, until, turning a little inland, we calk*.l a halt at Pisa. sb'epx. dreainx Pisa’ once ma-t«*r of Sicilx and Sardinia, and rich enougii to -‘Mid her galley- to Syria in the cause of th.- ( rusade-. and powerful enough to •I'-tA Genoa. But her .lay. though gloii oils, was brief, tor she wa- no match for Genoa when the Genoese were rca.lv for her: and Florence was her friend onlv >o long as Florence hem-lit.-d bv thi- con nc‘ li<m with the -ea coa-t. so'that when the yoke ot lii-.any fell upon her shoiil ders she never -hook it off. Hie tourist pa-e- her hurriedly: -he is too -leep\. too dead, and all that reniainI’"' 1 ” may be eomfortablx -ecu “ ueen the -topping of one train and -"hedral. l,et„„rk ‘■apt i-tery . her ns I.•ailing tower, all Vlllsler tooether in the almost .leserte.l 'azza del Dnomo on ntskirts of the !' '' t,lat '' “ie ■eaiititnl eolleetion of hnihliiigs in all "a'y ami may he it i, true, for the softh Hilled marble whieh from Iwing sno»ll ' l ' 'loepi'll.sl into the shade of ivory, eontra~t, in ,„osr sttakimz mao ''"'''he 'lull red roof. „f ,1,;. and (he dark green of the mountains. At. "tie end of the long basilica shaped ehnreh i" the e\ ( pii-ite roundoff I»a pt isterv to Which the Pisan mothers have brought "'A bal 'ie, to be baptised since the • y 1 ; •" 'he Other end rises the tali leaning campanile. Who shall .a v whether it leans by accident or design: nml yet the scheme of the open galleries 'h H encircle it is so dainty and so ap. par-ntly fragile that it is hard to Isdieve that Bonanno ever designed this beantiinl work as a trick tower. Truly, his " I’hm of a perfect work, atid the lower of Pisa would achieve that ideal Il only it ,1,,0,1 erect. So to me it seems more satisfactory to think, as ha- been 'Ugge-ted. that when Tli t . fliird galh-ry iHid been completed, tin- foundations on lhe <outh -ide sank, ami that, in later years, instead aba n.doning fin- complpI1“|| of the tower. Bi-m-nabo and William "t Innsbruck did their best to r.-ctifv the mi-fortmic b\ restoring fin- balance on I he upper stories. "iip might with pleasure sta\ awhile 3,1,1 'l'-eani in Pi-a. around which are gilhcied many memories <>f the poet Shellx : but we ha-t.-in-d on along the Riviera di l.exante toward- Genoa. Inhere 1 '’»• “live clad -lopes of the mountains tonic <o close to lhe Mediterranean that ,H| i - I rain rushed along on a h-dge. from which wc looked directly down upon t Inpebbly shore. When the mountains sternly impeded our path, we d.i-hed boldly through them, and came out again ‘»n to the rocky coast. Many are tin- To.x sheltered little towns amid lhe orange and olive groves that attract the did.cate the idle during the wint.-r months. But these we passed swiftly by. catcuuig licet ing glinip-es of their umbrageoi: ; loveline— as our train rushed in and “ 1, l tunnels, until with a final plunge into the dark earth we came out at

Ri*ing fiom lli« water trout, in .* m*ihicircle. Genoa i* built terrace ilmim* terrace on tin* sloping hill-ide-. The older part- of the town have the very narrowed street- that rival any lam* yon ever -queez.ed through in the tenor <»f a night ma re. Looking down some of tin* wider ones, yon may -ec women hard al work at the public washing tubs, and raising your eyes you will not in* the draggled, only partialis .lean linen st rung across tin* -treet from one window to another. But from siieh an alley it is only a -tone's throw to tin* Piazza Fontane. the Via Garibaldi, and tin* Xia Balbi, the -drcets occupied almost e\ clusively l»y palace*. Wealth and pox • rt y ruli -boulders indeed in Genoa. I hex are no paltry -hams thc-e marble palaces that tell the story of the day* when the Geiioc-e were as terrorised bx their noble-, as wer ( . their neighbours the I-Io rent im*s. I p the magnificent marble -taircas* - wo may walk, and oxer the •lippcry polished floors H f tin* deserted ’nail* and corridor-, for some of I h<* pal ace- have been turned into nm-cums ami other- are open to the vi-itor. Streetof marble palaces! No wonder Genoa wa- *■ I.a Snperba " in those da y s of her great prosperity, when she had po--**< -ion- in Syria ami Cyprus and ( on-tanti noph*. ami her trade had u-tirped that of I’i-a and tin* chain that had guarded the I’i-an poit hung a- a trophy within her city. Iha t was the generat ion (1 f Genoese to which ( olumbus belonged, and awe p**s his -tatm* erected in the Piazza Acqnaverde we think that tlmy mu-1 have been a brave race who >.xm* ( | -m h a fra ide*- spirit as their -on. There is. after all. milch -amene-s in palace-, and a- I In* cit y possessed no school of art of it- own. the w<- - n . upon the palace walls are the work- ol Rubens and X aml \ * k ami ot her ma-tors that the Gen oese |>aid well to visit them. In Genoa there are some very firn* church**- a- xvell a- gorgeoti- palaces: mme the !<**- I have often wondered xxhx < harles Dickens -elected the outskirts of this <-it \ as hi* h<*a dqua rf er- during -ex oral month*, for La Superha though she might be called, she is am! she ever wa-. eommer. fal. Certainly the hand ef com nien-e cannot -hut on the glorious sunshine. for this is the gateway of th** land <»f Italy. But. as tin* story of the adven Hirer. il In* be hraxe. is attract iye. so it ixxith the history of Genoa. Hundreds of her own sons sei out from her harbour on tin* lir-t crusade again-t Sala lin. din*

adx **nt nroiis spirit of these -ea fa ring people \x a - touched. and tiny went, fought nobly, ami -m (-ceded in winning t fieir wax into the holy city. I lien 1 heyleturncd' to their oxx n citx Imaxilx laden xxith booty. In fin* - u I »■<< •<, 11«• 11. ■•in-aih*-t iie Genoese look little part. foi their energies were l»\ that time exerted in 1 hi’ plundering of the Spanish coasl. and • •- taldi-hing 1 ;iem-el x e- among the most powerful rover- of the Mediterranean. I alike Pi-a. Genoa ncycr 10-t her mari

I iim* I r i |c. a ml I o da \ t he < i aoi a i the Im-icst people o| th** -miny land I hex ha x i* no I iim* l o < 11« a hi pa-t great lle-s ill X II thex m*x er Tad. But ibex -1 retch their hand- to welcome ami -(•ceil I lie laden x <*-~<*|- to ami from I heir xvell equipped ha rb«mr. XI on it 1 i ng up ami up by a cable ea r from t he I ’ia zza della I ceca to t Im height- above Hie town known a- t Im Righi. xx e obtained a splendid x i«• xx of tin* harbour, protected from the roller-

'd ' I pen -ea by most «*\|cii-ix e brc.i k " ;l 1 ■-• and packed with -hipping ot aII "•'lion-. lim l.iigli-h. the limmh. the German. I In- the Italian -ailor"|l, ill tills. th,. 1;,,'-,..! ri 'Oly. mid th,. .-1..;, |J,|„ ~f t |,,. , |s ' !.■ yrriii lin,. r . t u h,. ~|„,a |. ,| 11,,,,,. •""! "liv.- oil. ;,|„| Vlll-iolH '■l' l "'"- of 11111 1111 f; 11' 1 oood. i. t|„. the C,.n0,..,. , h( . i,,.,, ' ' ll " ' Sllllll I 1,,- ||,0,|,0 I, Co „ lakl . l"■ | l'•■"l.■ l l<• their | Illis nii|„,.|„o ooinetorx i. I, | h , ll1 '" 'lil.ui. li.niiio tho '■l"|'|O 10, tho .or.no. ol tho y, I.X th,. oolonn.i.lo. „| UI . , '"'"'■l liun.lio.l- of the monument. ~f 1 "■ " 11 , '. x ■ "ohic ale nolde ami ph*a - l "’ 2 - xo ""‘ merely o-t en Ia t ioi i-. and lho-c -tatm-- whi.-h -hoxx the inarti-tic bdd- ot modern dies- ; i H . scandx h*--> Ihi' mu-eiini of modern "Tilpture I- cerlaiiilx interesting, ihoimh "ill -a.x xxhx all this car.- to ghwi lunknown names of those xxh*» ' onh*rr**d a benefit upon t Imir h'll"" " <‘it her by t hcii deed- or i" l'*"-l I" bid farewell to wI! bout ea lIX mg axx a x from om- ot t|, •" 1 l"‘ Galleri.i Xlazzini -om.- little l' l,, ''‘ "I the linelx «a lx ed filigree -ilxer " l,irll ’ 'i- < itx of . ominer, ia! inter e-t- om* xiexxs .is ,i gleam of the arti*- * ll "id** that is hidden sonmw her** in ih'* dept hs ot cvcrx Italian nature. ' hie bright ant morning xve sef I"’"' Geno.i f..r m.-.mipli-hurn ’ IIJ 1 'I* 1 ? luHf Ihe journox along Ihe Rix i ' ,|;l " I'i’ h i- surelx t In* most dclig it fill ‘ ’ra in rout c in tlm xx *u Id. Ihc formation of th” hills is smh that thex it-* graduallx from the -ea. t hn- tlm !adw ax 1i a. k i- cut mil of | heir loxx est "lopes, .uni tlm embankment- an* xxa-hed b.X the lapping waxes of th.. V( . 1? ldue-1 '''■ l tlm sun excr shim*- upon. \~ w.-pa--cd along on that autumn morning we looked down upon -trctclh*s ofcarna t io” beds, tin* plant- groxxn pra.Ti.allx tin* -ami. ami carcfullx trained *»x*i '’ring trames. In the -pring ami xxintei ’ l"‘ Rix iera lloxxer market is ,| soui. e ’’ gteat prolit. Fa. h ba x ha- its lit t I,* town o| xx hit.* h< m -cs rising Imi a. ■■ nhoxe terra, e lip th.* hills. ;tm| bidding ’•'•'■"ell to om* wo would plunge through a pi oje. t ing point Io . onm out al its neighbour in the ba x luxond. Ihc hill■ll,‘ ol ,i rod s.dl and nitiirallx xerx liar '•‘ii Imt cult ix .i I i<m has *u iron nd**d the little town- xxith palm- and green I reede-. I ipt ion. and in the gard.*n- * limbing i o-es and lloxxei ing s| u uh- m.ik I noble -hoxx

< >n<* meets with <jiieer folks on such a train as the Riviera express, but as most are purely holiday-makers, they show more signs of amiability than is the general rule, with train companions. On my first journey from Monte Carlo to Genoa some years ago. we fell in with a young Englishman, who. as an example of our country man. beset with a fierce determination to be amiable at all costs while abroad, was perfectly irresistible, liast ‘year*. while doing the reverse journey from Genoa to Nice, our carriage companion was a young German cavalry oflicer, who. though he had never set foot in England, spoke our language* with great ease ami iluenex a fact which so often impresses one when abroad. Becoming confidential. In* told us that when he got his furlough he came each year for a Hutter at Monte* Carlo, limiting the* amount he risked to what corresponded to £5O in our money. When his few days had elapsed, or his money melted, he proposed to visit his no doubt adoring mother, who was awaiting her son at a favourite* resort on one of the Italian lakes. But he* candidly admitted that the dreamy beauty of Maggiore would

soon pall upon his dashing instincts, and after having eased his conscience* by two days of attendance* on his mother. In* intended to bid her farewell ami pass northwards for a month among the* joys of Paris, which he* had apparently fairly well sampled already. At Vent imiglia we* b ide* farew ell to I tidy, and entered Prance. There* seems to be* some* evil genius lurking on this border' stat ion, w hie h has twice conspired to make me* miss my train. On tlie* first occasion bv not taking into account the* fact that our train kept French time* on arrival, and Italian time on departure, we* were* loitering at the far end of the platform, when the* whistle blew. and. as we* sank breathless into our seats, the* train moved emt of the station. On the second occasion, by injudiciously over-pae king my portmanteau. and it having the misfortune* to be the* one* selected for examination by the Customs’ official. we barely got through the* gates as the* train moved off. and we* would have been left lamenting but for the* consideration of the* engine driver. who. seeing a party of wouldbe* passengers bounding over the* rails, cased Up a little* and allowed us to jump a boa rd. From Ventimiglia the* winding route* along the* coast brings us quickly past Mentone, and Monaco to Nice*. In this, the* most popular of the* Riviera resorts, we* stayeel for several days, making excursions along the* coast to the other towns. But. though one* gets a picture* of the beauty of t he* tow ns and of the* long shady boulevards of Nice*, and its magnificent promenade*, none* the* less, out of season. Nice*. Monte* Carlo. Meantone. Beaulieu any one* of these gay winter resorts is dull. They are playgrounds. gardens, in fact, planned as a setting for gorgeous freaks, and for merrv laughter, or for the dawning smile* on the face of the* invalid who. Ileeing from the* bitten- winter winds of Northern Europe* feels. among so much sun shim* and brightness, new strength ami light heartedness come* to him. Nice, however. is not epiite* so dead ill the* summertime* as Cannes. Monte Carlo. or Mentone, for it possesses a line* harbour, ami its shipping trade is a large* source of its prosperity. But. emt e»f season.

the hotels on the* long Promenade des Anglais that overlooks the* sea are closed, ami on the* promenade itself we met only a handful of ieile tourists like* ourselves, or a few <»f the permanent residents. We appreciated the beauty of the place, and felt strangely at home hi tiie* public gardens, so full of our ow n New Zealand cabbage* trees, but the whole* Riviera had the* air e»f a lovely maiden of mediaeval days, who, in all her lonely Iwauty, is patiently awaiting the* return of her absent knight. As the* time* for the* return e>f her patrons approaches, the Riviera begins te> be*deck herself. Streets are freshly paved, new grass is sown em the* lawns, and Hower beds grow gay with the* premiise* of bloom. From Nice an electric tram-car takes erne* along the* hillsides te> the* little* towns in the* bays that lie* between it ami Monte* Carle). So it is an easy afternoon\ outing to go over te> the* famous little principality, or. if you are* anxious to have longer time* to spend at the Casino, the* train eloes the* journey in less than half an hour. Truly, it is a garden, this Monte Carlo. Every imaginable* form e>f vegetation seems to flour-

ish. Palms and flowering shrubs she!” ter the* house's, ami in the exquisite gardens that surround the Casino, bright bedding plants blaze* in the* emerald grass, and at every turning the* scent rises from the* flowers, as varied, as they are* beautiful. So protected is the snug little* town from cold winds that at times when the* trees an el shrubs of Nico, and even Mentone, suffer from storms or frost, those of Monte Carlo get off ‘’scot free.” There* are many indeed who regret the* gambling element that keeps large* numbers of visitors to the* Riviera away from this beautiful little town, for from the point of view’ of its climatic and natural attractions, it is the* gem of the Mediterranean. Monte Carlo is an off-shoot of the reel and white* town of Monaco, and is built terrace above terrace on the sides of the* hills, that slope down to the blue bay of Monaco. Many of the streets that rise* from one terrace to another are formed by winding steps, ami the hotels and pensions and villas are built of so ornate* a character as to resemble* each one* a small palace. And so the* little* town clusters, enibeddeel in palms and

green trees, sheltereel by mountains and by the* rocky promontory, on which is the palace of the Prince of Monaco, and washed by the waters of the blue Mediterranea n. One evening we dineel in an hotel in Monte Carlo, anel after dinner wandered up to the Casino. At the* door I was refused admittance by a much uniformed official, who politely informed me that I

was not permitted to enter unless 1 was wearing a hat. Somewhat abashed, I ran back to the hotel, and procuring a hat, returned to the Casino. Beyond the formality of presenting a card at the office, there* was no difficulty in entering the salles des jeux. Only two of the great saloons were open, ami in them both roulette and trente et quarante were being played. But here the absence* of the* world of fashion was most conspicuous. In place of the magnificent-ly-dressed women who throng these rooms during the winter months, there were a number of shabby men and women of a very low type, gamblers of the most inveterate order, who sat around the green tables throwing on and gathering in their little heaps of gold and silver and notes as the ball spun round the wheel and settled in a number. The players showed no excitement, and most of them were scribbling in little note books:

no doubt working out some supposed to be infallible system by means of which they hoped some day to win a fortune. One man never raised his eyes from his calculations, but in an undertone gave instructions to a girl who sat beside him, and who, at his bidding, distributed the heap of bank notes that lay in front of her. So far as one could judge, no mg sums were being either won or lost. On the outskirts of the players a few onlookers like ourselves hung watching the trend of the luck. But of excitement, brilliancy, intensity, there was nothing. On the whole, the sight’of those rows of particularly repulsive faces huddled round the long green tables, the monotonous cry of the croupiers, the throwing on and raking off of money, was disgusting and wholly wearisome. From Ni?e, a few hours’ run, this tim* not. so near to the roast, brings us to the busy seaport of Marseilles. We were not very pleased with the cobblestone paving of the streets of the largest seaport of France; however, there is a gay air about the Promenade du Prado and Lo Cours Belsunce and the street of flowersellers. The scent of the lilac will al-

ways call to my mind the first day I spent in Marseilles, years ago in the springtime, when the almost overladen Hower carts filled the air with the odour of the lovely blossom. We went to see the shipping, where the masts are as numerous as the trees of a forest, and round to see the fishing fleet, packed so so closely that the boats resemble the little fish which their nets entrap; and several times fc.j luncheon we had a fry of those little sardines, fresh from the blue Mediterranean. In the afternoon we wandered into the cathedral and to the art gallery, and then back to the Hotel du Louvre et de la Paix, where it was.aniiising to see the passengers from the various liners assembled in little groups for afternoon tea. Towards sunset we took the lift up the rocky hill to Notre Dame de la Garde, the church with the tall tower surmounted by a gilded image of the Virgin, which the sailors petition for a fair weather passage. From there we looked down upon Marseilles. But turning our backs on that work r» day world, we could imagine the sun setting in the snug little bays we had left behind all along the coast from Marseilles to Genoa. And a great wave of regret rose in my heart at the thought that I would see them no more, and something very like envy gripped me when I remembered the hundreds who in a month or two would come trooping down from the cold north and live and laugh and love and grow strong in those delightful little towns by the Mediterranean shore. Next "Week : HOLLAND—THE HAGUE AS A C ENTRE FOR EXCURSIONS.