THE JUNGFRAU, FROM INTERLAKEN.
The broad walnut-lined Höheweg, a beautiful avenue, leads down across an old-fashioned, massive stone bridge to a street set aside for markets. Here, during the forenoon, is a miniature Petticoat Lane, only the people are all clean, picturesquely dressed and decent. There are no rum shops, reeking with the vile odors of stale liquors and still staler tobacco smoke; there are no intoxicated men and women. Everything is quiet, orderly and well conducted. But the variety of articles offered for sale is something astonishing. Here an enterprising woman, as stiff and formal as the high white cap she wears, has a small stock of dry goods spread out on the pavement for the inspection of the picturesquely dressed peasants, who trade their milk and farm products for clothing material. A little further on you will find a complete assortment of boots and shoes, of all kinds and conditions. There a man has a hat store and a junk shop combined. At any place, almost, you can buy specimens of Swiss skill in carving. These stores or exchanges are all on the street, along which it is difficult to thread one’s way, so crowded is it with buyers and sellers.
These narrow, crooked streets are lined with houses built the Lord only knows how long ago. The long beams that cross each other in the front of the houses are carved and cut in every conceivable shape. Sometimes the artist was a little ambitious and attempted very elaborate work, not always successfully, however, for the heads and figures that adorn the fronts of some of them are grotesque to a degree.
Interlaken is the starting point for most of the mountaineering parties that visit the Bernese Oberland, the chief point of interest centering about the Jungfrau, which is forty-one hundred and sixty-seven feet high. The ascent of this mountain, which, though very fatiguing, is not dangerous, was first made in 1811, and between that time and 1856 it was only accomplished five times. Since the latter date, however, it has been made very frequently. We did not attempt to explore the icy regions, so far above the clouds, being perfectly content with our experience at Mont Blanc.
Interlaken is the great distributing point for the vast quantities of carved goods made in this vicinity. There are a number of large factories in the city, but the greater part of the work is done in the little towns near there. The displays made in the large stores are wonderful, some of the pieces being the work of genius. While every possible subject is treated, the carvers have a passion for bears, the heraldic emblem of some of the Cantons. You will see bears of every conceivable size, and in every attitude. Whole parties of them, playing billiards or cards, or dancing a quadrille; bears standing, sitting, lying down; bears everywhere and doing everything. Some of this work is wonderfully well done, the lines and spaces being so delicately cut that it seems as though a breath would break them.
WOOD CARVING.
On the way from Interlaken to Brienz we passed through little villages, whose one street is filled with wood carving establishments, and almost every house between the two places has a small factory for the manufacture of these pretty trifles.
