Between Zurich and Basle we contrived to get a little relief from the excitement of new scenes. We had really been surfeited almost with the richness and beauty of our surroundings for so long a time that it was a relief to allow the train to speed on, and to get into a corner and contemplate and rest. We arrived at Basle in the afternoon, and found it a great railway centre, and indeed, a very important town, both for commercial men and for pleasure seekers. It is a great centre for cyclists, as there are at least forty castles to be seen within a radius of fifty miles. You can be in Germany in about twenty minutes. From the north, east and west, a number of the most important lines of central Europe are focussed here, and swelling to a mighty mass, branch off again in every direction to the interior of Switzerland. Thus inner Switzerland is laid open to the world’s traffic and pleasure. The surroundings of the city are very pretty, and we saw it when it was most charming, i.e., when the autumn tints are seen. Here we see field and forest around this grand old city in all the glory of the season’s attractions. We were advised by the manager of our hotel in Lucerne, to go to the Hotel Victoria in Basle, so we secured the usual fakeno to carry our luggage across, for it is only about two hundred yards from the station. We were, however, disappointed in the hotel and its management. They were neither obliging nor scrupulously true or honest, the very worst treatment we met with in all our travels.
However, our stay was short, so we determined to make the best of it, the bedroom was good; and, although close by the station, we slept well. We decided to see the city the day following; and going out, we soon found it to be a great centre of commerce. It has a population of about one hundred and thirty thousand inhabitants. Great silk factories rear their heads in the centre of this great city. There are also manufacturies of chemicals, tobacco, machinery, etc.; also some very large breweries. It is said to be the wealthiest town in Europe, measured by its population. It has plenty of open-air spaces, as parks, gardens and monuments; cool avenues and well trimmed gardens are plentiful in the suburbs. We went to see the wonderful Rhine which flows through Basle, and we stood on that wonderfully constructed bridge of which the poet writes:
“A voice resounds like thunder peal
Mid dashing waves and clang of steel:
The Rhine, the Rhine, the German Rhine!
Who guards to-day my stream divine?Dear fatherland, no danger thine,
Firm stand thy sons to watch the Rhine!
They stand a hundred thousand strong,
Quick to revenge their country’s wrong;
With filial love their bosoms swell,
They’ll guard the sacred land, mark well.While flows one drop of German blood,
A sword remains to guard thy flood.
While rifle rests in patriot’s hand,
No foe shall tread thy sacred strand!Our oath resounds, the river flows,
In golden light our banner glows,
Our hearts will guard thy stream divine;
The Rhine, the Rhine, the glorious Rhine!”
For some time we stood and watched the rolling river flow by until tired of watching, we left after I had taken a snap-shot, and retracing our steps to the market, a place of peculiar interest, as everything seems different from our English ways. The stalls are set out differently, and their fruits, vegetables, pots, flowers and shoes, indeed almost everything you can need, we saw in the great space of the market here in Basle. The curious customs, dresses, language and money were all strange; and we thought the dress of the country folk was very quaint and queer. We spent sometime in looking over this great place, so many things offer attractions; without however, making any purchases save a few post-cards and a little fruit for our immediate use. We strolled on to the principal streets to note some of the very fine buildings that adorn the city. The Post Office is an imposing building, I should say it was partly ancient and partly modern. It is a Gothic building and seems to be well suited for, and capable of dealing with the work it has to do. The House of Parliament, or shall I say Government House, in the great market square, to look at it, it seems to rise terrace-like, up to the Martin’s Grasse; in the centre of each terrace is a court, round which the halls and the various offices are grouped. There is a fine statue close by the stairs representing a Roman pro-Consul, who had to do with the founding of the city. Of course, we must see the Cathedral. In all the continental cities there is a Duomo or Cathedral, and many of them are well worth a visit. The Cathedral of Basle stands on an elevation and consequently shows itself well. It has two steeples, not very lofty but very pretty. It dates from the year 1010, but has been restored and very nearly re-built, as there was a great fire which destroyed a large part of it in the year 1185. Again, in the year 1356, there was an earthquake, so serious that the vault of the central nave fell in, and the upper portion of the choir was thrown into the Rhine. Over the entrance is a fine stone gallery, and above this a very large window, with Madonna and Child in fine colours. There are several fine pieces of statuary inside. The Emperor Henry II. and his Consort Kunigundi, in colossal figures. To the left of one of the steeples is St. George in the act of killing the dragon. To the right, or St. Martin’s steeple, is a figure of St. Martin sharing his cloak with a poor beggar. On the side of the nave are some very fine works of art in sculpture, such as four life-size figures of the “Four Evangelists”; there is St. Peter and St. Paul; “The Seven Wise and Seven Foolish Virgins”; “Christ, as Judge of the World”; “John the Baptist and John the Evangelist.” Above these are seen angels blowing their trumpets; the dead arising from their graves and preparing for judgment; over the doorway inside, “The Wheel of Fortune.” There is an absence of the confessional, the Holy Water and other symbols of the weakness of the faith of the Roman Catholics. We were greatly interested with our visit to this, one more of the Continental Cathedrals, and especially so as one of the men who played some part in the great reformation lies buried here, I refer to Erasmus. He was a learned divine of the fourteenth century. He published some very fine pastorals and works of theology, that even now are considered worthy of reading. It does not seem that he ever joined Martin Luther in his crusade against the Pope and Popery in general, but he became a staunch protestant. It is said that King Henry VIII. offered him a church in Oxford. He travelled much, visiting Rome, Venice, England and Paris. He ended his days here in Basle, and in the sacred precincts of the Cathedral his dust reposes. The “blue house” is an attractive building; it was the residence of the Emperor and Empress of Austria during the war of liberation, at the beginning of the nineteenth century. It has a fine front and commands a full view of the river Rhine. The museum is one of the quaintest and strangest I have ever seen. It is said to be the most interesting museum in Switzerland. I cannot pretend to tabulate all there is to be seen here, only indicate some of the most curious: “The dance of death,” “Tankards,” “Bowls,” “Carved Altars of curious designs,” but very costly; the gold and silver plate belonging to the Cathedral, many trophies taken in war and weapons also. There are ancient household implements; also several important heirlooms of Erasmus; some fine figures of Samson and Delilah are to be seen at the entrance.
“The Strassburg Monument” in the Elizabeth Gardens, close to the Central Railway Station, is a fine sculpture in white marble (I took a snap-shot) by Bartholdi, and was presented to the city by Baron Herve de Gringer, in commemoration of the assistance given by the Swiss in 1870, to the citizens of Strassburg when sorely pressed by the enemy. The Zoological Gardens of Basle are very extensive, and so far as I know, are the only gardens of this description in Switzerland. The way to it is full of beauty and interest. There is also another place some people might think important, we did not—that is the Crematorium. Many other places of interest in and around this fine old city, we had not time to visit, our time being limited. We could not help being struck with the fact that the ancient landmarks of this old world city are fast disappearing, and old buildings being pulled down and new palatial ones being erected on all hands. The crumbling walls of the middle ages are fallen; the moats are all filled in; narrow streets and alleys are being swept away in the onward march of time; and the broad squares and commodious dwelling houses are being put up. The beauty after all, is the rolling river Rhine. We closed our account at the hotel, wrote up our journals and prepared to leave this interesting old city. We left our hotel early in the morning, and were soon seated in a train for Belfort, in France. We had to cross the Rhine over a fine railway bridge, and as we crossed it we had a good view of the river as it rolled past. It comes through Alsace and Lorraine, the territory ceded by France to Germany after the great victory achieved by the latter, in the year 1870. The scenery, since leaving Switzerland, is less rugged and mountainous, but the foliage, in its autumn colours, is very pretty. A couple of hours brought us to the town of Belfort. It has now a population of about thirty thousand. We could see first of all, it was well fortified. The castle has a fine appearance in the distance, as it stands on a rocky eminence; something like our castle here in Nottingham. There is a fine old parish church (the religious element is well represented wherever we find ourselves). It is a manufacturing centre, especially for mats, but also wax tapers. There are several large breweries. This town was surrounded by the Germans in the great Franco-German war of 1870. But month after month it bravely, resolutely withstood all their attempts at capture; and although both food and ammunition became scanty, they still held on, until by sheer force of lack of provisions, they capitulated in February, 1871, to the great satisfaction of the Germans, and to the chagrin of the proud French. The Germans, in their generosity, and as a recognition of the bravery of the French soldiers, allowed them to march out of the town with full military honours. It is one of the towns that closely border Alsace and Lorraine of the Haut Rhin that was left to the French at the annexation in February, 1871.
CHAPTER XVI.
At Marseilles: Our Hotel; Meeting Mr. and Mrs. Green and Mrs. Martin: The sights of the City: The Cathedral, etc.: En route for Mentone: Toulon: Passing Nice: Cannes: Arrival at Mentone: Our Hotel: Meeting Mr. and Miss Brown: The scenery, etc.: Visit to Monte Carlo.
Our visit to Marseilles was made in the earlier part of the year, also to the Riviera. On reaching Marseilles after a long and tedious journey, we proceeded to the “Grand Hotel du Louvre et Paix,” that we had previously arranged should be our stopping place, during our stay in the city. The hotel ’bus was at the station and we were soon safely inside and our baggage on the top; through some rambling streets we soon found ourselves at an hotel of no mean pretensions. The front is facing a very fine street, and is of massive proportions. Inside is even better than the outside. Everything up-to-date; lovely chandeliers with electric light; mirrors, carpets of the richest and best quality; writing rooms, coffee rooms, dining rooms and several hundreds of bed rooms. We just looked round and got the number of our bed room and were about to step into the lift, which had just descended, when to our surprise we met face to face, a dear old friend of ours, Mrs. Martin, of Glasgow, and she was apparently as much surprised to see us. We hurried through our toilet and went down stairs to learn why she was here alone. She told us her father, G. Green, Esq. (a very dear and almost life-long friend of ours) was returning from a visit to America and the West Indies, and she expected him and Mrs. Green arriving at Marseilles at once; indeed, she was just going down to the docks to see if the boat was in. In the meantime we had lunch, which just then was very necessary and most acceptable. We wanted to see a bit of the city, as our time was limited, and we could ill afford to lose any of it. We found the shops fairly good, but prices very high for anything that was worth having. We omitted spending at present, so went back to our hotel where we met Mr. and Mrs. Green to our great surprise and pleasure. After the usual salutations, etc., we wanted to know each other’s programme, to see if we could not have at least a few days together. We had arranged to go on to Mentone, and had booked hotel beforehand; they had decided, with Mrs. Martin, to go to Cannes the same day, so we arranged to return from Mentone earlier than we had thought, and visit Cannes; and they arranged to stay at Cannes till we arrived, and have at least two days with us. So they left us for Cannes after having some refreshments. We further explored the city; the population now numbers nearly half a million, it is the next largest city in France save Paris. There is a grand Triumphal Arch not far from the railway termini, erected to commemorate the French campaign in Spain. The docks are most extensive, as they cover an area of about one hundred and seventy acres, and they must have cost many millions of pounds sterling. On the south side of the city may be seen, a long distance off, “The Notre Dame de la Garde.” It stands on a bare rock hill. To reach it you pass through an enclosure protected by iron railings, you take tickets and get into an elevator which quickly raises you over three hundred feet. From here, however, you have to reach this curious old Cathedral by many steps. When you have just gained the summit, there is a very fine view of the city at your feet, and of the Mediterranean Sea, with the graceful curves of the coast line lending enchantment to the view. The island of Monte Cristo is also well in sight, reminding you of Dumas’ novel. It is said that, on the spot where this church stands, the Druids celebrated their crafts and mysteries. Inside there are some very fine columns of blue marble from the Alps. The ceilings and walls are hung with pious offerings, commemorating strange deliverances at sea. There is an image of the Virgin in the shape of a flying mermaid, appearing to a ship in a storm. The Cornish Road or Chemin de Centure, is a great attraction, as it runs along the coast for a long distance, indeed, it is said to run along the coast to Naples, following the sea all the way; curving and jutting out, just as the sea has apparently found the bays and the promontories. The principal streets of Marseilles are very broad, and there is some lovely architecture. I give a picture, as I took the snap-shot of what stands at the junction of three or four of their main streets. The city is well surrounded by hills, covered with vineyards and oliveyards; and the country round, for some distance, is specked with white country houses. Our stay is of short duration, so good-bye to the port, to the shops, to the Cathedral. Our hotel bill is to be settled, and, this done, the great lumbering ’bus is awaiting us. We say adieu to our French waiters, boots and Concierge, and are soon at the railway station and in the train for Mentone. Leaving Marseilles we noticed the scenery began to be rugged and rocky, for some distance. The sea, however, was a great attraction, the blue Mediterranean is I think always pleasing to look at; and we could feel the pure bracing air as it came up from the sea. About two hours brought us to an important station called Toulon. This is said to be the Plymouth of France. The dockyard and fleet of Toulon were destroyed by a British force under Sir Sidney Smith, detached from the fleet of Lord Hood, in November, 1793. There is a wonderful history attached to this city, which I have neither the time nor the disposition to enter upon. Our train was delayed here, so I dismounted to get some oranges, when, to my dismay, the train moved on and left me hatless on an open platform. However, I found it was only to move to the tank to take water. In ten minutes’ time it returned, so set at rest my little wife’s troubles and my own. We soon left behind us this apparently prosperous and busy town, and were again surrounded by hills and the sea. Landscapes of bays and promontories, rocks and ravines. To my mind I have seen nothing in all my travels (and I have been over four continents) to equal the stretch of coast and country from Marseilles to Mentone. It is beyond all question the loveliest part of the fair land of France. On all sides as the train steams along it is pretty, gay and captivating, as the sunny shores are washed by the rolling sea, and an azure sky is overhead; and beyond, in the background, you can occasionally see lines of lofty hills crowned with eternal snow. As we passed the various stations, as Nice, the scenery becomes richer and more beautiful. Lovely avenues bordered with flowers, winding through the plain; and shady footpaths meandering among fields of asphodel and lavender. As we passed St. Raphael Station we noticed a very peculiar formation of the sea-shore. On we sped through the most beautiful scenery, palm trees began to seem plentiful; the first I saw looked so lovely I took my camera and got a snap-shot; but as we proceeded they became quite common. At Nice, the races were just over, and we saw numerous horses and horsemen leaving the race course. We had passed Cannes, and after which, Monte Carlo, and soon reached our destination where we remained for a few days (Mentone). We had selected, as was our custom, a hotel beforehand, this time it was “Hotel de Mentone.” So on the arrival of our train in the station we looked out for the hotel omnibus. We were surrounded by porters to carry our baggage, and almost a quarrel ensued which should have the job. However, we were conducted to the ’bus and very quickly driven to the hotel named. We found it all we could wish, indeed, the most comfortable and best managed we had found in all our travels. The manager, M. C. Husson, is the very acme of kindness and attention, our wants seemed to be anticipated and met most expeditiously. Our bedroom, large and airy, facing and within one hundred yards of the blue Mediterranean; the garden full of the most lovely palm trees. My little wife said: “this is like paradise.” The climate of this lovely town is very mild, and fogs, they tell us, are unknown. It is surrounded by an amphitheatre of mountains, consequently no north or east winds affect them; the hills intervening between these Alpine Mountains and the town and the sea, are covered with gardens of the orange tree (in full fruitage when we saw them January 18th); also the lemon and olive tree. Mentone is a favourite winter resort for English visitors.
In our hotel we found some interesting people, some of them from England; and those who could speak English were to us, more than usually interesting. We seemed to be specially drawn toward a lady and gentleman from Southend-on-Sea—a Mr. Brown and Miss Brown, his daughter. She made herself particularly useful and nice to my little wife. We were strangers, and all about us a strange tongue was spoken and new customs in vogue. Miss Brown most kindly offered her aid at any time and on any point that was desired. This was most gratefully accepted, and in a few days we were fast friends. A correspondence has been kept up since we left, so that in all likelihood the friendship formed in Mentone will be continuous and pleasant. We took our walks each morning along the fine promenade in the clear fresh sunshine and bracing sea breeze, so we could feel we were gaining strength and getting a real good bracing up. We took lunch, more than once, at a sweet little Swiss restaurant, everything was scrupulously clean and sweet. We visited the Park Gardens, where the band was every day discoursing sweet music. These gardens are filled on two sides with orange trees; and as we passed them the fruit was just lovely, ripe and ready for plucking. The borders and beds were full of the most beautiful flowers in full bloom. I got two or three snapshots of this pretty place and surroundings.