From New York to Jerusalem, or Notes of Foreign Travel - Softcover

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1881 Excerpt: ... VII. INTERLACHEN, GENEVA AND CHAMOUNI. Leaving Lucerne by private conveyance (called caleche in the language of the country), we pursue our journey past Alpnacht and Lungern, and the Sarnen Sea, over the Brunig pass to Brienz. The trip occupies one day and is full of interest. It is useless to try to reproduce to one who has never visited Switzerland the impressions made upon the mind of an observant traveler by the sight of these towering snow-mountains and peaceful green valleys. The view, as one stands at the highest point of the Brunig and looks down into the vale of Meyringen, is simply indescribable. But as we have only just begun our tour through this land of the Switzers, it will be best for me to measure my words very carefully lest I exhaust all the expletives and adjectives in my vocabulary before we have accomplished half the journey. Brienz is a small place lying at the head of the lake of the same name, where we spend the night in a comfortable and cozy little inn. Sailing across the lake after supper, we ascend the mountain a few hundred feet to a plateau whereon stands another hotel, in full view of the famous Giessbach Fall. The view, however, is not very "full " just now, for in the darkness of the night we can only just descry its dim outline away up the mountain side. But we have come to see the fall illuminated, so having paid the exhibition fee, we take our seats in the hotel ground and wait with the rest to witness the illumination. After a while we see lights moving up the mountain, one after another, each assuming the position assigned for it, until a half-dozen points from the highest to the lowest part of the fall are occupied. All ready, bang! goes the signal gun, when presto change! and the entire series of cascades is ablaze wi...