Read Me First!

25 Jun 2008 | Comments Off on Read Me First!

Before you plunge into Hall’s journals, take a few minutes to find out who he was and to get a general idea of the itinerary of his journey. You can do that by first reading ABOUT HALL (look for the link at the very top of this home page or in the left column that appears on each page). Then maybe read HALL’S FRIENDS. BUILDING CONNECTIONS TO HALL also gives you an overview, but from another perspective.The rest of those links can wait till later. (I’m the daughter, in case you don’t know me.)

Mostly, try to remember that this guy had just turned 21 and thought he could conquer the world. In a way he did just that. Enjoy!

Category(s): July 1928

And So It Begins . . .

26 Jun 2008 | Comments Off on And So It Begins . . .

Tuesday, July 17, 1928

Left home Tuesday, July 10, 1928. Drove with Eleanor to Columbus, Ohio. Left there 12th early with Jack Lippincott and bummed to Cumberland, Md. by 11 PM. Reached Washington, D.C. the following day. Saturday I met Harry Fitzgerald who drove up from Richmond, Va. Stayed at his home over night. Sunday we all drove to Virginia Beach and tried to sleep on the beach but were eaten by mosquitoes. Boarded S.S. Clairton Monday and spent night on boat. Jack spent night fighting bed-bugs. Tuesday had a letter from Jean. Left Norfolk at 11:20 AM and sailed to Newport News for more cargo. Left at 5:20 PM. Now heading for open sea. Just passed British freighter.

We have decided not to get sea-sick. Beautiful sunset. Ocean calm. Just dropped pilot. Virginia Beach in distance.

Category(s): July 1928

Tag(s):

At sea on S.S. Clairton

26 Jun 2008 | Comments Off on At sea on S.S. Clairton

Sunday, July 22, 1928

Had perfect weather to Boston until shortly before arriving when it was misty. Saw eleven whales during the two days, including one who was fighting a sword fish.

Steering gear broke once and ship went in a circle. Docked at Army Base in Boston and Jack and I went into town to walk around. Friday it rained all day. We took a subway to Cambridge and saw Harvard, the stadium and went through the Zoological and Art Museums. After dinner read novel till 4 AM.

Saturday we went to town and received mail from Mother, Jean, and Uncle Billy Graves. Just before Clairton left at 3:15 PM , the S.S.Leviathan came into dry dock next to ours with 13 tugs. Sailed out in perfect weather and shortly after dinner, land dropped out of sight. Saw a shark alongside boat before dark. Started second book after dinner and finished it at 11 PM. Sunday perfect weather. Sea smooth.

Category(s): July 1928

Tag(s):

At sea on S.S. Clairton

26 Jun 2008 | Comments Off on At sea on S.S. Clairton

Tuesday, July 24, 1928

Monday a strong wind whipped up waves, but rollers weren’t large. Weather was cloudy with occasional rain during afternoon. After lunch we have a fire and life-boat drill. Jack, Geo and I are in Rudy’s boat, he being the 2nd mate. In the morning we helped O’Connor, 1st mate, with some discharge slips and cargo charts. Passed the George Washington at a distance of about 3 miles and could see her fine through the glasses.

Sunday I had read my third novel and Monday night I finished my fourth. Sunday we made 296 miles and Monday 287. The clocks are set ahead about 25 minutes a day. Today the strong wind again whipped up the waves and the boat rolled more than it has up to this time. Still no sign of sea-sickness. Captain brought a sailing chart down to us.

Most every night we gather in the lounge and shoot the gab. When Rudy is around the talk runs to the two things he is interested in—women and fights. He has had many interesting experiences with both. The Capt. is a great sport and tonight we were all trying all the match tricks we know. Finished fifth novel and started on 6th. We continue to have good food, but a great abundance of onions throughout.

Tonight it is very windy and cool. The moon is beautiful shining over the waves. Three boys came on board at Boston, Bill Richardson 22, Tom Hearne, Jr. 21, both of Richmond and Geo. Tomlinson 20, of Boston. They are all lots of fun, Bill especially. It is fun to listen to his southern brogue. He looks a bit like Duck Quackenbush but has a football build and he plays the game. Also acts a bit like Duck. I enjoy playing the victrola as it brings back memories. We get radiogram news every day at breakfast. My back and shoulders are peeling for the second time this year.

Category(s): July 1928

Tag(s):

At sea on S.S. Clairton

26 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on At sea on S.S. Clairton

Sunday, July 29, 1928

Weather has been cool and cloudy with a strong wind for the most part. The ocean has been a little wavy and rolly. The boat makes between 280 and 300 miles a day. We have amused ourselves by hunting rats, making horseshoes out of rope and wire, making a harpoon from an old poker. This latter is great sport. Many schools of porpoises come near the boat. These fish like to swim just in front of the prow. Thus it is not hard to harpoon at them. So far, we have been unsuccessful. Have finished 6th and 7th novels. At present ocean is pretty rough and ship is tossing about quite a bit. A gale of wind is blowing. We should sight Fastnet, an island off Ireland, tomorrow afternoon. About 200 miles off now.

Category(s): July 1928

Tag(s):

At sea on S.S. Clairton

28 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on At sea on S.S. Clairton

Tuesday, July 31, 1928

Monday was cold and rough with a regular gale of wind blowing dead ahead. Made (Sunday) 267 miles. Had a wash day and then succeeded in pressing my clothes—and without creases. I woke up at 4 AM today and saw the sun rise over the hills of Ireland. At the same time it was raining in the sea.

We followed the Irish coast all day and should be at Liverpool tomorrow morning. Made 253 miles Monday. The sunset was as beautiful as the sunrise, over the rugged hills of Ireland. Finished 8th novel. The sea is choppy and the small fishing boats are very picturesque against the barren hills.

Category(s): July 1928

Tag(s):

Manchester and Liverpool, England

28 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Manchester and Liverpool, England

Thursday, August 2, 1928

Tuesday morning we sailed in the bay past Liverpool and up the canal. Until we reached the latter, it was very foggy and cold. In spite of this many people were on the beaches. It cleared up as we started the 47-mile trip up the canal. Went through five locks and docked at Manchester at 10 PM. Although the town closes down at 10, we took a walk around. Had to press a little before going to bed at 2:30 AM and the clothes looked it. Today the customs came on board and sat in our cabin talking to us a while. Then we went to the immigration office to Capt. Crawford, the grouchiest man on earth. Bill sat on the counter and the old fizzle told him to get off, that it was a government office.

Carrying all of our heavy luggage with us, we sent cablegrams to our families and sent our suitcases to Scotland. Geo. had gone. The four ate lunch and said our adieus to Bill and Tom who had 24 hours to get out of the country. They left for London and Amsterdam. We rode the train 3rd class to Liverpool—36 miles in 45 minutes. Talked to engineer later who said we were making 70 per.

Arrived here; we parked our baggage and got our letters. Wandered about town all afternoon, going through a museum and seeing many large public buildings. Tried to buy a motorcycle at a reasonable price, but n.g. [No go, no good, narrow gauge, Nigeria, natural gas—take your pick.] Will have to use bicycles. We are on the boat now, in steerage, bound for Dublin. Our quarters consist of a small, smelly room full of gentlemen and women and children of poverty. In spite of my three hours sleep last night, I’ll have to sleep sitting up on a bench. Round trip, 240 miles, is 13/3. A radio full of rotten singing helps out.

The streetcars are all 2 x 4 and double-decked. Freight cars are only 15 feet long and the engines are small but fast. All of the autos are small. There are a number of American cars here. Streetcar was held up a long time because of a flock of sheep being driven down the street. I’ll get bumped off yet if I keep forgetting that Europe drives on the left side of the street.

We seem to be a source of curiosity. Whenever we stop, a crowd collects. Everybody stops to look us over. [Just take a look at how Hall and Jack were dressed and you’ll understand.] The Englishmen are interesting. Their trousers are short. Even laborers wear a derby. Most everyone tries to put on the look of a gentleman. Many wear winged collars or a scarf like a cravat. Their tight-fitting coat gives a ram-rod effect. They run very much to a type, in looks, a great many looking preoccupied or absent-minded. Everybody rides a bike, both men and women. It’s a job ordering food and counting change. Haven’t even had a drink yet. Sail in 5 minutes.

Category(s): August 1928

Tag(s):

Dublin, Ireland to Lancaster, England

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Dublin, Ireland to Lancaster, England

Saturday, August 4, 1928

Landed Friday morning at 8:30 AM in Dublin. After parking our luggage at the Y we finally found a place to eat. Things don’t open there until 10 and close at 10. The food was bum and cost too much. Next time I come over, I’ll know where not to eat.

We first visited the Trinity College founded in 1591 by Queen Elizabeth. It is built to form two quadrangles having a common side. The buildings are all old, but attractive.

We went through the Zoological Museum at the college. Next we walked to the National Gallery of Art a few blocks distant. Here is a fine collection of painting by painters of all periods and schools, from Benito Giovanni’s Madonna and Child to a fine painting of Woodrow Wilson done by [John Singer] Sargent. Next door was the National Museum. We had had about enough museums by that time and so hurried through.

The government building was next. All three are large and attractive with a large garden fronting the street. A few blocks more and we came to a pretty park, St. Steven’s Green. The National University was next and consisted of one large building. Took a tram to the other side of the city to Phoenix Park, the largest in Europe, 2,000 acres. It is beautiful and has among things a zoo and many statues, one of Wellington similar to Washington Monument, but only 205 ft. high. [Washington Monument is 554+ feet.] On way back we saw Guinness’s Brewery, largest in the world and Four Courts, a pretty but unkempt building.

Boat left at 8:15 PM so we got there at 6:30 and got a stall to sleep in. Steerage was packed going back, but outside of the smell, I didn’t mind. Got several hours sleep for a change. By noon Saturday we had bought bicycles and all accessories for £3/l5s each or about $18.50.

The roads were crowded for Monday is a national holiday, but the first 100 miles is the hardest and when we arrived at Lancaster a little before 8 PM having gone 56.5 miles, we were both worn out. [We do not know how Hall kept such precise track of bicycle miles traveled or, for that matter, miles on foot.] Found a room for 3/6, including breakfast (82¢). No lights and in poor neighborhood, but clean.

Lancaster is a dirty, uninteresting town—streets very narrow and twisty; no pretty buildings, only dirty old ones, and the streets packed with a low class of workers. The Lancaster castle sits on a hill overlooking the town. Next to it is an old church. We wandered around till ten reading the old tombstones of deceased who died around 1708. Even the big, cold-looking castle with its turrets, etc. is not so interesting. It is hemmed in by the town and is now used as a training station for young men going into the army.

Am writing this by candlelight. The Irish are a monument loving race. Dublin is full of them, especially to O’Connor who has become their hero because of his work toward their freedom. They openly hate the English and like the Yankees. They think money grows on trees over here [i.e., in the USA] and never miss an opportunity to squeeze a few pence out of you if possible.

Category(s): August 1928

Tag(s):

Under-a-tree and Penrith, England

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Under-a-tree and Penrith, England

Monday, August 6, 1928

Sunday was a fine day and we didn’t start till after 10 AM. The road led over hilly but beautiful country and we arrived at Windemere and Bowness on Lake Windemere shortly after two. As Monday was a national holiday, the place was crowded. The lake is surrounded by large wooded hills and is very beautiful. It is bent in shape and very long and narrow. We spent the night on a hill under a tree. Today we rode through Ambleside and on to Grasmere Lake where we saw Wordsworth’s Dove Cottage and his grave in the little country church-yard. This quaint little village is completely surrounded by high and rough Cumberland Mountains. Grasmere Lake is not so large in size, but is perfectly beautiful and acts as a perfect mirror.

Leaving here we went through and over the mountains to Keswick. The road followed a most beautiful lake between two mountains. It was prettier than either Grasmere or Windemere. This lake was several miles in length and about a half [-mile] wide. Keswick is surrounded by these mountains and is a popular summer resort. This lake, Derwent Water, had its northern tip at the edge of town. The town was plenty busy and not much of interest was to be seen. From here we rode to Penrith. We crossed out of the mountains, but it took us almost five hours to do 20 miles as we had to walk so much. Have a good room here for 2 shillings.

To keep expense down I had 2 apples and ½- lb. crackers for dinner. Then we climbed a high hill to a beacon used years ago to warn people of Scotch raids. From this point mountains can be seen on every side but north. A green valley cut up by rows of trees and stone fences stretches away as far as one can see. An old castle lies in ruins just out of sight behind a jutting point of the hills. In town across from the station is another castle in ruins. There is very little left of this Penrith Castle belonging to some former Earl. The moat, a few walls, the ground plan and a cell are about all that remains.

Category(s): August 1928

Tag(s):

Carlisle, England

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Carlisle, England

Tuesday, August 7, 1928

Rode from Penrith to Carlisle (18 miles) in a driving rain. I had a puncture as I got into the city and as that was being repaired, we ate. I bought three oranges and some crackers for my lunch. As we were both soaked and it looked like an all-day rain, we got a room in the Red Lion Hotel for 9s and built a fire in the 2 x 4 fireplace. It has cleared off now (8 PM). There is a castle here, the Carlisle Castle. It sits at one end of the main drag, a large, dirty weather-beaten structure hemmed in by a high wall. A wide moat surrounds the place. The turrets and whole building are in good state of preservation.

Category(s): August 1928

Tag(s):

Crawford, Scotland

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Crawford, Scotland

Wednesday, August 8, 1928

Left Carlisle with no breakfast and with the exception of a glass of milk for Jack and two bananas for me at 11:30, we did not eat till one. I had 4 cups of tea and 2 cakes.

We rode into a strong wind that increased during the afternoon so that we could hardly go against it. A cold rain didn’t dry things off. After 8 hours we arrived in Crawford and got a room and breakfast for 8/6. For dinner I had three small apples and a box of crackers. Tough on an unsatisfied hunger. Saw the birthplace of  Thomas Carlyle in Ecclefechan, Scotland. It was a small, plain brick, white-washed house that was attached to another by an archway. A small stream ran between it and the road.

These green Scotch lowlands are certainly pretty. The hills are high, but rounded. It is very cold and windy tonight and it looks like rain. A chambermaid has been flirting with us, but with no success.

Category(s): August 1928

Tag(s):

Glasgow to Dunfermline, Scotland

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Glasgow to Dunfermline, Scotland

Tuesday, August 14, 1928

Jack got a room at Y and I stayed in it too. Glasgow is a dirty, big, uninteresting town. Friday we rode 21 miles to see Loch and Ben Lomond, which were very pretty.

Began to rain at 11 AM and the clouds covering the peak of the Ben were very picturesque. Jack returned to Glasgow, sold his bike, and met me in Dunfermline that night. I rode 30 miles in 2 hours 10 minutes to Stirling and outran the rain. There I saw the Duke and Duchess of York pass through crowded streets. From there I rode to Dunfermline, 24 miles in another hour and a half and put up at the City Hotel.

Saturday the crowded town had a holiday to welcome the royal visitors and I saw them close a number of times. The Duchess is good looking and quite charming. Her husband, 2nd son of King George, is a nice, pleasant young chappie. Sunday Jack and I loafed around all day. Played and sang till girl in office of hotel gave us a cider. Walked through beautiful park and through ruins of Dunfermline Castle of which only a couple of walls and the ground plan remain. The old ballroom, dungeon, circular staircase, etc. are still seen. Also window and part of ceiling of room in which Charles I was born. The church next to it was formerly part, but is now separate and used. Robert the Bruce‘s body is buried there under the altar. The old portion is worn and of medieval architecture. It was built near the 9th or 10th century.

Sunday eve the Robertsons came home and we stayed at their home. Monday it was again both fair and rainy. Drove 25 miles to Glen Eagles with the Dr. and Mairi. A beautiful drive and a beautiful resort in the hills. Had tea and one dance. In the evening we fooled around. Mairi sang while her mother played. She also danced the Highland Fling and Sword Dance. She has a fine voice. I then murdered the piano for a while.

This morning we walked down to the small house where Andrew Carnegie was born in 1835. He died in 1919. There is a museum by the old place now and it is full of interesting things connected with his life. In the evening we drove to the Forth Bridge over the Firth of Forth. It is the largest bridge in the world.

Category(s): August 1928

Tag(s):

Dunfermline, Scotland

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Dunfermline, Scotland

Wednesday, August 15, 1928

Went to Edinburgh in the morning on the train with Jack, Mairi and Mrs. R. Walked along Princes Street, the main street and reputed to be one of the prettiest streets in the world. On one side of the wide street are the stores while on the other is a beautiful park. Upon a high, rocky bluff stands Edinburgh Castle. After buying Jean a tartan, we walked up to the castle. In the castle yard at the highest point is a beautiful war memorial for the men in all branches of the world war. Flags, rolls of honor, tablets and bronze figures cut in relief were there. Also a roll of honor sealed in a casket by the Prince of Wales in 1927 and placed on the highest bedrock within the castle. The castle is in good condition. Saw the crown, a couple of gold swords, and a couple of jeweled diamond ancient royal jewelry. Saw Mary Queen of Scots room, the banquet hall, chapel, etc. The old castle overlooks the whole city and the Firth of Forth.

We then walked down the streets over the Royal Mile to Holyrood Palace, stopping at St. Giles Cathedral. It is a large medieval church full of tablets, etc. and has a Thistle Chapel where the Order of the Thistle meet. This chapel is most wonderfully carved in wood and each member or knight has a chair-place over which is the sword King George [used when he] made him a knight of this Order. The family coat of arms are on the back of each chair. The Prince of Wales is a member.

The old Scottish Parliament buildings are next to St. Giles. At the end of the Royal Mile, the Holyrood Palace stands at the foot of a large rocky cliff. It is square in shape with a court in the center. In this palace are the Royal Apartments used by the King and Queen every year while visiting Edinburgh. Also, besides picture galleries, are Queen Mary’s rooms with her original bed and hangings, Lord Darnley’s rooms, bed, etc., and the spot where Rizzi [David Rizzio] was assassinated at Darnley’s order because of his intimacy with Queen Mary. The chapel is in ruins, but very fine ones. It also contains a vault holding a number of Scottish kings.

Leaving here we taxied back to Princes Street where we had tea at Crawford’s and returned to Dunfermline on the train. In the Princes Street Gardens is a large flower clock that really keeps time. Also a number of fine statues and a very large and elaborate monument to Sir Walter Scott.

This eve Dr., Jack, Mairi and I motored to Lake Levin where we saw the island prison castle of Queen Mary. With the help of Douglas, she escaped and fled to an old castle near Dunfermline on the Firth and was on her way to another when she was captured after crossing the Firth and finally beheaded.

Tuesday afternoon we again went through the church at Dunfermline and this time up the narrow, dark stairways to the Nuns’ Cloisters and the tower from which there is a fine view. From here Ben Lomond can be seen, 55 miles. Tonight Dr. told us of his war experiences and of the great danger of malaria in Greece.

Not a letter from home since Boston. Am leaving tomorrow after lunch. It was in St. Giles that John Knox preached against Catholicism.

Category(s): August 1928

Tag(s):

Kelso, Scotland

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Kelso, Scotland

Thursday, August 16, 1928

Spent most of the morning packing. After an early lunch I said good-bye and left at 1:05 PM. Hated to leave for we had a marvelous time there. I had 5 miles over the hills to go to catch the ferry across the Forth at 1:30 PM and just made it. Stopped in Edinburgh to buy a Skean Dhu just in case. It was a fine day and plenty of hills.

Reached Melrose Abbey about 7. It must have been a very beautiful abbey in its day. Only stumps of walls remain of the part built in the 12th and 13th centuries. The walls, stone window designs, many arches, a statue, and the old bells remain of that built in the 14th and 15th centuries. It is a large place and there are many old graves within the cloisters. Nearby are three very large hills all in a line. The town is old and small.

Leaving here I rode on to Kelso. It lies in a peaceful valley on the banks of a fair-sized stream. Arrived after nine and I got a dandy room in a new hotel for 5/6. It is right across from the Kelso Abbey, built in the 11th century and not in quite as good preservation as Melrose. Very gorgeous sunset over the hills. Rode 82 miles this afternoon.

Category(s): August 1928

Tag(s):

Newcastle and Doncaster, England

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Newcastle and Doncaster, England

Saturday, August 18, 1928

Friday at 10 I left Kelso but soon found that I was too weak from lack of food to make much headway. Struggled for 23 miles and had a very large lunch at a country hotel. First food in 24 hours. A little strength came back and I made Newcastle, England, by 6:15PM, a distance of 71 miles. The hills were not large, but mean to ride over.

Got a room for 3s and bought four large sugar rolls. Had one of these and a glass of water for dinner. I then found Jack at a hotel. He was on his way to London by bus. After walking around town and having three cups of coffee, I left him and went to bed a little after twelve.

Today I started at 9:30 after eating a roll and a glass of water for breakfast. The road was hilly in places, though not nearly as bad as yesterday. Stopped at Darlington for lunch and had potatoes, peas, cabbage and bread. About three I ate another roll while I rode. After a rather exhausting ride, I reached Doncaster, 123 miles from Newcastle. Got a room at the Angel and Royal Hotel for 5/6 and immediately had tea brought to the room. Three cups of this, a glass of water, and the last roll comprised my dinner.

I am 160 miles from London, but 200 the way I am going. A good hot bath and a little washing done, I feel much better and am now in perfect luxury sitting in bed writing and smoking. This country has been very beautiful, but spoiled by the bugs. I can never raise my head for a bug will fly in my eye if I do. All I have done for the last 200 miles was to fight bugs. I get on an average of five bugs in my eyes every mile. Found three in one eye tonight.

Saw Durham Castle and Cathedral from the road today. They are in a valley and the cathedral is very large and quite attractive. It is a curious sight to see several birds sitting on the back of a sheep. In Darlington the street cars are large auto-buses with an electric trolley. Also saw a steam traction car. The Saturday night crowds are sure here tonight and are having a great time in the hotel bar judging from the noise. As there are comparatively few machines over here, the people all walk in the street. As France is next on the list I shall grow a mustache starting now. In Russia I suppose I’ll make it a beard. Just found another bug in my eye.

Category(s): August 1928

Tag(s):

Stratford, England

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Stratford, England

Sunday, August 19, 1928

Left Doncaster at 9 and with no breakfast. By noon I was 37 miles to Oxton where I had a fine dinner, 2 helpings. Was so full I was miserable for a half hour and could hardly ride. Nottingham, Leicester, and Warwick are very nice looking towns and better than most I have been in. Arrived at Stratford about nine, having ridden 119 miles today. Near 100 more to London tomorrow. Have a nice room at 5/6 for bed and breakfast. Just had bread and coffee to stave off hunger till morn. This seems to be a pretty town. I came in after dark. Hilly country again today and I had to fight a wind all of the way. Rode a little way with a man near Nottingham and he took me into his church to see it. Very pretty stained glasses, Medistyle.

Category(s): August 1928

Tag(s):

London, England

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on London, England

Monday, August 20, 1928

Before leaving Stratford I saw Shakespeare’s house of his birth. It is a plain, oblong, and rather large house. It looks quite English. Has the gray plaster between brown boards which are placed so as to form squares and triangles. The roof is thatched and the window panes are made up of smaller angular pains [sic]. The house is right in town. The church where he is buried is at the edge of town on the banks of the peaceful Avon and surrounded by a cemetery full of large trees. The church is a large one, having a tall spire and built in the shape of a cross. Within it has the tall arches along the sides with the smaller ones above. In the arms of the cross are chapels. As you face the altar, Shakespeare is buried just to the left. There is the large marble coffin with the image of Shakespeare in its lid, lying as in death. As in all of the old churches, the aisles consist of stones bearing the names of those buried under them.

Then I rode out, in the rain, to Anne Hathaway’s cottage, a mile from the church and just out of town. It is long and low, one end facing the street. Along the front side is a flower garden. The roof is thatched as was Shakespeare’s. The cottage looks very Swiss. Stratford contains many of these old thatched-roof houses. The place is very picturesque and reminds you of a resort town.

The rain stopped soon after leaving for London. After the first 25 miles the wind was a great help for a change. As I had a good breakfast, I ate no lunch. At Oxford I stopped to see the University. It is very large and each college has its own buildings and quadrangles. They are spread out all over the town. The buildings are old and mostly of Gothic style. The town of Oxford is a pretty place and collegiate in looks, or better,”air”.

As I neared London, it began to rain and I entered the city in a downpour. After riding for a long time I came to the Y and found Jack had left no address for me, so I got a room here for 3/6. Had a good dinner and took a little walk. Still seem to be a great curiosity on the streets. Rode 103 miles today—exactly 500 miles from Dunfermline. Averaged just 111 miles a day for the 4½ days.

Category(s): August 1928

Tag(s):

London, England

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on London, England

Tuesday, August 21, 1928

After tramping about for Jack, he showed up at the Y and we got a room together. While at lunch we met a fraternity brother of his, Milton Beckstein [Washington University, St. Louis], and we all went out together, first to the post office and then through the National Gallery where there is a very fine collection. All the schools were represented there and there were very many fine ones such as Charles I on Horseback and others by Leonardo da Vinci, Giovanni Raphael, Rembrandt, Van Dyke, Rubens, Franeesca [?], Botticelli, Lippi, and Michelangelo. The gallery is on Pall Mall and we walked under the Admiralty Arch and down the spacious Mall to Buckingham Palace. With the gallery in Trafalgar Square is a tall monument to Nelson surrounded by a number of smaller ones. Four huge lions are at the corners. St. James Park is on the left of the Mall and on the right are a number of embassies, York House, the future home of the Prince of Wales, and Marlborough Palace, home of Princess Alexandria dowager. Also St. James Palace, the present residence of the Prince of Wales. Opposite Buckingham Palace and on the same side is Green Park and farther on is Hyde Park.

After dinner I took a walk while Jack and Milt went to the show. After a while I took a bus and rode through Piccadilly Circus, over the Thames past Parliament and the Westminster Abbey way out several miles from town. Getting off, I took a train back to London Bridge and found I didn’t know where I was. Bumped into the monument commemorating the Great London Fire. It is a tall shaft of granite with an observation tower on top. Saw where the fire started in a fish market, Billingsgate, once described as famous for good fish and bad language. Up the street a block was the Bank of England, the Mansion House, home of Lord Mayor, and the Royal Exchange noted for its fine Corinthian porticoes. From here I took a bus back to the Y. Some man who lives here and has a car has been trying to get in touch with me. Don’t know who he is. Received letters from Mother, Dad, Jean and Uncle Billy [and we don’t know who this is!] today.

Category(s): August 1928

Tag(s):

London, England

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on London, England

Thursday, August 23,1928

Wednesday morning Jack and Milt went to Oxford. I walked down The Mall and through St. James Park, taking pictures and watching the picturesque soldiers with [their] dark trousers, red coat, and tall fur hat and much braid and brass on, parade around the Royal Military Academy grounds. I finally walked to Westminster Abbey and went through it. The building is very large and beautiful. There are hundreds of statues, busts, plaques, and groups in memory of most all men famous in English history. Milton, Tennyson, Browning, Southey, Handel, Burns and a host of other poets, musicians, and kings lie there. Over Ben Johnson‘s grave are the words O Rare Ben Johnson. Browning and Tennyson lie side by side under the heavy flagstones of the Poets’ Corner.

Sir Isaac Newton has an attractive monument. There are many fine large stained glass windows there. Longfellow, Samuel Butler, Milton, Southey, Burns, Ben Johnson, Coleridge, Scott, Wordsworth, Pope, Goldsmith, Dickens, Stephenson, and Garrick all have busts and plaques. Shakespeare has a fine statue of himself. The tall arches, high beamed ceiling and gloomy light gave the place an old, sacred air, and surrounded by such a host of truly great men, an awe-inspiring air. Beautiful workmanship is exhibited in the stone exterior and fancy work.

The same is true of the House of Parliament across the street. It is very pretty. Big Ben in the tower measures 22 feet in diameter, I believe. We were only permitted to go through the great hall. It was very large and tall. Bronze plates in the floor and walls mark the sight of famous different trials, etc. After a late lunch I went through the British Museum. In it are fine collections of Roman statues, Egyptian mummies, and Grecian works of art. It also contains a huge library and a wonderful collection of letters and documents from many men famous in history. Among them are letters from George Washington, most of the English kings and a few queens, a description of the beheading of Mary, Queen of Scots, a mortgage of Shakespeare’s, original copies of music by Handel, Schumann and many others, and a contract between Milton and a printer for the sale of the copyright of Paradise Lost for £5.

Today Jack and I spent all morning seeing about our passage back to the States [This will be important months later in Cairo], and procuring a German visa. In the afternoon Milt and I took a bus to St. Paul’s Cathedral. It is a huge place, but very beautiful inside. We went down in the crypts and saw Wellington’s grave and those of Nelson, Sir Christopher Wren, Florence Nightingale, and the founder of the YMCA. Also the big funeral wagon on which Wellington was carried to St. Paul’s. Next came London Tower. It is sort of a fortress surrounded by a dry moat and walls, and on the banks of the Thames near Tower Bridge. The White Tower was full of exhibitions of armor, including the armor of many kings, guns, swords, cannons and the like. The Bloody Tower was nearby. In it two young princes were killed and thrown down a narrow winding stairs to be buried beneath the floor in the White Tower where they were found many years later. In it Sir Walter Raleigh spent 12 years in imprisonment at the command of James I and there he wrote his history of the world which is still there. In a room in the White Tower he and his wife were thrown by the queen because of irritation caused by the secret marriage of Sir Walter to her first lady-in-waiting. There were instruments of torture there and a beheading block and knife.

Next we saw the crown jewels. Diamond-studded gold crowns, heavily jeweled ornaments, crowns, and great gold plates three feet in diameter and full of marvelous designs. Spoons, dishes, salt sellers, huge wine fountains and chalices, all gold and beautifully wrought. They had wonderful designs, made out of all sorts of precious jewels, one diamond being the largest cut diamond in existence. Millions of dollars worth of gold and jewels.

Leaving the Tower we visited the Port of Authority of London or the clearing house. It is a beautiful new $15,000,000 building of marble. After supper at the Y, letter-writing. Got my jacket from home.

Category(s): August 1928

Tag(s):

London, England

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on London, England

Friday, August 24, 1928

Spent most of day sending suitcase to Paris and [getting] Polish and Czechoslovakia visas, etc.

This evening we took a long ride on the subs to South Kensington where there are several museums. There is a fine system of subs, 2 or 3 levels and escalators, restaurants, etc. all underground. Went up in tower of Y to see London all lit up.

Category(s): August 1928

Tag(s):

Boulogne sur Mer, France

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Boulogne sur Mer, France

Saturday, August 25, 1928

Today was a hard one. After four hours sleep, I got up at five and left the Y 45 minutes later for Dover. There were many hills, but hanging onto a truck for 13 miles helped out. The boat left at 12:55 and I arrived at 11:50 after 84 miles from London. Went to the bank, ate a hurried lunch, and made it to boat with three minutes to spare. The trip across the Channel to Calais took a little over an hour. As we left England, the great white chalk cliffs towered high above the sea. A one-eyed gentleman bound for Monte Carlo became very interested in me because I was doing such a novel thing to ride a bike over the continent. After a long chat he wanted to take my picture. I posed on the crowded deck and one more film was wasted.

A half hour after everybody else had got through customs, I finished. The Frenchmen became very excited over my bike and I even had an interpreter. From Calais I rode to Boulogne [sur Mer], 35k or 23 miles. The road lay along the shore and every inch was a fight against a strong gale of wind. I walked very nearly 6k of the distance. The country is broad and rolly and all big hills. I wore myself out pumping down them and then killed myself walking up.

Have a fair room over some cafe for 10F or 40¢. I was plenty hungry, having had no breakfast and tried all over town before I finally found a hotel where I got a very large meal for 16F. I have sure pulled some hot French on the natives. My vocabulary is limited, but I get along. When engaging the room, I talked not only French but with my hands. I get along great until I hear a little kid rattle off the lingo and then down I come a few pegs. Must study lesson VII tonight and read my French newspaper.

Napoleon I stayed in an old building on the square. The town must all have been here then—narrow cobblestone streets and all.

Category(s): August 1928

Tag(s): ,

Amiens, France

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Amiens, France

Sunday, August 26, 1928

The church bells woke me up about 6 and I started at 7:30. The hills were fewer today and there was much road [that was] graded but little, still the wind made every foot of the way hard. Had a puncture before going 25 miles and had to walk 3 miles almost to Montreuil before I found a garage. Being very thirsty I went into a cafe and ordered un verre de vin. The glass was about like a thimble and the wine ate my throat all the way down.

After a number of miles more, my thirst became unbearable so I stopped at a nice looking home in the country and asked for un verre d’eau. She wanted me to have de cidre, so I took it. It helped a lot even if it was plenty hard. When lunchtime came I couldn’t find a place to eat and had to ride 20 miles more before I did. I was so weak and tired I could hardly stay on the bike and my throat burned and whole body ached badly.

I stopped and lay down on a stone-pile by the road and must have fallen asleep for I was awakened by Êtes vous malade? I said Non, je suis trés fatigué and off walked the man and his wife. When I finally reached town I could only find one dirty restaurant full of yelling people. Here I was at my lowest ebb and very nearly took a train to Paris. I ordered beef and potatoes and got ham, baloney, pickles, steak, and potatoes in ¼-inch of grease. I had to drink cidre. This only made my throat worse and I could hardly swallow. The half loaf of bread didn’t help any. Leaving here in not much better condition, I bought two bunches of grapes and with these kept my throat moist to Amiens, 44k away. Got a fair room over a cafe for 12F (48¢) and went to the Carlton Hotel for some soup, potatoes and gravy, bread and 7 glasses of water. It was really worth the l6F50c (or 66¢) I paid for it.

Walked to the big Amiens Cathedral but it was closed. It is very tall, has two towers not alike, and many figures in relief over the ornamented Gothic doors. A tall, much ornamented spire stands where the four arms of the cross-shaped church meet. They are nearly 40 buttresses, all having a little tower and two weird-looking bird creatures sticking out. There are hundreds of queer caricatures over the building. Rode about 125k or 85 miles today and am 85 from Paris. The rain this afternoon was a godsend and I even licked my raincoat.

Category(s): August 1928

Tag(s):

Paris, France

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Paris, France

Monday, August 27, 1928

Started at 7:30 and stopped for coffee and 9 pieces of bread and butter at 10. Road was fairly level and wind helped sometimes and hindered others. Arrived at Paris at 5 after 84 miles and 2 glasses of cidre. Passed through much war country, Cantigny, etc. but only saw the remains of many trenches in the fields. Met Milt at Y and then went to NY Hotel where Jack had a room. We are sharing it for 20F per. Had a good dinner and then saw Milt off to Hamburg where he gets his boat. Jack and I then walked about a bit and I bought a quart de cidre for15F or 60¢ before returning to the hotel. A beautiful moon tonight in a sky of milky white clouds about 11 or 12PM.

Category(s): August 1928

Tag(s):

Paris, France

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Paris, France

Tuesday, August 28, 1928

Walked to the Louvre and went through. It is full of fine paintings and sculpture. I liked Venus de Milo best of all. Walked through Jardin des Tuilleries past Cleopatra’s Needle and up the broad Ave. des Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triumph in the Place de l’Étoile where 10 streets converge. It is very large. The Unknown Soldier is buried beneath it under a simple slab of stone. At its head burns a fire of remembrance always.

Crossing the Seine in front of the beautiful Trocadero I went to the top of the Eiffel Tower in a series of three elevators. 984 feet high and a wonderful view of all Paris, all its parks, woods, boulevards, Notre Dame, the Seine, etc. Next I walked to the Hotel des Invalides. It is a large, imposing building built by Napoleon for a hospital but now used as a war museum. Here Napoleon lies buried in a large, beautiful and simple casket of red Finland granite given by Nicholas I. It is in a large circular crypt under the great dome.

My suitcase wasn’t at the American Express Company until 5:30 PM so I walked to hotel and back again. Wasn’t there then and when it did come the charges were 80F and someone had tried to steal it [i.e., open it]. One strap missing and a little smashed. Had breakfast for a change, but no lunch. Big dinner for 8F50. After writing to Dad, we mailed it and had a cup of chocolate on Boulevard des Italians, sitting on the sidewalk at the tables. If you look at a woman she will come right over. Two came out of a café after us and we had a deuce of a time getting rid of them.

Category(s): August 1928

Tag(s):

Paris, France

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Paris, France

Wednesday, August 29, 1928

After going with Jack while he got a date with Ruth Goldstein staying at the Royal Haussman, we took a train to Versailles. The town is attractive and the huge palace is all. It is on three sides surrounded by huge gardens, trees, statues, lakes, fountains, and flower beds. From the front of the castle can be seen a wide lane between the trees. This is near a kilometer in length with large fountains, lakes, and flowers all in it. Built by Louis XIV. Marie Antoinette also lived there.

Had a rotten lunch and a good dinner for 5.70 (latter). Rained some tonight. Jack is out on a date with Ruth and I am keeping the home-fires burning by writing several letters . Rode subway today. Got all twisted up and finally walked the last mile.

Category(s): August 1928

Tag(s):

Paris, France

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Paris, France

Thursday, August 30, 1928

Took a 19-mile ride on bike to Notre Dame, South Paris, and through the Bois de Bologne in morning. Notre Dame is a fine cathedral and is one of the wonders of the world. Huge is the inside and has two isles or naves on either side and also private chapels all around. Bois de Bologne is very beautiful and has some pretty lakes. Had wine for lunch. Jack’s English friend wanted to go out with us, so after a drink of his Benedictine, we walked around, stopping for coffee and then to Eiffel Tower. The lighting of this is very pretty at night. A series of red lights travel up the side—then there are flashes like lightning—then a huge fountain—then an ad for Citroën Cars. On the way back we stopped for ice cream at one of the sidewalk parlors. When nearly back to the hotel Jack saw a blonde in a café, so we had to go in there for him. This time we bought mugs of beer—except Jack.

Arrived at the hotel; our friend insisted on a parting toast as we were all leaving Paris soon. His older friend was there and we all had a round of brandy and soda. Pretty soon the two English girls staying here knocked and came in, so the party lasted until nearly 2AM. Felt a little dizzy when I came to my room to go to bed. So was Jack. A few minutes later our friend came in with our glass and full of brandy and soda for a last adieu. After this he opened the door and tossed the glass into the street five floors below. An old Roman custom so he said. Thus we were out our glass too. This pair of men, one about 35 and the other 55 or 60 are both bachelors and have traveled all over together. They have had a great time in Paris. These English, some of them, take it as a hurt if you refuse to drink a toast. These two were a case. They put us in a class above the average American. We were OK so they said.

Category(s): August 1928

Tag(s):

Paris, France

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Paris, France

Friday, August 31, 1928

Jack took a trip to the battlefields. I rode out to Notre Dame to take a picture of it and to town to mail films and scarf home. Washed clothes in afternoon and took suitcase to Am.Exp.Co. in a cab to ship to Berlin. Wrote 3 letters and went out for a cup of chocolate and a ham sandwich with Jack about 10:30PM. Am now ready to hit the hay at twelve. Fell asleep reading a French newspaper and studying a French dictionary.

Category(s): August 1928

Tag(s):

Reims, France to beyond Trier, Germany

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Reims, France to beyond Trier, Germany

Monday, September 3, 1928

Thought this was Sunday till just now. Saturday I took leave of Jack and Paris and rode to Château-Thierry by 2PM, 58 miles, for breakfast-lunch. First 25 miles were terrible cobblestones and I was nearly jolted to pieces. Would have enjoyed a pillow too. Had 3 eggs, a loaf of bread and 7 glasses of water, all for 3F. Got to Reims after seven and saw the cathedral inside and out. It is a fine building, but is being repaired in the back (?). Reims is an entirely new city and an attractive one. Everything is new in this war section. It is hard to believe that 10 years ago a great struggle was taking place here.

I followed the beautiful valley of the Marne. It is peaceful and cultivated and dotted with small villages every mile or so. Finding soldier cemeteries is easy and in each there are from a few to many thousands of little white crosses. It was dark after dinner and I left town to find a haystack. A full moon rose above the hills and the 10 miles passed quickly. Finally I found a haystack, pulled out some hay and crawled in it. Had come 110 miles over all hills and against a strong wind. The nights are very cold and I awoke at two frozen. Putting more hay on me I tried to sleep until 5:30 and then started out.

Got cleaned up at a town pump and had breakfast a little later. Rode to Sedan and then down the Longuyon. The roads were poor and the hills bad, but the wind wore me out. After 103 miles I stopped and got a good room and dinner. The town band was parading, but the music was punk. They only knew one piece and it was like a bugle call.

Went in three countries today [Monday]. Leaving at nine I got through the French customs after much difficulty and lots of arguing. They didn’t want to give me the 172F duty back on my bike but I finally got it. Entering Luxembourg I rode some miles through a dirty manufacturing district. The roads in this country are mostly bad. I had to detour 8 miles to Luxembourg, the city. It is not an imposing nor very large city. Its narrow streets go in all directions [i.e., I got good and lost there].

Had a good lunch and got 130 Belgian francs—130 equal 100 French. Leaving town, I wound up a narrow deep gorge and then through miles of beautiful hilly country. The roadsides are lined with apple trees and the hills with grapevines. Neither are yet ripe though. At the Belgian customs I found I had gone by their customs at the entrance without stopping and did not have papers for my bike. Then I remembered hearing a shout as I entered Luxembourg. Must have been the customs officer. These spoke English.

Going across a bridge I presented my passport to the German who also spoke English. I was admitted with no search or duties on my bike. The road lay in the Moselle River valley and I followed it to Trier. High hills on each side of the river with steep bluffs now and then. Large hills loomed in the distance. The country is all green and cultivated. Grapes are growing on the steepest of hills and the roads are lined with apple trees.

21 miles from the border I got a puncture and had to walk a mile to the next 2×4 town I am now in. After much going around I was unable to get my puncture fixed, but got a good room and dinner. Sat in the kitchen with the boys and pointed to things like eggs, milk, and had them write them in German for me, as Ei and Milch. Have to drink soda water and it is bum tasting. Am 80 miles from Koblenz. Roads not so good. Much is cobblestone. Many German words [are] like English and though I can’t speak it at all, feel more at home than with French.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s): , , ,

Koblenz, Germany

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Koblenz, Germany

Tuesday, September 4, 1928

Things began to stir at five so I arose before 7AM and, paying my bill in Belgian and French money, was ready to leave. Three French soldiers were there and we had quite a time figuring out my 3,50-mark bill for room and dinner. I could not get my puncture fixed here so started to walk my bike to the next town some 15 miles away. Before I had gone a half mile the three soldiers came along in a big army truck and we all went on in the truck. Arriving there after nine I took my bike to be fixed and then hunted the bank to have my money changed into German. Then I had coffee and rolls and went for my bike which was not yet done. The man didn’t know anything about a bike, so I finished the job myself and left town at noon. The road followed the bank of the Moselle River. It meandered all over. There were dozens of horseshoe curves and not one-half mile of straight river.

Straight up from the banks on either side were steep hills of 400 to 600 feet in height. Many of these were rocky with big bluffs and rocky cliffs. They were all covered with grapes growing on the almost perpendicular sides of the hills. It is marvelous scenery, the prettiest I have yet seen. Small towns were along the banks every two or three miles while there were dozens of remains of old castles built on the high crags overhanging the river, only a few walls, towers and turrets left standing. There were a number of bridges across which I went from one side to the other and once I ferried across on an old ferry.

My rear tire had a large hole in it and kept giving my so much trouble that I finally rode it flat 12 miles before I could buy another one for 11,50 marks. By this time it was 5:15 with 40 miles to Koblenz. There were no hills to speak of, the wind could not bother me because of the hills, so I rode 32 of those by 7:30. I put up at this hotel in a small town just outside of Koblenz to save money. Have a nice room and got a good dinner, all for 5 marks. The bath is also very important too. I am waiting for the H2O to cool now. I can only use the hot water as the cold comes down from the hills with all the dirt.

By using English, French, German, and my hands I got what I wanted. I usually talk English and get German answers and everything is OK, though both sides are mostly in the dark. Would like to take a river trip to Köln, but must save my money. The little towns are very dirty but also very picturesque. Many [people] seem to have nothing much to do but to sit out and drink beer. Rode 76 miles and army truck 15, making 91 miles.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s):

Köln and Aachen, Germany

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Köln and Aachen, Germany

Wednesday, September 5, 1928

Left at 8AM after getting stung extra for bath and 10% tip. Rode about Koblenz for a while. It is an attractive city. From there I rode 11 miles before I saw the river or any hills. They both came at once and a beautiful site it was too—the larger river flowing between high precipitous hills and cliffs. On their summits were many castles of by-gone days and a few still in use. The road was flat but one followed the Rhine about ¼ of the time but the prettiest fourth. The wind was with me and by noon I had gone 50 miles and stopped to have a big lunch just past Bonn. This is a resort town somewhat and a nice looking place. From here on the Rhine flowed through flat country. At least from the road it is only beautiful part of the time. As a whole I would say the scenery around the Moselle River is prettier, but then I didn’t see all of the Rhine Valley.

Arrived at Köln at 2PM and rode around. It is a pretty town, as a whole, and quite large. All of these larger towns have what looks to be a gate of a former wall. The street runs through it but it is more like a tower with no connecting walls. Then I turned due west and with the wind against me rode 50 miles to Aachen. It is a city of over 155,000 inhabitants. [Only 246,000 in 2010.] Rode all over before getting a hotel. Finally got one for 2 marks and dinner 1 mark. Was a good dinner. Hope it doesn’t cost more.

I had decided to have a loaf of bread and water for dinner, but it doesn’t give an awful lot of strength for riding. Most all German roads are stone or cobblestone and it is terribly hard to ride on for long. When I ask directions I get a lecture in German and the direction from watching their hands. Rode 110 miles today. Am very near to both Holland and Belgium. Streets from square lead to all.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s):

Bruxelles, Belgium

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Bruxelles, Belgium

Thursday, September 6, 1928

Left Aachen at 7:15 and soon came to Belgian border. Had to pay a duty on my bike and as I didn’t have the required sum, the officer was kind enough to cut it to 136F. This sightseeing is mostly thorns. The way was all big hills and rotten dirt roads full of stones. A gale of wind was against me so that I made but 12 miles in 2 hours. [The mystery here is: How does he know that?] Made Liege by 11:30 and was so worn out I had a bite to eat—ate some rolls on the steps to the station, much to the disgust of one employee, and took the 1:58 train (3rd class) for Bruxelles. The wood seat was pretty hard, but soft compared to bouncing about on the bike.

Arrived at 4:30 looking like a coal miner. Got 7 letters at Am.Exp.Co. and cleaned up there. Then found a hotel for 15F or 45¢. Took a walk; had rolls and water for dinner. Met an American downstairs and had a long talk. Did the washing and will do the mending tomorrow.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s): ,

Antwerp, Belgium to Rotterdam, Holland

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Antwerp, Belgium to Rotterdam, Holland

Saturday, September 8, 1928

Friday morning I started out walking on the regular bus-tour route of Bruxelles. The Hotel de Ville was very fine in its Gothic architecture and with its tall spire. It formed one side of a square of old Guild Houses, very picturesque with all of their gilded fronts. The big Palace de Justice is very imposing and sits on a hill commanding a fine view of the city to the North. The Royal Palace with the park in front is also very pretty. The fine archway and park connected with the museum is interesting.

Had eaten a couple of the rolls left over from last night’s dinner for breakfast and now I had a peach pie effect for lunch, which I ate in the park. In the afternoon I just made the car to Waterloo. I had become lost in the morning and didn’t get back till two, having stopped for a bowl of soup and chips. About a 12-mile ride and we were there. A huge pyramid of earth was thrown up in the middle of the battlefield where thousands lie buried and not a tombstone to show where they lie. On top of the cone is a large statue of a lion. From the top you can get a fine view of the country.

In town again I went to the station and got my bike. Had to wire Liege to send it on. Had more soup and chips and an apple pie effect for dinner. Spent the evening walking around, writing letters, washing, and darning socks.

Today I left at 8:15, and after some trouble in getting on the right road, followed the banks of the canal most the way to Anvers or Antwerp. It was a fine day to ride but hot. Anvers is a beautiful city, more so than Bruxelles. Its buildings, boulevards and parks are OK. I spent an hour there riding around—it is quite large, 302,000 [525,600 in 2010]. Leaving there, I again went wrong and rode around in circles in the great shipping canals to the north. Went 13 miles to go 3 or 4. Thus I was on the wrong road all afternoon. About 1 PM I bought 3 big rolls from a bread wagon and went along eating them. Soon I came to the frontier, where I got into Holland without paying a bike tax. The regular man was out, so I beat it plenty quick before he came back. Rode in all directions over good and bad roads and tow-paths. Just missed a ferry across a bay and while waiting had a dinner of bread, potatoes, and beans. I am a real vegetarian.

The setting sun was very pretty on the bay. Later crossed a big canal on a ferry and arrived in Rotterdam after dark. Got pulled in for not having a Licht, but the chief was friendly and told me all about the hotels, with written directions. I found another for 1½d or 60¢. Am eating two apple dumplings, trying to get filled up. The little backwoods towns are mostly filthy, but those on the main roads are very clean and attractive.

Canals are everywhere and many are full of stagnant water and smell like the deuce. The cyclists are as thick as flies on the roads in the evening. Guess they have their dates that way. The country is flat with a few windmills around and lots of contented cows. Many wear wooden shoes. Tonight Rotterdam is packed and the stores are all open. In some parts it looks like a summer resort. Prices are more dear here. I have French, German, Belgian, and Deutsch money on me and it is a job keeping it straight—32 metal coins in small change! Road 115 miles today, and 20 miles of it out of my way.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s): ,

den Haag and Amsterdam, Holland

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on den Haag and Amsterdam, Holland

Sunday, September 9, 1928

Left at 9:30. The people owning the hotel insisted on giving me a cup of coffee. Soon got to den Haag. It is a beautiful city. Full of canals, parks, boulevards, and fine drives through woods. The homes are very pretty and have fine gardens. On the ocean is a big beach and many hotels. It is very restricted and there is nothing cheap there. It is a great resort. A big crowd was everywhere. The Holland roads are pretty good, but they usually have a dandy cement sidewalk for the hundreds of cyclists. It was like going through a big park almost all the way to Amsterdam. Stopped at 3 and had potatoes and beans. Got a room for 75 cents or 30¢. It will do and I have to make ends meet. Have about $24 for 22 days. Had eggs, potatoes and beans for dinner. Rode 70 miles. It is raining now, first time since the first day in France.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s):

rural Holland

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on rural Holland

Monday, September 10, 1928

Went to Am.Exp.Co. first and found no mail. Met a boy who lives in Wisconsin there; his name is the German for Friday [Freitag]. He is cycling now and going to school in Zurich. We walked about for a couple of hours. Then I went to the Am.Exp.Co. and had some money changed into marks. There was not much to see in the city and so I decided to start out for Hamburg. Besides, my room was anything but cheerful. Got my things together and had three pieces of bread with bologna and a cup of coffee for lunch. My bill for room and two meals was 2 gilders/11 cents or about 85¢. With dandy conditions I rode 75.5 miles from 1:30 to 7 PM. The road went under miles of beautiful woods and along canals. I have enjoyed my trip through Holland more than in any other country.

After a long search I found a nice room for 1 gilder and am eating a loaf of raisin bread and water for dinner. Spent 85¢ today and had a glass of good beer to boot. I may make ends meet yet.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s):

rural Germany

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on rural Germany

Tuesday, September 11, 1928

Left about 8 and it was cloudy till noon. Roads got worse as I neared Germany. After 42 miles I crossed at border and stopped to eat at Blenheim, [No, Hall, it’s Bad Bentheim] a small town with a huge, massive, medieval castle on a hill in its midst. Germany is cheaper, and I had a fine lunch, two helpings of everything for 2 M. That was just a start but I had to quit.

Later I climbed an apple tree and filled up on apples. Have a fine room here. I jewed down to 1½ M. Have finished getting all cleaned up and washed my clothes and sewed up over 12 holes in my sweater. Am sitting in bed eating my dinner of raisin bread and water. Am getting into hills again. Have done something to nerve in right hand as two little fingers have been numb for two days. School has started here for the kiddies. I enjoy staying in Germany for the people are friendly and don’t try to take your last cent.

Miles of country near border is sand and purple heather. Spent $1.10 and rode 93 miles. Have decided to live off the country and so am going to buy a little pan in which to cook apples, potatoes, cabbage, beets, and turnips. They should be easy to get in the fields.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s):

Bremen, Heuhaufen, and Hamburg, Germany

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Bremen, Heuhaufen, and Hamburg, Germany

Thursday, September 13, 1928

Noon time and the pot of potatoes is boiling over. Yesterday after I had jewed the hotel people down to 1½ M, they insisted on my having breakfast of coffee and rolls before I left, at their expense. [Maybe they were actually Jewish and appreciated his fine technique…] The architecture of many stores, etc. is peculiar, something like Stratford-on-Avon with the squares of brown beams and filled in between with plaster, but the high pointed roofs are built in layers from the front, each layer extending out several inches beyond the lower one, arching the roof over the street about a yard.

Before I left town I bought a tall narrow pan with a lid to it. About noon time I got some potatoes, beans, and a turnip out of a field and cut them up into the pan. Later I got some water and cooked my lunch in a woods. Some raisin bread from dinner added the finishing touches. The country did not become hilly, only very little in spots, and so I reached Bremen before six. Went to the Am.Exp. for stamps and to change some Dutch money into German and then out to look for a room. As there was a big boat leaving for the States soon, every available place was taken and I could get nothing at a reasonable price. Finally after a long search I bought another loaf of bread for dinner and started toward Hamburg eating it, thinking to find an inn on the way. It soon became dark and after several miles of looking about, etc. I was just ready to ride all night. But the last farmer I asked suggested I sleep in the hayloft in his barn which I did. Even buried in the hay it was cold and I was glad when morning came and I was once more on my way.

Got cleaned up and washed out my pan at a town pump, and then proceed to get potatoes enough for two pots full. One is now done and I shall proceed to eat it with no utensils. Having been in a frat at State, I will soon have a spoon. I also have ½ loaf of bread to go with it. Spent about 60¢ yesterday. Rode 96½ miles. Last night when inquiring for a place to stay I asked for a glass Wasser. Another man near insisted on setting me up to beer. These Germans are all right.

Arrived in Hamburg about 3 PM after some terrible cobblestones from Harburg to here. Went to the Am.Exp.Co. and found out it would cost some $65 plus visa to go to Stockholm. Now I guess I’ll ride up to Kiel, see the canal, and maybe go up to Norway before going to Berlin. Had a very hard time finding a reasonable place in which to stay, but finally found this hotel and a nice room. Since the Copenhagen trip is off, I blew myself to a 30¢ dinner, but had to get the bread and a bar of chocolate to fill up the empty places. Am writing in bed and eating bread and mustard with H2O and candy. My appetite is huge. I am never full.

Hamburg is a pretty city and teems near the docks with sailor life. A band of some sort is going on the next street over. The docks are full of big freighters and passenger vessels and little craft. Went through a country town yesterday that was having a circus. It was a real treat to see all the people come in from miles around dressed up in their best. Many churches in the smaller towns have bells that play a tune every ¼ hour. They are very musical and pretty. Sound like little silver bells. Will spend the day sightseeing tomorrow and leave Saturday.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s):

Hamburg, Germany

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Hamburg, Germany

Friday, September 14, 1928

This morning I was very tired and slept till nine. First I rode to the Am.Exp.Co. to find out about a route to Copenhagen I had in mind that would be cheaper. It was. I found that I could get a boat from a small place in Rügens, Sassnitz, to Trälleborg, Sweden, for $3. The rail fare through Sweden and a short boat ride to Copenhagen should not be much. The trip should not exceed $15, all included. Got my Swedish and Danish visas free and then had some money changed, so I again have money of three countries in my pockets.

By this time I was plenty hungry and it was noon, so I went in a restaurant and ordered a vegetable dinner. It was really a wow. Cost 2.80 M, but you have to eat a decent meal once in a while. My appetite is really terrible and as much as I ate didn’t fill me, so after riding about the city several miles on my bike, I bought a large loaf of rye bread and ate mustard on it while I wrote a letter to Hory and washed my socks. By this time it was four, so I took a long walk till nearly seven, mostly down by the docks and through a park. It is very interesting to watch the tremendous shipping going on in the great ship canals. It makes you feel mighty far away and makes you wish you were on one bound for the States. The streets are full of many strangely dressed people from all over the world. On the way back I bought a little package of cheese for 40pf or 10¢. My commissary department is really a money saver. I washed my hair and now, before eight, I am in bed starting bread, cheese, mustard, a bar of chocolate, and water for dinner, which is really a feast.

Today I was called down for the horn on my bike. It is against the law. Also had a cop yell at me for turning the wrong way in a one-way street. The town is very pretty and I like it better than any German town I have yet been in. The Alster Lakes in the center of town make it very pretty. There are many modern structures here. The many boulevards are pretty and only in the slums are the streets very narrow. There are a number of very high church steeples here. That of the large Petri Church is the prettiest, being of Gothic style and ornate as is the whole church. It is 433 ft. high. The St. Nicholas Church has a very fine tower 482 ft. in height. At the west end of the lake is Jungfernstieg, scene of the busiest traffic and center of fashionable life, and believe me, the traffic sure goes there. They toot their horns all the time and you have to move quickly. The city is a very clean one. There are a number of canals in the city. I am getting rested up for the trip to Sassnitz which I believe is near 225 miles. Have to get the 4:10 PM boat Sunday which gives me a little over a day and a half. Spent $1.57 today. Too much, if ends are to meet.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s):

Rostock, Germany

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Rostock, Germany

Saturday, September 15, 1928

Today I traveled for distance, but didn’t do so well because of a bum steer and a bum wind from eleven on. I arose at five and left at six. The morning was misty and cold. Some miles from Hamburg the road became almost impassable and I had to ride on a rough sand path. After several miles of this the path became better and finally the road.

Before leaving Hamburg I had found a pfennig or ¼¢. My luck was slow in coming for I got a bum steer in Limbeck and went 15 miles out of my way. Up to this time it had been cold and misty. Now the mist cleared, but it looked like rain. This blew over and it continued cool all day. By noon I had gone 63 miles. Had beefsteak and potatoes for lunch—1½M. The wind had come up and made it very hard. Then too, my bike needs to be taken apart and oiled. It pumps hard. The country is very pretty and arms of the sea extend inland to make it look like a lake country. At one place I stopped for water the woman gave me two darned good cookies. Later I had four apples which I shook down from trees along the roadside. Reached Rostock at seven after 130 miles of almost pumping. Got my room for 2.50 marks, making $1 for today. As all stores were closed, I could not get some cheese for my rye bread but have mustard and H2O, and am in bed. Order a large order of potatoes at a restaurant and would get nothing else. Several men there thought that was the funniest thing and when I was through they would not charge me a thing. After some trouble I located the station or Bahnhof. It is still 85 miles to Sassnitz and I can only make the boat by the eight o’clock train.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s):

Malmö, Sweden

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Malmö, Sweden

Sunday, September 16, 1928

Got up by six and for breakfast finished the rye and mustard. Rode to the station, sent my bike, and bought a 4th-class ticket. It left at eight. The car was like a box car divided into three parts with wooden benches around the walls. It was packed. From Rostock to Sassnitz, 85 miles, the train made 25 stops. At Stralsund there was an hour-and-forty-minute wait to change trains. I walked about the town and got some lunch.

At the edge of town the second train ran on a boat and thus we crossed a mile of water to Rügens. It was just like a picnic. The people got on, rode a couple of stations, and then got off. They would not sit down, but had to stand around and hang their heads out of the windows. One husband kept pointing out familiar landmarks to his wife and all she would say was Ach nay in an awed voice. The train poked along from 15 to 35 per and at the larger places stopped long enough for those who wished to get off and have a beer. When time to go, the conductor would blow a little whistle and off we would go for a couple miles more. It was really quite a social event of the season with tables all over the platforms, etc. After nearly five hours, exclusive of the change, we rolled into Sassnitz, a small place with several hotels. Here I left all my stuff except the camera, diary, toothbrush, comb, and slicker. Guess my bike is at the RR depot.

After buying a loaf of raisin bread, I went aboard the boat. It takes a Stockholm train over to Trälleborg, Sweden. As we left the island, it was very beautiful, the hills and high white cliffs. The sunset over the calm blue sea and the cliffs turning purple in the distance. Our boat was a very good one in every way. Made the trip in four hours and landed at 8:30PM after dark. I took the train to Malmö. It was a fast one and we were there by 9:30. Then began the long hunt for a reasonable hotel, which only ended after I had walked from one end of town and back again. Took a nice room in the Central Hotel for 3 Kronas, down from 3.50 K. The woman who runs it used to be a governess in New York and Boston. I asked her for something to put on my bread and she brought me two poached eggs, a pitcher of milk, and lots of butter. I really eat after all. Gee, it’s cold here.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s): ,

Copenhagen, Denmark

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Copenhagen, Denmark

Monday, September 17, 1928

The good dinner must have been too much for me, for I hardly slept all night. Got up at eight and walked around until eleven-thirty when the boat left for Copenhagen. Rode third for 1.70 or 46¢ . The ride was pleasant and only lasted about an hour and a half.

The best way to see a city is to hunt a place to eat when you are starved and then a place to stay. I walked all over before I found a place to eat. Had soup and a good vegetable dinner with rolls for 2.70. The kroner is worth 27¢ and is divided into 100 öres. Went to Cook’s and had a check cashed. That brings my reserve down to $10 and cash on hand $13.50, which means I shall have to scratch harder from now on.

As a starter I shall take the 10:58PM boat from Trälleborg [Sweden] to Sassnitz [Germany]. It will land me at 3AM, but I will save on a room for the night. Got a map of the city at Cook’s, finally got a nice room for 2.5, and then started out at 4:30 to see the sights. I followed the map and had seen everything by six. There is not so much to see here. The Rosenborg Castle and Amalienborg Palace are interesting. Neither looks like it sounds.

The palace consists of four plain buildings built around a street intersection. The Town Hall is a large, more or less plain building, having a few gilded decorations and a tall clock tower. It is all of red brick. The Round Tower is a tall tower at one end of an old church. Instead of stairs to the top, there is a winding runway. The Marble Church is pretty mainly because of its huge dome, also much gilded. There are several very pretty gardens, such as the Tivoli, Zoological, and Botanical Gardens. They all have pretty lagoons in them. Our Saviours Church is interesting because of its tall, much gilded tower with a winding spiral stairs to the top on the outside. Walked through the barracks which are old enough. The helmets look like inverted pans because they stick out so much.

Bought some cheese and bread and came back here. Fell asleep for an hour. Am now in bed dining and writing. It will be interesting tomorrow just knocking around. Never saw so many bikes in all my life. There are 30 to every auto. Auto traffic amounts to but little here and also in most of these more northern countries. This town is a very clean one. Saw a sub and destroyers coming in harbor.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s):

Denmark and rural Germany

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Denmark and rural Germany

Wednesday, September 19, 1928

Slept late this morning. Ate bread and cheese in my room for lunch. Then went out and walked around till the boat left at 3:30. I spent most of the time near the docks.

There are many small fishing boats tied up there selling their catches. The day was fine and the run to Malmö very pleasant. You could still see Copenhagen when entering the harbor at Malmö. Had a two-hour wait for the train to Trälleborg, so I again took a walk and bought some sweet rolls which I ate in the park for dinner. While sitting in the bow of the boat to Malmö, an elderly gentleman sat down near me and ordered coffee. He offered me half of the cake and we had quite a talk. He lived in Sweden. When he left I took the sugar lumps and later drank the large pitcher of cream which I could not bear to see go to waste.

Arriving in Trälleborg at 7:30PM after dark, I found I could not get on the boat till nine. This wasn’t so good because it was cold outside. I took a walk about the town and stood watching some boys fishing on the dock. They had artificial minnows and kept jerking their poles rapidly up and down. It seemed to be successful for one caught a fish. I slipped on the boat a little after eight while they were shifting freight cars. I always go first class till the boat starts and accordingly toured the whole boat, ending up in the third class salon, which is very ritzy. In the pantry I helped myself to a couple of crackers and filled a couple of pockets with sugar lumps which are good to nibble on instead of candy. Also stocked up on writing paper on which I was low. Then I lay down on one of the soft couches, drew the curtains and slept till 2:30AM.

We docked at 3:15 and after I had presented my passport, went to the restaurant in the same building, had a cup of coffee and have been sitting here since. It is now five-forty. There have been several men in here drinking beer and wine all night. Haven’t any idea how many mugs they have had, but I am glad I didn’t have to stay out all night. Transportation for my trip to Copenhagen cost just $8.92. Spent 1.50 K or 41¢ Tuesday. The trip was well worthwhile and I am only sorry I could not get up to Oslo, but $10 more was too steep. Think Berlin is near 200 miles from here so I should be there tomorrow or Friday. Restaurant now closing at six.

When the restaurant closed, I went up to the Bahnhof and got my bike, then to the hotel for my bag. I did not do as well today as I had hoped. Bum roads, a half-hour wait for the ferry to Stralsund and an hour and a quarter for lunch spoiled things. The air was full of little bugs and cobwebs which made it very unpleasant much of the time. With a 15-minute start on the speedy local from Sassnitz, it was 22 miles in passing me.

At noon, after lots of trouble, I ordered a very large order of sauté spuds and was in my glory; after a long wait for them, I had enough for 4 platefuls. Ate lots of plums from trees along the roadside. Rode a little this afternoon with a German soldier from Hamburg. Nice fellow. Am eating usual dinner of bread and mustard, only with plums and sugar-lumps. Spent 95¢ today. 100 miles to Berlin and I want to get there by 6 for my mail and clothes.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s):

Berlin, Germany

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Berlin, Germany

Thursday, September 20, 1928

The Germans get underway early; consequently I was on the road before 7, and a bum one it was for 15 miles. Then it got good all the way to Berlin. Germany is certainly beautiful. The land was a little hilly and full of lakes. One very large one reminded me of Elk Lake in Michigan—and very beautiful. The whole ride was very pleasant.

Stopped for lunch 20 miles from Berlin. Had soup made of plum juice and mashed plums, and a huge plate of boiled potatoes and gravy of cabbage. Had three and a half heaping platefuls and almost burst. Had to sit at the table a while. Only cost ½ mark.

Arrived in Berlin at 3, got 13 letters at the Am.Exp. and searched 1½ hours before I found a hotel where I have a good room for drei Mark für Schlafen. This zimmer-hunting is not much fun. Rode 103 miles yesterday and 89 today. Just spent glorious hour and half reading mail. Am tired, so in bed at 7 eating Brot, Käse and apples and listening to music.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s):

Berlin, Germany

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Berlin, Germany

Friday, September 21, 1928

Today I spent in rather an unexpected manner. After going to the Am.Exp. to change some money, I went to the Deutsch Bank to cash my check. An old lady heard me speaking English, asked if I was an American, and we chatted a few minutes during the wait. Before I had left she had given me her card and asked me to have soup with her at two. I accepted. The rest of the morning I spent in getting visas for Austria, Hungary, and Yugo-slavia. Hurrying back to the Exp.Co. for my suit case I found it had not yet gone through customs. Thus I was forced to wear my dirty old riding clothes to luncheon and it made me plenty mad. I rushed around like fury, caught a bus and arrived a little late.

The lady is none other than Madame Blanche Corelli, a once-famous opera singer and a professor and evidently well known in the Arts and very well liked. She is a very charming lady, 75 years old, and has a good active mind. She has lived in the USA 16 years and traveled everywhere except South America. She showed me her scrapbook in which many of her pupils from all over the world and other friends have written. Many very prominent people are included and from the fine things they said of her, she must indeed be a fine person. Before I left she had me write in it. Her apartment was very interesting—full of pictures, photos, and presents sent her. She spoke of making $500 per week many years ago in America.

Her father was a noted professor in Vienna, where she was born, and her aunt is a famous magician in New York, [Adelaide] Herrmann. We had a simple but good luncheon. I am having lunch with her again tomorrow at two and she wants to give me a letter of introduction to some friends in Vienna.

By the time I got back to the hotel it was nearly five. Took my bike out and had it fixed, then took a walk west on the Unter den Linden. Paris will have to go some if it is to beat Berlin. This is a wonderful city, full of beautiful streets, gardens, trees, huge public buildings with their large pillars and domes and many statues in, on, around, and on their roofs. The squares are spacious and pretty. There are numberless statues and monuments showing a decidedly militaristic trend. The city seems to have that air about it and many men wear uniforms of one kind or another.

The opera is very pretty and there are many attractive cafés. The Unter den Linden is the main drag—very wide with a parkway in the center and two lines of trees. At one end is a large arch and beyond, woods or gardens.

Berlin is a busy city, lots of traffic and people. At night many of the streets are lit up like day. The stores are good and window displays very attractive. Saw a dandy cigar lighter with a watch in it—125 marks. Am eating usual dinner in bed. Spent $1.77 today and $2.75 for three visas.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s):

Berlin, Germany

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Berlin, Germany

Saturday, September 22, 1928

Today I started out with a walk east on Unter den Linden. From the University of Berlin on for quite a distance it would take but little imagination to think you were in ancient Rome or Greece. The University is composed of a number of large, attractive buildings. Just east the street widens out into a very large place. Crossing a canal you have a very large government building on the right, the roof ornamented with many statues. In front of it and across the street from this, the Schloss, formerly the royal palace, is a large group of statues and monuments in sort of an amphitheater.

To the left, almost hidden by trees, is the large Museum of Liberal Arts. It is built in old Greek style with large pillars all across the front. Inside was a fine collection of busts, statues, etchings, sketches, etc. To the right and toward the back of the museum is another Greek-style building. Here is also the Dom (Kaiser’s church). It is a huge affair and very beautiful, with a large dome and smaller domes on each corner. It too, as all the other large buildings, has many statues on it. Every direction you look you see large domes, tall towers and spires and great buildings with large pillars and many statues. Berlin is full of such buildings and monuments and statues.

Going to the Am.Exp.Co. I got my suitcase, a little more banged up. Cost 32 marks to ship it from Paris—$8.00. Gosh, but that was a blow. It is things like that that keep me eating a ¾ meal and a loaf of bread a day. Got all dressed up and rode west on the Unter den Linden on the bike. The ride was certainly a pretty one; through a big woods broken now and then by a pathway, and all in the heart of the city. I fear Berlin has Paris whipped. Saw many large imposing churches. Even many cafes are very large and luxurious, some looking more like a big public building.

At two I was at Madame Corelli’s. She received me in the kitchen and I felt very much at home. We had a dandy lunch and afterward she told me something of her life and showed me letters, etc. from Houdini, who was a relative of hers. Her father was a multimillionaire, but her stepmother got it in some way or another. She has many wreathes given her and pictures from artists—one from Caruso. Before I left, I accepted her invitation to breakfast tomorrow at the Zoological Gardens. Rode a roundabout way back to hotel. Then went window-shopping. There are lots of pretty displays.

This big cost of shipping my suitcase is too much. It would cost near $30 to get it to Rome. Therefore I am giving it and my blanket to Madame Corelli and am taking practically everything with me on my bike except my suit, knickers, a pair of shoes, and three white shirts.

Had the best time this evening throwing things away. Monday I shall buy a small suitcase. Spent $1.33 today, hotel included. This will be a hard month for the financial end. Such a start! $11 sunk on visas and suitcase already and $10 more to go for Italian visa. That leaves me about $33 for 40 days and a suitcase to buy and ship to Rome. I’ll do it some way or other. Gosh, but it’s cold here. Guess I’ll hoist anchor Tuesday.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s):

Berlin, Germany

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Berlin, Germany

Sunday, September 23, 1928

Again I got all dolled up and again rode out to Madame Corelli’s, this time for 9 o’clock breakfast. I took her my suitcase and blanket. We walked around the corner to the Zoological Gardens and to a very pretty tea garden in the open. Here we met Mrs. Hartock of Berlin, one of the very rich women of Berlin, and we all had a dandy breakfast. Then we walked around for a long time, looking at the animals. The zoo is one of the largest and a very pretty one both for natural beauty and the buildings.

Saw a 4-day-old elephant, the first ever born in a zoo, It is nearly 3 feet tall, about as large as a large dog. Went back and had lunch with Madame and then took my leave.

Rode through the Tiergarten, the beautiful wooded park, full of lakes and statues and down the drive where there is a marble statue on each side of the street every couple hundred feet. Took a picture of the big Brandenburg Gate and then rode east on the Unter den Linden and took pictures of the Dom and some of the other things there. The palaces of Kaiser Frederick and Kaiser Wilhelm I are very pretty and are museums now. A rain came up and I beat it for the hotel. Is very chilly weather. Spent 82¢ today including room at hotel.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s):

Berlin, Germany

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Berlin, Germany

Monday, September 24, 1928

While at the Am.Exp.Co this morning, I saw Dale Pontisis [certainly F. Dale Pontius], a Columbus boy. He is starting in the Universität of Berlin for a year. We had a long talk and then I went to the war museum. It was very interesting. After lunch I went through the Schloss, former royal residence of the Kaiser. It has 700 rooms. Went through his private rooms, libraries, reception halls, and dining rooms. The floors were of fine, highly polished hardwood blocks and some in fancy designs. The ceilings were covered with paintings. Some of the rooms were of fine marble, others of beautiful paneled and carved mahogany, while others were gilded and painted plaster with figures in relief. There were dozens of good paintings on the walls and statues. The furniture was of an old style. Some of the pieces are very beautiful. The library contained many books in English. The guide spoke German so I didn’t learn anything from him.

Next I went thru the Dom. The altar and pulpit are very pretty. In back of the altar are six marvelous stained glass windows. Opposite the altar at the other side of the church is the Kaiser’s place. Where the dome starts, high up, there are large statues of such men as Calvin, Luther, etc. The dome is pretty and very high. The organ is a mammoth. In a wing are the caskets of a number of kings.

Next I bought a small suitcase for 12 marks. I am really proud of it, by heck. Took a long walk from 5 till 8, stopping for dinner. Walked up and down Leipzer (or worse) Str. It is the main shopping strasse and all lit up . The windows were real attractive. Came back to hotel and packed my new suitcase. Everything just fit in fine. Cost me $2.18 today, exclusive of suitcase. It is downright cold here and you are never quite warm. Guess I’ll be on my way again tomorrow.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s):

Schwerin [an der Warthe], Germany [Skwierzyna, Poland]

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Schwerin [an der Warthe], Germany [Skwierzyna, Poland]

Wednesday, September 26, 1928

Started from Berlin Tuesday at 10, but had a bad time getting out of the city as nobody seemed to know the right road. I knew I was on the wrong road, but didn’t care much as it was nice riding. Finally got on the right road after going 20 miles out of my way. It was very cold and in the afternoon clouded up. I thought it would surely snow, but it only rained and I had to ride ten miles in it to a town [unnamed]. Got a nice room for 2 marks. It was so cold I went right to bed. Anyway my clothes were wet. Took all the covers off the other bed and so kept warm.

Today it was cloudy. I slept till nine. Riding very slowly, I took in all of the sights. They raise lots of potatoes all through this part of Germany. The roads are most all lined with a row of apple, pear, or plum trees. For lunch today I had bread and apples and plums. I have had 18 apples, 4 plums, and a pear today and still going strong. Dodged the rain clouds all afternoon and didn’t get the rain till 3:30 as I was entering Schwerin where I am staying. [This town is now called Skwierzyna and, since the end of WWII, is once again part of Poland; when Hall was there the German name for it was Schwerin an der Warthe and it was a German town.] It soon stopped. I got a room for 2 marks. The men in the bar shooting the dice to see who buys the beer take the greatest interest in me. Guess one ordered me some coffee; at least I didn’t. I’ll find out in the morning.

Took a 4-mile walk through the surrounding country and along a river. It is very pretty. Lots of pine forests and scrub-pines and a very sandy soil. The land is flat except for ridges here and there. Carrying all my luggage is working fine. The load heavy, nearly 50 lbs, but it isn’t hard to carry except up hills. My commissary department is in fine shape in this fruit section. Usually have 15 or 18 apples in it. Rode 67 miles yesterday and 55 today. Very close to Polish border. Have $38.50 for 36 days. Will have to live cheap this month. Spent $1.42 and $.59 yesterday and today.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s): ,

Pinevy, Poland

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Pinevy, Poland

Thursday, September 27, 1928

Am writing by candle. Had quite a day. The first thing was a half-hour’s argument with the gasthaus owner’s wife over the coffee. She must have been dumb not to understand after all of my explaining and diagrams, but I was determined not to pay for it. I finally had my way and left at ten. At 12 I came to Poland, but found my visa had expired three days before. After much telephoning and a two-hour wait, they arranged it so I could get a visa in a nearby city and proceed on my way from there. A man there rode with me and by three I had a new visa. Sometimes Polish is worse than deutsch to understand.

The road along which I rode is one used by Napoleon. The country is very beautiful, hilly with many knolls, many small lakes and lots of woods. The roads are lined with fruit trees. The fields are all well cultivated. They are digging potatoes now. It was a little warmer today than yesterday. While riding along in the country miles from a town, a cop all dressed in a blue uniform and a sword stopped me and wanted to know something. Guess he didn’t get a whole lot of satisfaction as I couldn’t get his lingo.

Got to Pinevy after a 41-mile ride today. Again I ate apples, 12 today and as I have a candle, toast for dinner. The customs made me miss lunch. Spent 49¢ today. Room in hotel being 3.50 croszys or 42¢. Hope living is cheap here. Many people in the country go barefooted or wear a wooden sandal which is about the same. The apples are delicious . It is cold enough in my room to see my breath. I again seem to be the object of great curiosity to the people. My baggage seems to weigh a ton on these hills. I haven’t even enough to fill up my bag. The sun was a big red ball when it set this eve. Looked like a full moon rising. There is a pretty moon tonight but the sky is a little cloudy. Poland is 12th country.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s):

Poznanski, Poland

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on Poznanski, Poland

Friday, September 28, 1928

Started late today. Had to find a bb [bedbug] on the bed when I got up. They seem to be in about 1/3 of the places in Europe. You can’t keep away from them. Had a good lunch in a small village and the proprietor wouldn’t charge me for it. He was an ex-Polish soldier and spoke French so we got along. In Póznán I had my hotel hunt and wound up in the best, Monopol Hotel at 6.30s. No mail for me here. Walked about town.

Many buildings show a Russian style of architecture, fancy rounded domes, etc. It is all very interesting. The Universytet Poznanski is attractive and of a good size. The Collegium Medicum is across the street. The buildings are around a pretty park with a pond in it. I am a mark of curiosity here. Had 12 apples today. Bread and foul-smelling but good-tasting cheese for dinner. Rode 31 or 32 miles today and spent 8.20 croszy or 99¢ plus 76¢ for two rolls of films.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s):

2×4, Germany

29 Jun 2010 | Comments Off on 2×4, Germany

Saturday, September 29, 1928

I wandered about Poznán till ten and then went to see about the mail but n.g. Left at 11 and for lunch stopped in the country and ate apples and some darned good white bread. Once my pack fell off when the ropes wore through and broke. The cobwebs and bugs were a nuisance, but it was a nice ride.

At the Polish border I had to take all the pack off and then they didn’t even look at it. I could have shot them. The German officer fussed around, I think not knowing how to go about things. It had been cloudy and now started to drizzle, so I hurried to a nearby village and now have a good room in the hotel for 2 marks. Was on the wrong road all afternoon, but didn’t care so long as the general direction was OK. The proprietor’s son here is as round as he is fat and speaks a little English, including a couple of cuss words. Is all for Germany, U.S., and England; others n.g. Bread, cheese, and apples for dinner. It’s plenty cold tonight. Rode 61 miles today and spent 86¢. Wish this cold weather would dry up.

Category(s): September 1928

Tag(s):

Next »