PRICE, 40 CENTS. Ft i$g by F-A-ELWELL jff PUBLISHED' BY THE League ° f American Wheelmen sso Atlantic Avenue /^ BP5TPM,MA55. THE L. E. W. GOOD ROADS LIBRARY Is made up of bright little handbooks (illustrated), of a size and form similar to this, and when completed the series will include a treatise on each practical subject connected with the art of making and maintaining roads, streets and pavements. Be- sides Wide Tires, three numbers are now ready, viz : it C* t\t inf t»i7 DnaHe" 6i pages; 67 illustrations. Separate VUUUirv IVWUi chapters on " Road Philosophy," " Road Drainage," "Improving the Surface," "Cross Drains and Culverts" and " Bridges." A condensed, meaty, practical and useful book. Every person who believes in good roads should have a copy. *' IMnrnHflm DAn/l c " 72 pages; 72 illustrations. Five chap- iTldtauaill IS,UCIU2> terS) carefully covering the following subjects: "History and Description of Macadam Roads," "Grades," " Drainage," " Making the Macadam Surface." and " Maintenance of Mac- adam Roads." It contains the meat and pith of the best information gath- ered from the experience of European and American road-makers. It tells what a Macadam road is ; describes old and new methods ; shows that Mac- adam roads are easy to make and easy to maintain ; gives simple rules for construction and estimates of cost; tells why rolling is necessary and how robing: should be done. It treats of grades and drainage; describes the differ- ent kinds of stone; tells what stone is suitable and what is not; refers to trap, limestone, field stone, river stone and other varieties, and tells how to use them. It gives, in fact, the very information you want, and has been spe- cially commended by the U. «. Government officers in charge of the Road Inquiry Bureau at Washington. ItCx/cXf* f>*if he" 80 P a S e s ; 77 illustrations. This little book begins *'J*' 1C * dXIia with a short introductory chapter, defining the views of the author on the general subject of cycle-path construction, and the duty of the L. A. W. in its relation to this work. Then follows a very full and interesting chapter, describing by text and illustration the cycle paths actually in use in different parts of the country, and showing how the work was done and the cost of it paid. The final chapter treats of the practical methods of making cycle paths, gives directions to aid the reader in the selec- tion and use of materials and tells fully and clearly how to organize and con- duct a movement for cycle-path construction, and for kindred objects. it VVIHp Tir^Q " 40 P a ? es ; 14 illustrations A concise and inter- TT IUC 111 Co esting record of tests conducted by the Agricul- tural Experiment Station of the University of the State of Missouri, to determine the influence of the width of tires on the draft of wagons. These trials were conducted on Macadam, gravel and dirt roads, meadows and pas- tures, stubble lands and plowed lands, and under all conditions that common- ly present themselves in the hauling of loads by farmers and merchants. Different widths of wheel tires were used and the amount of force required to haul these wagons under different conditions was carefully noted and tabulated. This little book contains the fullest and most satisfactory infor- mation on the wide tire question yet published, and is a valuable addition to the Good Roads Library of the L. A. W. A copy of any book included in the Good Roads Library will be sent free to any member of the League of American Wheelmen on receipt of postage (a two-cent stamp for each copy). A copy will be sent to any other person on receipt of five cents. lillllMlilltillllillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllBliailBIIBIIBIiail Address, Road Department, L. A. W., 530 ATLANTIC AVE., BOSTON, MASS. S£, l*>b«*. OPY, CYCLING IN EUROPE. AN ILLUSTRATED HAND-BOOK OF INFOR- MATION FOR THE USE OF TOURING CYCLISTS, CONTAINING ALSO HINTS FOR PREPARATION, SUGGESTIONS CONCERNING BAGGAGE, EXPENSES, ROUTES, HOTELS, ETC., ETC., AND A LIST OF FAMOUS CYCLING TOURS IN ENGLAND, IRELAND, FRANCE, SWITZERLAND, GERMANY AND HOLLAND, GIVING EACH DATS STOPPING PLACE, AND NOTES OF ATTRACTIVE FEATURES ALONG THE ROUTE. BY F. A. ^ELWELL, Of the League of American Wheelmen. ' PUBLISHED BY THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN WHEELMEN, S30 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, Mass. Copyright, 1899, by the League of American Wheelmen. OFCONG RESS I INTRODUCTION * \ *"HIS little book has been prepared to answer the demands of members of the League of American Wheelmen, who, from year to year, in increasing numbers, extend their cycling tours into the countries of the Old World, and hence find need of a practical guide by which the few difficulties of their journey may be lightened and its pleasures enhanced. Mr. Elwell, by whose willing courtesy we are able to produce this volume, is a veteran tourist, having supervised the journeys of many cycling parties through European countries, and what he has here written may be taken as the result of personal observation by a painstaking and experienced man. It is believed to contain no important errors, and should any minor ones be discovered, they will be corrected in future editions. "Cycling in Europe" is the first volume of a series of useful little books, the publication of which has been planned by the officers of the L. A. W., under the general title of the "Cyclist's Library," and designed to cover the prominent themes which relate to cycling and tend to encourage the use of the wheel ; — this series being of course quite distinct in character and purpose from the " Good Roads Library " — the several volumes of which have placed the League in the forefront of good roads agitation within the United States. Further volumes of the Cyclist's Library will in due time be announced in the pages of the L A. IV. Bulletin, and with the increasing ' growth of the League, which seems sure to follow the encouragement of local organization in the different States, it is believed that these little books will have the wide circulation to which their value and importance entitle them. ISAAC B. POTTER, League of American Wheelmen, President, L. A. W. President's Office, December, 1898, CYCLING IN EUROPE THE SUBJECT IN OUTLINE. EUROPE THE GREAT CYCLING GROUND OF THE WORLD — ITS ATTRAC- TIONS TO THE TOURIST — OBJECT OF THIS VOLUME — THE ROUTE — ITS IMPORTANCE — GENERAL REMARKS — ROUTES SUGGESTED — IRELAND: CORK, DUBLIN, BELFAST AND THE ANTRIM COAST — SCOTLAND: ITS RUGGED BEAUTY, THE BIG CITIES, LAKES AND TROSSACHS, MELROSE ABBEY, ABBOTSFORD — ENGLAND: QUAINT VILLAGES AND MAGNIFICENT ESTATES, THE ENGLISH LAKES AND MOUNTAINS, GREEN LANES, HEDGEROWS, STATELY HOMES AND THATCHED COTTAGES — LONDON A WORLD IN ITSELF — ROUTES ACROSS THE CHANNEL — FRANCE: FINE ROADS, NUMEROUS ATTRACTIONS, ROMAN REMAINS, MINERAL SPRINGS — SWITZER- LAND: THE MOUNTAIN PASSES, LONG GRADES AND EXHILARATING COASTS, LAKES OF BLUE AND MOUNTAINS OF SNOW, GOOD HOTELS — ITALY, GERMANY AND HOLLAND — ATTRACTIONS FOR THE TOURIST — BEST MONTHS TO VISIT THESE COUNTRIES AND WHAT TO SEE. J"*" , F all portions of the world, Europe offers the best field 1 for the use and enjoyment of the bicycle. Nowhere I else is there such a variety of nationalities, manners, customs, languages and natural scenery so compactly joined to each other; or so great a number of mag- nificent cities, filled with the rarest treasures of art and archi- tecture. And all these countries and cities are traversed by the finest highways in the world, enabling the tourist to wheel thous- ands of miles amid the most enjoyable surroundings. Every country is replete with historic interest, and no day's "run "is without its full quota of attractions. For all these reasons it is not remarkable that wheelmen of the United States look forward to a European tour as the crowning pleasure of their cycling lives, and spend many hours planning ways and means to bring about a realization of this desire. It is in the hope of giving useful information to L. A. W. mem- bers contemplating a cycle tour in Europe that this little book has been written. 4 CYCLING IN EUROPE. It is realized that it is likely to be read by persons of widely varying tastes, and of different grades of ability to gratify these tastes: the man of ample means and leisure; the man to whom time is of more importance than the mere expenditure of money, and who desires to accomplish as much as possible in a limited period; the man who has more time than money; and the man whose time and money are both limited. It is this latter and most numerous class whose interests will be especially considered in the following pages. THE ROUTE. This is by far the most important matter in the preparation for the tour. In a brief summer vacation, only a very small part of Europe can be traversed by the cycling tourist, and too much Coach Road at Derrynane, Irelani care and thought cannot be given to make his route include that best worth seeing. The taste of the individual will have much to do in this connection. If he is an admirer of Scott and Burns, he has long ago determined that the " land o' cakes" is surely to be visited; if a lover of music, he has planned to give Germany a particularly large share of time; if of art, the cities of Italy hold forth attractions not to be resisted. What pleasure loving American thinks of omitting gay and beautiful Paris from his route; and as for England, it is a country so full of all that we THE SUBJECT IN OUTLINE. 5 have heard and read about since we could hear or read anything, that to pass it by would to the student seem like the play of Hamlet with Hamlet omitted. But leaving out the specialists, there still remains a large class who have no particular desire to visit one country more than another, and who are waiting till their summer trip is over before deciding what they think the most attractive spots. The writer, in his many trips abroad, has naturally formed his judgment of the various lands he has visited, and even though he may not alw r ays agree with others who have been over the same ground, he has written here the honest opinions of one who considers himself an average American in his tastes and ideas, especially since he has found them to correspond with the opinions of the larger part of his fellow countrymen in whose com- pany these trips have been made. Our impressions of the exterior appearance of the various countries will be briefly given in the order in which they are usually visited. Ireland. — Not one American in a hundred halts at Londonderry or Queenstown on his trip abroad. He either thinks Ireland not worth visiting or that he will take it in on his return. But the return is often made with no time or money to spare for the Emerald Isle, and so he never sees its beauties. For, tnuh to tell, Ireland possesses attractions all its own, that cannot be rivaled in Great Britain or on the Continent. On the Upper Lake, Killarney. 6 CYCLING IN EUROPE. No finer trip for a wheelman can be found than that through counties Cork and Kerry, including the Prince ot Wales' route "to the Lakes of Killarney via Glengarriff and the foaming fjords of Kerry, It is a microcosm of all that is beautiful in nature. The ride from Cork to Dublin is replete with interest, and, should you land at Londonderry, you will, after visiting the Giant's Cause- way, do well to wheel down the grand Antrim Coast road to Bel- Throlc.h an Irish Village. fast. This road runs close to the Irish Sea for many miles and affords as fine a day's run as can well be imagined. To one landing, as did the writer, at Queenstown in the early spring, only ten days from the bleak shores of New England, in the month of April, the softness of the air, the vivid green of the THE SUBJECT IN OUTLINE. 7 velvety lawns and the general semi-tropical aspect of everytning was most surprising and delightful. To wheel over the gorse bordered highways is a decided novelty and to dash about the streets of Cork and Dublin on a pneumatic tired jaunting-car Gateway of an Old English Town. (Ireland was the birthplace of the pneumatic tire), with a glib tongued driver, is an experience one would not care to miss. The cities of Dublin, Belfast and Cork are full of bustling Irishmen, who, if you come to know them, you will find to be as pleasant, genial fellows as it was ever your fortune to meet. There are, probably, some parts of Ireland that it would be wise to avoid, where poor roads and poorer hotels would mar one's enjoyment; but the routes that I have indicated, and doubtless others, do not possess these drawbacks, and the days spent in going over them will be marked with a double star in your itin- erary. Scotland. — Our ideas of Scotland have been largely formed from the descriptions of Scotch and English writers whose magic pens have invested its mountains, lakes and glens with a halo of romance and beauty that to the touring American, whose eyes have rested on loftier mountains, grander lakes and mightier gorges in his own country, seems somewhat overdrawn. But even he will 8 CYCLING IN EUROPE. enjoy Scotland's rugged beauty of land and water, and in Edin- burgh he will find one of the most picturesque and interesting cities in ail Europe. One of the most popular short trips in Scotland, starting from Glasgow, is by Loch Lomond and Loch Katrine to Callander, and from there to Hdinburgh. This takes one through the cele- brated Trossachs, and much other scenery that is grand and beautiful From Edinburgh excursions are made to Melrose Abbey, Abbots- ford, Roslin Castle and Dryburgh Abbey. Should this be all the time the hurrying tourist can spare for Scotland — and it usually is— he will enter England either on its west side via the Lake District or on the east side through the cathedral towns of Durham, York, Lincoln and Peterborough, and so make his way toward London. England.— England is a land of all that is beautiful in rural scenery, quaint villages fringing magnificent estates, on whose velvety lawns browse herds of deer and cattle — alternating with busy manufacturing cities where the din of machinery and the bustle of trade are never-ceasing; and the villages, towns and cities are so numerous that they seem almost to run together. One can easily wheel from Liverpool to London in four days, but if he does even scant justice to what is worth seeing en route, it will take him at least double that amount of time. The cities of England may be grouped into two distinct classes. The great industrial centres of Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Sheffield are thoroughly modern and growing as rapidly as most American cities. Chester, York and Canterbury present a delicious aspect of olden times, and when walking on their ancient walls or through their quaint streets one seems to be set back to days long gone. The natural scenery, while never approaching grandeur, is always pleasing. In America the English lakes would hardly rise above the dignity of ponds, and the mountains would be called good sized hills. But everything is beautifully smooth and cleared up — no dead trees, no stony fields, no litter of any kind. Here Nature has her hair combed as nowhere else. The green lanes, the hedgerow-bordered highways, the "stately homes of England " rearing their towers through avenues of mighty oaks, the thatch-roofed cottages, the teeming life on the great thorough- fares, present a constantly changing panorama most entrancing to the American on his first visit to the mother country. London is a world in itself, and the length of tirne you give to it must depend upon its attraction for you, and the time at your command. It does not instantly charm, like Paris; but it grows upon you constantly, and if you stay long enough, you will end by preferring it to any other city in Europe. '1 here are seven steamer routes between England and France, viz : Dover— Calais, Folkstone — Boulogne, Newhaven — Dieppe, THE SUBJECT IN OUTLINE. » Southampton— Havre, Southampton — St. Malo, Southampton — Bordeaux, and London— Dunkirk. The first three are the shortest and most popular. The passenger rates are high, and the accom- modations are not over luxurious, but you will in all probability The Walls of York, England. get your money's worth of shaking up in the choppy channel, and be glad to step upon the shore cf France. — For the cyclist there is no country equal to France Its highways are the finest in the world, its architecture among the noblest, its mountains the highest, and its valleys the deepest. The fertile plains of Picardy, the picturesque cities of Normandy, the castles and palaces of Touraine, the deep combes and high plateaux of the Juras, melodious with the bells of numberless herds, can all be enjoyed while en route to Switzerland. In the southern part the thermal springs and wonderful extinct volcanoes of Auvergne, the Gorges of the Tarn, the slopes of the Pyre- nees and the Mediterranean coast from Marseilles to Genoa are among the almost numberless attractions presented to the cycling traveler. In Nimes and Aries are to be found Roman remains surpassing anything of the kind outside of Rome itself, while II) CYCLING IX EUROPE. hidden in the recesses of its mountains lie hundreds of curative mineral springs, some of which have a world-wide celebrity as Royat, Mont Dore, Bourboule, Vichy, Eaux Bonnes, etc., etc. To enumerate one half of the delightful trips that can be made in France would easily fill a book the size of this. And yet the attractions of France, outside of Paris, have been much neg- lected by American travelers. The language may have some- thing to do with this, for the Frenchman thinks his own language the best in the world and does not trouble himself to learn another, even when his patrons are largely composed of English and Americans. Lincoln Cathedral, England. To Mr. Joseph Pennell, the artist and Foreign Consul of the L. A. W., is due the credit of calling attention, by his pen and pencil, to many of the most interesting spots, from the cyclist's point of view, in this most interesting country. Switzerland. — At first thought, it would seem as though this little country, made up so largely of lakes and mountains, would offer but little inducement to wheelmen. But well-constructed roads, not always kept up as carefully as they should be, run along the shores of its beautiful lakes and over its mountain THE SUBJECT IN OUTLINE. il passes, affording much pleasurable riding. There are often long grades up which one must walk, but there is compensation in the glorious ''coasts" on the other side. Switzerland is a land of natural beauty and grandeur. Its scenery is of the first order. Its snow capped mountains tower to the skies, its lakes are of the most heavenly blue, its waterfalls are visions of tossing mist, its ravines, gorges and passes present new scenes of beauty at every turn of the road — and the roads are continually turning. While enjoying to the full the magic of its spell, one feels that Copper was right in calling it " The noblest of all earthly regions." The chief source of revenue to its inhabitants is the visitors from all parts of the world who penetrate every crevice and corner of the little republic in search of health and pleasure. The Swiss were quick to see that good hotels at reasonable rates would tend to retain what their mountains had attracted, and it has thus come about that they are acknowledged to be the best landlords in Europe. A hotel is to be found in every expected and unexpected place. All the employees of these hotels speak several languages and the wants of the traveler are most careiullv looked after. You will be delighted with Switzerland, especially if you have good weather. Roau Scene in Normandy, Showing Cantonnier's Shelter. CYCLING IN EUROPE. If you are unfortunate in this respect, you lose nearly all the country has to offer, for there is no architecture that you have not seen better examples of in other countries. In Berne, Freiburg and Lucerne one may listen to some of the finest organ music in the world, and Geneva, Interlaken and Zurich support fine casinos, where first-class orchestral music is discoursed daily. Italy.— To enjoy a trip awheel through Italy, one should either be there in April-May or September-October. During the sum- mer months the fierce rays of the southern sun beat down with wilting effect, and to dismount while Entering a Norman Village. a perspiration and enter any one of the number- less stone churches or palaces which in their atmosphere resemble nothing so much as that of a cave, is to invite pneumonia and death. A continuous tour awheel can hardly be made in Italy with comfort, as the roads vary from good to very bad, and the hotels in the smaller places are anything but comfort- able. There are, how- ever, some parts of the country that may be explored on ,ne bicycle with ease and pleasure, such as the country bordering the northern lakes, the coa^-t from Genoa to Spezia, and the road from Florence to Rome. There are othe- routes equally good for wheeling, but in planning a tour through Italy, information as to what may be expected on the route should first be obtained from reliable sources. Germany. — Germany, the land of good beer and better music, abounds in beautiful districts, where the wheelman fi.ids all that he could expect or desire — fine roads, splendid cities, delightful little villages, beautiful scenery, good hotels and pleasant people. The regions of the Black Forest and tie Rhine valley are especially fine, and the country of the Rhenish Palatinate presents a rare picture of rural beauty, enhanced by many ruined castles perched upon rounded hilltops in the most picturesque manner imaginable Within the valley of the Rhine are located many of the most celebrated watering-places of Germany, such as Baden- Baden, Wiesbaden, Kreuznach and Ems, where splendid hotels line the principal avenues, which extend into the country to still other beautiful resorts. At these places there are always fine pleasure grounds, within which are the casino and first-class orchestra. Here also are branch stores of the leading jewelers, THE SUBJECT IN OUTLINE. 13 glass workers, photographers, dealers in curios, fine leather work, perfumery, laces, etc., etc., from all parts of the world, who congregate at these places to catch the money of the tourist. There is plenty of bad tasting water, served by maidens in national costumes, either for a small fee or gratis, and there are finely equipped bath houses, where the service and attendance is beyond criticism. At Bingen begins a succession of castle-crowned hills, clothed from base to summit with vineyards, through which the Rhine hurries on its way to the sea. A splendid highway follows both banks and one can stop and climb up to the castles of the old robber barons, some of which are in ruins and some fully restored. Market Scene in Douai, France. You will pass through many great cities such as Strassburg, Frankfort, Mayence, Coblentz, Bonn and Cologne, all of which contain much that is worth seeing; and so you pass on to Holland. — Everyone knows that Holland is flat, but it is diffi- cult to realize how flat until it is visited. To one accustomed to hills and valleys it is difficult to realize that he will not come to elevated ground sooner or later. The canals with their barges and stoom-boats, the quaint villages with gardens in which the trees are trained into the shape of fans, sugarloaves, and various n CYCLING IN EUROTE. other fantastic forms, the vast plains of pastureland, with their herds of cattle and horses, the ever present windmills, with their monotonous tac-tac ; the meadows bright with white and yellow flowers, and long lines of poplar and willow intersecting them at intervals, the handsome towns, with their evidence of wealth, culture and commerce, and the tall masts of ships, vieing with the spires of the churches, cause one to realize that Holland is like no other country, and seems, in its outward aspect, to have changed little if any from the time of Goldsmith, when he described it in the " Traveller," a century and a half ago : "The slow canal, the yellow blossomed vale, The willow tufted banks, the gliding sail, The busy mart, the cultivated plain ; A new creation rescued from his reign." The land highways are nearly all constructed of brick, and afford good riding on pneumatic tires. Oftentimes the roads run parallel with, but a few feet below, the canals, and you have the queer sensation of seeing the " gliding sails " of the canal boats far above your head. At other times the road leads over the top of the dyke, and you can see below you fertile field", whose bounteous crops are being carefully tended by sabot-clad The Road to Rouen. laborers. Many of the roads are bordered by magnificent elm trees, which here attain unusual size, affording most grateful shade. The stretch of road between Arnheim and Utrecht (40 miles) is of this description, and for miles is com- pletely embowered. In the cities of Amsterdam and The Hague are noted museums of art, while Rotterdam presents a scene of commercial activity different from any other seaport. We think you will enjoy Holland, and if you have good weather — it rains easily in this watery country — we feel sure that you will. I would like to speak of the other portions of Europe where the cyclist would find delight in wandering, of Norway and its fjords and mountain passes, of the little Isle of Man, the scene of Hall Caine's stories, and the pleasure ground of west of England folk ; of the Ardennes region in Belgium and Dauphine in France. But our purpose is not to prove that there are places across the Atlantic well worth the visiting. That is not disputed by any one. You may, however, be interested by some remarks on the roads. II. THE ROADS AND OTHER MATTERS. the roads of great britain, ireland and france — excellence of the french system — sharp flints of normandy ; how they puncture the tire —swiss and german roads — the roads of norway ; when to go— best months for visiting different countries — what it costs to travel in europe: three prin- cipal items ; cost of transportation ; steamer rates and accommodations; "express" and "regular" steamers; hotels, and hotel charges in different countries; rooms, beds and meals — french customs and methods — the hotels of switzerland, germany, holland, italy and norway. The Roads. — In great Britain and Ireland the best roads are all made on the system laid down by Macadam, and are generally well taken care of in England and Scotland, but often neglected in Ireland. They are seldom straight for any considerable dis- tance and present charming views at every turn. In France the system of road building is similar but is carried out with much greater thoroughness, a well drilled army of men being constantly employed in the construction and repair of the national highways. The country is divided into departments, and each department is in charge of a chief of engineers. The departments are divided into arrondissements, which are looked after by assistant engineers. All roads in their charge are visited and examined by them at least quarterly, and oftener if necessary. These engineers have lieutenants called conductors, who oversee certain lengths of road which they must look over at least semi-monthly. Then come the " cantonniers," who do the manual labor, each one caring for about two miles of road. These are the men you see working upon the roads as you ride along. They have shelters or movable houses in which they seek refuge during storms, and keep their tools; just so much broken stone must be kept on hand all the time; the turf is not allowed to encroach beyond its lawful bounds, and after a storm the canton- niers may be seen driving sticks into the depressions of the road brought to light by the water; later on these depressions are filled up with the broken stone. Each cantonnier, who must be able to read and write, has an account book and a register, and keeps a daily account of his work and the time occupied on each task. At the end of each month the conductor recapitulates the account and sends it to the engineer. The great roads are called " national roads," and radiate from Paris like the spokes of a 16 CYCLING IN EUROPE. wheel, to all parts of the frontier. They often run for many miles in a perfectly straight line, and where this happens the touring cyclist can see his work laid out for him for a long dis- tance ahead, and finds it monotonous. But these great highways are not always straight by any means, and often wind through the valleys and over the hills in most delightful fashion. They Hotel de Ville Compeigne, France. are frequently bordered by Lombardy poplars, which shade the road from the full glare of the sun, but do not prevent the admis- sion of a sufficient amount of light and air to keep the road dry. The town and village " chaussees," while not kept up so carefully, are constructed on the same lines, and as they wind, through the THE ROADS AND OTHER MATTERS. i: picturesque villages are apt to be more interesting than the Route National. Throughout Normandy the road is surfaced with a hard flint, which wears the tire of a bicycle like a steel file, and small particles of which have points as sharp as needles. These little pieces of flint will puncture a thin American tire with the greatest ease, but make a hole so small that it is often difficult to find it. One such tire was punctured fourteen times in one fore- noon in 1896. French tires are made much heavier for this reason. Swiss and German roads imitate the French, and while often equal to, are more often inferior to them. The Swiss especially are allowing some of their finest roads to sadly deteriorate, a result due to the increase of railroads, and a false notion of economy. The Duchy of Baden has the best roads in all Germany, and a tour through the Black Forest affords much fine riding. "The Fertile Fields of Picardy," France. In Norway the roads are composed of a mixture of sand and clay, and are kept in excellent repair. They are more elastic than macadamized roads, but after a heavy rain the surface is trans- formed into a sticky paste, that nearly pulls one's shoes from one's feet. 18 CYCLING IN EUROPE. WHEN TO GO. In planning a tour it is well to bear in mind that the time of year in which you visit a country has much to do with the impres- sion it makes upon you. Any country seen only under leaden skies in bleak weather, leaves a dismal remembrance, while the same place visited when the sun is shining and the flowers are in bloom, causes you to think of it as a bright spot in the tour. On a long trip one must expect more or less bad weather, which is liable to occur at any time, and there are other matters to be taken into consideration besides weather. Ireland, England and the northern part of Normandy are at their best during May and June. The southern part of Ireland is especially lovely in May, and there is then a freshness and brightness in the air and sky that I have seen at no other time. The same is true of England, and if one is going over the regula- tion tourist routes, he will find the hotels less crowded than later on, and will consequently receive better attention. May is the time to be in London. At that time "Everybody" is in town, the best entertainments are on at the theatres, and all the public places are at their best. It may be well to remark here that Great Britain and Ireland are subject to frequent rains at all times of the year — much more than with us — and it is safe to count on its raining one-third of the time. Of course this is not always true, and you may be fortunate enough to be favored with along spell of dry weather; but it is not at all safe to count on such luck, and in planning your trip be sure and allow plenty of time to wait while the clouds roll by. If I could so arrange it I should plan to be in Paris during the month of June. In July and August it is often intensely hot, and the hotels crowded. For a tour through Touraine and Lower Normandy there is no month like September. Then you will ride for miles through orchards loaded with apples and pears, which can be bought for a trifle in the market places of the towns. Then the air is clear and crisp and the sound of the harvesters at work is on every hand. It is generally acknowledged by old travelers that July is the best month in Switzerland. The weather is settled by that time, and although everything is ready for the many tourists who are sure to come toward the last of the month the crowds them- selves have not arrived, and there is plenty of room for all. After the fourteenth of July prices go up at all the hotels, and the land- lords and their employees, who before were anxious to secure your favor, now that their houses are full, pay little attention to the humble wheelman's wants, and charge roundly for so doing. I have never found August the best time of year for any place ; yet August is the month when everybody is abroad and summer travel is at its height, and if you desire to see the fashionable THE ROADS AND OTHER MATTERS. 19 world amusing itself, you should then visit Brighton in England, Trouville in France, Ostend in Belgium or Schevemngen in Hol- land- and if you happen to be conveniently near to the Isle ot Man 'you can, at Douglas, the chief town of the island, see such a roaring mob of merrymakers, such crowds of Lancashire lads and lasses all bent on making the most of their brief vacation, that Coney Island immediately suggests itself. April or September is the time for Southern France, preferably April, for at that time it is the season at Nice, Monte Carlo, Men- Street Scene in a French Farming Village. tone etc., and everything in the pleasure line is in full swing- While you are on this part of the Mediterranean coast be sure and make the trip from Nice to Genoa via the Route de la Corniche, one of the most beautiful highways in the world. It is better to ride from Nice to Genoa than in the reverse direction, for by so doing vou will be more likely to have the mistral in your back instead of your face, in which latter case riding is impossible. The mistral is a northwest wind, and one of the drawbacks ot this otherwise delightful region. It is a violent bitterly cold and drying wind. It fills the streets and roads with dust and debris 20 CYCLING IN EUROPE. of every description; it blows over wagons and trees, and the writer was once fairly blown off his wheel while trying to tack against it. The only way is to go with it. It often lasts for days at a time. While on the subject of wind it might be well to state that if you wheel from Paris to Switzerland, you will find the prevailing winds against you, and you may be obliged to battle for days with head winds which, in this comparatively treeless country, have full swing over the roads. Unless you have plenty of time. I would advise that you do the distance between Paris and the Juras by train. But go over the Juras on, or with your wheel, for the scenery is wonderfully fine, and the descent into Switzer- land, from whatever point you make it, is worth the climb up, many times over. The roads, through this district, are splendid specimens of engineering. The prevailing winds, on the Rhine, are up the river, but they are not of sufficient force or frequency to make it a serious matter. WHAT IT COSTS TO TRAVEL IN EUROPE. This is a subject that has been discussed constantly since Americans first began to make the Grand Tour, and on no other point has there been so much difference of opinion. This is probably because people': Fountain Rouen. deas differ so greatly as to what constitute comforts and necessi- ties, and -each traveler bases his opinion from the standpoint of his own experience. In estimating the expense of a European trip, there are three principal items to be considered, viz. : (i) The cost of steamer passage over and back, (2) hotel bills, and (3) miscellaneous items, such as occasional rides in the steam cars, tickets to places of amusement, repairs to self or wheel, etc., etc. Let us first consider the transporta- tion question. New York, Boston and Philadelphia are the three principal ports from which steamers leave for the various ports of Europe. From November till May several transatlantic THE ROADS AND OTHER MATTERS. tl lines sail from Portland, but during the summer months these boats sail from Montreal and Quebec. The principal lines are as follows : American New York to Southampton. Hamburg-American " " and Hamburg. North German Lloyd " Bremen. Company General Transatlantic " Havre. Holland -America " Boulogne (France) and Rotterdam. White Star -. " Queenstown (Ireland; and Liverpool. Cunard " " " " Anchor Line " Londonderry ( Ireland) and Glasgow. Red Star " Antwerp. Tbingvalla c , . . . " Copenhagen and Christiania. North German Lloyd " Genoa and Naplef. Prince Line " Naples. Atlantic Transport Company " London. Allan State Line " Glasgow. Cunard Boston to Queenstown and Liverpool. Dominion " " " " Leyland " " " " Allan (November to May) Portland to Londonderry and Liverpool. American Philadelphia to Liverpool. The steamers employed by the various companies vary^from four thousand to twelve thousand tons in size, and take from six to twelve days in making the passage. They also vary greatly as to the sumptuousness of their fittings, the quality of food served and naturally the price of passage. The great lines, such as the North German Lloyd, Cunard, White Star, Hamburg- American and Company General Transatlantic run two kinds of Donjon of Courcey, France. &2 CYCLING IN EUROPE. boats, called "Express" and "Regular." The American line from New York are all "Express" steamers. These Express steamers are from ten to twelve thousand tons burthen, and make the passage in six days or less. They are magnificently furnished, the cuisine equals that of the best hotels, and full dress for dinner is considered the proper thing. It is on these boats that the majority of the wealthy and distinguished people cross the Atlantic, and, if a passenger, you would be likely to come in contact with more or less noted people — likewise some whose sole claim to notice is their wealth. The cost of a first-class passage on these steamers ranges from $75 to §500, one way. The regular steamers are very similar in furnishings and table, from seven to eight thousand tons burthen, are a day or two slower, and the price of passage ranges from $75 to $150. The "Express" boats of the Holland- America and Dominion lines are fine, new boats, of about nine thousand tons, not quite so elegantly fitted up as the ones mentioned above, but still very fine, with splendid decks, take from seven to eight days to make the passage, and the price is from $75 to $150. The Boston service of the Cunard line is composed of the older and smaller boats of the company, about six thousand tons, and take ten days in going to Queenstown and eleven to Liverpool. They are safe and comfortable boats, and the price for first-class passage ranges from $65 to $125 one way. Another type of boat is that represented by the "Cymric" of the White Star line, and the American liners sailing from Phila- delphia, the Atlantic Transport Company from New York, and Leyland line from Boston. These are steamers of immense size (8,000 to 12,000 tons), but built more for great freight and cattle carrying capacity than for passengers. Being very broad of beam, and often fitted with false keels on each side of the main keel, in order to keep them from rolling, that the cattle may not be injured, they are ex- ceedingly steady boats, and by no means slow, eight days being about the usual time of pas- sage. The staterooms are very comfortable, and the table good. They carry no second or The rate of passage is from $60 to $75. are from four thousand to six thousand The Wayside Shrine. A Rural Scene in Normandy. third class passengers. The Allan-State line ton boats, and the rate is from $45 to $75 THE ROADS AND OTHER MATTERS. 23 Should you be able to get away as early as April, you could secure passage on good boats from Portland to Liverpool, return- ing via Montreal, for from $75 to $100 for the round trip. These are first-class sea boats, nicely fitted up, and you would probably be as comfortable as on the finest ship afloat. Nearly all lines take passengers in the second or intermediate cabin at about twenty per cent, below the first-class cab- in prices. The principal objection to the second cabin is that passengers in this class are not al- lowed the use of the promenade deck, which is by all odds the best part of the ship and where one is least likely to be seasick. Then your state room in the second cabin is likely to be either be- low the water line, where the air is bad, or in the stern, where the motion of the boat is very appar- ent. But many very nice people go this way, and if the saving of time is as much of an object as the limit of expense you could get an extra week on the other side by going this way and at no greater expense than if you went first-class on a slower boat. If, however, you have the time, I advise that you take first-class passage on a less expensive steamer, and be a little longer on the voyage ; you will remember it with greater pleasure. It is evident from all this that your round trip passage will cost you anywhere from $100.00 to $300.00, to which must be added from $3 00 to $5 00 for fees to steward, and $2.50 for transporta- tion of your wheel. My own idea is that if you are not a good sailor, and do not wish to pay a large sum for passage money, it will be best to secure a good stateroom near the middle of the ship on one of the big freighters. This will in all probability give you the most comfortable voyage for the least money. If you are not afraid of mal de mer, and are ambitious to cross with the "swell mob" and to mingle with the upper ten of this world's people, without paying too high for the privilege, write early and secure the cheapest first-class passage on one of the great liners. This means rooming with ihree or four people below the water line. But as you are only in your berth during sleeping hours, this slight discomfort is of little consequence, and in all the Old Castle at Vires, France. 24 CYCLING IN EUROPE. privileges of deck, table, etc., you are on an equality with the best on board. These berths are always spoken for a long way in advance of the date of sailing, so apply early. I have known vigorous, adventure-loving young men to make the round trip in the steerage at a total expense of $50.00. I have also known them to go as cattle tenders and so get their passage gratis. The cost of passage having been settled, the next matter to be considered is the hotels. In Ireland the hotels are apt to be poor, and somewhat expensive; but they are improving each year, and some of them, notably those recently erected by the Southern and Western Railway Companies in the south of Ireland, and called '* South. En Route for Parts. era" hotels, are very good indeed. In my travels through that country I found that I saved money and trouble by buying Cook's hotel tickets. This great tourist company has arrange- ments with two classes of hotels in Ireland, first-class, and good, but less pretentious houses. The price per day for the first class is" $2. GO, for the other $1.90. These prices include lodging, plain breakfast (coffee and rolls), luncheon and dinner. It is also supposed to include service, but should you wish to remember the waiter, the opportunity will not be wanting. Hotel tickets not used will be redeemed by the company. As you will undoubtedly be a member of the Cyclists' Touring Club, I advise that while in England you patronize the hotels on The roads and other matters. 25 their list. While not always the finest hotels in town, they are almost invariably good, comfortable places, where the wheelman is cordially received. The expense varies with the pretensions of the hotel, but $2.50 per day is a fair average, the charges being as fol- lows: room, 75c. ; plain breakfast, 36c; dinner, 75c; plain tea, 38c ; attendance, 25c. This certainly does not seem high, but a "plain" breakfast or tea means simply bread and butter, jam'or marmalade, tea or coffee. If you wistrham and^eggs, or chops, or Gateway of Pierrefonds Casiie. fish, it will add 25c. to each breakfast or supper. As most Ameri- cans are accustomed to something more than a plain breakfast it is generally ordered. Then you might order a bottle of beer (12c), or a fire in your room (25c), and you might tip the chambermaid a sixpence for her good looks and pleasant ways, and the hostler another sixpence, ostensibly for looking after your wheel, but really because he wants it. And so, if you are not careful, you go over the $3.00 mark by considerable. These prices obtain only in the large places; in small towns the charges are less. In regard to this question of expense let me here quote from an article on 36 CYCLING IN EUROPE. wheeling in England, written by a lady who went over, the past year, for a short trip through that country: " In twenty-one days' traveling by bicycle in England one can take in five cathedral towns, visit Oxford and Shakespeare's coun- try, allow herself a few days in London, and, including the cost of her voyage over the ocean and home again, accomplish a delight- ful outing for about $250. Of course traveling at this rate does not permit passage on an ocean greyhound, putting up at the smart hotels and a couple of big trunks by way of baggage; but it offers excellent scope for those who are fond of wheeling and sight-seeing to do a half of one European country at a minimum of cost and a maximum of solid ease and pleasure. In the twenty- one days in England we spent $63 for the actual cost of living. The items in our account books ran rather like this: A night's lodging and breakfast at the White Horse Inn, $1.25; dinner, 75c. ; luncheon, 25c. ; tips, 25c. Everywhere we went the food was clean, plentiful, and served with a sauce of civility that charmed us. A sixpence was all the douceiir we left in the hand of the chambermaid, who showered blessings on us, at our departure, and often for the merest trifle we made our luncheon at some cot- tager's table on fresh milk, eggs and strawberries. Altogether we concluded that with care a delightful outing is to be had in Eng- land at $3.00 per day." In nearly every town there are little inns that have a sign out saying " Accommodations for Cyclists," where $1.50 per day will pay the bill Some of these little inns are pretty good and some are pretty bad; hardly as good places as you would stop at if you were traveling in your own country, but we sometimes smother our pride when far from our friends and acquaint- ances England has been "done" on $1.00 a day, for I once met a man who claimed to have per- formed that feat; but an average daily expense of about $3.00 would make life better worth living. The rooms and beds in the English hotels are exceedingly neat and clean, and the sanitary arrangements fair. You must not expect the variety of food in an English hotel that you are accustomed to in the United States. Before your tour in that country is over you will think you have dined principally on roast beef, ham and eggs and mutton chop. These articles of diet, with now and then a fish or meat pie is about the limit of the culinary art in the small hotels in Great Britain. Their "sweets," as their tarts and puddings are called, Castle of Pierrefonds, France. THE ROADS AND OTHER MATTERS. 27 are not worth considering. However, the roast beef, and ham and eggs and chops are almost always excellent and those who are content with simple but substantial fare will find little to complain of In the medium-priced hotels, such as we have been consider- ing there will be no gas in the rooms, but there will be a supply of bedroom candles on every floor. The common room for gentle- men is the tap- room at one side, or in the rear of the bar, where a woman is constantly employed serving up various drinks, usually ale or whisky, to the travelers and local patrons, who meet here to take a social glass and talk horse— the races supplying staple topic of conversation and interest at most of these places. 1 here French Road, Bordered by Lombardy Poplars. 28 CYCLING IN EUROPE. is also a cozy little room for ladies, where everything is very com- fortable and homelike. One of the marked differences between the hotels of Europe (and especially of Great Britain) and the United States is the manner in which meals are served. Here there is a common Public Square, Beauvais, France. dining-room in which meals are served between certain hours, and you take care to be on hand in season. In Europe you will, if you are wise, order your breakfast the night before, specifying what you will have and when you will have it. At the appointed time you, or your party, will find your breakfast ready; there may be other patrons taking their breakfast in the same room, but more likely there will not; the landlord seems to have special dining or coffee rooms all over the house, and several parties are often being served in as many different places. As these rooms are usually as far from the kitchen as possible — often up a flight of stairs, half a dozen waiters are often running themselves out of breath, in order to serve not over a dozen people. The waiter is a more important personage than with us. It is to him you give the order anent your meals, and it is he that brings you your bill on a silver salver, at which momentous moment you reward his faithfulness with a fee, varying according to your length of stay, the pretentiousness of the house and your liberality. A shilling is ample in most cases, — sometimes too much. THE ROADS AND OTHER MATTERS. 29 In France you will find the hotel arrangements distinctly dif- ferent from those of Great Britain. In England it is customary to have a hearty breakfast in the morning, and a cold lunch at noon ; in France cafe au lait and rolls, served either in your bed- room or somewhere else, often outdoors, is the regular morning meal, while the real breakfast, or "premier dejeuner," is served at about eleven o'clock. Dinner is served at about 6 p. m. ; and is the most elaborate meal of the day. The sleeping rooms are generally clean, often elaborately furnished with plate glass mirrors, and French clocks that are never going. The cuisine is better, but the sanitary arrangements are not as good as at the English hotels If you patronize the hotels recommended by the C. T. C. or the Touring Club de France (generally commercial hotels) your daily expense should not exceed $2.00. It may some- times be a little more, and sometimes a little less, but it ought to average as I have said. The items will be something as follows: Room, 50c. ; cafe aulait, 20c. ; premier dejeuner, 50c. ; table d'hote, 60c. ; lights, service and attendance, 20c. ; total, $2 00. If the cafe au lait and rolls are not enough on which to do a forenoon's "run" you had better order eggs in some form, the night before, for which they will probably charge you an additional twenty cents. You might succeed in getting some kind of meat or fish, but you would probably have some difficulty in so doing, and it would hardly be worth the trouble and expense. Wine or cider is generally furnished free at the six o'clock table d'hote; better wine may be ordered at a reasonable charge, if what is furnished is not to your liking. If you are in a place of any size, the regulation thing to do after dinner is to step over to the best cafe in the town, order a glass of cafe noir (strong coffee without milk), which will be served you on a little table on the sidewalk in front of the cafe, and pass a pleasant hour digesting your dinner and seeing the life on the streets. You may not like the coffee at first, but you will soon acquire the habit, and come to regard this hour of the day as one of the pleasantest. Meals are always served in courses in France, and in nearly all other European countries. This is often exasperating to Ameri- cans, who object to having meat for one course, beans for another, cauliflower for another, etc. But so it is, and the best way is not to rebel against the custom of the country, but to make sure of the article composing the course when it comes to you — for it seldom comes back. Continental landlords figure very closely, and rather err on the score of providing too little, rather than too much. However, one need never go hungry if he will only eat what is set before him and ask no questions. There are some inquisitive people who always insist on knowing what they are eating ; but if the food served looks good, tastes good and does you good, what is the need ? Eels and rabbits figure frequently in the menu, aud you will soon learn to like them. 30 CYCLING IN EUROPE. Switzerland so abounds in hotels of every description, that one can lodge and dine in any style and at any price. Meals are generally served on the French plan, and the expense can be kept at from $2.00 to $3.00 per day, easily. If you can afford it, I think you will often do well, while in this little country, to stop at the finest hotels, at but a slight increase in cost if you take the cheapest rooms, as these hotels are nearly always located in the best situations for viewing the scenery, and scenery is what you are after in Switzerland. Hotels like the " Jungfrau " at Inter- laken, ''Belle Vue " at Zurich, and " Schweizerhof " at the Falls of the Rhine had better be patronized if the tourist is stopping but a day or two in each place, and the expense need not exceed $3.00 per day at any hotel of this class. On the regular tourist route in Germany, you can count on your hotels costing you from $2.00 to $4.00, as you may elect, and in small places you can easily limit your expenses to $1.25 per day. The hotels are very similar, in all their arrangements, to the hotels of France and Switzerland. Street Scene, Beauvais, France. Holland is the most expensive country in Europe as regards hotels, and the cheapest as regards the price of cigars. From $2.50 to $3.00 per day should be reckoned in your estimate for hotel expenses. There are places where you can stay for less, but they are not to be recommended. The cuisine of Dutch hotels is somewhat heavy and greasy, and the cooks use cinnamon and nut- meg with too lavish a hand in seasoning nearly every article of food (grated nutmeg on green peas is not to our taste). In Hoi- THE ROADS AND OTHER MATTERS. ill land you are soon brought to realizing sense that the Dutch con- trol the spice trade. But for all that Holland should be visited if possible. Italy and Norway, the two extremes of the Continent, are the two cheapest countries as regards hotel prices. In neither coun- try need your expenses exceed $2.00 per day, and oftener they are less. It is evident in these remarks about hotels that I have refrained from speaking of boarding-houses and the great hotels. If one intends staying in a place for a week or longer it is often advisable to stop at one of the former as being cheaper and more homelike. Prices vary from $1.25 to $1.75 per day, everything included. There is an association of boarding-houses or pensions that extends from Liverpool to Rome or Berlin. The houses on its list may be relied on as being thoroughly good of the kind, and you may go from one to another with perfect confidence. Hotels of the first class are, of course, only to be found in the great cities or the fashionable winter and summer resorts. Many of them are splendidly appointed, and if money is no object one can easily soar into the realms of luxury, which is a very pleasant thing to do, but not what the average wheelman is after. ^smm III. USEFUL HINTS AND INFORMATION. THE QUESTION OF DRINK; SCARCITY OF ENGLISH WELLS — SAME CON- DITION IN NORMANDY — PUBLIC FOUNTAINS IN THE JURAS, SWITZ- ERLAND, THE BLACK FOREST, GERMANY AND NORWAY — GERMAN BEER — CROSSING THE CHANNEL; THE MATTER OF FEES AND TIPS — BETTER TO ACCEPT THE INEVITABLE — REGULATING THE AMOUNT — ESTIMATING THE TOTAL - LAUNDRY BILLS— TOTAL EXPENSES PER DAY; THE AMOUNT AND WHAT IT SHOULD INCLUDE; PREPARATION FOR A TOUR — BEST GUIDE BOOKS — THE CYCLISTS' TOURING CLUB — LEARNING TO SPEAK FRENCH — ROAD MAPS AND THEIR COST — PASSPORTS — HOW TO CARRY MONEY — PRACTICAL HINTS — PERSONAL OUTFIT — NECESSARY CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT FOR WHEEL. While riding on the road the question of drink is often upper- most. England is not a good country for an American teetotaler. Public wells and fountains are few and far between, and the water from private wells is not always easily obtained, or good when secured. The country is dotted thickly with wayside "pubs," where ale and stronger drinks can be had without stint But their wares are not good to ride on, and if you order a " lemon squash " they charge you sixpence — which makes it rather expensive. So you had better drink water, even if it is sometimes an effort to get it. In Normandy wells are likewise scarce, but at the cafes you can purchase various kinds of sweet syrups, a little of which poured into a glass, and the glass filled with charged water from a siphon, makes the nearest approach to the American soda water to be found. The charge for this drink is from three to five cents, according to the importance of the cafe. Should the light French breakfast be insufficient to sustain you until the midday meal, you can generally purchase at a farm house an ample supply of bread and milk, than which there is nothing better to allay the pangs of hunger. Throughout the Juras, in Switzerland, in the Black Forest, down the Rhine, and in Norway, public fountains are in every village, and with a drinking cup in your possession you need never suffer thirst. In Germany, of course, good beer is always obtainable at a very low figure, but I have never found it a good beverage to ride on, and its devotees will do well to wait until after the day's run is over before indulging. USEFUL HINTS AND INFORMATION. 33 It often happens that for some reason or other — because of ill- ness, bad weather, a desire to get over uninteresting country, or the breaking down of your wheel, you will be obliged to resort to the railway for a short distance. In such case, if practicing economy, I should travel third class at a cost of two cents a mile. This is about the rate of charge all over Europe. In all countries save France there is a regular charge for your wheel according to dis- tance. In France there is simply a charge of two cents for the label that is stuck on the wheel to indicate its destination. A Typical Swiss Village. In crossing the Irish Sea or English Channel you may on account of the outrageous charges— $5 or $6, for a very short distance- be tempted to go second class. Don't do it. The best parts of these boats are not too good, and there is no place in the world where more misery can be compressed within a given time than on board one of these uncomfortable boats. THE MATTER OF FEES. Feeing is a recognized custom throughout Europe and however set against the system one may be it cannot always be avoided without appearing, and oftentimes actually becoming, niggardly. It is true that one could go all over Europe, and give little or nothing in the way of fees, but I should not like to be the one to 3-- CYCLING IN EUROPE. do it. Although the practice is often overdone, on"|the whole it tends to better personal service than we are apt to'receive from the same class of people in this country, and as the "tips," are usually small, one often gets value received. Let us see what is likely to be expected of us in this matter. If crossing on any of the principal English lines your stateroom steward and table steward will each expect a half-sovereign ($2.50); "Boots," will expect two shillings, and if you have received attention from the deck steward he must be remembered according to his desserts. The chair man looks for a shilling, and if there is a band aboard the hat is passed round for the benefit of A Swiss Valley Beyond Chamounix. the players. There is always a concert or other entertainment given during the voyage for the benefit of sick and disabled sailors, and this will cost you four shillings. All this amounts to quite a little sum. On smaller lines this expense may be reduced one half, but whatever the sum may be you will have to pay it, and so it will stand you in hand to see to it that you get the service for which you pay, being careful also never to fee anybody until the voyage is over. The time to tip your stateroom steward is after, USEFUL HINTS AND INFORMATION. ao not before, he has brought your stateroom luggage upon the deck, or on the pier after the steamer has got into port. At the hotels in England the waiters are constantly looking for tips. As a rule a sixpence is ample recompense for any service they are likely to give you. At restaurants it is customary to tip the waiter one penny in the shilling to the extent of your bill. At the cafes in Paris there is an unwritten law that the waiter who brings your order, even if it is not more than a glass of cafe noir, must receive five or ten centimes (one or two cents). This I consider an outrage, and trust there are persons brave enough Roau and Tunnel in the Jura Mountains. to refuse it, though I have not yet succeeded in getting my courage up to this point. On the other hand when some custodian in church, palace, museum, etc., has carefully and conscientiously shown me what was to be seen I have crossed his palm with a clear conscience. Cabmen in the great cities often demand a tip, but unless they have driven at an unusual rate of speed in order that you might make connections with some train, boat or person, they have no reason to expect it. :YCLING IN EtfROfE. For a summer trip of seventy-five days, from $10.00 to $15. Oft) should cover the cost of fees. If you have a lady with you th'ija expense is apt to be more. Your laundry bill is another expense that must be reckoned in the cost of the tour — though it is not likely to be as large as iff you remained at home. Plan to have your washing done in somt,5 place where you will remain at least a day. Make up your bundle* as soon as you arrive at the hotel, and when you hand it to the* chambermaid be sure to impress upon her the fact that it must be done at the earliest', possible moment. If youj arrive at noon you carl almost always have your laundry returned to you! by the following morn- ing. Have as many re- movable buttons as pos- sible in your shirts, for banging them with a paddle against a stone or wash board, as they do in France, is very hard on buttons. To sum up the whole matter of expense it may safely be said that reckoning from the time you leave America until you return, a cycle tour in Europe can be done very well on $4.00 a day, comfortably on $5.00 and liberally on $6.00. This estimate is made on the supposition that you will visit the principal places worth seeing on your route, will buy a few photographs, and patronize the theatres in London and the pleasure resorts (to a limited extent) in Paris. While in London I would stop at some good boarding house, where at least two meals are included, and when in Paris I would hire a room not far from the Place de l'Opera at $1.00 a day, and take my meals at the Duval restaurants. So much for the cost of it. Swiss Scenery. PREPARATION FOR THE TOUR. Nothing tends more to the full enjoyment of a tour than a knowledge of what is to be seen in the cities and at other points along the route you intend to take. If you have but little time to spend on this matter you can at least read what the ency- clopedia and a good European guide book have to say about them, and if you wish to pursue the subject further the number of works that treat of foreign tours is almost unlimited. From these sources and possibly from what is told you by friends who have already been over the ground, you will have a good general idea of how much sightseeing must be done in various lands, and thus econo- USEFUL HINTS AND INFORMATION. d7 mize your time to the best advantage. Among the great number of guide books Baedeker's are by far the best. They cover every country that you will be likely to visit, and range in price from $1.80 to $3.00. The agents for the United States are Charles Scribner's Sons, 743 Broadway, New York City. I would also recommend that you join the Cyclists' Touring Club, having headquarters at 47 Victoria Street, Westminster, London, S. W. The resident consul in this country is Mr. F. W. Weston, Savin Hill, Boston, Mass. The entrance fee is 25 cents, and the annual subscription, 65 cents. Membership in the C. T. C. The Road to Switzerland. Scene in the*Jura Mountains. enables you to pass your wheel through the "custom houses of the different continental countries without making a deposit, which alone is a great advantage. The C. T. C. Handbook of Great Britain (sold to members only) contains a list of two thous- and hotels throughout the country, which charge members of the club a reduced tariff; the names of one thousand consuls who are pledged to help their fellow-members by information and advice; the names of over two thousand cycle repairers, ^and much other useful information. The club also publishes a Continental, Road Book, giving distances between all important places and a list of hotels. 38 CYCLING IN EUROPE. Should you intend to do much touring in France I would suggest ' that you become a member of the Touring Club de France, the l French prototype of the C. T. C. Membership secures free entry of wheel into France, Italy, and Belgium. The club furnishes a f hand-book full of useful information to one touring in France ; also a monthly magazine full of well written matter relative to tours and touring. The deUgue for the United States is Col. Francis S. Hasseltine, 10 Tremont St., Boston, Mass. Write him, ^ inclosing $1.55, and he will send you the necessary application papers. If you are not acquainted with the languages of some of the countries through which you intend traveling, and are going to work your way through alone, you cannot too soon set about acquir- ing a sufficient command of French, German, etc., to enable you to ask for the common necessaries. This will be almost indis- pensable in France outside of Paris. In Switzerland and the Rhine country English is spoken at all first-class hotels and at many of less pretensions. As no one but Dutchmen learn Dutch, the Dutch are forced to speak English. You should especially practice on a few sentences in the different languages that will enable you to inquire the distance to and direction of the town that is your objec- tive point. Baedeker's " Travelers' Manual of Conversation" (90c.) will prove very useful in aiding you to make your wants and wishes known to those who are trying to serve you. If, in planning your route you desire information not obtainable from the guide books at your command, you have the right to apply to Mr. Joseph Pennell, the Foreign Marshal of the L. A. W., letters to whom should be addressed in care of J. S. Morgan & Co., 22 Old Broad St., London, England. You could hardly do better than to buy the books describing his cycle journeys in various parts of Europe, written by Elizabeth Robbins Pennell, and illustrated in Mr. Pennell's inimitable style. " A Trip to Canterbury," "Our Sentimental Journey," "Play in Provence," and "From Fair Florence to the Eternal City," are among the best. To students of art and architecture Mr. Pennell is able to give invaluable hints and suggestions. But he is a busy man and should not be troubled without good reason. From the time of your landing in Europe until you once more board the steamer for home never be without a good map of the locality through which you are journeying. For England I prefer Bacon's road maps, published by G. W. Bacon & Co., 127 Strand, London, England. They cover England and Wales in seven sheets. They cost, printed on linen — which is the best way to buy them — 62c. per sheet. The same house also publishes County Guide maps at 25c. each, on linen. Black's map of England, on the scale of four miles to the inch, is an excellent map. It is published in sections at 62c. a sheet by the Messrs. Collins, New Bridge St. , Blackfriars, London, S. E., England, and may be obtained at almost any bookseller's. Gall & Ingalls, 25 Paternoster Square, USEFUL HINTS AND INFORMATION. 39 London, and Bernard Terrace, Edinburgh, publish sectional maps of England, Scotland and Wales, on the scale of half an inch to the mile, with the main roads colored. Each sheet is 22 x 27 inches and covers an area of 38x48 miles — an ordinary day's run. Mounted on cloth, and folded to small size they cost 37c. (Is. 6d.) per sheet. In Paris, at 8 Rue de la Paix, you can procure a carte Routiere Velocipedique de France (bicycle road map of France) that shows all the national roads of the country, and is very useful in plan- ning a route. One of the best maps of the environs of Paris is that published by P. Sevin, 8 Boulevard des Italians. It shows which roads are pave and which are not — a most important fact to know. Another fine series of French maps are for sale at Neal's English Library, 248 Rue de Rivoli, Paris. They are very strongly bound in cloth, are mounted on linen, and fold up in convenient shape for the pocket. In every bookstore in France you may buy splendid maps of the de- partment you may hap- pen to be in, and as they show all roads, grades etc., tbey are the best to use while actually en tour. For Switzerland I ad- vise you to get Lenzin- ger's Relief Map of Switzerland {Relief Reisekarte der Schweiz), published by Schmid, Francke & Cie, Berne. It covers the whole country, and is an excellent map in every respect. The cost is five francs (one dollar). A fine series of maps for cyclists traveling in Germany is the Deutsche Strassenprof elk arte fiir Radfahren (German road map for cyclists), and any map of this series can be bought at any good bookstore in the country. It gives highways and railways, shows just how the grade runs, and whether the roads are shaded by trees or not. Each section (37c.) is mounted on linen, and in- closed in a strong case. They are the best maps to use while in tour. The relief maps of the Rhine Valley, showing all the castles, towns and highways, should also be secured. Swiss Village Scene. 40 CYCLING IN EUROPE. I have taken pains to spe^ ify these maps, and where they can be procured; but the whole matter might have been dismissed with the statement that any bookstore keeps maps of the surrounding locality, and that the tor.ring cyclist may buy these maps as he goes along. But if you wish to plan out your tour before leaving, which I strongly advise you to do, you may wish to send for some of them in advance, m which case my information will be timely and useful. Mr. S. A. Stead, the Chief Consul of the Cyclists' Touring Club for Continertal Europe, will supply you with maps covering any route on the Continent, if you will, after joining the Club, write and tell him about what you desire. This is, per- haps, the best way, as then you will have only one person to deal with. PASSPORTS. Unless you are going to Russia or Turkey, you will not be obliged to show a passport on entering the country, and if you take one the chances are ten to one that you would not use it Wheeling Through Switzerland. once, and yet I would advise that you take a passport, because you niight need it, and if so you will be very thankful that you have it. The following will illustrate what I mean : A young man who had been a member of our party, after the tour was over started alone from Cologne to go to England via Ostend. He arrived at the steamer late at night, secured a berth and retired. Just before the boat started a detective and two policemen came on board and called him up somewhat roughly. Through an interpreter he was asked his name, where he had USEFUL HINTS AND INFORMATION. 41 come from, what he had been doing, and where he was going. Without a friend on board he was a pretty frightened young man, and was wondering what would be the end of it all, when the detective said: " You say you are a citizen of the United States. Have you a passport to prove it ?" Now he had a passport, which he had carried in an oil-skin bag all summer, without once having occasion to use it. He recalled its existence with interest now, and brought it to light immediately. It was examined carefully, and returned to him courteously with the following explanation: wmm. Over the Brunig Pass. "Pardon us for troubling you, but we are looking for a man who is wanted for forgery in Frankfort. You answer somewhat his description, but this passport shows we are mistaken. We regret we have caused you annoyance" — and they disappeared. " I wouldn't have taken one hundred dollars for that passport then," remarked Smith, when telling us about it on the pier at Liver- pool. On another occasion I was in Touraine, with a party of twenty American architects, who were sketching the old chateaux, 42 CYCLING IN EUROPE. castles, etc. One of the party strolled out of town, and seeing something that struck his fancy began to sketch it. While thus engaged a French officer rode up on horseback, and demanded who he was and what he was doing. His reply didn't suit the officer, who demanded his passport. That important document was at the hotel. Very well, the officer would go with him and see it. So Mr. S. came up to the hotel in tow of the French army, to the edification of the rest of the party. The passport was pro- duced, carefully scanned — upside dcwn — by the officer, and after Along the Shore of Lake Lucerne. expressing his relief that we were not German spies, and his astonishment that we should have come so far just to make pic- tures of old buildings, he politely retired. So I would get a passport. It costs little, and might prove con- venient. Write to the State Department at Washington for appli- cation papers. Go before a notary public, have the blanks filled out and sworn to, and then forward a dollar to the department USEFUL HINTS AND INFORMATION. 13 and you will get your passport. The notary will charge you a dol- lar, and thus the whole affair will only cost you a little time and $2.00 in money. HOW TO CARRY MONEY. Road alom L. Thun. There are several ways in \\hich you may carry the necessary amount of money for a tour abroad. The ordinary ways are cir- cular notes, letters of credit and American Express Company's " Traveler's cheques." These two last are so much superior to all other ways, that they are all we need to consider. A letter of credit is a circular letter issued by a banking house, certify- ing that you have depos- ited with them a stated amount of money, and that they will honor any drafts you may make upon them until that amount is exhausted. The bankers who issue the let- ter of credit have corre- spondents in all the prin- cipal cities of Europe, any one of whom will let you have the amount of money you require in the coin of the country; in return for this you give him a draft on the firm issuing the letter of credit for the amount drawn. All letters of credit are reckoned in English pounds, no letter being issued for less than one hundred pounds ($500). Each time you draw on your letter of credit the amount drawn is written on the back. When you return home, if you have not drawn out the full amount, the banker who issued the letter will take it and pay you the unused balance. The " Traveler's Cheques" are little books sold by the Ameri- can Express Company, each leaf of which is detachable and rep- resents the sum of $5, $10, or $20, as the case may be, and on this leaf it tells you just what amount of money you can receive for it in the coin of the various countries. Thus, for a $5 cheque, or leaf you would receive in England, say twenty shillings, in France twenty-five francs, in Germany twenty marks, in Holland twelve and one-half guelden, etc. These are not the exact amounts, but will serve as an illustration. The advantage of the letter of credit is that it takes up less room, and in case you lose it you are much more likely to get it back. The banking house that issues it will, if you desire, receive all mail sent you in their care, and will for- ward it to your shifting address, if you will keep them informed of your whereabouts. Specimen Letter of Credit FRONT Circular Letter of Credit jvoJM^iini A0ORESSE0 TO THE CORRESPONDENTS KNAUTH,JVaCHOD & KtJHNE. NEW YORK,. ^/C^-^" ^- / ' f/7 'j-rt-ZA/v Jas.&-JL> &&^€£^- /At; sefA&trP- ''/■en* WY-AAS/Ae<7sM:////'l',i&jA *j <7J -ACjZs i?i<7i/< vct/tv/tr 4//* Ar/ZA^sty^yreyaA^^wtntrtA^'A^ {*A^u_ C&4~€*^d~<2^t^7(_^ pan's Bank, Ximfteo, Xonfcon, ^Wl^/^^/^w^ stfa^tarV'Os/y'dni:'/ ^r/^A^Aff^/A) ^AcnAA^rft^^A^i^^AA yeA/^yA/rM^-i-yr-n^ ,er/szeA//Si&e'rsjA'?t£>w/'r Ar'/i*, //A&»st &A yAny/i^c/Ae ^e-A/ttAAA y/^u^Auf.'-AAj^ <_yAr, ,0*r/'te*te'/i>'/',erf, ve?s.A s/i0j& //■r/sttjA/As/s&rea&ls.ues/A)'?*- Anw.AarA> #A' / wAi'/A?>/A?i; ^n^ y A/S//AstJ/**'tL/*'***f74' J^s'^C£^e^sJftvMer.A^i^-snAt:£>K< Atf/^^Ar/r/sfAlS^yJ'A^aAA/A'SaAacA'.cAA^ Aas,*cAs:a^y&°*t>6zjL£tA%> ~c ^/co Titw-inciat ian. Da Twentache Bankveree lieing. Z^jMttywa %emmeiaty h /s ?z Banque Federals 'fiuy &f&DBA Nachod ^^gf Q< frV#? ""** DEg^g^ J^*^ AMOUNT PAID EXPRESSED IN WORDS AMOUNT INF/CURES (U % ^£ t ^c6L^j£/&//* <£>^2 ■auA,'4£c. , SWAN & BARRETT S ^l bankers PORT t=AND-^ £.^r ~- jc=. { Q OQ -— 4G CYCLING IN EUROPE. The advantages of the "Traveler's Cheques " are that you can buy as many or as few leaves or cheques as you desire, that they are received as cash at many hotels along the ordinary routes of travel, a provision that often proves convenient. The cost of the letter of credit is one per cent, of the face amount ; of the trav- eler's cheques, one-half of one per cent. As a matter of fact, how- ever, these cheques probably cost just as much as the letter of credit, as with the latter you are allowed the advantage of the various fluctuations of exchange, whereas the express company Hotel de Balances, Lucerne. takes this item to its own benefit, and appears to give to the cus- tomer the lowest rate in the varying scale. For these reasons the difference in first cost need not be taken into account. If I were going to take more than $500, I should take a letter of credit, with a few of the cheques for emergencies. If I did not wish to take $500, the cheques are better than circular notes, British USEFUL HINTS AND INFORMATION. 4? gold, or any other form of money. I would say here that you will find it a very comfortable feeling to have more money at your command than you will in all probability need, and sometimes you might even need a part of this surplus. If you find you are going to some region where your banker, or the express company, has no correspondent, be sure and take enough current money to carry you through, and place no dependence in the assurance of your banker that his letter of credit will be honored by any bank, no matter whether he is a duly accredited correspondent or not. Town on the Border of the Black Forest. Great Britain and Ireland are the only places where this holds true. Bankers on the Continent will positively and uniformly decline to honor these letters, although politely assuring you that they haven't a doubt but that your letter is genuine, and that your bankers are as "good as gold." So don't get caught, as I have been, several times, to my great annoyance and incon- venience. PERSONAL OUTFIT. Having decided on your route, made a deposit for your steamer ticket (all steamer companies require a deposit of part of the 48 CYCLING IN EUROPE. passage money as a guarantee of good faith before they will reserve a berth for you) and perfected your money arrange- ments, you are at liberty to turn your attention to your personal outfit. What we have to say in this connection is the result of experience and observation. If the trip is to be a hurried one, say six weeks, and the object sightseeing, pure and simple, I should provide myself with the following: A new light weight traveling suit, a heavy winter suit, a light weight overcoat made of " Rigby," or similar cloth that sheds water like a rubber mackin- tosh, a new bicycle suit, two suits of all-wool summer underwear, one suit of heavy winter underwear, two taffeta cycling shirts, (unless you like something else better) toilet articles and a travel- ing rug for the steamer. Have a " steamer trunk," a small hand bag, and a shawl strap for the rug. Freiburg. You will come on board in your summer suit, but the first morning out put on your thick flannels and winter suit, and wear them during the remainder of the voyage. It is almost invariably cold on the Atlantic, even in summer, but dressed as suggested you should be sufficiently warm, except in stormy weather, at which time your overcoat is just what you will need. You can USEFUL HINTS AND INFORMATION. 49 secure a steamer chair of the man in charge of the deck, who will put your name on it for the voyage. The usual charge is $1.00. If you are to return by the same line as that on which you go over leave your steamer rug and heavy suit in charge of the company, reminding them a day or two before embarking for the return trip, to have them in your stateroom ready for your use. It will be seen at once that you could still further reduce your baggage by omitting the winter suit — but I have found it the most com- fortable thing for the voyage. You will naturally spend several days, or possibly weeks, in London and Paris, and while in these cities, I should not attempt to use the wheel . It is better to do the sights in both these places after the manner of an ordinary tourist. If you intend patronizing the opera and the drama in either London or Paris, you had better add a dress suit, or other even- ing suit to your outfit. At the opera in London a dress suit is Fortress of Ehrenbreitstein and Bridge at Coblenz. obligatory ; in Paris you could go in a blouse if you wish, but the French Opera will bring you in touch with elegantly dressed people in the finest opera house in the world, and so I think you will enjoy it better if you can feel the satisfaction of being suit- ably attired. , , Right here it may be proper to say that people are judged more bv their dress in Europe than in this country, and it is well for the tourist to bear this in mind. The European cyclist of the better class pays rather more attention to his personal appearance than do cylists of the same class in America, and our European brother generally presents a better appearance on the road. He rarely rides without his coat, even on the hottest day; and though 1 believe in comfort, and do not follow the example of the foreign cyclist in this, I find it pleasanter to put on my coat just 50 CYCLING IN EUROPE. before entering the city or town where I expect to stop at a hotel. If you adopt the same rule you will find that the landlord is apt to receive you with a greater show of respect than if you had arrived half dressed and dusty and having the appeararce of a field-laborer. As you are not likely to remain with him long enough to change his first impression, it is better to have that impression a good one. On several occasions I have seen the attendant in oneor another of the art galleries and churches severely reprimand Americans for entering with their coats over their arms, and make them put them on — and, I am sorry to say — take their hats off. I have also heard the landlord of a European hotel request an American cyclist to put his coat on at the dinner table, and that, too, in a Down the Rhine. manner that clearly indicated that the host considered it an insult to his other guests to have a tourist at the hotel table in his shirt sleeves. These are exceptional, though actual, cases and are only mentioned to give the reader an idea of how the matter of dress is regarded in Europe. If after leaving Paris your trip includes only Switzerland, Ger- many and Holland, you should send your trunk directly to the port from which you expect to sail, as the remainder of your trip will be over well beaten tourist ground, where it is expected you will be dressed in outing costume, and no style of dress causes comment if it is good of its kind. USEFUL HINTS AND INFORMATION. 51 If you have previously wheeled through Great Britain and Ireland you will be apt to find by the time you reach Paris that your cycling suit is somewhat the worse for wear. My plan is to have two suits. One I wear as far as the first city I arrive at in Switzerland, where I change for a new suit. At Paris I send this new suit on to Berne or Geneva as the case may be, and when I arrive there send the old suit to my port of departure. Through Switzerland and down the Rhine you will meet the army of sum- mer tourists, and your new suit will not seem amiss when mingling '•1 / . - , j0 ill Z&& .'" ' :: '■ rc? Uhlans at Bonn. with them at the concert gardens, or meeting them in the histori- cal places that it is everyone's duty to visit. I have no idea that this " pointer" will be heeded by all of my readers who travel abroad, but 1 feel sure some will act upon it, and be glad they did so. If you land in Liverpool and intend wheeling to London, go directly to the hotel you have selected; pack your trunk, putting in it your summer suit and all other articles that you will not need until you reach London, and forward it to your London address. Notify the hotel there that you have done so. Pitt & Scott con- duct an express business similar to the American Express Co., and it is best to send it in their care. Ask the porter at your hotel where their local office is, and notify the manager or agent to come for your trunk. After visiting your banker you are ready for the road. (If possible have a small amount of English money $'-! CYCLING IN EUROPE. about you before landing. Your American banker or purser on the ship will probably be able to accommodate you in this matter.) In addition to the suit you have on you should start on your journey awheel with the following articles : One cycling shirt, one pair of stockings, one suit of under flannels, handkerchiefs and toilet articles. These should be taken in a waterproof roll on the front of your wheel. There are carriers made for the rear of the bicycle, and cases that fit in the frame, but a bundle on the rear might drop off or be left without your missing it, and a frame case almost invariably rattles, and if the wind is strong on the quarter its force will act against the case and add to your work perceptibly. The best luggage carrier is made of strong wire and carries the bundle just below and in front of the head. The straps are so Down the Rhine. arranged that your coat can be carried on top of your bundle with- out disturbing it, which arrangement you will soon come to appre- ciate. As I have mentioned before it rains easily in Great Britain, and though you probably would not start out in a rain-storm, you are very liable to be caught in a shower, and in such case you will find a cyclist's waterproof cape (sold in all English cycling USEFUL HINTS AND INFORMATION. 53 outfitter's stores) a very valuable garment, and I advise that you r rovide yourself with one. If you should be fortunate enough not to need it, so much the better; if the storm over takes you on the route between towns, you will be very glad you have it. You will of course ride your favorite wheel, and you may feel fully competent to say just how it shall be fitted up; but long experience entitles me to hold a very pronounced opinion on this subject and for the benefit of the novice it may not be amiss for me to express it here. To begin with it should be borne in mind A German Street. that single tube tires are very little used in Europe, and it would be almost impossible to replace one in case an accident should make it necessary. Some of the large cities contain agencies for American wheels and at these places you might find a single tube, but not elsewhere. You must expect punctures (for the hob nails of the peasantry are scattered over the highways, always with the " business end" up), and be prepared to repair them. If you are successful in this well and good, if not you may be obliged,— as I have known others to be — to have steel rims and a double tube tire put on at a big expense, and considerable trouble. Anyone can repair a .54 CYCLING IN EUROPE. double tube tire quickly and permanently if it is only an ordinary puncture, and should it be rendered utterly useless, you can buy a double tube tire in any European town of respectable size. Many cyclists have made the European tour with single tube tires, and had no trouble whatever; others have been troubled and delayed from the time they started until they finished their trip. To sum it up it's a little safer to use double tube tires on a European tour. Be sure and have a good brake, if you wish to fully enjoy the trip. France, Switzerland and Germany abound in long grades, many of them miles in length, and the only way to enjoy them comfortably and with safety is to have a reliable brake. It would be better still if you were provided with two brakes, an ordinary Dutch Architecture — Haarlem. brake on the front wheel and a pneumatic brake on the rear, Thus equipped you need fear no mountain pass that you are likely to traverse. If you intend to ride after dark you must have a bicycle lamp, and see that it is lighted at the proper time or you are likely to be called in by the police and fined. This rule is strictly enforced. USEFUL HINTS AND INFORMATION. 55 I should plan never to ride after dark, and so dispose of this matter. You must also have a bell and give due warning of your approach to all people walking in the road, both in country and city. Bear in mind that in Great Britain and Ireland the rule of the road on meeting another vehicle is to turn to the left. This will come hard at first, but should be remembered, because a mistake at any time might cause a serious accident. In crating your wheel for the voyage, it will pay — provided you return from the same port at which you land — to have a crate made in which screws take the place of nails, as then it can be used for the return voyage. It is much more difficult and expensive to have a bicycle properly crated in Europe than it is in America. Many cycle factories in England never send their wheels to their agents in wooden crates, but bind them with straw and ship them in that manner. IV. WHERE AND HOW TO GO. COMPANIONSHIP — HOW TO ARRANGE — AVOID DISSENSIONS — ADVICE TO THE LADIES— A LADY'S OPINION — SUGGESTED TOURS — DAY'S RUN SHOULD BE MODERATE — A DELIGHTFUL IRISH ROUTE: SEVEN DAYS BETWEEN CORK, KENMARE, DERRYNANE, KILLARNEY AND DUBLIN; A FIVE-DAY TRIP FROM LONDONDERRY TO BELFAST (THE ANTRIM COAST ROUTE)— THE GIANT'S CAUSEWAY — LIVERPOOL TO LONDON VIA CHESTER, BIRMINGHAM, KENILWORTH, WARWICK, STRATFORD-ON-AVON, BLENHEIM, OXFORD, HENLEY AND WINDSOR — HINTS EN ROUTE — GETTING INTO LONDON — WHERE TO PUT UP — LONDON TO NEW HAVEN — DIEPPE TO PARIS -BOULOGNE TO PARIS — INTERESTING POINTS ON THE ROUTE— PARIS TO GENEVA — GENEVA TO THE FALLS OF THE RHINE — A TEN-DAY TRIP THROUGH WONDERLAND — SWITZERLAND TO THE NORTH SEA — A TOUR THROUGH HOLLAND — QUAINT VILLAGES AND LUXURIANT GARDENS — CONCLUSION. The chances are a hundred to one that you are not going to Europe alone — very few people could find enjoyment in making a long tour without companionship, especially if the languages and customs of the countries to be visited are new and strange to them and it will be better if at least one of the party has had previous experience and knows what to do in emergencies But be sure in any case to have the route and style of travel thoroughly under- stood before starting, or have it agreed that one person shall be the guiding mind, and that others shall follow. Otherwise dis- sensions will arise that will mar the pleasure of the tour ; and very likely cause a separation. It is well if you and your friends' tastes are similar as regards what is worth seeing and doing, and bad if they are not. If your party is large you are sure to find those whose ideas as to pace on the road and enjoyment in the tour are like your own, and their companionship will greatly increase the enjoyment of the trip. If I were a lad)'-, I should prefer to be in a party which included at least one gentleman, not that his companionship is necessary for social enjoyment, but because his presence would be very likely to save you from being misunderstood, and perhaps annoyed. I am well aware that ladies have cycled through Europe unattended by gentlemen, and have returned safely and reported a delightful time ; but I have also traveled with ladies, and have met ladies traveling by themselves, and my advice is as I have stated. Let me give one or two illustrations: WHERE AND HOW TO GO. 57 While standing in the office of the largest hotel in Chester in the summer of '96, two ladies entered who were, I feel very sure, from their conversation, New England school teachers. They were attired in American cycling costume, which was just a trifle shorter in the skirt than then — and now— in vogue with English lady riders. Their wheels, well laden with baggage, stood at the door. They inquired of the lady clerk the price ot a room. "Our rooms are all taken," said the clerk, "but you will find accommodation just below." The ladies looked disappointed and went out. I felt sure the rooms were not all taken, and immediately asked the clerk why she had refused them. "Oh! that sort of people had best go to some other place," she replied, in a significant tone. ~^BI m u ! 1 1 1 \MJ l m • : ,-:' r '.L : ""** . '" r v : -"' ' "■• 1 ij • ; ,".;^#& / ' 1 ' *7fll SH kk Canal and Streets of Utrecht— Showing Hotel Van Antwerpen. It was not because they were cyclists, for a number were stopping at the hotel— but because they were traveling in skirts two inches shorter than those worn by ladies in England, and were traveling alone. In the spring of '97 I was cycling with several ladies and gentle- men in England, and arrived one afternoon in the city of Bir- mingham. Three of the ladies strolled away from the party for 58 CYCLING IN EUROPE. a short time, and amused themselves by gazing into the shop win- dows. When I went to find them they were surrounded by a crowd of street loafers, who saw that they were not English, and therefore fit objects to be stared at. It required a policeman to send them about their business. And these ladies were cultured and refined, with nothing about them to attract attention, save that they were foreigners. For a people that has spread itself so widely over the world the English include a certain class who are astonishingly, insular in their ideas, and regard everything as wrong and queer that differs even ever so slightly from that to which they are accustomed. Even if you are careful to adopt the English costume, you would still be picked out as not of their kind— and so I shouldn't attempt to copy them even in the matter of dress, for, as a rule, the Amer- ican lady cyclist is far more neatly dressed than her English sister. In France and Germany, though ladies traveling alone would not be refused accommodation at any hotel (the Chester case was exceptional, even in England), they would be the subject of many A Brick Road in Holland. sly inuendoes, and in Holland openly hooted at — for Dutch chil- dren are by all odds the most ill-mannered in Europe. In Switz- erland anyone can travel as he or she pleases without comment. I have no idea that these remarks will prevent American ladies from cycling unattended— and I also think the time will come when what I have stated will not hold true ; but these conditions exist at the present time, and the ladies who, in spite of them, brave WHERE AND HOW TO GO. who have been riding in the cars, ^stwdof on a tncyu SUGGESTED TOURS. in planning a tour, such an *ft ^ 0^"^ themselves that one is g^ § yQU mileage. Bear in mmdthaUn addiUon t y > tQ the t will do much tramping *™^ and museums, of lofty steeples and wande ^c* ^yn g^^ enough for the From thirty five to fifty m f n f * aa y hall DreS ent for your consid- average rider. In the routes ^at I shall prese: n y Q{ten eration, the daily distance will rarely ejcwa n y & less. Sleeping places arc J^dica e by a ' n « th P ey are Lsily The distances of each day % run js not giv , j distances accomplished by any rider of average ^ ^ x he c T c . can be ascertained, in most cases, ^ r efe^nce ^^ sug _ guide books. It is assumed you will^atron ^ ^ ned> ^^^Tea^^he tourist is advised to go there m any case. 60 CYCLING IN EUROPE. A DELIGHTFUL IRISH ROUTE. First day, Cork, Bandon*; second day, Bantryf, Glengariff* (Eccles Hotel) ; third day, Parknasillaf, Waterville*; fourth day, Caherciveenf (train to Kells), Glencar*; fifth day, Kenmaref, Killarney*; sixth day, the tour of the lakes; seventh day, train direct to Dublin. Remarks : — This is the most picturesque region in Ireland. At Derrynane is shown the home of Daniel O'Connell, the great Irish patriot. From Glencar to Kenmare, the route is through the romantic pass of Ballaghbeama. If you can spare the time when training from Killarney to Dublin, stop off at Gould's Cross and visit the Rock of Cashel, the finest ruin in the United Kingdom. Devote two days to Dublin, then go direct to Chester via Kingston and Holyhead. I have advised train from Caherciveen to Kells because it is mostly up-hill. It is advised that you leave Cork after the mid-day meal, making a short stop at Blarney Castle. FROM LONDONDERRY TO BELFAST. THE ANTRIM COAST ROUTE. First day, Londonderry*, Giant's Causeway*; second day, Glenarmf, Belfast*; third day, Belfast; fourth day, take steamer to Peel*, Isle of Man ; fifth day, wheel to Douglas* in forenoon ; sixth day, steamer to Whitehaven or Liverpool. Remarks: — You may be somewhat disappointed in the Cause- way, as its remarkable features do not at once appear ; but a close examination and a little thought will convince you that it is one of the world's wonders. Don't make the ride to Belfast until you have a pleasant day. The beauties of the Antrim road are quite lost in bad weather. If, instead of visiting Belfast and the Isle of Man, you wish to go to Scotland, you had better take steamer at Lame for Stranraer, which is the shortest ferry between the two countries. From Stranraer you may go north to Glasgow, or south through the Lake Regions. LIVERPOOL TO LONDON. First day, Liverpool*; second day, Chester* ; third day, Chester; fourth day, Nantwichf, Stafford*; fifth day. Lichfieldf, Birming- ham*; sixth day, Kenilworthf, Warwick* (Woolpack Hotel); seventh day, Stratford-on-Avon* (Golden Lion Hotel); eighth day, Long Comptonf, Oxford*; ninth day, Oxford; tenth day, Henleyf, Windsor* (White Hart Hotel); eleventh day, Hampton Courtf, London.* Remarks: — If you leave Liverpool during the forenoon, you can easily reach Chester by noon, as it is only about thirteen miles. Spend the afternoon walking the walls and rows, and Where and how to go. 61 doing the other sights of the city as indicated in the guide books. The next day should be devoted to visiting Eaton Hall, the magnificent seat of the Duke of Westminster, and Hawarden Castle, residence of the late Hon. Wm. E. Gladstone. From Chester to Stafford is forty-five miles, and if that is beyond your powers for one day, go only as far as Crewe (stopping en route to visit Beeston Castle), or take train for part of the way. It is not a specially interesting country, so I advise you not to put out too much time on it. At Lichfield you will see the smallest cathedral in England, but it has been most carefully and perfectly restored, and is unique in that particular. Leave Birmingham sufficiently early in the morning to enable you to "do" Kenil worth before lunch, which you may secure there, or pass on to Warwick. I advise that you lunch at Kenilworth and then ride to Warwick via Leamington, which is an attractive place to pass through. As you wheel over the bridge on entering Warwick by this route, you get a most charming view of the castle, which you should visit before going to the hotel, as the gates close at 4 p. m. After visiting the castle, leave your wheel at the Woolpack and visit the quaint Leycester Hospital, at the end of High Street, as it is well worth a visit. The next morning ride to Stratford via Charlecote House and if it is open for visitors (they can inform you on that point at the Woolpack) be sure and visit it. At Stratford you will have the afternoon to visit Shakespeare's birthplace, the church, and the new theatre. On your ride to Oxford take lunch at a little inn in Long Compton, a quaint place where you will be well served. Lunch as early as possible in order that you may have plenty of time to visit " Blenheim," the magnificent palace and estate of the Duke of Marlborough. Spend the next day doing Oxford and hire a guide, for that is by far the best way. They will furnish you one at the hotel, and for a very reasonable sum he will take you through the various college grounds ; the Bod- leian Library, and many places you would miss, should you try to find your way about by yourself. It is a very pleasant ride from Oxford to Henley, and you should reach Windsor in season to visit the castle. If not, do so the next morning. I have recom- mended the White Hart Hotel because it is close to the castle, and a most excellent house, though somewhat expensive. The next day stop at Hampton Court, and go through Cardinal Wols- ley's grand old palace. There are numerous restaurants and hotels here all quite ready to serve you, and every one of which will cheat you if possible. Be particular to settle the question of price before ordering. I advise that you do not attempt to ride your wheel into London, but be sure to wheel through Bushy Park where is one of the finest drives in England, bordered by magnificent chestnut trees. After riding through the park you had better take the train at Teddington station for London, unless you are skilled in threading your way among the traffic of a great city. Secure quarters somewhere in the Bloomsbury district, near 'j , -. i CYCLING IN EUROPE. the British Museum. Now try and make every moment tell to the best advantage, for even then you cannot begin to see half what this great city has to offer. First procure a picture map of London (George Philip & Son, 32 Fleet Street, price 62 cents) and by its aid plan out your daily programme, so that the places to be visited will come in order, thus saving much unnecessary traveling. Of course you will make a point of visiting St. Paul's Cathedral, The National Gallery, Tussaud's Wax Works, Kensington Art Museum, The Imperial Institute, The Tower, Westminster Abbey, House of Parliament; British Museum, Zoological Gardens, etc. Take an omnibus on Oxford Street, going east, that says " Bank" on it, climb on top and ride down into the " City " ; en route you will pass over the famous Holborn Viaduct, and pass in succession old Newgate Prison, the General Post Offices, the Mansion House (the home of the Lord Mayor), and the Bank of England. Get a seat near the driver, tip him a sixpence and he will point them all out to you, and give you a lot of other information besides. Oxford, Regent and Bond streets contain the finest shops (there are no " stores" in England). As you are an American you will patronize the Alhambra and Empire among other theatres in the evening; but if there is a concert going on at the Imperial Institute don't miss it. But this is not a guide book of London. FROM LONDON TO NEWHAVEN. Remarks: — If from London you intend to wheel to Newhaven and then take the cross-channel steamer to Dieppe, let me sug- gest that you leave London after lunch by train for Epsom, wheel from there to Reigate, via Dorking, just beyond which is " Deepdene," the lovely country seat of Lord Clinton, the grounds of which are always open to the public. I would make a point to take this in as I went along. This will be a delightful half-day run. Spend the night at Reigate at the White Hart hotel. The following forenoon wheel to Brighton and dine there. The steamer service from Newhaven is tidal and your programme will depend somewhat on the time of starting, but if the steamer leaves Newhaven in the evening devote part of the afternoon to Brighton and then ride to New Haven via Lewes, rather than by the coast. If you wish to do the distance in a day from London to Newhaven take train to Croydon, dine at Reigate, and in the afternoon wheel either to Brighton or Lewes (Star Hotel). It is to be hoped that you will enjoy your passage across the channel. FROM DIEPPE TO PARIS. Dieppe*, first day, Totesf (Hotel d'Yvetot), Rouen*; second day, Rouen; third day, Gaillonf, Vernon*; fourth day, Mantesf, St. Germain* (Hotel Prince de Galles), fifth day, Versailles!, Paris*. WHERE AND HOW TO GO. 83 Remarks: — Your C. T. C. credentials will take your wheel through the " douane " (customs). Don't try to hurry the operation, take it quietly and you will finally get through all right. Spend the rest of the day in Dieppe. The fisherwomen are quite a feature here. Visit the Casino in the evening and see the gambling if you wish. The next day you will find a grand road to Rouen. Rouen is the most interesting city in northern France outside of Paris, and you can put in a day here to excellent advantage. Climb the high tower in the cathedral, and get a grand view of the city ; hire a cab and drive out to the new pilgrimage church of Bon-Secours, and do the town as thoroughly as possible. Your " Baedeker" will tell you what is to be seen. The next day your way will parallel the Seine for many miles. At. St. Germain, you will find a delightful old hostelry with good wine, and a young lady who speaks English. Be sure and visit the terrace at the end of the forest for the sake of the beautiful view of the Seine valley, and a distant glimpse of the Eiffel Tower. From St. Germain you could go straight into Paris, but as you must visit Versailles sooner or later, you had better do it now. The road is rather crooked from St. Germain to Versailles, but there is no reason why you should not follow it with a little care. Devote the after- noon to the Palace and Forest, and then wheel into Paris (15 minutes) via the Bois de Boulogne. If you leave Versailles as early as 5 p. m. I advise that you take dinner at one of the numerous restaurants at St. Cloud, after which cross the bridge, turn to the left and wheel the entire length of the Bois to the Port Maillot which is at the foot of the Rue de Grande Armee. This rue is almost entirely given up to cycle stores. Right in front of you is the grand Arc de Triumphe, in the Place de l'Etoile. Ride up to the Arc, and then if this is your first visit to the city signal a cabby, and let him take you and your wheel to your hotel, apartment, or pension as you may have elected. FROM BOULOGNE TO PARIS. Boulogne*, first day, train to Amiens*; second day, Peronne*; third day, St. Quentin*; fourth day, La Feref, Coucy*; fifth day, Noyon*; sixth day, Compiegne*; seventh day, Pierrefondsf, Crepy en Valois*; eighth day, Senlisf, Chantilly*; ninth day, Beaumontf, Pontoise*; tenth day, St. Germainf; Paris* Remarks:— This is a delightful route for one landing in France, at Boulogne, and desiring to visit the historic monuments easily within his reach before arriving at Paris. Boulogne itself is a delightful little city combining the features of a modern seaside resort, and a walled town of the middle ages. I advise taking the train to Amiens as the intervening country is uninter- esting. At Amiens, is one of the most imposing Gothic churches in Europe, erected during the thirteenth century. The ride from Amiens to St. Quentin is through the great wheat fields of 64 CYCLING IN EUROPE. Picardy, and presents a charming aspect of rural prosperity. At Coucy may be seen the grand ruins of one of the most striking monuments of the feudal ages in Europe. Noyon is famous as the birth-place of John Calvin, the reformer. Here Charlemagne was crowned in 1771 as monarch of the Franks. At Compiegne is one of the grand palaces of the French monarchs, with delightful grounds. It was here that Joan of Arc was taken prisoner by the Burgundians in 1430. At Pierrefonds is the magnificent feudal castle restored by the order of Napoleon III. at the cost of $1,000,000. Chantilly is famous as the former seat of the Conde family. Their grand estate descended to the late Due d'Aumale, who in his will left it to the Institute de France, and it is now open to the public. Chantilly is also famous for its race-meetings which are held in May, September and October. Great numbers of race horses are kept here all the year round. From Pontoise to St. Germain, your way is through the grand forest of St. Germain. PARIS TO GENEVA. Paris*, first day, Melunf , Fontainbleau*; second day, Fontain- bleau-f, Sens*; third day, Joignyf, Auxerre*; fourth day, Vermer- tonf, Avallon*; fifth day, Saulieuf, Autun*; sixth day, Conchesf, Chalon*; seventh day, Louhansf; Lons-le-Saunier*; eighth day, Morezf ; Geneva*. Remarks : — The ride from Paris to Melun begins with worrying work through the traffic, and is not particularly interesting at any point. It is much pleasanter to take the train. The forenoon of the second day should be devoted to the palace and grounds of Fontainbleau. On your way from Avallon to Saulieu visit the castle of Chastellux, a fine place, open to visitors Autun is one of the great cathedral towns of France. From Lons-le-Saunier to Geneva is over and through the Jura Mountains, with many long climbs and grand views. If instead of pushing through to Geneva from Morez in the afternoon you remained over night at Morez, it would be better. From the Col de la Faucille is one of the grandest views imaginable. Here the road begins its zigzags down the mountain wall, and a good brake is absolutely necessary. To one who has wheeled from the coast to Paris, the country between that city and Geneva presents little that is novel save in the Jura region, and should it be desired to economize time it is best to train direct from Fontainbleau to Lons-le-Saunier, thus saving several L days that could be profitably devoted to Switzer- land, Germany or Holland. FROM GENEVA TO THE FALLS OF THE RHINE. Geneva*, first day take steamer from Geneva to Montreaux, from there wheel to Aigle*, visiting en route the Castle of WHERE AND HOW TO GO. 65 Chillon ; second day, ten mile walk (four hours) to top of pass (Comballaz), where lunch can be had at the hotel; afternoon to Gesseney*; third clay, Boltigan+, Thun*; fourth day Interlaken*; fifth day, make the trip to Miirren; sixth day, Kurhans at top of Briinig Passf, Lucerne*; seventh day, Lucerne*; eighth day, steamer to Weggis, wheel to Vitznau and make the excursion up the Rigif, in the afternoon wheel to Brunnen* and make the excursion through the Axenstrasse and to Tell's Chapel; ninth day, Zugf, Zurich* (Hotel Bellevue); tenth day, Falls of the Rhine*. Remarks: — Although the walk up the Simmenthal Valley from Aigle is somewhat fatiguing, this is the best route to Thun. Start at 7 a. m. in order to avoid the heat of the sun, which some- times beats down with great fierceness. One can make innumer- able trips from Interlaken, but if you can spare but one day the trip to Miirren is about the finest. The new railroad up the Scheinige Platte is also a grand excursion and presents some of the finest points of view in the Bernese Oberland. Should the day be fine the trip over the Briinig is most enjoyable; but if cloudy and you cannot wait for a clear day you had better take the train, as you can see little of the grand scenery along the road route unless the weather is clear. Instead of wheeling the entire distance to Lucerne you can take steamer at Alpnach, and do the last ten miles on the lake. At Lucerne you will seeThorwaldsen's Lion, saunter on the old bridge with its old paintings, take the cable train up to the Giitsch for the view (and the beer) and listen to the band in the evening. Don't miss the Rigi if it is clear weather, but if not pleasant your trip up this famous height will be disappointing. It is a beautiful ride along the shore of lake Lucerne to Brunnen, and so on through the Axenstrasse. At the Falls of the Rhine be sure and make the trip to the rock in the middle of the Falls ; there is no danger. FROM SWITZERLAND TO THE SEA. TOUR OF THE RHINE VALLEY. Falls of the Rhine: First day, Titiseef, Freiburg*; second day, Kippenheimf, Strassburg* (Hotel Ville de Paris); third day, Strassburg*; fourth day, Baden Baden*; fifth day, forenoon in Baden Baden, afternoon to Carlsruhe*; sixth day, Heidelberg*; seventh day, Schonbergf, Darmstadt*; eighth day, Frankfort*; ninth day, Wiesbaden*; tenth day, Rudesheimf, St. Goar*; eleventh day, Capelienf, Coblenz*; twelfth day, Remagenf, Bonn*; thirteenth day, Cologne*; fourteenth day, Diisseldorf*; fifteenth day, Duisburgf, Wesel*; sixteenth day, Emmerichf, Arnheim*; seventeenth day, Grebbef, Utrecht* (Hotel van Antwerpen); eighteenth day, Goudaf, Rotterdam*. 66 CYCLING IN EUROPE. Remarks: — This is one of many routes that may be taken from the borders of Switzerland to the shores of the North Sea, but it is one of the most direct, and includes perhaps more places of interest than any other. Make an early start from the Falls of the Rhine, and prepare for an uphill ride to Titisee. At this point you can get an excellent lunch, and in the afternoon you will have a delightful coast through the Hollenthal to Freiburg. Of course you will see the great clock at Strassburg, and if you do not care to remain long in that city, you can make the run to Baden in the afternoon, and enjoy the casino in the evening. The distance is thirty miles, and the country is as flat as a floor. At Baden be sure and patronize the Friedrichsbad, one of the finest bath houses in the world, and visit the Alte Schloss, Huhenbaden, for the beautiful view. At Heidelberg is the finest ruin in Germany, and the view from the terrace is most delightful. You will arrive in Frankfort at noon, and you had better put in the remainder of the day visiting the Romer, the Zoological Gardens, the Stadel Art Institute, and the cathedral. In the evening visit the Palm Garden. At Wiesbaden wheel out to the Russian Church and obtain a good idea of the environs, and drink a little (a very little) of the water at the well house. At Rudesheim take your lunch at the restaurant at the foot of the cog railway, and then go up and visit the statue of Germania. On your return cross the river to Bingen and wheel to St. Goar, stopping en route to visit the castle of Rheinstein. At St. Goar you will visit the ruins of Rheinfels. Take lunch at Capellen, and then hire a donkey and visit the castle of Stolzenfels. At Coblenz stop at the Bellevue Hotel and take a promenade in the Rhine Garden. From your hotel you can look across the river to Ehrenbreitstein, the most powerful fortress on the Rhine. The run from Coblenz to Cologne can be easily made in a day, but Bonn is a very pleasant town in which to spend a few hours. At Cologne your guide book will tell you of many interesting things that you should see besides the cathedral. From Diisseldorf to Arnheim the route is over a flat country dotted with manufacturing cities of no great interest to the tourist, but the roads are so good that it is like riding on a race track. All through Holland the country is extremely inter- esting. In your passage through the large German cities you may find yourself suddenly halted by a policeman, and if you under- stand German you will find that you are riding on a street on which wheelmen are not permitted to ride. Many of these streets have signs announcing that cyclists are not permitted to ride on them. As these are generally the finest streets, the pro- hibition seems doubly hard, but the only thing to do is to obey the law. If possible, always go from one country to another by the highway instead of by train, thereby saving much trouble at the custom house. WHERE AND HOW TO GO. 67 A LITTLE TOUR THROUGH HOLLAND. If one goes abroad by the Netherlands Line, and lands in Hol- land at the port of Rotterdam, he can hardly do better than to devote a week to this most interesting country. The following is a very attractive route: First day, Rotterdam; second day wheel to The Hague*, and remain there long enough to visit the Picture Gallery, Prins Hendrik Museum, the Town Hall, the Groote Kerk, and the Het Bosch, a beautiful forest in which is the celebrated Hins ten Bosch. After this proceed to Scbeven- ingen and spend the remainder of the afternoon and the evening there. Return to The Hague for the night. Third day, Leyden-f, Haarlem*; fourth day, Amsterdam*; fifth day, Amsterdam*; sixth day, Utrecht*; seventh day, Grebbef, Arnheim.* Remarks: — In wheeling from Rotterdam to The Hague you will pass through Delft, where is made the celebrated Delft ware. Scheveningen has one of the finest beaches and casinos in all Europe, and is a very fashionable resort. The ride from The Hague to Haarlem is often under magnificent elm trees which grow to enormous size in this country. Amsterdam will easily detain you a day and a half. You must visit the Royal Palace, the Ryks Museum, and the Zoological Garden. If time allows, take a trip to the island of Marken, a most picturesque place. The ride to Utrecht is along the canals and through the quaintest villages imaginable. Between Utrecht and Arnheim is another delightful route under beautiful elms, and by the lovely grounds of wealthy Dutchmen. At Arnheim you are on the direct route for the Upper Rhine ; but if you wish to visit Belgium you had better leave out Arnheim and return to Rotterdam from Utrecht. The routes outlined in the foregoing pages will take you by a variety of ways through Ireland, England, France, Switzerland, Germany and Holland, which is about as much as can be accom- plished in an ordinary summer vacation. That these routes can be indefinitely extended and varied goes without saying, and if one is accustomed to taking an annual vacation there is no reason why a number of short annual tours may not be made in Europe instead of one extended tour. The short tour, confined to one or two countries, is better, if one can be reasonably sure of going more than once. A summer in England, France, Norway or other country is apt to leave a clearer and more satisfactory im- pression on one's mind than a rapid run through a larger number of countries. A tour of the cathedral towns of England should take a month at least; a ramble through Touraine, the Garden of France, with it castles and palaces, may well consume an equal amount of time. To one who has previously visited the better known portions of the Continent the Tarn region in southern France would offer something decidedly out of the common. The object of this little book, however, is not to be a complete guide to all Europe — that would be a work of years— but rather to put 68 CYCLING IN EUROPE. you in the way of knowing how to set about working out your own scheme of travel, and to supply a few helpful hints that will prove useful in so doing. If you are making your first visit unaccom- panied by others more experienced you cannot be too careful to have every detail attended to before starting. Circumstances may arise that will cause you to change them in some degree, but they will form a standard that will be invaluable as a time saver. That you will find your arrangements to work smoothly and that you will have a pleasant and profitable vacation in foreign lands is the hope and wish of the writer. Cbe eiwell European Cycle Cours ARE ANNUAL AFFAIRS THAT HAVE BECOME STANDARD On May 25th a limited party will start for a month in England, which may be extended over the Continent if desired. On June 24th and July 1st parties will leave New York for extended tours through France, Switzerland, Germany, Holland and England. Full particulars by addressing, F. A. ELWELL, PORTLAND, ME. Guide Boards for Cycle Paths and Country Roads. The L.A.W. is ready to sup- ply any number of Guide Boards not exceeding one million, at prices just low enough to be dirt cheap and just high enough to pay for the materials, printing, post- age, twine and wrapping pa- per necessary to spread the announcement and deliver the goods at the express house or freight office. . Description. — These Guide Boards are made to last a hun- dred years. They are cut from heavy refined sheet metal (15 gauge, iron or steel), in two sizes. The sinailer will contain one or two lines of letter as may be or- dered; the larger will contain either three lines or four as may be ordered. Each Guide Board is heavily japanned on the bacK and has thr« e coats of best lead paint on the face, ou which the lettering is laid. The letters and figures are 2 1-4 inch** high, hand painted. Holes are punched in each sign to receive fastening bolts or spikes and it is sent in each case ready to be prrT in place. Full printed instructions are sent with each sign. For circular giving prices, I etc., address « WHlCtT WAY ? " " Road Department," L. A. W., 530 Atlantic Ave., Boston, Mass. Handsomely litho- ■-■«»«--_ graphed in colors on 1 'T" f\ JM ;J ^?% heavy steel. Length, ) I vi 1 J 20 in.; weight, 22 oz. M _gm^^^^^^ Supplied in lots of mKBK^^^^^^^ 50 or more at 3s cts. £-'. Hk each, or in lots of I I less than 50 at 40 cts. ^V. each. At these prices f. -^ the hands are supplied with #*k no lettering except the word I "miles." When desired, we letter each sign at 15 cts.extra, but in many cases your local sign painter will do the letter- ing more cheaply than it can be done in Boston. For full circular information address L. A. W. Bulletin, 530 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, Mass. Hang it on the Wall of Your Office, More, Hotel, Shop, Club-Room, Place of Business So that every cyclist (man or wo- man) may see it. We will send you one (or more) of these bright little card hangers (6% x 7% in size) printed in black and scarlet— each having a metal eylet at the top so as to be eas- ily hung up. We will also send you a manilla envelope containing a sup- ply of membership blanks and printed information, so that you may hand a blank to each inquiring friend. If you are willing to do this for the L.A. W., please notify me by postal card and I will send the hanger and blanks. Abbot Bassett, Sec'y, 530 Atlantic Ave., Boston, Mass. THE HELPING HAND. League of American .iiiraaiiiiaii mmw LIBRARY OF CONGRESS IIE3WEMM 020 677 457 5 We want the cyclists in every city and town to organize into L. A. W. Consulates, elect their own officers, adopt their own con- stitution and by-laws and take up the work of constructing cycle paths, pushing the good roads movement, and taking an active part in other L. A. W. work for the special benefit of LOCAL WHEELMEN. THE NEED OF A CYCLE PATH. Any ten or more members may form a Consulate and receive a handsomely engraved charter issued by the offi- cers of the State Division, together with printed instructions and informa- tion telling how to organize and carry on local work. If you decide to organ- ize in your town, send to the Sec- retary-Treasurer of >, our State Di- vision (his name and address are in the official pages of the L. A. W. Bulletin) and get from him a list of the League members in your vicinity, together with blank "calls" or notices of preliminary meeting, printed copy ot usual form of constitution and by- laws for Consulates, and other printed matter instructing you how to pro- ceed. Local Consulates are numbered in the order in which their charters are issued, but any Consulate may adopt or retain its separate name or title and use the L. A. W. emblem r^i and its Consulate number as a part of its special in- signia, which is commonly shown by a collar strap. A Club may become a Local Consulate within the L. A. W. by joining the Or- ganization AND MAY STILL RETAIN ITS CLUB NAME AS A Consulate title. Plans and specifications for cycle paths and other informa- tion to aid Local Consu- lates will be cheerfully sup- plied by the officers of the State Division ana Na- tional body of the League. Press of W. F. Vanden Houten, 249 Pearl St., N. Y :yc lists RIDE WITH ION LEAGUE OF AMERICAN WHEELMEN P The "Danger Sign." Erected by the L. A. W. to warn cy- clists of steep hills, unguarded gullies, etc. .v.