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[Page 13]
That night the No. 1 Stationary Hospital girls left and the rest of us were leaving the following day. Had lunch on shore and left by train about 3.30 p.m. The countryside was dry, but fruits, olives and grapes grew right to the top of the hills. The roads were wonderful.
There were six of us in a carriage and we made up beds using the luggage - a most uncomfortable situation. When one turned all had to follow suit and needless to say got very little sleep. We had no dinner but at 9 p.m. bags of sandwiches and some wine was handed through the window. We did not enjoy it at all and missed our cup of tea.
We arrived at Bologua at 10. 30 a.m. and after a wash and lunch at the hotel saw the town and the Cathedral. It was most enjoyable but we were all feeling very weary. Left at 3 p. m. for another long trip.
The scenery was better than the previous day and the fruit trees looked healthier than the others. Also there were less olive trees. Quaint terra_cotta stations marked the way, and we were out of the train at every chance. We were shunted to sidings whilst troop trains passed us by. The men waved gaily but we felt sorry to see them go, even tho1 their destinations would probably be better than those in France.
At 12 p.m. we arrived in Turin - tired and bad tempered. We had spent five nights on the train not sleeping properly. However, we liked Turin ~ the gardens were lovely and the air much cooler. We left again at 4. 30 p.m. It was rugged scenery crossing the Italian Alps, and the roads were like white ribbons.
There was no waste land at all it all being cultivated to the snow level.
We crossed the boundary at Mondane at 8. 30 p. m. It was cold and wet but a spJendid supper helped. At last, tired out, we reached Paris.
After a clean up went down to lunch but the Manager was a bit doubtful as to whether he could feed us all. We naturally thought, when the salad and sardines were handed out, it would be one course only. The waiters were as astonished as ourselves when other courses followed, and they looked tantalising but we couldn't eat them. We had learnt a lesson.
We stayed in Paris 11 days and left with many regrets on Sept. 1st. at 7. 30 a.m. for Rouen, where we only spent 15 minutes, then on to Le Harve. We learnt on arrival there they were experiencing the highest tide in 20 years. We boarded at 8. 30 p.m. but were all so seasick that on learning that the boat had scraped a net and almost capsised, we were not even frightened. Arrived in London at 11. 30. a.m.
Whilst waiting for Matron McDonald on Liverpool Station, we looked and felt like a lot of refugees. As she did not turn up we decided to go on to the Kenilworth Hotel where we had a lot bath and slept till 6 p. m.