Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 14]
Rhone Valley
26/3/16
Very pleasant country with prosperous smiling people who wave much. Crowds of youngsters. All the fruit trees in the gardens were in bloom – a lovely sight. Very few young men about and nearly every one is in mourning. Passed through some long tunnels through white stone hills – one tunnel took 10 minutes to traverse. A feature of the country for the first 50 miles was a high bluff on one side and on the other pleasant cultivated slopes orchards & vineyard down to the waters of the Mediterranean. On the bluff side the rock often terminated in the queerest old castles which seemed cut right into them (are these the old castles of Provence & days of chivalry?) and there were frequent old cities with walls round them.
The country is very populous. The people ask everywhere for a "souvenir". Fine roads of a white surface stretch everyway and are perfect in their appearance. All sorry that night is upon us and we shall pass such good country in the dark.
We have a "haltes" of 3 hours at Orange and dixies will there be boiled. At Arles a woman news vendor gave me a 5 centime copy of "La Petit Parisien" backsheese. At 2330 arrived at Orange & met by a French soldier proceeded to a restaurant for supper. Wine, soup & meat cost 4 francs. The men had tea provided for them in French fashion. It smelt of cognac or cordial.
Bedded down on floors and seats of carving [?]. All night we kept going but we slept soundly
.and knew nothing more till daybreak when a bugler sounded reveille.