Volume 64: Emily Macarthur [Mrs. James Macarthur] correspondence and other papers, 1838-1879: No. 094
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[Page 94]
& then we came to a Sassafras & to the Metrosideros in bloom & oh! the Nightingales how they did sing!!! Our resting place was Baveno where we found ourselves on a very hot Sunday with nothing to do, so we took a carriage & drove to the pretty little lake of Orta - round about on the water - visited the curious little island of San Guilau [Giulio] which is quite built upon. You walk round it in five minutes but only occupied by priests & a College for the education of young priests - you would have laughed at our attempt at Italian conversation - nevertheless we made ourselves understood & could understand - we drove home by moonlight - such magnificent chesnuts & walnuts lining the roads - & lighted by myriads of fire flies. The next day we hired a carriage - our former [Petterino's?] man & the little dog [Rubino?] was there - who wagged his tail in sign of recognition - & we set off for the Simplon. Domo d'Ossola was our mid-day resting place & then we wound up hill & up hill - & some times down hill - till we reached the isolated hotel at Iselle situated in a gorge - a roaring torrent before us - & shut in
[Cross written]
as a hot thundery sleepy afternoon would admit. The Steamer at Alpnach. took us to Lucerne - we visited the beautiful old lion monument - & the Bridges - went up the Lake to Fluellen [Fluelen] & back in a Steamer & proposed ascending the Rigi had the weather been less cloudy - instead of that we came on here by Rail going round 100 miles to come about 30 - however we had pleasant scenery & passed the old Castles of Hapsburg - the ancient inheritance of the house of Austria - & now here we are at Zurich - admiring the pretty soft lake from the window with all doors & windows wide open writing to you & thinking of you all - have recd the Marseilles May news yesterday & with many grateful feelings to learn you are all well