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Interesting Letter From G. W. Taylor
St. Moritz
August 21, 1906
Mr. C. D. Vasse.
I believe my last letter to you was written from Lugano, and I believe I told you it was such a lovely place that I had selected it for you and my self to spend a summer, but since leaving there I have seen so many other places which are so much more beautiful that I have decided to make no selection until we are through with our tour of Switzerland. It is all beautiful indeed. We went from Lugano to Lucerne, situated on a lake of the same name, containing a population of 30,000 and surrounded by high snow capped mountains, with a beautiful lake with many boats, from the row boat to the steamers, which leave the wharf every ten or fifteen minutes for villages on both sides of the lake, which is 25 miles in length and from one-half to two and one-half miles in width and a little over 700 feet in depth. The mountain slopes are all covered with forest trees, grapes, and meadows to the tops of the mountains and are as nicely kept as out best parks. Every stone has been removed, and the ground is matted with grass which resembles out blue grass, but it is not. We remained here five days, and it rained nearly every day. We concluded to leave our trunks here and go into Northern Switzerland into the higher mountains and get out of the rain belt. We left on Saturday evening and went as far as Zurich on the lake and staid over night. It was still raining, and we took the train to this place Saturday morning. We have been traveling through the mountains since leaving Milan, and the scenery cannot be described. You must see it to realize its beauty. We crossed the River Rhine and then followed up its valley and canyons to its very source and passed through many tunnels and some of them we went through corkscrew fashion. We had to circle under the mountains as many as four times, coming out at the same point only 150 feet higher up. We could see each tunnel entrance above as we were nearing the first one, and there was a village in the valley below which we could see as we made each circle.
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Building this road was certainly a wonderful piece of engineering. Well, we reached this place at 6:30 p.m., and I was nearly frozen, although I had on heavy woolen underwear and my overcoat. The town is 7,000 feet above sea level, but the high peaks of the mountains on every side are covered with perpetual snow, and to go as the crow flies it is only about one-half mile to the snow, which of course makes it cold here. Fortunately for me, when I went to my room I found it heated by steam and I soon thawed out, and now I am better prepared for cold weather, as I have on two heavy suits of underwear and will keep them on until we reach a lower altitude. We will leave here in a day or two for some town -- I forget the name -- where there is a hospital for tuberculosis patients, and after leaving there we will gradually run into a lower altitude.
Well, I have no letters later than July 27th and 30th, both from Juila and Will Kingsbury. We are all well. The Vaughans were out yesterday all day climbing mountains and have gone again to-day. I did not think I cared to go, and am taking in the town and shops. We will not get any mail now until we reach Lucerne, where we left our trunks, as we could not have it follow us up here on our short stops. We have tickets which give us the privilege of traveling on boats or railroad up to September 10th anywhere in Switzerland, and by that time we go back to Italy, as we sail on September 17th.
Well, I am at the end of my paper and it is now lunch-time or 1 o'clock. With love to you and all friends, I am, as ever, yours truly.
Wednesday morning, August 22nd. -- I did not mail this last evening, so I shall write a few lines more. This is a village of 5,000 people, but now has about as many as 5,000 tourists. It is a great summer resort, and our hotel people say they are full nearly all winter. The surrounding mountains, covered with perpetual snow, with the beautiful lakes and valleys below and the nice gravel roads and walks, make it a charming place. This is another bright and lovely day, as all others have been since we came here. It has warmed up a little, but is still cold. The Vaughans are all out to the high mountains again to-day except Warren, who has tired out and is with me. We leave here early to-morrow morning.
G. W. Taylor
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