1936 On the Continent

leads to St. Gall, at which one of the oldest Swiss monasteries was founded about the seventh century. The abbots of St. Gall have been very warlike, and the abbey was at one time very wealthy and a great power in the land. The arrogance and craving for power of the Abbot Leodegar precipitated a civil war in the seventeenth century in which about 150,000 Swiss fought against each other. The Peace of Aarau was finally concluded but not accepted by the abbot, who went into permanent exile. There are some fine specimens of old books and illuminated manuscripts to be seen in the library by those who are interested in such things. From the chalets around St. Gall comes some of the finest Swiss embroidery.
    From St. Gall the railway goes to Herisau in Canton Appenzell. Here the chalets present a most picturesque appearance and the outsides are painted. The populationof Appenzell is most pastoral, and the men and boys in the villages go up into the mountains with the herds in the spring, staying there the whole summer in the Sennhütten, whilst the women stay behind and do the field work. At dusk the Alphorn may be heard ringing from the mountains when the oldest herdsman sends out the call to prayer. The Appenzellers have fought sturdily for their independence and can tell many stories of victories against overwhelming odds. They were amongst the first to shake off the Austrian dominion. In Appenzell, too, can be found one of the most picturesque of Swiss costumes, consisting of full skirt and a tight, dark bodice, which is open at the front to reveal a high-necked underbodice lavishly trimmed with lace. A long lace apron, cuffs and wide collar, also of lace, complete the costume. On her head the Appenzellerin wears two black lace fans, which are sometimes decorated with flowers. From Appenzell an electric railway runs to Weissbad, which is an ideal starting-point for many excursions. From here one can proceed to the Meglisalp and thence to the summit of the Säntis, from which the whole of Lake Constance can be seen. Another excursion is to the Wildkirchli, an ancient hermitage near which prehistoric remains have been found and from which a subterranean passage leads to the Ebenalp. From Appenzell we can rejoin the main line at Altstätten, which then follows the Rhine valley as far as Coire (Chur) with the little Principality of Lichtenstein on the east. We pass Bad Ragaz, a well-known spa in the valley of the Tamina, which leads to the gorge of Pfäfers where there is a gorge filled with steam from a hot spring gushing out of the rock. This spring was discovered in the eleventh century and has been used for curative purposes since 1365. In the early days, patients were lowered into the gorge on ropes!
Valleys
    From Landquart we take the Rhaetian Railway and start our exploration of the Grisons; this territory was in ancient times known as Rhaetia. This part of Switzerland has a character entirely of its own and consists of about one hundred and fifty valleys all running off at different angles, and the scenery of the Grisons is of an amazingvariety and beauty. Here are to be found lofty mountains capped with snow which tower over valleys both wild and pastoral in their character. Here, too, can be found abundant coniferous forests which cover the flanks of the mountains and at the edge of which nestle the villages. Every valley of the Grisons is different to the others, and rare indeed is the visitor who does not succumb to their spell.
Klosters
    The name of Rhaetia is said by Livy to be derived from one Rhaetus, the chief of the refugees from Tuscany. During the fifteenth century there were three leagues in Rhaetia, which had been formed by the natives in order to free themselves from the foreign overlords; the Zehngerichtenbund or League of the Ten Jurisdictions; the Lia de Ca Dé or League of the House of God; and the Lia Grischia or Grey League, which has given the canton its present name (Graubünden). The Grisons have been the scene of many battles with the Austrians, the Milanese and Spanish. The Leagues were victorious and gained the independence of their canton and also gained some territory from the Duchy of Milan. The Grisons are best known to winter sports enthusiasts, and contain some of the finest ski-ing country in Switzerland, notably the famous Parsenn fields. However, the Grisons are also very beautiful in summer, and are very suitable for walking tours and mountaineering.
    Our first stop is Klosters,