1936 On the Continent

the weather-browned chalets which nestle on the hill-sides.
Lucerne
    Lucerne itself consists of the new town, on the River Reuss, with its modern white hotels, and the old town on the hill, which is very picturesque. There are several very old bridges, notably the Spreuerbrücke on which is a chapel with frescoes of the “Dance of Death,” and the Kapellbrücke which connects the old water-tower, of which hundreds of people must have seen photographs, to the mainland. Rigi is now becoming a popular winter sports centre, and a new 10-km. long ski run has been constructed from Rigi down to Arth-Goldau.
    An electric railway runs from Stansstad to Engelbergthrough pleasant valleys, farms and orchards. Forming a background on either side are pine woods, and ahead looms the domed summit of the Titlis. At Wolfenschiessen there are some delightful old chalets, and 6 miles farther on we reach Engelberg, which is a favourite winter sports centre for English visitors. One of the chief sports here is curling, the national game of Scotland, which was first introduced into Switzerland in 1882 by a Scot.
    Engelberg itself lies in a village surrounded by meadows and has magnificent views of the surrounding mountains, chief of which is the Titlis with its mantle of eternal snow. Nearby is the great waterfall of the Tätschbach and the Trübsee Lake, which can be reached by mountain railway. In the winter this is the point of departure for ski runs and snow conditions are generally very good. During the summer it is the starting-point for important ascents, including the Urirotstock, Titlis and Spannort. Of interest, too, is the Benedictine Abbey, founded in 1120 by Konrad von Seldenbüren. Legend tells that walking over the meadows he heard angels singing accompanied by St. Cecilia on her lute, hence the name Engelberg, “Mount of the Angels,” and in his devotion he built the monastery on the spot where he was when he heard the heavenly choir.
    I have not mentioned one half of the delights of the Lake of Lucerne district, but trust that I have said enough to induce the traveller to spend some time discovering it for himself.
The Gotthard Tunnel
    From Stansstad we board the steamer for Fluelen in order to take our seats on the Gotthard Railway. This is one of the major feats of railway engineering in the world. Boring was commenced in 1872 and the work completed by 1880, the line being opened for traffic in 1882. By 1924 the electrification of the line was completed, the power used being delivered from the River Reuss, the Lake of Ritom and the Fossbach Falls. The whole of the Gotthard line runs among magnificent scenery, and it is a continual pleasure to look out of the windows of the train. All the great peaks can be seen, and at one point a high bridge crosses the Kerstelen Gorge where a foaming streamplunges down towards the valley. After passing through tunnels cut in the Bristenstock in order to protect the line from avalanches, the train winds its way upwards in spirals, recrossing the Meienreuss three times and altogether twists so much that the traveller becomes dizzy and is bewildered by finding the same landmarks on different sides, all the time altering their relative altitudes considerably. The Gotthard Tunnel is entered at Göschenen and continues over a stretch of 9½ miles to Airolo. The old Gotthard road used before the tunnel was cut is still in existence, and many people prefer to travel over it in motor-coaches in order not to miss any of the scenery.
Val Levantina
    It is said that Charlemagne was the first to make the road safe for pack mules, but it is almost certain that it was used by travellers even before his time. If we travel by road we also see the hospice which has in the past provided shelter for many belated travellers. Once the train emerges from the tunnel we are on the southern slopes of the Alps in a country of entirely different character. From here the Alps lead down in a steady slope which culminates in the Lombard plain and, belonging as it does by geographical configuration to Italy, the vegetation and architecture becomes steadily more and more Italian. Although here, at the mouth of the St. Gotthard, we still see mainly conifers, it will not be long before these give way to chestnuts, which in their turn are replaced by figs, vines, mimosa, camellia, and other sweet-flowering shrubs. No longer do we see the weather-beaten chalets to which we have become so accustomed, but instead the