1936 On the Continent

of bowls, and the visitors are frequently invited to join in. The tables are made of logs, the whole place is very charming and the wine is served in pottery cups which are made in the neighbourhood.
    Near Ascona is the Monte Verita, where thirty years ago there was founded a nature cure settlement. The propertyhas recently been acquired by a wealthy German who has built there an hotel combining the latest style of architecture most harmoniously with the prevailing Italian style and in which his fine collection of
objets d’art
, including paintings by modern masters, is used to ornament the rooms and galleries. Vegetarian cooking is specialised in and huts and chalets in the park-like grounds of the hotel may be rented for any length of time.
    From Locarno many trips can be made by lake steamer to various resorts on the lake; one of these is to Brissago, well known throughout Switzerland for the cigars which are manufactured there. The steamers also continue on to the Italian part of the lake, and a visit should certainly be paid to the Borromean Islands and to Stresa in Italy.
The Simplon
    We now take the Centovalli railway, which runs along the beautiful valley of the same name, continuing until we arrive at Domodossola on the Italo-Swiss frontier, where we can change on to one of the express trains which run through the Simplon tunnel (the longest tunnel in the world—over 12 miles—which was opened in 1906) and proceed as far as Montreux on the Lake of Geneva, but there are many places en route at which we must linger. On emerging from the tunnel we are at Brigue, which is an important railway junction. From here we can travel on the Lötschberg line, which after leading through the Lötschberg tunnel leads on to Kandersteg in the Bernese Oberland. However, as we shall be going to the Oberland later on, we will, instead, take the Furka line and ascend the Rhône valley to Gletsch. Here the view is dominated by the tremendous Rhône glacier which seems to stream into the valley in a mass of ice, and it is well worth while proceeding a bit on the road to the Furkahorn in order to get a full view of this unique icefall. We will now return to Brigue, but will stop at the interesting places en route.
    Our first break is at Fiesch, which is a charming village in the midst of flowery meadows. From here, the most frequent excursion is to the summit of the Eggishorn, which gives a fine view of the Aletsch glacier as it descends from the Jungfrau; from here too we can see the plateau known as the Concordia Platz, from which are started mostof the important climbs in the Bernese Oberland. Near the Eggishorn is the Märjelen See; the western shore of this lake is formed by the glacier itself; lumps of ice are always breaking off from this and can always be seen floating in the lake. There is very little to attract us at the remaining stations, and so we will carry right on to Brigue, where we will now stop for a while. The town is a good starting-point for a trip to Belalp, from the summit of which we get another view of the Great Aletsch glacier and also of the Finsteraarhorn. From Brigue we can travel by motor along the Simplon Pass, which is beautiful. We ascend to the summit by way of Napoleon’s Bridge and some fine woods to Simplon. We get some fine views on the way, and if we continue past the village of Simplon we come to the hospice; from here the road descends to Iselle at the southern mouth of the tunnel.
Valais
    On our return to Brigue we must proceed down the Rhône valley, which seems to divide the Alps in two. Coming as we do from the Tessin on the other side of the Alps, the contrast in vegetation and architecture strikes us most forcibly. Here we have once more the weather-browned chalets and the campanile has given way to the church spire. Although most of the bigger stations on the line have names in both French and German, we are in French-speaking Switzerland, in the canton of Valais. At one time the Valais was part of France, having been seized by Napoleon, but the Congress of Vienna restored it to Switzerland. The next station to Brigue is Viège or Visp, where branches off the line for Zermatt, which lies in the Nicolaital. Magnificent peaks rise on either side as we ascend the valley; there are the Dom in the Mischabel group, the Rothorn and the Weisshorn, the Dent Blanche and, towering above them all, the Matterhorn, the monarch of the Alps.
    From here too we can see Monte Rosa, the highest