1936 On the Continent

as he had gasped out his news. It is peculiar that although French is spoken in the upper town, the language of the lower town by the river is mainly German.
    The quarter of the Auge, by the river, is one of the oldest in the town and here we can see the old wooden Pont du Berne which was constructed seven hundred years ago. Not far away is the modern suspension bridge which spans the river in a high arch and everywhere the modern bridges form a piquant contrast to the old houses.
    From Fribourg it is not far to Estavayer on the Lake of Neuchâtel, where there is a fine old castle. Yverdon, at the head of the lake, was for many years the home of Pestalozzi, the famous educational reformer, who taught in the school there.
    Travelling round the other side of the lake we reach Neuchâtel, and from the hills behind the town it is possible on a clear day to see the whole range of the mountains from Mont Blanc to the Bernese Oberland. Neuchâtel is the centre of the Swiss chocolate industry as well as of the watch industry; in the valleys of the Jura the watchmakerscan be seen working away in the windows of their chalets. Most of them specialise in one part only and the whole watches are then assembled in the big towns, of which Le Locle and La Chaux-de-Fonds are the principal ones. The chalets of the Jura are somewhat different to those in other parts of Switzerland and their roofs are higher, without the width that is found in the Valais. Near Le Locle are the falls of the Doubs. Another pleasant excursion from Neuchâtel is to the Val de Travers, where one of the interesting sights are the natural asphalt supplies. Near the village of Noraigue, in the same valley, are great precipices, down which the river Arense leaps in wild falls.
    From Neuchâtel the main line runs to Bienne, another centre of the watchmaking industry. In the Lake of Bienne lies the Isle St. Pierre, where Rousseau lived for many years. In the valleys that lie behind Bienne we can find many beautiful wild flowers, and as this part of Switzerland has not become a popular holiday centre, varieties will be found here that have become extinct elsewhere. From most of the high points we can see the range of the Alps which traverses the whole of Switzerland, and the panorama is very impressive.
Solothurn
    After Bienne comes Solothurn or Soleure, the capital of the canton. The fortifications were built by Henry the Fowler in the tenth century as a protection against the raiding Magyars. It is very interesting to find that it was this German monarch who established the class of burghers—the third estate—in Switzerland, and conferred many privileges on the town under his rule, which placed the burghers on an equality with the nobles in. many respects. Some of the old gates of Soleure are still standing, and strange old buildings can be seen, but most of the town has a modern aspect. From Soleure we can reach Basle either via Délémont or Aarau, so that this is the last stage of our journey, through a country that is beautiful beyond description and fascinating in all its different aspects.
    The Swiss themselves are a simple, kindly people and do everything in their power to make the visitor comfortable. No other country is so suitable for a holiday at anytime of the year, and rare indeed is the person who has not—after the first visit—returned to Switzerland again and again, each time just as eagerly, knowing that a holiday here will be one in every sense of the word and that he will come home feeling refreshed by the marvellous air and after the wholesome change.

GERMANY
by
L. RÁSKAY
    TABLE OF CONTENTS

GERMANY
Introductory and Personal
    As a journalist I have spent fifteen years in Germany, and there is hardly a corner of Germany that I have not come to know. I came in touch, first as a student, later as correspondent of important foreign newspapers, with all classes of people, except perhaps tourist parties. I was at home in Germany as a native of the country would be and yet I looked at everything with the curiosity and interest of a stranger.
    No European country is so diverse, so rich in world-renowned and also unexplored features as Germany. Its size, about 181,000 square miles and the number of its inhabitants, nearly 66 millions, alone show that the huge territory of this mid-European state must offer the tourist endless possibilities. Though indeed what do numbers tell us? Or geographical concepts? Theories will not help us to realise,