EIGHT SHILLINGS PAID FOR BREAKFAST WHEN TRAVELLING ABROAD

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 150, 13 July 1937, Page 11

EIGHT SHILLINGS PAID FOR BREAKFAST WHEN TRAVELLING ABROAD

That a breakfast consisting of coti'ee rolls, butter and honey cost eight shillings is alinost unbelievable, but this was experience by Miss Ruth Nelson, of Havelock North, wheu travelling on the Rhinegold express betweeu the Hook, Hollarid, and Cologne, in Germany, during her receut tour abyoad, which she described to the uiembera of the Hastings Women's Luncheon Ciub yesterday.

The meetxng was held at the Hawko's Bay h armers' tci.rooms, and the long table, at which every seat was taken, was given a bright touch of coloui with green crystal vases of most beautilul vivid orange iceland poppies and smaller vases oi the same hOwers on either side. • Mrs A. E. O'Meara, club prfesident, introduced Miss ltuth Nelson to the members, who were much interested to hear about her travels. Ihe speaker described the crossing which slie aud her friend made froiu Engjand to the Hook, their cabin being so tiny that some of their luggage' t>ad to be leit outside in the passage, and she also advised any would-be travellers to take suitcases in preferenee to trunks, because they were so much more easily managed.

\\ e arrived in Holland very early in the morning," said Miss Nelson, "and boarded the llhinegold express, which passed tlirough very flat country iu 'Holiand, though the scenery became more interesting wheu we neared Coloyue, a most beautiful city dominated by the spire of its iarnous cathedi'al. "After leaving Cologne the express continued aiong the ItUine river valley where the flelds stretched down to the water's edge. Next we passed througb low hilly country, where the soil appeared rather story, but whcvever possible terraces had been built and along these were grown vines. "The iihme river was wide at flrst, but narrovved down, and the hills became higher, and bere we saw the iascinating oid stone eastlea so often seen in pictures. in these parts there were beautiiul patches of iorest, very lovely with the ieaves turning colour. "VVe tx'avelJed all uay, axxd ixx the evening arx'ived at our destixxation, Stuttgart, where we were met by triends and taken to our hotel." Miss Nelson said that Stuttgax-t vxaa in the south of Gexuxiany, the towii being built riglit in the centre of a holiow, with the houses on the hills aJJ round. At their hotel they were given a lurge and comfortable room, but after staying there a week they decided to spenu tw0 months in Stuttgart, and m'oved xnto a flat. Stuttgart px'oved to be a verj' modern city with a beautiful theatre, actorw and actresses being paid by the towu to live there and give an opera everj' night oi the W'eek throughout the win. ter. Amoug the operas which Miss .Nelson saw was Wagner's "Tamxhauser,'' and of this she gave a most interesting description. People were xxever allowed to enter the theatre during an act, end it was a great joy to sit with an audience who really appreciated the rnusio "The country xn south Germany i« quite ditt'erent from New Zealand." said Miss Nelson. '"The hills appeax* to be much more gentle with their patches of forest, and the little biue, piuk and white houses seem to fit iuto the laudscape. "The food in thxa part of the world was very good and there are no tet hours in the restaurants. On Sundays we always went to a restaurant, and we i'ound that goose was one of the iavourito foods. Butter and rneat were difficult to obtain, but we enjoyed the lovely fruit and juicy dates, quite unlik© what we obtaxn here." )Yhen asked whether they liked the people, Miss Nelson 6aid that they had liked them very much, but that it was difficult to know them when one could not understand their language well enough to hear their views on subjecta of interest. She said that wherever ono went on the Continent there waB a feeling of welcome, the assistants in ehops and restaurants coming out to meet people. The friendliness was more like New Zealand than London, where there is a feeling of "take it or leave it." "Delightful maxxuers are a chai'acteristic of the people, and they have a great knowledge and love of music and axi;, which seems to be inborn," said Miss Nelson in conclusion.

Sevei'al of the members asked questions about the country and customs, and after the speaker had answexed these a vote of tlxanks was proposed by Mrs A. C. Scoon. lndividual members later thanked Miss Nelson and told her tlxat thqy had grcatly enjoyed the talk. Among those present were: — Mrs A. Ii.- O'Meara, Mrs Selwyn Chambers, Mrs Lawlor, Mrs J. Millor, Mrs A. M. Brodie, Mrs F. J. Hull, Mrs E. V.', Simpson, Mrs A. F. Glenny, Mrs E. Millson, Mrs D. AV. Hursthouse, Mrs G. 0. Bayley (Te Awamutu), Mrs A. C. Scoon, Miss S. Lincoln (hon. fecretary), Miss M. Robertson, Miss M. Holmes, Mrs G. Symes, Misses E. and M. Treneman, Miss N. Diamond, Miss E. Heenan, Miss J. Lovell-Smith, Miss A. Railey, Miss C. Lowe,' Miss M. Brandon-Jones, Miss M. Turnbull, Miss P. Gumbley, Miss E. Sliakespeare, Miss M. Bee, Miss J. Grahain, Miss A. Calder.