Visit to Iceland and the Scandinavian North

had felt myself impelled. In this country, stamped as it is by Nature with features so peculiar, as probably to have no counterpart on the face of the globe, I hoped to see things whi

find her way through the world as well as a man, and that good people are to be met with every where. To this was added the reflecti

he first four miles, as far as Florisdorf, in an omnibus-not the most agreeable mode of travelling. Our omnibuses are so small and narrow, that one would suppose they were built for the exc

te astounded at the demand. He had provided nothing but his passport and testimonials, being totally unaware that a pass-warrant is more indispensa

house near Prague. Alas, poor youth! he had studied so much, and yet knew so little. He had not even an idea of the overwhelming i

ceed with

ere obliged to alight halfway, and walk a short distance. The Embankment had given way. Luckily the weather was favourable, inasmuch as we had only a violent storm of wind. Had it rained, we should have been wetted t

y companions, and was soon securely pack

uggage to watch over. The only advantage I could discover in all this was, that we had saved half an hour in coming these seventeen miles. For this, instead of 9 fl. 26 k

large plain, extending from Vienna to Budwitz, seventeen miles beyond Zn

f high hills, with a ruined castle, suggestive of tragical tales of centuries gone by. Fir

il

as incomparably worse. The mist resolved itself into a mild rain, which, however, lost so much of its mildness as we passed from station to station, that every thing around us was soon under water. But not only did we ride thr

a different plan, and should certainly not fail to complain of such carelessness. But as a woman, I must hold my peace; people would only rail at my sex, and c

st town which we saw was Czaslau, with its large open square, and a few neat houses; the latter provided with so-c

, but only for a short time, as it soon takes another direction. Passing the small town of Collin, we are whirled close by the battle-field where, in the year 1757, the great King Frederick paid his score t

ck on the same

AG

m-house, to take possession of a small chest, which I had delivered up five days before my departure, and which, as the expeditor affirmed, I should find ready for me on my arrival at Prague. [6] Ah, Mr.

ray of loaded wagons had, however, arrived, and in one of these it might be. Ah, how I longed to see my darli

visit to the cathedral, in which a large sarcophagus, surrounded and borne by angels, and surmounted by a canopy of crimson damask, is dedicated to the memory of the saint. The monument is of silver, and the worth of the metal alone is estimated at 80,000 florins. The church itself is not spacious, but is built in the noble Gothic style; the lesser altars, however, with their innumerable gilded wooden figures, look by c

nd saw 365; how they manage in leap-year I do not know. The view from the belvedere of this palace well repays the observer. It takes in the old and new town, the noble river with its two bridges

tortuous, steep, and narrow. They contain, however, several remarkable palac

and its beautifully arched cupola, I betook myself to Wimmer's gardens, and

s, and even a little village not far from Prague, besides damaging all the dwellings upon its banks. The water had indeed already fallen, but the walls of the houses were soaked through and through; the do

occupied by the termini of the Vienna and Dresden railroads. Although several houses were only just being pulled down,

o Lapland or Greenland, on meeting every where carts to which two, three, or four dogs were harnessed. One pair of dogs will drag three hundredweight on level ground; but when they encounter a hill, the driver must lend a helping h

ohemia, of fifty-horse power, a miserable old craft, apparently a stranger to beauty and comfort from her youth up. The price charged for this short passage of eight or nine hours is enormously dear. The travel

On the right are naked hills, and on the left large plains, over which, last spring, the swollen stream rolled, partly covering the trees and the roofs of the cottages. Here I could for the first time see the whole extent

he innumerable vineyards. Opposite this little town the Moldau falls into the Elbe. On the left, in the far distanc

e regions romantic where the mountains are crowned with half-ruined castles and strongholds, good old Time has

the Eger flows into the Elbe, and a high-arched wooden bridge connects the two b

twelve apostles," each of which holds between three and four thousand gallons. It would be no more than fair to stop here awhile, to give every hero of the bottle an opportunity to enjoy a sight of these palace-cellars, and to offer a libation to the twe

oups of rocks, with summits crowned by rains yet more romantic, tower between. The ancient but well-preserved castle of Schreckenstein, b

in Bohemia. In their neighbourhood is situated the little mountain es

castle of Tetschen. The castle stands on a rock, between twenty and thirty feet high, which seems to rise out of the Elbe; it is surrounded by hot-houses and charming gardens, shelving downw

at intervals for an isolated farm or hut. Suddenly the tops of masts appear between the high rocks,

ever associated with frontier towns, here boarded our vessel, and rummaged every thing. My daguerreotype apparatus, which I had locked up in a small box, wa

ar off, on the right bank, a huge rock, resting on others, bears a striking resemblance to a human head. The more distant groups of rocks are called those of "Rathen," but are considered as belonging to Saxon Switzerland. The "Basteien" (Bastions) of this Switzerland, close by which we now pass, are most wonderful superpositions of lofty and fantastically shaped roc

nnenstein, built on a rock, and n

grand scenes of nature. A chain of hills, covered with the country-houses of citizens, adjoins it; and on the right extends a large plain, at the far end of which we can d

h surmounted it were precipitated into the flood. At first, carriages still passed over the bridge; it was not until some time afte

only building new to me was the splendid theatre, I took advan

e exterior, one would imagine it to be, but the architecture and decorations are truly gorgeous and striking. The boxes are all open, being separated from each other merely by a low partition; the walls and chairs are covered with heavy silken draperies, and the seats of the third and fourth galleries with a mixture of silk and cotton. One single circumstan

il

the furs and cloaks of fellow-passengers. A bell-pull is fixed in the interior of the carriage, so that each individual can give the coachman a signal when

ting, and drove off comfortably to the railway. The distance from Dresden to

villages, farms, country-houses, and solitary chapels, combine to form a very pretty landscape. But the scene soon changes, and the town o

by villages and scattered farms. There is nothing to see but a great tunnel, and the river Plei

nse publishing trade, presents an appearance of noise and bustle proportionate to

its streets, so disfigured with announcements, in all sizes and shapes

and the exterior are all plain, and without particular decoration. The Tuchhalle (cloth-hall) is simply a large house, with spacious chambers, containing supplies of cloth. The Theatre stands on a very large square, and does not present a very splendid appearance, whether viewed from within or from without. The plan of having stalls in front of the boxes in the second and third galleries was a novelty

g, containing a very sufficient supply of confectionery, to which they perseveringly applied themselves between the acts. But at Leipzig I found a delicate-looking mother and her son, a lad of fifteen or sixteen years, regaling themselves with more solid provisions-white

in the loftiest regions of Thalia's temp

f splendid avenues and lawns. A pretty coffee-house, with a very handsome alcove, built in a semicircular form, invit

Leipzig presents the appearance

il

ter way, and proceeded by rail to Magdeburg. Flying through the dismal plain past Halle, K?then, and other towns, of which I could only discern groups of houses, we

ot to start until 3 o'clock, I ha

sackings; houses of all colours and forms; some sporting peaked gables, on which stone figures may still be seen; others covered from roof to basement with arabesques; and in one instance I could even detect the remains of frescoes. In the very midst of these relics of antiquity would appear a house built in the newest

emorial of the celebrated sculptor Vischer. In order to view it, i

anoeuvres. I was particularly struck with the number of military men to be seen here. Go where I would, I was sure to meet soldiers and officers,

houses, and meander through the streets

t was my lot to endure all this: the weather was bad, the ship was dirty, the distance more than 100 miles, so that we had the pleasant prospect of a delightful night on board the ship. There were, moreover, so many passengers, that we were forced to sit crowded together; so there we sat with exemplary patience, stared at each other, and sighed bitterly. Order was entirely out of the question; no one had time to think of such a thing. Smoking