The Californian.
A WESTERN MONTHLY MAGAZINE.
Vol. II.— OCTOBER, 1880.— No. 10.
A WINTER IN BERLIN.— I.
I had a few months to spare for a vacation my arrival in Berlin, through the assistance of in Europe, but could not go over until late in a member of our embassy, I was enabled to October. At that season the current of tourists find a home in a small German family. My turns south from Paris, and distributes itself hostess was the widow of a public official, who, along the main lines of travel, through the in the course of a long and honorable career, south of France into Italy, where it eddies had been enabled to give his family a social about Florence, Rome, and Naples, until the position, which after his death it was very hard spring warmth turns it again northward. The for the widow to maintain upon the meager pit more enterprising push on to Egypt and Pales tance which the Government doled out to her tine, though a few turn aside into Spain. It as a pension. The worthy Frau Geheimrathin, occurred to me that, instead of going over therefore, was glad to admit me as a member the Italian ground again, I would go this time of her family. It may be as well to mention in the opposite direction, and get a glimpse of here that a "Geheimrath" is a privy -councilor, another part of Europe ; so, instead of follow but at this day in Germany the title has become ing the crowd to the lands south of the Alps, I an honorary one, conferred by the sovereign upon meritorious subjects, and, according to started for Berlin. It was a chilly morning in the early part of the custom of the country, the wife is always November, 1879, when I Paris. Occasion addressed by her husband's title. I took pos ally during the day the fog lifted, and there session of her two vacant rooms, and remained were brief glimpses through the humid car- until the following May. For the time I was windows of the brown fields of northern France in every sense a member of the family, and I stretching away from each side of the road in had thus a very favorable opportunity to see long, narrow strips, and then of the villages the interior of the life of middle-class Germans, and more variegated surface of Belgium. It and certainly the simple, unaffected hospitality, was certainly a comfortless ride. As the early the culture and heart, which I met in the circle darkness came on we changed cars at the to which I was introduced, disposed me from frontiers, and the stiff uniforms of the railroad the outset to be uncritical toward the features attaches and their harsh speech told us unmis of the life about me which appeared strange. My life during the winter was one of quiet takably that we were on Prussian territory. Cologne was soon reached, and a warm supper observation, and as it may possibly be of inter in the comfortable hotel in a great degree bal est to those who have not been in Germany to anced the long account of the day's discom know something of its capital, I shall endeavor forts. A day in this quaint city, to look once to summarize my observations and experiences. By looking at the map it will be seen that more at the magnificent cathedral, and then I pushed on to my destination by the way of the latitude of Berlin is a little north of that of Hanover and Magdeburg. In a few days after London, and relatively to our own continent it Vol. II.— 19. [Copyright by The California Publishing Company. All rights reserved in trust for contributors.]
