Nasby in Exile: or, Six Months of Travel in England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium, with many things not of travel
John Locke · en
The broad walnut-lined Höheweg, a beautiful avenue, leads down across an
old-fashioned, massive stone bridge to a street set aside for markets.
Here, during the forenoon, is a miniature Petticoat Lane, only the
people are all clean, picturesquely dressed and decent. There are no rum
shops, reeking with the vile odors of stale liquors and still staler
tobacco smoke; there are no intoxicated men and women. Everything is
quiet, orderly and well conducted. But the variety of articles offered
for sale is something astonishing. Here an enterprising woman, as stiff
and formal as the high white cap she wears, has a small stock of dry
goods spread out on the pavement for the inspection of the
picturesquely dressed peasants, who trade their milk and farm products
for clothing material. A little further on you will find a complete
assortment of boots and shoes, of all kinds and conditions. There a man
has a hat store and a junk shop combined. At any place, almost, you can
buy specimens of Swiss skill in carving. These stores or exchanges are
all on the street, along which it is difficult to thread one's way, so
crowded is it with buyers and sellers.
These narrow, crooked streets are lined with houses built the Lord only
knows how long ago. The long beams that cross each other in the front of
the houses are carved and cut in every conceivable shape. Sometimes the
artist was a little ambitious and attempted very elaborate work, not
always successfully, however, for the heads and figures that adorn the
fronts of some of them are grotesque to a degree.
Interlaken is the starting point for most of the mountaineering parties
that visit the Bernese Oberland, the chief point of interest centering
about the Jungfrau, which is forty-one hundred and sixty-seven feet
high. The ascent of this mountain, which, though very fatiguing, is not
dangerous, was first made in 1811, and between that time and 1856 it was
only accomplished five times. Since the latter date, however, it has
been made very frequently. We did not attempt to explore the icy
regions, so far above the clouds, being perfectly content with our
experience at Mont Blanc.
Interlaken is the great distributing point for the vast quantities of
carved goods made in this vicinity. There are a number of large
factories in the city, but the greater part of the work is done in the
little towns near there. The displays made in the large stores are
wonderful, some of the pieces being the work of genius. While every
possible subject is treated, the carvers have a passion for bears, the
heraldic emblem of some of the Cantons. You will see bears of every
conceivable size, and in every attitude. Whole parties of them, playing
billiards or cards, or dancing a quadrille; bears standing, sitting,
lying down; bears everywhere and doing everything. Some of this work is
wonderfully well done, the lines and spaces being so delicately cut that
it seems as though a breath would break them.
[Sidenote: WOOD CARVING.]