This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1918 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VII Geneva is one of those many towns in Switzerland which give the impression of neat commonplace in the midst of romance, --the same impression which is conveyed by a housewife's laying out of domestic linen in the centre of a beautiful garden. The streets are clean and regular, --the houses wellbuilt and characterless, sometimes breaking forth into "villas" of fantastic appearance and adornment, which display an entire absence of architectural knowledge or taste, --the shops are filled with such trifles as are likely to appeal to tourists, but have little to offer of original production that cannot be purchased more satisfactorily elsewhere, and the watches that glitter in the chief jeweller's window on the Quai des Bergues are nothing better than one sees in the similar windows of Bond Street or Regent Street. There is nothing indeed remarkable about Geneva itself beyond its historic associations and memories of famous men, such as Calvin and Rousseau;--its chief glory is gained from its natural surroundings of blue lake and encircling chain of mountains, with Mont Blanc towering up in the distance, "In a wreath of mist, By the sunlight kiss'd, And a diadem of snow.' The suburbs are far more attractive than the town; for, beyond the radius of the streets and the hateful, incessant noise of the electric trams, there are many charming residences set among richly wooded grounds and brilliant parterres of flowers, where the most fastidious lover of loveliness might find satisfaction for the eyes and rest for the mind, especially on the road towards Mont Saleve and Mornex. Here one sees dazzling mists streaming off the slopes of the mountains, --exquisite tints firing the sky at sunrise and sunset, and mirrored in the infinite blue of...