Chapter I: Preface

This is not a love story. These wings are wings of motion, not of Cupid, yet there is much of romance and story in these pages,--for who can travel the _plaisant pays de France_ and not dip deeply into both?

When I entered my red machine at Nice no route had been laid out,--to me there is small pleasure in travel when that is done,--so I told Jean to start and left the direction to him. Being French he naturally turned towards his own country, and knowing whither the superb highways and enchanting byways could lead one, I tacitly agreed, and we glided away by the level sea and on into the olive-crowned hill of Provence, to where Aix--the home of politeness--dreams the years away and the air seems still to echo to King René's music. Arles, Narbonne, fantastic Carcassonne, Lourdes, and Pau followed in rapid succession, and then we rested awhile at Biarritz with short journeys into Spain. Turning northward we rolled off into Central France, pausing daily in some ancient city or quaint village, climbing mountains to long forgotten castles, or rolling into valleys in search of deserted abbeys.

So we wandered through Auvergne, through courtly Touraine, sad Anjou, and stormy Brittany, until Normandy and Picardy smiled into our faces and Paris received us within her gates. Exploring the surroundings of that great city as one can do only in an auto, we finally glided off through the forest of Fontainebleau and Côte-d'Or to the mountains of the Vosges and thence over the Schlucht to the Rhine Valley to Freiburg, and up to Baden-Baden. There the spirits of the woods seized upon us and we promptly got lost in the Black Forest, and so rolled on into Switzerland to Geneva and finally to Aix-les-Bains, where the journey ended and I bade goodbye to my staunch car which had carried me without mishap or delay for near five thousand miles. To its winged wheels the highest mountains of France were no barrier.

If all this pleases you, read these pages--if not, drop the book.

M. S. M.

Union Club, N. Y.
June, 1906.

CONTENTS

PAGE

CHAPTER I.

MONTE CARLO 1

CHAPTER II.

OUR DEPARTURE FROM NICE--THE ROAD TO AIX--THE CITY OF KING RENÉ 8

CHAPTER III.

THE ROAD TO ARLES--THE CAMARGUE--RUINS OF ARLES--THE "ALISCAMPS" 17

CHAPTER IV.

THE ROUTE TO TARASCON--CASTLE OF KING
RENÉ--BEAUCAIRE--NÎMES--MONTPELLIER--AN ACCIDENT--NARBONNE,
ANCIENT AND MODERN 22

CHAPTER V.

THE APPROACH TO CARCASSONNE--ITS PICTURESQUENESS--ITS RESTORATION
AND HISTORY 29

CHAPTER VI.

THE ROUTE TO TOULOUSE--GREAT MACHINES ON THE ROADS OF
FRANCE--DELIGHTS OF AN AUTO--TOULOUSE--ITS UNIVERSITY--THE CHÂTEAU
DE ST. ELIX 36

CHAPTER VII.

THE DEATH OF A DOG--ENCOUNTERS ON THE HIGHWAY--TRAVELLERS BY THE
WAY--PEOPLE OF THE PROVINCES--LOURDES--HER SUPERSTITION AND
HER VISIONS 43

CHAPTER VIII.

PAU AND THE LIFE THERE--DELIGHTFUL ROADS--ANCIENT ORTHEZ--MADAME
AND HER HOTEL--THE CHÂTEAU OF BIDACHE AND ITS HISTORY 49

CHAPTER IX.

THE ROUTE TO BIARRITZ--BIARRITZ--THE HÔTEL DU PALAIS 58

CHAPTER X.

THE ROAD TO THE MOUNTAINS--ST. JEAN-PIED-DE-PORT--ST.
JEAN-DE-LUZ--MARRIAGE OF LOUIS XIV--ISLAND OF PHEASANTS--THE
ROADS IN SPAIN--THE SOLDIERS OF SPAIN--SAN SEBASTIAN 62

CHAPTER XI.

DEPARTURES FOR THE NORTH--CRAZY CHICKENS--GRAND ROADS--DAX--RIDES
THROUGH THE FORESTS--FRENCH SCENERY AND
PEOPLE--MARMANDE--AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF FRANCE AND ITS WORK 69

CHAPTER XII.

RAPID MOTION--BEAUMONT--RACES AND DASHES--CADOUIN AND ITS
CLOISTERS--THE ROUTE TO TULLE 76

CHAPTER XIII.

THE GREAT COURSE OF BELMONT--DIFFICULT STEERING--THE "CUP GORDON
BENNETT"--THE MOUNTAINS TO CLERMONT-FERRAND 82

CHAPTER XIV.

CLIMBING A MOUNTAIN IN AN AUTO--THE CHÂTEAU OF TOURNOËL--ITS
HISTORY--DESCENT OF THE MOUNTAIN 86

CHAPTER XV.

ANCIENT TOWN OF RIOM--THE ROUTE TO VICHY--CHÂTEAU DE
BOURBON-BUSSET--VICHY--THE LIFE THERE--DANGER OF SPEEDING--ARRIVAL
AT BOURGES 95

CHAPTER XVI.

ANCIENT BOURGES--ITS CATHEDRAL--HOUSE OF JACQUES COEUR--LOUIS
XI. AND THE HÔTEL LALLEMENT--THE HÔTEL CUJAS--THE RIDE TO
MEILLANT--ITS SUPERB CHÂTEAU--ITS LEGEND 102

CHAPTER XVII.

DEPARTURES FROM BOURGES--THE CHÂTEAU OF MEHUN--THE DEATH OF
CHARLES VII--THE VALLEYS OF TOURAINE--ROADS BY THE LOIRE--ENTRANCE
TO TOURS 113

CHAPTER XVIII.

RIDE TO LOCHES--AN ACCIDENT--THE CASTLE OF LOCHES--ITS HISTORY--THE
CAGES OF LOUIS XI.--THEIR COST TO THE KING--AGNES SOREL--THE
MISTRESSES OF FRENCH KINGS VERSUS THEIR QUEENS 116

CHAPTER XIX.

AUTOMOBILES IN TOURS--DEPARTURE FROM THE CITY--THE ROAD TO
CHINON--ROMANCE AND HISTORY OF CHINON--THE ABBEY OF
FONTEVRAULT--RICHARD COEUR DE LION AND HIS TOMB--THE DEAD KING
HENRY II 130

CHAPTER XX.

THE ROAD TO ANGERS--CATHEDRAL AND TOMB OF KING RENÉ--CASTLE OF
BLACK ANGERS--CRADLE OF THE PLANTAGENETS--HISTORY--TO
CHATEAUBRIANT IN A STORM--A FRENCH INN--RENNES AND THE TRIAL OF
DREYFUS--THE ROADS IN BRITTANY--ARRIVAL AT ST.-MALO--THE RIDE TO
MONT ST.-MICHEL--INN OF THE POULARD ÂINÉ--THE CATHEDRAL AND
CASTLE--THEIR HISTORY 138

CHAPTER XXI.

ARRIVAL AT CAEN--WILLIAM THE NORMAN AND CHARLOTTE CORDAY--CHURCH OF
ST. ÉTIENNE--PEOPLE AND RAILROADS OF NORMANDY--ROUEN AND ITS
CHURCHES--THE MAID OF ORLEANS, HISTORY OR LEGEND?--CASTLE OF
PHILIPPE LE BEL--DEPARTURE FROM ROUEN 149

CHAPTER XXII.

THE RACE THROUGH PICARDY--AMIENS CATHEDRAL--ITS VASTNESS--THE
ROAD TO BOULOGNE 161

CHAPTER XXIII.

THE RIDE TO BEAUVAIS--DEAD DOGS--GREAT CHURCHES--BEAUVAIS BY
NIGHT--VAST WEALTH OF THE CHURCHES OF FRANCE--WONDERFUL TAPESTRIES 166

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE ROUTE TO SAINT-GERMAIN-EN-LAYE--THE PEOPLE--THE CASTLE AND
TERRACE--THEIR PICTURESQUE HISTORY--FIRST VIEW OF PARIS 174

CHAPTER XXV.

PARIS AND HER SO-CALLED REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT--NECESSITY FOR AN
AUTOMOBILE--THE RIDE TO CHARTRES--CATHEDRAL NOTRE DAME--THE
AQUEDUCT AT MAINTENON AND ITS BURDEN OF SORROW--THE CASTLE OF
MAINTENON--MADAME AND LOUIS XIV.--ST. CYR AND HER DEATH--RETURN
TO PARIS 180

CHAPTER XXVI.

MY CHAUFFEUR SUMMONED BY THE GOVERNMENT--THE NEW MAN--YAMA'S
OPINION OF PARIS--SPEED OF AUTOS IN PARIS 194

CHAPTER XXVII.

DEPARTURE FROM PARIS--THE CEMETERY OF THE PICPUS--RIDE THROUGH THE
FOREST OF FONTAINEBLEAU TO SENS--THE CATHEDRAL--TOMB OF THE
DAUPHINS--THE GREAT ROUTE TO GENEVA--STONED BY BOYS--TONNERRE 198

CHAPTER XXVIII.

DIJON--THE FRENCH AND FRESH WATER--THE ANTIQUITIES OF DIJON--RIDE
THROUGH THE CÔTE D'OR--ARRIVAL AT BESANÇON 208

CHAPTER XXIX.

THE FORTRESS OF BESANÇON--AUTOS IN HEAVY
RAINS--DREAMS--BELFORT--ENTRANCE INTO THE VOSGES--THE RISE TO
BALLON D'ALSACE--SUPERB RIDE TO GÉRARDMER 215

CHAPTER XXX.

GÉRARDMER AND THE MOUNTAINS--A WEDDING--FRENCH
COURTSHIP--EXCURSION TO ST. DIÉ--OVER THE COL DE LA
SCHLUCHT--GERMAN CUSTOM HOUSE--"ALWAYS A GERMAN"--COLMAR--RHINE
VALLEY--ARRIVAL AT FREIBURG 222

CHAPTER XXXI.

FREIBURG--FANTASTIC CITY--THE YOUTHS OF GERMANY--MUSIC AND LEGENDS
OF THE OLD TOWN--CATHEDRAL BY MOONLIGHT 227