The abyss;
and I frequently crept for hours in a corner, or held fast to the
sides of the ship, and let the waves dash over me. I had overcome
the terrible sea-sickness during my numerous journeys, and could
therefore freely admire these fearfully beautiful scenes of excited
nature, and adore God in His grandest works.
We had scarcely cast anchor in the port when a whole array of
coachmen surrounded us, volunteering to drive us overland to
Hamburgh, a journey of thirty-six miles, which it takes eight hours
to accomplish.
Travemunde is a pretty spot, which really consists of only one
street, in which the majority of the houses are hotels. The country
from here to Lubeck, a distance of ten miles, is very pretty. A
splendid road, on which the carriages roll smoothly along, runs
through a charming wood past a cemetery, whose beauty exceeds that
of Upsala; but for the monuments, one might take it for one of the
most splendid parks or gardens.
I regretted nothing so much as being unable to spend a day in
Lubeck, for I felt very much attracted by this old Hanse town, with
its pyramidically-built houses, its venerable dome, and other
beautiful churches, its spacious squares, &c.; but I was obliged to
proceed, and could only gaze at and admire it as I hurried through.
The pavement of the streets is better than I had seen it in any
northern town; and on the streets, in front of the houses, I saw
many wooden benches, on which the inhabitants probably spend their
summer evenings. I saw here for the first time again the gay-
looking street-mirrors used in Hamburgh. The Trave, which flows
between Travemunde and Lubeck, has to be crossed by boat. Near
Oldesloe are the salt-factories, with large buildings and immensely
high chimneys; an old romantic castle, entirely surrounded by water,
lies near Arensburg.
Past Arensburg the country begins to be uninteresting, and remains
so as far as Hamburgh; but it seems to be very fertile, as there is
an abundance of green fields and fine meadows.
The little journey from Lubeck to Hamburgh is rather dear, on
account of the almost incredible number of tolls and dues the poor
coachmen have to pay. They have first to procure a license to drive
from Lubeck into Hamburgh territory, which costs about 1s. 3d.; then
mine had to pay twice a double toll of 8d., because we passed
through before five o'clock in the morning, and the gates, which are
not opened till five o'clock, were unfastened especially for us;
besides these, there was a penny toll on nearly every mile.
This dreadful annoyance of the constant stopping and the toll-bars
is unknown in Norway and in Sweden.
