September 21st.
When I came on deck this morning the Sound was far behind us. To
the left we had the open sea; on the right, instead of the bleak
Schmoland, we had the bleaker Schonen, which was so barren, that we
hardly saw a paltry fishing-village between the low sterile hills.
At nine o'clock in the morning we anchored in the port of Ystadt.
The town is pretty, and has a large square, in which stand the house
of the governor, the theatre, and the town-hall. The streets are
broad, and the houses partly of wood and partly of stone. The most
interesting feature is the ancient church, and in it a much-damaged
wooden altar-piece, which is kept in the vestry. Though the figures
are coarse and disproportionate, one must admire the composition and
the carving. The reliefs on the pulpit, and a beautiful monument to
the right of the altar, also deserve admiration. These are all
carved in wood.
In the afternoon we passed the Danish island Malmo.
At last, after having been nearly four days on the sea instead of
two days and a half, we arrived safely in the harbour of Travemunde
on the 22d September at two o'clock in the morning. And now my sea-
journeys were over; I parted sorrowfully from the salt waters, for
it is so delightful to see the water's expanse all around, and
traverse its mirror-like surface. The sea presents a beautiful
picture, even when it storms and rages, when waves tower upon waves,
and threaten to dash the vessel to pieces or to engulf it - when the
ship alternately dances on their points, or shoots into 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. There, an annual tax is paid
for every horse, and the owner can then drive freely through the
whole country, as no toll-bars are erected.
The farm-houses here are very large and far-spread, but the reason
is, that stable, barn, and shippen are under the same roof: the
walls of the houses are of wood filled in with bricks.
After passing Arensburg, we saw the steeples of Wandsbeck and
Hamburgh in the distance; the two towns seem to be one, and are, in
fact, only separated by pretty country-houses. But Wandsbeck
compared to Hamburgh is a village, not a town.
I arrived in Hamburgh about two o'clock in the afternoon; and my
relatives were so astonished at my arrival, that they almost took me
for a ghost. I was at first startled by their reception, but soon
understood the reason of it.
At the time I left Iceland another vessel went to Altona, by which I
sent a box of minerals and curiosities to my cousin in Hamburgh.
The sailor who brought the box gave such a description of the
wretched vessel in which I had gone to Copenhagen, that, after
having heard nothing of me for two months, he thought I must have
gone to the bottom of the sea with the ship.
