From the moonlit canals of Venice to the reforming classrooms of Yverdon, this witty travel narrative turns sightseeing into a sparkling test of taste, language, and character. The narrator, a painter shaped by years of teaching and child care, travels with the dignified Salemina, the wealthy Francesca, and the pedantic Miss Celia Van Tyck, finding delight in beauty while never losing her comic eye for human absurdity. In Venice, she revels in the city's rare wonder, its festivals, gondolas, and enchanted hospitality, even as she wrestles with Italian pronouns, pronunciation, and the absurdities of foreign travel. At Casa Rosa, a broken blue pitcher unleashes domestic chaos among cooks, servants, and hangers-on until the resourceful "Little Genius" restores order. As the month ends, the departure feels bittersweet, and the journey continues into Wales, where the narrator is cast as the party's "Travelling Laureate," improvising verse amid the scenery. In Geneva and Yverdon, scenic pleasure gives way to educational pilgrimage, including a comic quest for Pestalozzi's monument, a severe schoolroom, and a grim fire-warning chart that inspires her to address children in French and praise Pestalozzi and Froebel. Throughout, the book blends satire, lyric admiration, and affectionate social comedy. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.
