Here I hope to present various accounts of travel in Europe between 1792 and 1815. It sounds easy enough, but the travellers of the time had to be tough, stubborn and prepared for all kinds of disasters. There were bandits in the hills, and bandits running inns. Travellers and their purses were vulnerable evry step of the way. Given Royal Navy dominance of the seas, most Europeans made their way from A to B on horseback, by stagecoach or, if needs be, on foot. Yet some seemed to enjoy the adventure, if their diaires and letters home can be believed.
Here are some of their tales.
The first account is that of an impoverished young doctor travelling from Paris to Rennes in Brittany. On a tight budget, he walked some of the way, but experienced crowded coaches, horrible inns and a polar bear.