Munich, Bavaria
Sunday, Sep 8 1895

Dear Father,

After projecting the isosceles triangle to several points in space and comparing the results with several old newspapers in Dutch printing I have decided that today shall be Sunday. Nothing in our around the city of Munich would help me out in reaching this decision, however as Sunday is a busy day as well as a holiday[.] When I was writing about Dresden to Prague I quite forgot to tell you about some fine scenery along the Elbe. We thought it finer than the Rhine minus its Castles. The thickly wooded hills and pretty high ones too, rise almost directly from the water’s edge and out of their tops rise high bluffs of yellowish stone, some if them rounded and shelved as if by water and others craggy and _____. It is a curious combination and very picturesque[.] Then shortly before you reach Prague a great castle looms in view and stays in sight for a long time so high is it and so prominent does this hill on which is stands is built stand out.

I also forgot some of the palaces at Potsdam and many other things I dare say but wont attempt to supply the omissions.

We came to Vienna just at the close of day and the sun was setting on one side as the moon was rising on the other[.] Dusk is a very good time to reach a city because you are very hungry and as soon as you reach your hotel it is dinner time. Perhaps you wont see why that is a good time[.]
Vienna is a very easy city to investigate for the geographical, fashionable + commercial centers are one and the same. And that center is St. Stephens Church. The city is one a plain but the ground is a little higher at this great and beautiful church that anywhere else. This church is about the center of the Ringstrasse which describes a circular ring around it and all the fashionable and interesting commercial part of Vienna.

The Vienna Ringstrasse is its finest street, and if it were a straight street it would without doubt be the finest street in the world ( but it isn’t straight)[.] But even as it is one may safely say that it has more and finer buildings that any other in the world and nothing but fine ones, including palaces, hotels, handsome shops (a few) theatres the opera House, libraries, museums, picture galleries, Parliament houses, the University, Barracks Squares, Parks, _____ City Hall and so forth[.]
It is very broad and well paved but has no lawn in the centre and few large trees.

The territory which it surrounds contains most of the fine residences, fine shops, and fine places of business while the most of the city is outside the great street. One can give very little idea of this general effect by describing the separate buildings. They are of impressive size and beautiful architecture richly ornamented and surrounded in every case by beautiful and ample grounds[.]