bumping into each other, and what not. At last you manage to stow away your luggage and get out on to the platform for fresh air and bid farewell to the well-wishers who have come to see you off.

But you have scarcely time to kiss and hug your friends when the station-master on duty, in a red cap, signals the train. You hear no shrill whistle of the engine — the train pulls out of the station noiselessly and without a jerk.

You are on your way. You start up a conversation with your fellow-passengers (people take to each other quickly when travelling) and soon you get to know who is who and what. Now that the excitement of the day is over you begin to feel hungry.

The dining-car steward happens to come along and you take bookings for dinner¹ or supper, whichever it might be. As you go for the second sitting you have time to wash. By that time the guard has made your bed. You take your towel and go to the toilet to wash yourself.

You feel tired now, after a hearty meal, so you decide to turn in². You get into your upper berth and begin to absorb the beauty of the changing scenes that fly past you — the cheerful fields of wheat and corn, the meadows under a mantle of flowers, grass and green moss, the rivers that run through woodland countries, the forests with their delicious sense of peace, and the mountains ribbed with sharp steep ridges.

But drowsiness creeps over you. You close your eyes and soon drift away into that vast mysterious void which men call sleep.

Vocabulary Notes

¹ to take booking for dinner — сделать предварительный заказ на обед ² to turn in {coll.) — ложиться спать

2. TRAVELLING BY SEA

For me there is no travel so fine as by sea. There are many things that make travel by sea a fascinating thing for me. Though I am not much of a sailor, I love the sight of a ship with its many decks, cabins and staterooms. It looks like a huge white floating city. It is delightful to be out at sea, too, and promenade the desk or sit in a deck-chair and take the sun.

But what can be compared with the excitement you experience when you sight land! The narrow strip of land on the horizon seems slowly coming towards you. Gradually the outlines of the shore

become more distinct, and on coming nearer you get a full view of the city, the harbour, and of the big ships coming in from and leaving for distant lands.

I shall never forget my first trip on board the “Pobeda” from Odessa to Sochi. The season was at its height then and the passenger traffic on the Odessa—Batumi line was heavy, so we, that is, Ann and I, had to reserve berths at the agency beforehand. After some three or four days of feverish preparations and expectations we were ready to start.

The ship was to sail at 1.40 p. m. on a certain Saturday early in July. On the morning of that distinguished day I felt very excited at the thought that in a few hours I shall go away. A little after noon we reached the pier and there, for the first time in my life, I beheld a real ship. What a beauty she was!

The pier was crowded with cars, trucks loaded with luggage, passengers arriving and hurrying on board, and well-wishers seeing them off. It was really thrilling going up the gangway. Up and up we went until we reached the main deck. And there from high above we looked at the people that seemed so tiny down below, crowding on the pier.

When we got on deck, we were attended by a sailor who took us down below deck. Inside the ship there was a vast labyrinth of aisles that ran into each other and out again and seemed to lead nowhere. But we tripped along following the sailor, and soon he brought us to our cabin. It was a small room with two berths in it, and against the wall, just below the round window, called a porthole, stood a little trifle of a table.

But we had no time to look around because we were eager to go back on deck. There, all was bustle and confusion as before. A noisy excitement was kept up from one end of the ship to the other. Shortly we heard the ship’s siren warning the passengers and their well-wishers to say their last goodbye to each other. After some 10-15 minutes the ship weighed anchor and slowly slipped out of the harbour, leaving Odessa behind wrapped in a blue noonday haze.

As soon as the land faded from sight, we went exploring the ship. The “Pobeda” had all modem conveniences and a wide choice of entertainment facilities. There was a good library that could afford a fair amount of reading matter. Then there were restaurants that took care of the passengers’ appetites, a cinema-hall, billiard rooms and what not.

We soon felt remarkably tired with walking up and down from one deck to another and were very glad to occupy two deck-chairs that happened to be vacant. Though the sea was moderately calm, the

ship rolled somewhat. Some passengers took to their berths — they felt seasick. By some happy fortune my friend and I were not sick. The fresh sea wind blew in our faces and it was lovely to look at the gulls and hear their cries as they gracefully swept over the waves almost touching the water with their wings.

In the evening we enjoyed the sunset, the beautiful sunset at sea. The sun, red as a glowing coal, gradually went down behind the horizon flooding the sky and the flakes of clouds with a crimson light. It was simply marvellous!

Our voyage lasted several days. On our way we called at several ports The stays were quite sufficient to give us the opportunity of visiting some points of interest there.

But I shall never forget the day when I first saw Sochi. It was evening when we came in sight of the town. From afar the snow-white palaces seemed like tiny cottages nestling cosily in a sea of fresh green vegetation. It was a picture of wonderful beauty.

In front was the smooth sea and in the background the high mountains, the slopes of which were clothed with green foliage. Even now when I recall it to my mind I experience a thrill of pleasure.

I honestly say that I love best to travel by ship.

3.      TRAVELLING BY AIR

For me there is nothing like travel by air: it is more comfortable, more convenient and, of course, far quicker than any other method. There is none of the dust and dirt of a railway or car journey; none of the trouble of changing from train to steamer, pushing your way through crowds to get from the boat to the Customs (if you travel abroad) and then to another train. A taxi or bus of the Airline Service takes you to the airport. There on the runway you see a sleek and beautiful jet-propelled passenger liner ready to carry you to your place of destination. When the formalities of registering yourself and weighing your baggage are over, you get up the gangway and board the plane. If you are travelling for the first time, you may apply to the stewardess and she will see you to your seat and give you all the information you need as, how to strap your belt, how to adjust your seat and so on. If you feel hungry, you will be provided with an excellent lunch. Strange though it may seem, it actually comes out cheaper, considering what you save in hotel charges or sleeping accomodation on the train, meals and so on.

But it is not only on account of the convenience, comfort and speed that I like air travel. The whole experience is a spiritually

thrilling thing for me. I enjoy greatly the feeling of flying. As you leave the earth behind you, you seem to belong to another world, a bigger, wider, freer world than the one you left. What loveliness there is on earth when you see it from above; the rapid changing scenes below are of underscribable beauty.

What can compare in beauty with the view one beholds when flying, for instance, from Moscow to Sverdlovsk? Just as the early tinges of dawn flush the eastern sky you take off from the Moscow airport leaving behind the huge city in deep slumber; the sun has not risen, but the bird-like machine is flying to greet it. Looking down you gain a magnificent view of a charming landscape — to the right are fields carefully cultivated, to the left — pasture-lands, ahead — a cheerful river winding its way through the lowland. On you fly past villages and cities, hills and valleyes, each following the other in quick succession. There in the far distance you perceive the outlines of a mountain range.