Amazing Travel Stories, Women in the 1800's

I learned the most astonishing facts from this book, "No Place for a Lady- Tales of Adventurous Women Travelers" written by Barbara Hodgson. She took quotes from the many first-person travelogues which were written by women in the 1800's.

Here is the story of a bad hotel:

In a New South Wales hostel, Louisa Anne Meredith found sheets so black that"half a dozen unwashed chimney sweeps occupying the same bed for a fortnight could not have left evidences of a darker hue". After much grumbling, the hostess gave her a set of cleaner ones...then the maid came back "If you please, ma'am, Missus wants them sheets you pulled off your bed, for a gentleman as is just come in!"- Louisa Anne Meredith, author of Notes and Sketches of New South Wales (1844)

These women did not believe in packing light:

Alexine Tinne and her mother, Harriet Tinne set off in 1862 to explore the Nile, etc. They left Cairo on Jan. 1862 with servants, guards, maids, and "a horse, a donkey, five dogs, heaps of baggage, including camera equipment and food for a year." After leaving the boat, they travelled overland with "102 camels and numerous donkeys to carry their gear."

Katherine Petherick had packed a piano, which had been manufactured in two parts for easy transport (travelling from Cairo to Khartoum 1861).

Some unusual wedding customs (YIKES!):

1864, Olympe d'Audouard travelled to Egypt. Her book "Les Mysteres de l'Egypte devoiles" 1866. Audouard attended a Coptic wedding, realized the customs were rather different from what she expected, so when asked if she'd like to stay for the post-marriage rites, she readily agreed and watched with a mixture of horror and fascination as the husband entered the bridal chamber and, in the presence of a score of women, including herself and her maid, ceremoniously deprived his new wife of her virginity....

Pest control for boats:

Harriet Martineau wrote "Eastern Life, Present and Past" 1848. She cruised up the Nile in a boat, at this time boats were often sunk before the trip commenced. The sinking was to kill bugs infesting the boats....

I was dumbfounded by the following story. Okay, maybe I understand the sewing, but why the ironing and starching?

On board, Harriet Martineau and her friend Mrs. Yates, occupied themselves by sewing and ironing...This was so diverting that Martineau recommended that a lady think of "putting up a pair of flat-irons among her baggage. If she can also starch, it will add much to her comfort."

All in all, a very eye-opening book. I just love to read the strange-but-true.


Also, I read this great article today in the Telegraph. " The Stunning Decline of Barack Obama: Ten Key Reasons why the Obama Presidency is in Meltdown". Leave it to the Brits to tell it like it is.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100050412/the-stunning-decline-of-barack-obama-10-key-reasons-why-the-obama-presidency-is-in-meltdown/