More war news and sightseeing

Feel very tired this morning as is very apt to be the case. Received postal from Florence. She was in the train to Bozen* with many soldiers. An Austrian officer advised her to go back to Italy at once, so she and Helen are going to Verona and want me to join them. I wrote a card to her and to Alfred and finished letter to Margaret and went to post office to mail them. They said mail was going to America – went over the central part of the Rialto bridge – very interesting.

Bought some of the cheap printed goods that the people wear. Tried to come home through the Merceria** but came somehow made a wrong turn and had to inquire and inquire, but finally reached S. Marco and then walked to the ferry and then home.

Bought two Italian papers and came home and tried to read the war news with my dictionary. Young Mr. Conte says that Austria is making war in Servia – that Russia has declared war against Germany and Germany against France – that England will be drawn into it as the ally of Russia and France but that Italy will remain neutral. Lay down and fell asleep.

Then studied Baedecker and decided to cross the ferry and walk over to the church of San Giovanni il Paolo.*** I did and enjoyed the walk immensely – enjoyed the church too – then came back by way of the Rialto bridge – going through all sorts of queer little narrow “calles” or streets and campo. Took the Vaporetto.****

12 new people came today. Everyone is talking about the war and everyone wants to get back to U.S. Listened to the talk awhile, then came up and tried to read some more of the Italian paper. Do not like this pension. It is second class.

*Before World War 1, Bozen was part of the Austro-Hungarian county of Tyrol. It was annexed by Italy at the end of the World War 1.
**Merceria is the main shopping street of Venice. It begins near the Rialto Bridge as a small square and goes to St Mark's Square.
***San Giovanni e Paolo
****Water-bus